Over the past few years, the green buzz has been growing. More home buyers are concerned with how builders are putting up homes, and how “green” they are.

Building a “green” house means focusing on sustainable design and construction. In other words, being as energy self-sufficient as possible while creating as little waste as possible.

While the whole “green building” movement can still seem a little “earthy-crunchy” to some folks, it’s taken root in a very serious way. Architects and builders have started to specialize in green development, and even those who aren’t steeped in the whole green movement are taking baby steps in that direction.

The thing you have to understand is that virtually no government regulatory agency licenses contractors or architects as “green.” But you can find licensed contractors affiliated with or certified by the U.S. Green Building Council (www.usgbc.org), The National Association of Home Builders (www.nahb.org/page.aspx/category/sectionID=206), and the National Association of the Remodeling Industry (www.nari.org).

(This topic is so top of mind that next month, that NAHB is hosting a conference that includes as a hot topic Green Building and how to pay for it.)

You can also go to the Environmental Protection Agency’s Green Building website. (www.epa.gov/greenbuilding)

The www.usgbc.org US Green Building Council is a community of leaders who are working to transform the way that buildings or communities are designed, built and operated. It operates the LEED rating system, which ranks how green a development is on a scale of 1 to 5.

Here’s a great list of general greenbuilding resources (www.whatsworking.com/resources.html). If you live in California, or are considering moving or building there, check out the state’s website (www.ciwmb.ca.gov/greenbuilding).

Watch this space for news on when the my Green show will air on Newstalk 750 WSB..

March 25, 2007.