Green Homes Special Series: Part Sixteen: Creating Your Green Plan

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Before you plunge into your project, take a minute to consider why a green plan can be so important. “We need to remember that the greater goal of all of our building projects is to support sustainable living,” says Victoria Schomer, a member of the American Society of Interior Designers and a LEED® Accredited Professional, based in Asheville, N.C. “More than installing the highest R-value windows and selecting the healthiest products for our floors and wall, we need to create living and working spaces that maximize existing square footage, allow us to stay connected with nature, use what we already have better, readily recycle and adopt green consumer habits on a day-to-day basis,” she says. “Then, we'll hit that real end game target of reducing our global impacts and protecting our planet and everyone living here.” Find Green Experts Don’t make a purchase until you know your plan. “Most things go wrong at the beginning, even though it may not feel like it. It’s the invisible decisions that equals missed opportunities and costly mistakes,” says Kathleen O’Brien, president of the green building consulting firm O’Brien and Co., Inc., in Seattle. is the book she co-authored with Kathleen Smith, The Northwest Green Home Primer, is a comprehensive look at building, remodeling or buying green in that region. Its worksheets, case studies and illustrations create a thoughtful real-world guide for getting green results. To get your plan off to its best start, assemble a green team. O’Brien says there should be “one main hire” for the green team, the person responsible for the job. “Making sure this person is qualified and interested in a green project is absolutely key,” she says. To find that person, look for professionals participating in a green home building program. Check with local programs developed by industry groups such as master builders associations, environmental nonprofits and municipal utilities. “Find the folks who are not just members in names only but have homes certified in the local program,” says O’Brien. “Most of these groups have Web sites listing their members and sometimes even certified homes you can take a look at.” In the Northeast, check out the Northeast Sustainable Energy Association; in the Southeast, check out the Southface Energy Institute; in the Northwest, check out the Pacific Northwest EcoBuilding Guild. State chapters of the U.S. Green Building Council also may provide direction.

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