Featured Home

This month's featured home is a 3-Star Built Green™ condominium project by Wild Radish LLC. This project helped Wild Radish earn the 2005 Built Green Hammer Award for Small Multi-Family construction, due to its outstanding level of green building attributes. The project earned a total of 339 points on the Built Green Multi-Family checklist. The project is a model of building for the health of its occupants, with the builder carefully choosing construction methods and materials that support a non-toxic home. For example, only zero-VOC paint was used throughout, each home is carpet-free, and multiple air and water regulation systems were installed in the homes.

For more information on this home's green features, view the case study here.

To see other previously featured virtual tours, click here.

Virtual tours created by Northwest Property Imaging.

New Members

Are you a Built Green member and a member of the Master Builders Association? Then your company is designated with a small green tree on the Master Builders Association website as a Built Green member. Your company is also listed on the Built Green website.

Welcome to our newest member companies!

Anderson Design Consultants Inc.
Partnering for Pristine Environments
(206) 850-3242 in Fife

DeMeerleer Construction Inc.
(206) 679-0358 in Seattle

Gaspar's Construction
If You Live in it, You Should Love it.
(206) 324-8199 in Seattle

Glover Homes
Leader in Urban Living
(425) 744-6004 in Lynnwood

Joseph McKinstry Construction Co.
(206) 723-4651 in Seattle

Loutsis Development LLC
(206) 972-3751 in Bothell

Michael Carlin Painting Inc.
Thinking about tomorrow.
(253) 872-2570 in Kent

Prescott Homes Inc.
(425) 822-2829 in Kirkland

RLMB LLC
(206) 999-6937 in Seattle

TRM Products LLC
(360) 793-1599 in Sultan

New Certifications

Congratulations to Cambridge Custom Homes for certifying a 3-Star Built Green home in Seattle; CamWest Development Inc. for certifying the 3-Star Built Green community of Shamrock Heights in Renton; gProjects LLC for certifying four 3-Star Built Green homes in Seattle; Greenleaf Construction for certifying two 3-Star Built Green homes in Seattle; Hoover Premier Homes for certifying eight 3-Star Built Green homes in Edmonds; Howland Homes for certifying seven 3-Star Built Green homes and four twelve-unit 3-Star Built Green multi-family townhomes in Seattle; LIHI Denny Park LLC for certifying a fifty-unit affordable housing 3-Star Built Green multifamily project in Seattle; Regal Homes LLC for certifying a 1-Star Built Green home in Everett; Specialized Homes for certifying fifteen 3-Star Built Green homes in Issaquah; and Suncadia LLC for certifying the 3-Star Built Green community of Suncadia in Roslyn.

King County

On this past Earthday I celebrated my 10th year in the greenbuilding industry where my primary role, up until now, was to sell green building products. In my new role at King County I find myself perplexed in the maze of green materials and thinking about greenwashing. "Greenwash" is defined in the 10th edition of the Concise Oxford English Dictionary as the "disinformation disseminated by an organization so as to present an environmentally responsible public image." Its inclusion in the dictionary indicates the significance and permanence of a growing trend among corporations to take advantage of the many consumers who look for products that minimize environmental impact. In recent weeks this issue has gained local media attention with a story about the potentially environmentally and socially harmful forest practices of a local company that promotes their high standards of sustainable forestry in print and on television.

Having begun my career at the Duluth Timber Company, I contemplate green wood products and their source on a regular basis. Environmentally responsible wood is commonly defined in relation to its source. The source of the wood at the Duluth Timber Company was well defined and easy to track because we specialized in wood reclaimed from old buildings. One challenge with sourcing environmentally responsible new wood is deciphering the numerous abreviations for ostensibly sustainable forestry programs.The only resource that appears to be true to any set of real environmental standards is FSC (Forest Stewardship Council) which accredits independent third-party organizations who can certify forest managers and forest product producers to FSC standards. Additionally, FSC differentiates itself from the other major certification programs, such as SFI and CSA, by addressing issues such as indigenous people's rights.

The story mentioned above is a good example of how important the rights of indigenous people are in the assessment of an environmentally friendly product. It claims that the devastation caused by clear cutting and toxic pesticide use on First Nations land of the Ojibwa tribe in Ontario is impacting their ability to effectively farm their own land and polluting their water, both of which have negative health impacts on the community. We typically assume that these types of forestry practices go on in places like Brazil or Indonesia not realizing that they are also happening right here in North America. As we work our way through the maze of green materials I encourage governments, builders, architects, homeowners, designers and any party involved in "green" building to investigate the provenance of the products they buy. This way we can ensure that the materials we perceive as making our communities better, are not compromising the environments and health of people elsewhere.

To learn more about trusted sources in green materials see the links below:
www.fscus.org
www.scscertified.com
www.spec.bc.ca/greenpages/index.php
www.buildinggreen.com/menus/

- Patti Southard

Puget Sound Energy

Energy Efficiency
and Green Features
on Display at Built Green™ Home at Suncadia

PSE is proud to help sponsor the Built Green Home at Suncadia. Tours will be offered on Saturdays and Sundays from May 27 (Memorial Day weekend) through July 16.

