By Don McCoy Earth Advantage S.T.A.R./EcoBroker®

Our Southern Oregon Multi Listing Service has added 3 green certifications to the Sellers listing paper work. True story! This shows a serious and eventful mile stone in our communities' history of going green and our commitment to the future. The certifications will be for newly constructed Energy Star, Earth Advantage and LEED-H homes.

It is a great beginning and adds credibility to the effort to get the information out about the incentives for building green and sustainable homes. This starting point will prove easy in training Realtors on the differences and in the ability for the Home Owner show proof or verification that there is third party certification for their home. There is no reason to overwhelm the uneducated with a long list of green features and language that is foreign to the Realtor®.

When describing the differences or the complementary features of these certification programs I have heard complaints or at bare minimum, concerns that it is to confusing and there should only be one certification. "After all," they said, "The program should be easy for anybody to understand but the Builders will definitely be confused with so many to choose from."

That is when it all came together for me.

My adrenaline perked up a bit and I fired back, "What does a contractor do when they choose a truck to buy? By contrast, when we wade into the arena of the innumerable, countless numbers of vehicles to choose from it can be overwhelming. If one is analytical the least bit there is more frustration ahead as the choices are mulled over. What kind of gas mileage does it get? Is it safe? Will it handle a load? Does it corner well? What does Consumer Reports have to say about this model over that model? There are cars and trucks for nearly every personality it seems. Do we all get confused? Some folks do their due diligence when buying a vehicle others might only go on referral. I like Chevy Trucks because my Grandpa and Dad drove Chevy's and I believe they are a better choice. Now, thankfully, choices are mounting for alternative fuel vehicles.

So, to drive the point home (a pun) When a Builder comes into the good fortune of building a green, high performance home for a client he would do well to perform due diligence and become an expert or at least consult an expert in the various choices of the certification programs. Most likely it is the customer that at least knows the word "green" and wants what ever it means. In some cases the client leads the builder to the concepts and choices that are foreign to the builder. Like a moth attracted to light the hungry builder suddenly can sing "I can dance," and should be well versed in the options of the newly emerging building science technology from Energy Star & Earth Advantage. He should sing the praises of LEED-H or our State of Oregon's' new High Performance Home program or the NAHB's National Association of Home Builders new program as well. How else to direct his customer with proper information for the best choice? When it comes to the tax incentives, credits and product rebates the builder should know enough to encourage his Client toward a specific direction based on the needs of that Client.

Now is the time he wants to be well versed in what the best products are and where to get them for his health conscious customer that deals with allergic reactions to off gassing from the paints and glues in building products. Now he needs knowledge about the specialists and suppliers for the certified green products to build and certify this high performance home with solar application, water savings, indoor air quality and a tight building envelope.

There are substantial varieties of third party certification programs across the country and more are coming I am sure. There are well over 80 the last I read up on them. But they are some what regional.

Over time some of these certification programs will emerge as the leaders with credibility due to their incentives and features. These homes will be more durable, healthier, less cost to run and a greater return on investment then their predecessors. It will all work out and prove to be less confusing then choosing a truck to drive.