September 3, 2008

Earth Advantage® Receives 2008 Energy Star® Leadership in Housing Award 
Earth Advantage, Inc. in the Pacific Northwest has been recognized by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) with a 2008 ENERGY STAR Leadership in Housing Award. This award recognizes the important contribution that Earth Advantage has made to energy efficient construction and environmental protection by verifying 952 ENERGY STAR qualified homes last year. Collectively, these homes will save home owners approximately $424,500 on utility bills each year.
 
The environmental benefits of ENERGY STAR qualified homes are the equivalents of:

• Eliminating the emissions of 466 vehicles;
• Saving 1,410 tons of coal;
• Planting 771 acres of trees; or
• Saving the environment 2,767 tons of CO2 per year.

Homes that earn the ENERGY STAR designation meet strict guidelines for energy efficiency set by the EPA and Northwest ENERGY STAR for New Homes Program. ENERGY STAR qualified homes are at least 15 percent more energy efficient than homes built to the Oregon Energy Code.
 
“As a program provider, we are thrilled to be recognized for the Leadership award,” says Sean Penrith, Executive Director of Earth Advantage, Inc. “Our incorporation of the ENERGY STAR path in our Earth Advantage new homes program delivers energy efficiency and sustainability in one package.”
 
ENERGY STAR qualified homes can include a variety of energy efficient features, such as effective insulation, high performance windows, tight construction and ducts, efficient heating and cooling equipment and ENERGY STAR qualified lighting and appliances.
 
ENERGY STAR is growing strong in the residential new construction market. In 2007, over 120,000 new homes nationally were constructed to meet ENERGY STAR guidelines, bringing the total number of ENERGY STAR qualified homes to almost 840,000. Owners of these homes are saving more than $200 million on their utility bills.

About Earth Advantage 
Earth Advantage, Inc., a 501(c)3 non-profit corporation is a leading green building authority in the Pacific Northwest and the largest third-party tested program in the country. At a minimum, Earth Advantage homes are designed to use 15 percent less energy than houses built to standard code practices. Earth Advantage works with builders, developers and home owners to bring the most energy efficient, sustainable and healthy homes to the market.  The organization has the ability to certify homes as Earth Advantage® (including Silver, Gold and Platinum levels), ENERGY STAR® or LEED for Homes®. Over 9,500 homes in the state of Oregon have been certified to the Earth Advantage standard since 2000.

Insurance Company Finds Affluent Consumers Favor “Green” Homes
Fireman’s Fund Insurance Company – which launched the first-ever admitted green homeowners insurance in the U.S. this summer – has found that high-end homeowners favor “green” homes. And, nearly half of those surveyed are very interested in green homeowner’s insurance. These findings were gleaned from a national, Web-based survey conducted with high-end homeowners.

The survey revealed that affluent individuals are most interested in replacing heating, cooling and electricity systems, appliances, roofing and flooring with green materials.

Moreover, these same respondents are currently practicing environmentally friendly activities – recycling, seeking out energy efficient products for purchase and routinely reducing energy consumption in the home. Respondents had a high familiarity with water-conserving plumbing and automatic control systems and moderate to high familiarity with lighting controls and fluorescent light bulbs, most Energy Star®-qualified products, and non-oil-based paint.

Fireman’s Fund offers its product to homeowners who currently own green homes or who want to upgrade their residences with green features after a loss using environmental safety and efficiency standards. If a home is completely destroyed, it can be rebuilt to green standards.

A green home uses less energy, water and natural resources and creates less waste. Studies have shown that residents have better overall health and productivity as a result of reduced exposure to mold, mildew and indoor toxins. According to the National Center for Healthy Housing, homeowners can expect substantial health gains by building green.

The study was designed to determine whether there is a significant movement towards using environmentally friendly materials and practices in homes owned by affluent individuals. Target respondents in California owned a home valued at $1 million or more and a minimum of $125,000 in disposable income or liquid assets. Target respondents elsewhere owned a home valued at $700,000 or more and a minimum of $125,000 in disposable income or liquid assets.

Schools Rapidly Turning Green Across America
Tens of thousands of students across the country will go back to school this fall to find their halls and classrooms turning green – as in environmentally sound and healthy, energy efficient and high performing. Hundreds of thousands of additional students are poised to attend environmentally designed schools within the next few years, according to the U.S. Green Building Council.

As the school year begins, nearly 1,000 school buildings will have met or are seeking LEED certification, with applications growing at a rate of more than one per day. The total number of square feet of LEED certified and registered school space will exceed 100 million square feet as the school year gets underway, according to figures recently released by USGBC.

LEED certification provides parents, teachers and communities with a “report card” for school buildings – verifying that a school was built to meet the highest level of energy and environmental performance. Through July, more than eight million square feet of school space are certified LEED while another 90 million square feet of projects are registered with USGBC.

