Florida Environmental Group Promotes Green Buildin
Palm Beach Gardens FL, Oct. 13--Florida Green Building Coalition has a new benchmark for green building. Florida's first green production home, built by WCI Communities, Inc., has been certified by the coalition as the state's greenest home, an effort that may push the industry to follow suit.
The 1,555-square-foot home in Palm Beach County, Florida has pushed the envelope on environmental options with everything from carpet made from recycled plastic bottles to an energy efficient heating and cooling system that experts say will cut energy bills in half. Inventing a green production home may be earth-friendly, but WCI has had to go against the grain to promote green in an industry where many developers discount the idea.
"We're pushing this initiative because we expect it to be profitable, but more importantly because we know it's the right way to conduct business," said Al Hoffman, WCI's Chief Executive Officer. "Customers aren't automatically thinking green--so WCI wants to explain the value it has to their families and to the environment."
The Florida Green Building Coalition (FGBC), the state's leading green building organization, has pioneered a statewide green building checklist for builders and rates homes based on their energy efficiency, indoor air quality, water conservation and quality and environmental impact. WCI's Green Home, dubbed Geni G for Generation Green, outscored every green custom home ever built--based on the FGBC checklist.
Geni G features more than $75,000 in green building options, including touchless water faucets that encourage water conservation, a fiber optic lighting system that allows one light bulb to do the work of six to save on energy costs, and flooring made from bamboo, a natural grass that is as durable as a hardwood but renews itself much faster.
WCI considers Geni G to be a concept home designed to give buyers the chance to touch and feel the latest in green building technology.
"This prototype Geni G is the result of millions of dollars of research and development by dozens of American companies and a brain trust of industry experts and academics," said Hoffman. "All these green features will be offered as optional items for buyers. We believe we have narrowed the gap between experimentation and what the market will buy."
According to a survey released earlier this year, conducted by WCI and the Florida Energy Extension Service at the University of Florida, consumers are starting to think green. More than 75% of respondents said they would pay more for a green product over a similar product. Forty-one percent said they would spend up to 10% more and 11% said they would pay up to 20% more for features such as water and energy saving appliances.
A whopping 87% said they'd pay more for green home features if they recouped their expenses within five years, for example, with lower electric bills.
"This is an important milestone for our industry and for consumers in terms of their understanding that we can change the way we do business to get more in-step with what's good for the planet," said Karen Childress, WCI's environmental stewardship manager. "Geni G shows what can be done. Builders can do business in a way that's better for the planet. The question is, will they?"
WCI recently announced that at Venetian Golf & River Club, a new community near Sarasota, FL, it will build all homes to the minimum FGBC green standards for certification. Homes must be rated by an independent FGBC representative at a minimum of 200 points on the checklist to gain green certification. Geni G checked in around 300 points.