ENERGY STAR® Qualified appliances and light fixtures, on-demand hot water, insulated concrete forms, geothermal heat, cork flooring, recycled glass countertops - the number of "green" choices available for your home is growing daily! You can see these and many other environmentally friendly and energy-saving features first-hand and learn how they work during the scheduled home tours.

The Built Green Home at Suncadia has been designed to show that green building techniques can deliver the same style and comfort as traditional building practices, without necessarily increasing costs. The custom home is a joint project of developer Brenda Nunes and builder CMI Homes and is located in the Suncadia resort community near Roslyn, WA.

To learn more, visit www.thebuiltgreenhome.com.

Letter from the Director

As a Built Green member, you've been hearing for months about the 5-Star Built Green Home at Suncadia. As a showcase for innovative environmental products and systems, the project is unrivaled. Its much-anticipated completion will be at the end of this month. Beyond the energy saving techniques, low-impact materials, and non-toxic products, this project has made a far more dramatic impact than is possible for any one home; it has far superseded the sum of its parts in terms of environmental preservation.

Thanks to the green commitment of the owner and builder of the house, an unprecedented level of participation by sponsors, and a staggering lineup of educational and marketing events, the Suncadia Resort could not help but take notice. On March 16, at the Built Green Conference, Suncadia Vice-President Christopher Kelsey announced that the resort would certify under the Built Green Communities checklist. At 6,300 acres and permitted to build over 3,500 homes, the community is one of the largest to certify as Built Green, and is the first resort community to do so.

True to its nature as a resort, there is no shortage of open space and natural beauty for the future residents of the community to enjoy. In addition to open space, the developers and planners made a priority of preserving existing topography and flora. An extensive network of trails and paved paths wind throughout the resort to reduce reliance on automobiles and promote alternative transportation. Finally, as a Built Green certified community, at least 60 percent of the homes built will also certify under the Built Green program.

In a sense, the enthusiasm and stewardship ethic embodied in the 5-Star model home permeated the resort. Ultimately, the success of that home has inspired the green construction of thousands of other homes just within that community. If you’d like to see both the model home and Suncadia resort in person, the house will be open to the public every weekend from Memorial Day until July 16 from noon to 4 p.m. For more information contact Built Green or see the Built Green Home website.

- Aaron Adelstein

Featured Event

Built Green Invitational at Suncadia
Built Green is excited to hold its first annual golf tournament fundraiser, The Built Green Invitational at Suncadia! Space is filling up fast, so sign up now to play one of Washington's premier new courses and support your favorite non-profit green building program. The tournament will be followed by a tour of the 5-Star Built Green Home at Suncadia and a banquet at the beautiful Inn at Suncadia.

Your $175 registration includes 18 holes of golf, range balls, a golf cart, tee prizes, one raffle ticket, beverage tickets, an awards banquet, home tour and post tournament reception.

A home tour and banquet only rate is available for $75 for those who do not want to play golf.

To register for the tournament please contact the MBA Events department at (425) 451-7920 or by email. MBA members can register online.

Thank you to our sponsors! The Built Green Invitational at Suncadia is sponsored by Whirlpool. The banquet is sponsored by the Suncadia Resort.

Sponsorships are still available. If you'd like to be a sponsor, please contact Parker Fox at (425) 460-8219 or by email.

Member News

Congratulations Whirlpool!
The U.S. Department of Energy and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency recognized the Whirlpool Corporation with the inaugural ENERGY STAR® Sustained Excellence 2006 Award. This special award is given to a select group of organizations that have exhibited outstanding environmental leadership year after year, while sustaining product and marketing excellence.

Volunteer Green Builder Needed
Snohomish Habitat for Humanity is looking for a volunteer chairman for their Home Construction Committee. They would like a green builder. If you are interested or need more information, contact Larry Wewel at (425) 220-1499 or by email.

Vanity Fair Applauds Seattle Mayor
Seattle City Mayor, Greg Nickels, is featured in the "Special Green Issue" of Vanity Fair this month. Mayor Nickels is acknowledged for establishing the U.S. Mayors Climate Protection Agreement; signed by 212 mayors representing 43 million Americans, the initiative commits each city to following Kyoto guidelines by reducing greenhouse-gas emissions to pre-1990 levels.

Otak Inc. Greening Transportation
Otak Inc. is featured in an article about greening transportation in the April issue of eco-structure magazine. The article specifically focuses on their work on Tacoma's Link Light Rail system.

If you are a member of Built Green and have news you would like to share with our readers, please email your announcement to Built Green.

Awards: Call for Entries

2006 Rex Awards: Remodeling Excellence
Attention Built Green remodelers! You are invited to enter your remodeling projects for the prestigious 2006 Rex Award: Built Green Choice Award, presented by the Master Builders Association and the Remodelors Council. The Built Green Choice Award is designed to award outstanding Built Green remodeling projects. Projects must have been completed after January 1, 2005. Entry forms and payment must be received by Friday, May 5 at noon. For more information about the awards and the entry form, click here. The awards ceremony will be held on June 24 at the Triple Door in Seattle. We hope you will join us! If you need a photographer for your project, then please consider our sponsoring photographer Northwest Property Imaging. They can be reached at (206) 870-0968.

