Built Green™ Programs, Unite!

That’s been the rallying cry of Washington’s builders, as they attempt to navigate the myriad requirements of the separate certification programs run by ten (at last count) local homebuilder associations across the state. In response, the programs have joined together to form Built Green™ Washington, a nonprofit umbrella organization to promote communication and collaboration, if not conformity. The organization’s board includes members and staff from each program and is chaired by Tiffany Speir, the director of the Tacoma-Pierce County Built Green™ program. Check it all out at www.builtgreenwashington.org.

Confused about the new green MLS listings?

Earth Advantage®, the Portland-based residential green certification organization, has launched a new training program for real estate professionals that will answer all your questions. Called “S.T.A.R.” (“Sustainability Training for Accredited Real Estate Professionals”), the two-day workshop prepares agents to help buyers and sellers evaluate a home’s green features and make use of the green certifications added earlier this year to the Regional Multiple Listing Service’s searchable database. (Washington’s Northwest MLS has now made similar additions to its forms, as the two states continue to duke it out for green leadership.) For information on how you can become a STAR, visit www.earthadvantage.org.

Sustaining Snohomish County

After several years operating under the wing of the County’s Economic Development Council, the Sustainable Task Force of Snohomish County, Wash.,  has finally incorporated as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit (www.sustainablesnohomishcounty.org). This is a logical step for this committed group, whose participants include county and city planners, utilities, engineering and architecture firms, real estate agents, and anybody else who shares their goals. The organization’s activities range from technical support and educational workshops to demonstration projects and tours to showcase sustainable development practices. Kudos to the group’s founders, Deanna Carveth of Snohomish County Solid Waste and Chris Fate of the Public Utility District, for thinking up such a novel forum for collaboration and to the Washington State Department of Ecology for helping to make it happen.

ENERGY STAR® - It’s More Than Just an Appliance:
If buyers like to see that logo on their dishwasher, just think how they’ll appreciate knowing their entire home meets ENERGY STAR standards! The Northwest ENERGY STAR Homes program combines a powerful marketing message for buyers (up to 30% more energy-efficient than homes built to code) with a generous package of incentives and rebates for builders that can offset virtually all the costs of certification. Builders, who know a good deal when they see one, are getting on board: a recent series of Seattle Times ads funded jointly by ENERGY STAR and Puget Sound Energy honored 17 leading companies who build exclusively ENERGY STAR Homes. See www.northwestenergystar.com for details.

Green Homes for Tribal Elders
If anyone deserves healthy, energy-efficient homes, it’s seniors. That’s why Washington’s Puyallup Tribe is building the first of a projected 20+ Built Green™ and ENERGY STAR® certified homes to meet the growing needs of its elder community. The “Elder Healthy Home” (www.elderhealthyhome.com) now underway in Tacoma is the first project of its kind on Tribal land in the Northwest.