Natural Capitalism - Sarasota

FHBA & FGBC Team Up To Promote Affordable Green Building
 
TALLAHASSEE— (April 7, 2006) The Florida Home Builders Association (FHBA) and the Florida Green Building Coalition (FGBC) today announced a newly created partnership designed to promote affordable green building.
 
“The mission of the partnership is to provide a statewide green building program that creates both environmental and economic benefits,” says Roy O. Bonnell, Jr., FGBC Executive Director. “We have accomplished this by creating a broad-based coalition of members including all sectors of the building industry, and individuals interested in the environment, academics, and government.”
 
While both organizations are committed to promoting affordable green building and advocating the use of the FGBC Green Building Standards, the partnership allows FHBA and FGBC to:

* Unify Florida’s green building standards by advocating the FGBC Green Home Designation Standard and Green Development Designation Standard as the “green standards” for builders to follow,

* Advocate incentives for builders and developers whose projects are certified under FGBC Standards, and
 Develop resources to educate and encourage the public to consider green building.
  
“FHBA’s strong emphasis on continuing education will allow us to ensure our builder and developer members are aware of the standards and benefits of greening their new home construction projects,” said Bob Sisum, FHBA’s Green Building Sub-Committee Chairman and a Bradenton home builder. “The partnership is a great opportunity for us to expand on our green building efforts throughout Florida.”
 
Since 2001, FGBC has created four green building standards for: (1) Green Homes, (2) Green Development, (3) Green Commercial Building, and (4) Green Local Governments. Under development are three new standards: Green Multi-Story High Rise Residential, Green System Built / Modular Homes, and Green Interior / Universal Design.
 
In addition to Sisum, other FHBA members instrumental in establishing the partnership were: Bradenton builder Richard Reynolds, FHBA Codes & Standards Committee Chairman, and Gainesville energy efficiency consultant Arlene Stewart, FHBA Area II Associate Vice President.
 
About FHBA: The Florida Home Builders Association is a Tallahassee, Florida-based trade association representing more than 19,700 corporate members involved in Florida’s home building and remodeling industry. Known as “the voice of Florida’s housing industry,” FHBA is affiliated with 29 local home builders associations throughout Florida. FHBA members employ 475,000 Floridians and contribute $42 billion to the state’s economy – making home building Florida’s second largest industry. Visit us on the web at www.fhba.com: <http://www.fhba.com/> . 
 
About FGBC: The Florida Green Building Coalition, Inc. is an independent non-profit organization that was established in 2000 to promote green building in the state of Florida. It is the leading green building organization in the state with around 300 business, non-profit, government agency and individual building professional members. Information on the Florida Green Building Coalition, Inc. can be found at www.FloridaGreenBuilding.org: <http://www.floridagreenbuilding.org/> . Information on FGBC's yearly Green Building Conference and Trade Show, which is being held at the University of Florida on May 2-4, 2006, can be found at www.GreenTrends.org/2006/home2006.htm: <http://www.greentrends.org/2006/home2006.htm> .