Green Washing

In residential construction, "Green Washing"
this is a term that people use to describe companies
that advertise themselves as Green Builders
(or suppliers of green products), but really are not.

Wikipedia defines green washing as "The term is generally
used when significantly more money or time has been spent
advertising being green (that is, operating with consideration
for the environment), rather than spending resources on
environmentally sound practices. This is often portrayed by changing the name or
label of a product, to give the feeling of nature, for example putting an image of a
forest on a bottle of harmful chemicals."

I am hearing the phrase being thrown around a great deal more than ever before. You have "holy" builders pointing fingers at other builders that supposedly aren't as worthy. You have the "competition" between Green Built Michigan and USGBC (LEED) for whose certification is better. By the way, I like that there is both certifications and the "competition" benefits exactly who it should THE CUSTOMER!

Yes, it is true that there are builders that market themselves as green, but make little effort. It is also true though that there are restaurants that tell you that they have good Mexican food, but really do not. I call that "Mexican food washing."

"Mexican food washing" is of greater concern to me than "green washing." Why do I care little about green washing? Because I believe that sincere customers find sincere builders. Spending time worrying about other builders does not serve my customers.

When looking for a builder, you select your builder not on price. You select your builder based on philosophy. Why not on price? Because if you were to have two or three builders give you a price on a house plan the difference in price should be minimal between builders. This assumes that you have told each builder the same thing concerning your desired features.

Why should the price be close? Because we as builders are likely using many of the same suppliers. If we are not using the same suppliers, you can bet that our suppliers are using the same wholesalers. Building supply products all ultimately come from few sources. The cost of production is nearly the same and the cost of sales are nearly the same. Therefore, the end cost to the consumer is nearly the same.

With all of that said, I go back to my point: You pick your builder based on philosophy." I promise you that you have a philosophy when it comes to construction. You might not realize it, but you do. You grew up in a home, you live in a home now. You know what you like and what you do not. You have a belief system. I promise you that your belief system pertains to the home you want to live in and as such you have a philosophy. Congratulations!

So, in your interviews with builders I suggest the following:

1. Do some research about what it is that you want. Style of home, floor plan layout, features, etc..

2. Looking for a "Green Builder"? Go to www.greenbuiltmichigan.org. Go to other organizations such as www.usgbc.org and see if they have a listing of members. Your local home builders association is a wonderful resource.

A great place to go to is energystar.gov. Under NEW HOMES you will see a link for "Find an ENERGY STAR Builder". Click on that link. The nice part about this site is it will show you (1) how long the company has been associated with the Energy Star program, (2) if they build 100% of their homes to Energy Star standards, and (3) how many energy star homes that they have built. This really tells you who is who and for how long "who" has been doing it. Energy Star is not the most stringent standard to meet, but it is used as a baseline rating for many other more stringent programs (Green Built and LEED).

By the way, when you go to energystar.gov search (1) Michigan, then (2) click on the letter H. Scroll down. You will find Heartland Builders. A proud Energy Star builder since 2002. We were green before green was cool! We build green because it is truly in our heart.

3. Go see the builders work during your local HBA parade of homes. Discuss the green features of the home with the builder.

4. Interview the builder. Ask the questions that are important to you. You will be able to determine if the builder is sincere. You will also be able to gauge their understanding and commitment to green building.

Heartland Builders defines "Green Building" as a sincere attempt to build a home that is both energy efficient and resource efficient. We use durable products that are installed using quality construction standards. All of this is done in consideration of a customer's financial means.

Please know that building a "green" home will save you money on your monthly utility bills, but it will cost you more than a home built "to code". At Heartland Builders, we believe the benefits outweigh the costs. Energy Savings, efficient use of materials, stewardship are all factors that concern us.

When we sit with customers and budget becomes an issue we consider it our responsibility to discuss the features, the benefits and the costs. You can build a green home within almost any budget. Will your home be as green as a more expensive home? Possibly not. But it will be energy efficient and resource efficient and that is where green building starts.

If you are interested in green building then Heartland Builders is the right builder for you. If you are concerned about "Mexican food washing" then I promise you we share your concern. "Breakfast food washing" bothers us as well.

Building a home is a great experience. If you select the right builder and live within your means I promise you that it will be fun. Yes, fun! Do your homework.
Ask questions.

We want you to have a great experience building your home no matter who you select as a builder. If you would like a copy of our "Great Ideas When Building a Home" please visit our website (www.heartlandbuildersllc.com) and send us an email.

Build well!