Good to Know: Green Home Certification—What You Need to Know

THE LEED ECO-HOUSE CHECKLIST

Here’s a sampler of the categories that LEED for Homes considers—and what you should look for, too.

• minimized disturbance of site
• proximity to public transportation and open spaces
• eco-sensitive landscaping and nontoxic pest control
• water efficiency inside (toilets, showers, faucets) and outside (irrigation, rainwater harvesting)
• indoor environmental quality (air filtering, humidity control, radon protection)
• environmentally preferable materials (FSC-certified wood, locally sourced)
• conservation of resources and waste control
• smaller house size (less than the national average of 2,200 square feet)
• energy efficiency (windows, insulation, appliances, HVAC, renewable energy)

Is This Globe Green?

When your developer or builder says your prospective new home is sustainably built because it’s earned a Green Globes certification, what does it mean? You might want to be wary.

Green Globes is certified by the Green Building Initiative (GBI), founded by the National Association of Home Builders, the American Plastics Council, the Vinyl Institute and the American Forest and Paper Products Association. “Green Globes is a wolf in sheep’s clothing,” says Bill Walsh, national coordinator of the Healthy Building Network. “It was founded, and is ultimately controlled by, some of the most anti-environment industry trade associations in the country. You can bet its effect will be to water down the definition of ‘green.’”