You know there are certain stereotypes that people use when thinking of a businesses or professions. I ran into this the other day when I went to a doctor’s appointment. As I sat in the waiting room doing the usual Dr Wait thing, a woman close by was busy chatting with other patients. When she asked me what I did I mentioned I was a builder specializing in green building. Now I usually get a discussion on energy effiency or indoor air quality or even a problem with their home. Her response was different.

She mentioned she reviewed a wide range of health and medical articles and books for a magazine and she was familiar with the healthy home type of building I do. Now that was okay but the next thing I know she assumed I was a Ralph Nadar type of guy and launched into the far, very far, left politics of the of the same. I tried to change the subject back to home building, but she was on a roll.

Her politics were as far to the left as I have ever heard. Now anyone who knows me knows I have a son in the Army Rangers who has proudly served in 3 war zones. I am proud of him and what our county has done. As she continued on I gave the nurse a pleading glance in hopes the Dr. was in. Finally I shared my views of the same issues while I watched her face wrinkle up and her eyes narrow. So much for an open dialog.

After a moment she responded with a question. How can you be a green builder and feel that way? I told her it was simple. One is not connected to the other and hasn’t been for some time.

For a long time the general business community stayed away from the green path because of this kind of stereotyping. The public needed to come to the realization that the term “green” was a good thing and not a radical fringe group.

There is a great deal of movement in the consumer and business communities as to the value of green products. There are groups trying to win the certification challenge. These organizations are competing to set up standards and rules by which to quantify the green value of a product or service. Without getting in too deep on the different certification groups, it seems to me to be a win-win outcome.

It is important to have a gauge to judge the products used. How ever the value will still be in the eye of the consumer. If you ask someone on the street to give a clear statement of what green or environmental stands for you will get a completely different definition. The beauty of the different certifications is that you can pick the issue that is important to you.

“Built Green” of the Home Builders Association of Kitsap County (HBA) is a good example of a program that uses this concept. The program is open to different goals of the consumer. By using a point weighted value system you can see what areas of improvement make the home green. Energy, indoor air quality, recycling, resource efficient wood products are some areas that could be used. These will vary with each project.

This program has been copied all over the county and the outcome is that the parts of the county that set up a program will have different goals because of local issues. This gives a win-win for the consumer. The groups are able to take green programs or materials in a direction where the most improvement and consumer value is reached in the market place.

As we enter the next phase of green building there is a pressure by government to regulate. I sat through the hearing last year on the subject and it was scary to see a good thing go government. Lets hope the consumer gets the last word.
For information on the “Built Green” program go to www.Kitsaphba.com.

(Editor’s Note: Rick Courson is the president of Cedar Bay homes and is the incoming president of the HBA. He’s also a nationally recognized green builder who speaks extensively on the subject all over the country. He may be reached at R_Courson@msn.com.).