Green Housing

Government Mandates, Programs, Building, and Material Standards

Advancements in green building have prompted governmental programs and standards. For example, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and Department of Energy implemented the Energy Star program, which has revolutionized consumers’ ability to access [Page 218]information about energy-efficient products and services from a trusted source. In 2008, Americans bought 550 million Energy Star–certified products, and households are experiencing energy use and savings (use cut by one-third, saving $750 annually). In addition, there are 940,000 Energy Star–certified new construction homes in the United States; 100,000 of those homes were built in 2008.

Other standards such as the International Energy Conservation Code help establish commercial and residential building code efficiency standards. ASTM International (formerly known as the American Society of Testing and Materials) is the main standards organization in the United States. ASTM E2114 sets standards for sustainable building as performance requirements that minimize disturbances to and improve the ecosystem both during and after construction and during their life span. The International Organization for Standardization is a nonprofit standards organization that creates standards for international sustainable development.

Nongovernmental Third-Party Building and Material Standards

Nongovernment third-party certification systems have benefits and disadvantages. Third-party certification systems can be either for profit or nonprofit. A well-known nonprofit, nongovernmental, third-party organization is the U.S. Green Building Council and its building rating system, Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED). LEED certification has gained industry approval as the leading benchmark for sustainable buildings.

There are established nonprofit third-party certification systems for processes and products that are related to the building process. The Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) is a nongovernmental, nonprofit organization that is responsible for management of the world's forests. The LEED rating system recognizes FSC as the only sustainable wood certification label. The FSC has been perceived as a successful partnership between nongovernment and private industry. Nevertheless, there are critics of the FSC and its ability to establish global forestry standards.

The Cradle to Cradle program from McDonough Braungart Design Chemistry was established in 2005 and is an example of a propriety certification system. Cradle to Cradle has industry recognition because it challenged the cradle-to-grave approach that has dominated for years. Cradle to Cradle has altered the way we approach manufacturing by evaluating the life cycle of a product from production to product end life, once it is no longer in use. Although the Cradle to Cradle sustainable paradigm is respected in the industry, few manufacturers have sought certification from McDonough Braungart Design Chemistry. This could be because of the proprietary nature of the certification system, even though Cradle to Cradle is a certification label that LEED accepts as an innovation point, and the Environmental Protection Agency recognizes it as a requirement for government purchasing of Environmentally Preferable Products.

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