USGBC, Home Builders Association of Greater Dallas Team Up to Boost Green Homes.

GRAPEVINE, Texas -- The Sunbelt Builders show last week proved one thing: "GREEN is Mainstream" in Texas thanks in large part to the combined efforts of several different companies, nonprofit organizations and other groups that have been working hard to educate both builders and consumers about green homebuilding options. In an innovative and promising illustration of how such partnerships benefit the green building movement as a whole, the U.S. Green Building Council and the Home Builders Association of Greater Dallas are joining forces so they can raise the volume on this critical initiative.

Through their LEED and Green Built North Texas programs, USGBC and the HBA of Greater Dallas will work together to increase the availability and awareness of healthy, efficient, environmentally friendly homes in North Texas. LEED and Green Built North Texas are both programs that certify that a home is green.

Green Built North Texas, a program from the HBA of Greater Dallas, is a voluntary partnership of local home builders, industry supporters and sponsors committed to green homes in North Central Texas. Green Built North Texas has a regionally specific green building construction protocol that Dallas HBA members have deemed essential in order for a home to be recognized by the program.

LEED is administered by the USGBC. It is the national benchmark for green building, and LEED for Homes focuses on the specific challenges and opportunities presented by homebuilding. Like a nutrition label, it scores a home's performance in eight key environmental and human health categories.

The Dallas-Fort Worth area is home to more than a dozen LEED-certified homes and nearly 1,000 registered Green Built North Texas homes.

"This innovative agreement is bringing the national perspective of the U.S. Green Building Council and the local expertise of the Home Builders Association of Greater Dallas together to give homeowners in the Dallas metropolitan area greater access to quality homes that are healthy, efficient and affordable," said Nate Kredich, Vice President of Residential Market Development, USGBC.

"Working together greatly enhances our ability promote market-driven green building, provide the public with valuable industry information and foster positive public policy in North Texas," said Phil Crone, Director of Green Building Programs, HBA of Greater Dallas.

The agreement will allow LEED and Green Built North Texas to complement each other, furthering green home awareness, education and access in the Dallas-Fort Worth area. The agreement establishes LEED for Homes as a path toward participation in the Green Built North Texas program, and it enables Green Built North Texas to serve as a conduit toward LEED certification. As always, homebuilders can choose to voluntarily participate in just one of the programs, both of the programs, or neither program. The new agreement simply makes it easier for projects to maximize what each program has to offer.

The agreement also promises to bring greater education and awareness among homebuilders, trades specialists and consumers in the Dallas metropolitan area. USGBC and HBA's diverse memberships, chapter programs and existing partnerships will assist in the creation of education programs that address the latest in green building practices. The partnership will also give each organization a greater to work with local governments and state agencies to craft green building policies that promote a credible, accessible and consistent policy landscape.

For more information, visit www.thegreenhomeguide.org and www.greenbuiltnorthtexas.com.

About USGBC

The U.S. Green Building Council is a nonprofit membership organization whose vision is a sustainable built environment within a generation. Its membership includes corporations, builders, universities, government agencies, and other nonprofit organizations. Since USGBC's founding in 1993, the Council has grown to more than 17,500 member companies and organizations, a comprehensive family of LEED[R] green building certification systems, an expansive educational offering, the industry's popular Greenbuild International Conference and Expo (www.greenbuildexpo.org), and a network of 79 local chapters, affiliates, and organizing groups. For more information, visit www.usgbc.org.

About LEED[R]

The LEED[R] green building certification system is a feature-oriented certification program that awards buildings points for satisfying specified green building criteria. The six major environmental categories of review include: Sustainable Sites, Water Efficiency, Energy and Atmosphere, Materials and Resources, Indoor Environmental Quality and Innovation and Design. Certified, Silver, Gold, and Platinum levels of LEED green building certification are awarded based on the total number of points earned within each LEED category. LEED can be applied to all building types including new construction, commercial interiors, core & shell developments, existing buildings, homes, neighborhood developments, schools and retail facilities. LEED for Healthcare is currently under development and is expected to be released in early 2008.

Incentives for LEED are available at the state and local level and LEED has also been adopted nationwide by federal agencies, state and local governments, and interested private companies. For more information, visit www.usgbc.org/LEED.

About HBA of Greater Dallas

The Home Builders Association of Greater Dallas, chartered in 1944, is an organization representing all segments of the residential building industry in the Dallas Metropolitan area. Its mission is to enhance its members' ability to provide safe, affordable, quality housing to the citizens of the local communities. The Association does this by:

* Promoting positive public policy through active participation in the legislative and regulatory processes

* Providing industry information and education to the members and the public

* Enhancing the positive image of the industry and the members through training and encouraging ethical behavior and professional standards

* Making membership in the Association an essential element of a successful residential building industry company.

For more information, visit www.dallasbuilders.com.

About USGBC North Texas

USGBC North Texas is a community of 850-plus leaders working together to promote a sustainable, profitable and healthy built environment in the North Texas area through education, professional training and outreach. Visit www.usgbcnorthtexas.org for more information.