Table of Contents:

• Green Building Overview
• Voluntary vs. Mandatory Programs
• The Cost of Building Green
• Certification Programs
• Green Building Laws
• Local Green Projects
• Green Glossary

“Green building is the practice of increasing the efficiency with which buildings use resources — energy, water, and materials — while reducing building impacts on human health and the environment, through better siting, design, construction, operation, maintenance, and removal — the complete building life cycle.”

Regardless of the definition, green building is quickly becoming a major influence on all aspects of homebuilding, from the master plan down to the flooring adhesive used to build a new community. To offer our members a single source for information on all major topics related to environmentally conscious construction, we have created the OC Green Building Guide.

The amount of information available on the topic of green building is growing exponentially and one can quickly become overwhelmed. When browsing the OC Green Building Guide we recommend considering how each section affects the five main topics associated with green building which are:

1. Energy: Efficient appliances, HVAC systems, light fixtures, etc.
2. Water: Conservation, reclamation, etc.
3. Materials: What processes, chemicals etc. went in to the manufacturing of a product and is the product itself environmentally friendly.
4. Indoor Environmental Quality (Presence of chemicals, air quality, etc)
5. Siting: Project location choice, comprehensive site design, building locations(does a building’s position maximize the use of sunlight) local weather patterns, irrigation, and more.

The Green Building Guide contains a wealth of information on additional topics such as public policy, certification programs, financial considerations, rebates/incentives and more.

Do Business With a Green Member Advertising: If your company does professional work related to green building please contact Kevin Ward to learn about advertising on this brand new section on our website.

BIA/OC would like to thank The Gas Company for their support of green building education and their financial contributions used to help develop the OC Green Building Guide. We also extend our sincerest gratitude to Chandra Krout, CTG Energetics, and the many supportive, knowledgeable members of the Construction Quality and Sustainable Building Committee for their invaluable contributions to the content and development of the OC Green Building Guide.

If you have any questions or concerns regarding content of this section, please contact Kevin Ward at the BIA/OC office, 949-553-9500.