Debate Over Green Building Certification

The National Association of Home Builders has been working on their own NAHB National Green Building Program for certification since March of 2004. Various parties have argued that the NAHB should develop their program rather than rely on the well-known US Green Building Council LEED scheme. Some people believe that the Leeds program is too strict and pricey. The fact that LEEDs only allow Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) lumber is one of the major causes that has builders dissatisfied. Because not all timber yards carry or are approved to sell FSC, this limits the supplies available in many places.

 

The FSC certification process is becoming more expensive. According to a ProSales Magazine article, The Forest Stewardship Council (FSC), the key wood certification basic in green construction, is trebling its accreditation admin costs for chain of custody (COC) certification and retaliating against certifying bodies that claim other standard-setters rules are as good as FSC's.

 

How is this helpful in encouraging more vendors and builders to embrace the Green Building concept? The FSC opposes the use of Sustainable Forestry Initiative (SFI) lumber in the LEEDs program. FSC opposes this SFI option because it believes its standard is superior to the others. This April, the Green Building Council will decide if SFI may be included.

 

Allowing builders more alternatives and availability would help promote the use of certified lumber products in everyday projects.

 

Making products more widely available and encouraging healthy competition among providers brings the price of certified lumber more in line. Because of the additional expense and complexity of controlling the certification process, many lumber yards now charge a substantial premium for certified lumber. However, tripling the certification administration expenses is not helping to meet the builders' demand for more affordable products. The builder must make a profit, and according to various surveys, many end-users are unwilling to pay more than just a 5% premium for a certified green home.


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