Posted by Dave Klecha - Greenedia Editor on February 16, 2008 at 10:36:59 PM

Green building seems to be getting a lot of attention lately.  Maybe not the way alternative fuels and hybrid powertrains are, in front of the general public, but green building seems to be generating all the right interest in all the right venues to make a genuine difference going forward.

The latest example comes from the International Builders' Show in Orlando, Florida this weekend.  With this past Thursday marked as "green" day at the expo, organizers hoped to bring dramatic focus to the realities and potential of alternative energy, energy efficiency, and "deep" green in the construction industry.

Florida Today mentions that the National Association of Home Builders took advantage of the occasion to announce the "National Green Building Program, which promotes 'green' building techniques and materials."  The NAHB has no doubt found, as many of its members have, that promoting the green aspects of their business is a good way to boost sales in these uncertain economic times, especially among those worried about the upward spiral of energy prices.

The reality of green building today is that more buyers are going to be interested in terms of what green building can do for them in terms of energy savings and the like, with the ecological soundness of the techniques and materials running second.  While there should be some consumer concern over the "deep" green, for instance, that might be more a question for contractors and builders as growing energy prices and material costs drive them to consider greener alternatives that also happen to be cheaper.  The more expensive transportation gets, for instance, the more attractive on-site recycling and local products are going to look.  Not a bad thing, certainly, and perhaps a reality that contractors and builders can become attuned to through efforts like these.

In a simliar effort, the Florida Solar Energy Center and Washington State University are separately developing their own awareness efforts to promote energy efficiency and "beyond code" building techniques.  Funding for the centers comes from Department of Energy grants, a promotion effort the federal government should surely be doing more to encourage.