I love the green building going on around Seattle – I actually am working on my ECO Broker designation and love looking around at all of the different variations of “building green” going on in houses, townhomes, and condos. Most of the builders who claim to be green builders are completely legitimate with well thought out plans for green homes that not only are better for the environment, but also have thoughtful design. I have however come across some that just seem to be trying to ride the coat tails of the green trend. Luckily, they are the minority in Seattle!
I haven’t gotten all the way through my studies, but I checked out a development yesterday that has been sitting for a while. Suddenly, the entry sales sign changed and it was claiming to be “Built Green”. This bugged me because except for the really energy efficient siding on the houses, they really don’t seem to be very green. In fact, I know for a fact that the builder got into trouble by knocking over a bunch of trees without getting proper permits. I got inside and almost all of the floor was marble and the off gassing from the MDF made my eyes water.
I need to find the Built Green police and report this one! In the mean time, it is a good lesson to Seattle buyers who are looking to buy green. Buying green should not be about getting more customers in for a few buzz words, but rather changing the way people are living. Selling something that couldn’t possibly be that green in spirit really seems like bad business to me. Just my two cents.
Please talk to Aaron at Built Green if you think a property claiming Built Green certification may not be. They have a list of all homes that have been certified by the program and would be able to verify it for you. And they would take action should they find someone is marketing as Built Green when they are not truly certified.
It is important that we all work to protect this certification so it maintains its value to home owners and home buyers.
Their web site is http://www.builtgreen.net or phone (425) 460-8238.
Thank you,
Wendy Hughes-Jelen
Certified Built Green Professional: Real Estate
HI Wendy – I did leave a message for him:) Thank you, though for the info – I agree! We need to protect it because it is a good thing!