Events

Visit the Built Green Washington website for green home building courses and events across the state of Washington.

Sunday, May 7 through Saturday, May 13
Urban Sustainability Tour
International Sustainable Solutions has organized another Sweden-Denmark Urban Sustainability Study Tour for you to study and travel with a select group of Northwest urban professionals, including Seattle City Council member Rich Conlin and Jeanette Henderson, Director of Real Estate for the University of Washington. Travel to Scandinavia to learn first-hand about best practices in urban sustainability. Topics will include stormwater management, transportation/mobility, high performance buildings, green roofs, creating vibrant public and private spaces, urban planning and energy. More than 100 of the Northwest's leading developers, architects, engineers, public officials and others have already joined us on previous study tours to experience what other cities have done to create highly livable, economically vibrant urban environments. For more information please contact Patricia Chase by email, or visit the ISS website.

Thursday, May 11
Sustainability Forum Workshop
The Northern Pacific Chapter of International Interior Design Association is proud to offer a workshop on certification systems for environmental claims. Kirsten Ritchie, Director, Environmental Claims Certifications Scientific Certification Systems will present "Peeling Back the Eco-Label". The workshop will be held from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. on Thursday, May 11 at Antioch University in Seattle. The cost of the workshop is $20 and includes lunch. For more information or to register, contact Cathy Stieg by email or visit the website.

Saturday, May 27 through Sunday, July 16
Built Green Home Tours
Starting Memorial Day weekend, the Built Green Home at Suncadia will open for tours for eight weekends. Tours will be on Saturdays and Sundays, from noon to 4 p.m. and are free to everyone. This is a great chance to see a beautiful 5-Star Built Green home in person. This custom, lodge-style home features a geothermal ground source heating system, FSC certified wood flooring, recycled copper sinks and more! For more information on the home you can visit its website. For directions to the home click here.

Classes

Classes listed below are approved workshops for fulfilling the annual Built Green education requirement for certifying projects.

Visit the Built Green Washington website for green home building courses and events across the state of Washington.

Friday, May 5, Bellevue
The Systems Engineering Approach to Homebuilding
Want to stand out in the crowded homebuilders market? Learn how to build homes that are 30 to 50 percent more energy efficient at little or no increase in cost to you! Topics include key strategies for designing and constructing energy efficient homes, and choosing optimal ductwork, windows, insulation and heating/cooling equipment. This course will be held from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. on Friday, May 5, at the MBA Housing Center in Bellevue. The cost of the course is $50 for MBA members of the MBA and $75 for non-members. To register, contact the MBA University registrar via email or at (425) 460-8208.

Friday, May 5, Bellevue
Advanced Framing
This class is all about doing more with less: learning how to build a structurally sound home with lower material and labor costs. This course covers problems with current standard practices; the five phases of successful implementation; a variety of efficient framing techniques; and challenges to successful project completion. This course will be held from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. on Friday, May 5 at the MBA Housing Center in Bellevue. The cost of the course is $50 for MBA members of the MBA and $75 for non-members. To register, contact the MBA University registrar via email or at (425) 460-8208.

Tuesday, May 16, Bellevue
Introduction to Built Green™
This free seminar provides an introduction to the Built Green™ program from 8 a.m. to 10 a.m. on Tuesday, May 16, at the Master Builders Association Housing Center in Bellevue. Learn how to certify a project and use the checklist, how to join, how the program works, and other resources. The seminar presents examples of projects and covers how to fill out the Built Green checklist. This orientation is required in order to certify homes as Built Green. To register, contact the MBA University registrar via email or at (425) 460-8208.

Resources

Energy Incentives Available in WA State
There are many incentives available in Washington to support energy efficiency and the use of renewable energy, and there is a great website that has them all listed for your convenience! The Database of State Incentives for Renewable Energy (DSIRE) is a comprehensive source of information on state, local, utility selected federal incentives that promote renewable energy. The listing for Washington includes rebates, sales tax exemptions, available grants and other incentive programs for both the builder and homeowner. Visit www.dsireusa.org today!

Snohomish County PUD

Energy Efficiency for Businesses

Snohomish County PUD business customers can take advantage of the utility's energy efficiency incentive program, which provides funds for energy conservation improvements. Businesses benefit by increasing system reliability, lowering maintenance costs and contributing to higher productivity. Measures funded include lighting controls and fixtures, HVAC equipment, compressed air systems, refrigeration, and motors, pumps and fans. For more information, call the PUD at (425) 783-8290 or visit their website.

Contact Built Green

Master Builders Association
335 - 116th Avenue SE
Bellevue, WA 98004
P: (425) 460-8238
F: (425) 646-5985
builtgreen@mbaks.com
www.builtgreen.net

Master Builders Association Calendar of Events

If you have news items for this newsletter, please send us an email. Click here for Directions to the Master Builders Association.