Registered status applies to projects before they are completed and applications are finalized. “Schools across the country are going green,” said Rachel Gutter, education sector senior manager for USGBC. The non-profit Council administers the LEED Green Building Rating System for schools as well as for homes, affordable housing, offices, hospitals and other buildings nationwide. “Green schools save operating costs for the district, create a better workplace for teachers, provide a healthier learning environment for students and support a more sustainable community. Every school in America needs to be green, and increasingly our school boards, teachers, PTAs and students are demanding it.”

Public or private schools in 50 states have turned to the LEED for Schools program for new or renovated buildings, as educators and school leaders increasingly see environmental building as a way to improve air quality for students, teachers and communities while also cutting energy and water costs. Maryland, Hawaii, New Jersey, Illinois, Florida, Ohio, Washington, Connecticut and the District of Columbia already require new schools be built green; California and Pennsylvania offer strong incentives to follow environmental specifications.

Case study analysis of completed LEED certified schools show the facilities use 33 percent less energy, saving 32 percent more water and reducing solid waste by 74 percent, compared to traditional school buildings.

On average, green schools save $100,000 per year, enough to hire two new teachers, buy 200 new computers or purchase 5,000 new textbooks, according to the report “Greening America’s Schools: Costs & Benefits” by Gregory Kats of Capital E, a national clean energy technology and green building firm. Another study in North Carolina by Heschong Mahone found that students in classrooms with the most daylight had consistently higher test scores by 7-18 percent.

And green schools’ carefully planned acoustics and abundant daylight make it easier and more comfortable for students to learn and for teachers to teach. According to case studies profiled in “Greening America’s Schools,” cleaner indoor air cuts down sick days for students and teachers alike, as green schools commonly report reductions in teacher absenteeism and teacher turnover.

Green schools even provide a wealth of hands-on learning opportunities, where the school itself becomes an interactive teaching tool.

Green schools are popping up everywhere from urban America to rural areas, in both private and public schools. Among the examples:

• Ohio now requires all new schools and major renovations to earn LEED certification, with 250 green school projects slated to begin in the next two years.
• All new schools in Chicago will be built green, like the Tarkington School of Excellence, where sixth grader Christian Torres doesn’t need an inhaler any longer - at his old school, he used it several times a day.
• Increasing numbers of school districts and private schools are committing to building new facilities and retrofitting existing ones following the LEED for Schools rating system. Districts from Charlotte County, Florida, to Albuquerque, New Mexico, to Anchorage, Alaska, are taking part.
• New Orleans is rebuilding public schools green following the disaster of Hurricane Katrina. As Greensburg, Kansas works to recover from the devastating May 2007 tornado, every new building in the town, including the schools, will be built following LEED guidelines.

Sustainable Homes Professional Training Program - Sept. - Feb.
Earth Advantage announces in-depth training program for building industry professionals

Earth Advantage, Inc., (EAI) will launch its latest curriculum, Sustainable Homes Professional (SHP) in September 2008. Education is a core component of Earth Advantage’s mission to promote the use of sustainable practices throughout the design and construction process. 

Sustainable Homes Professional is a rigorous six-month certification course that includes monthly classroom instruction, field studies, cross functional team work, an on-site practicum and a final exam. The course is designed to impart a deep level of knowledge regarding sustainable building practices and encourage their implementation. SHP course designers intend for building industry professionals to understand integrated design process dynamics so they may be able to incorporate such practices and take advantage of the increasing demand for sustainable construction.

Beginning September 26 and 27, 2008 and running through February 2009, participants will meet the last Friday and Saturday of every month for classroom instruction at the Earth Advantage National Center in Portland, OR. Tours of certified homes (Earth Advantage, ENERGY STAR and LEED for Homes) will also occur periodically on these days. The training cost of $1,625 includes all materials, fees and tours. Discounts apply for active EA builders, Sustainable Building Advisor and EA S.T.A.R. graduates, and non-profits. To register, contact Education Coordinator Katie Schnepp at kschnepp@earthadvantage.org

BCA Convention & Exposition - Oct. 5-7
This year’s 2008 Building Commissioning Association’s Convention & Exposition will be held in Hauppauge (Long Island), New York. Connect with providers, building operators, facility managers and construction professionals. Topics will include re-commissioning, comparing commissioning across LEED products, approaches to commissioning in other countries and the presentation of the BCA’s Best Practices for existing building commissioning.

Remodel Green 08 - Oct. 31-Nov. 1
Remodel Green brings together builders, architects, designers, homeowners, suppliers and community leaders who share excitement about green building. Held at Eastern Michigan University’s new Student Center, with more than 14,000 square feet of exhibition space, and over 1,500 conference delegates.