For immediate release
Contact: Annie Nommensen, Event & Education Manager, 262.436.1122
(Waukesha, WI) October 2, 2008 – On Thursday, October 30th, at 6:30 p.m., the Metropolitan Builders Association will host a consumer seminar titled, “Green Built Homes: Building a Green Home.” This seminar will invite consumers to explore the different options regarding green building technologies and learn value-based tips from an experienced homebuilder. Educating consumers on their options will help them feel confident in their selections and avoid regretting their decisions after their home is finished.
“Green Built Homes: Building a Green Home” is the eighth seminar of the MBA’s 2008 free consumer education series. The seminars are designed to guide homeowners through the home building process step-by-step. This particular seminar will emphasize green building’s capability to maximize both economic and environmental performance. Included in these opportunities are: the use of renewable materials, recycling construction waste, and installing energy efficient appliances. Each of these different opportunities offer the ability to create fewer waste materials, construct homes that last longer, minimize a home’s impact on the environment, and keep energy usage to a minimum.
The simplest way to describe a green home is that it is built using materials that conserve energy and environmental resources. While some builders have started to incorporate green features into their homes, others have their homes third party tested and verified to ensure that they meet the strictest guidelines of being a Green Built™ home. A Green Built™ home is built to a substantially higher standard than the common building code, particularly in the areas of energy efficiency, healthier air, durable products, and reducing the overall environmental impact.
The goal of green building is to design homes that are modest and efficient in size that minimize material use in their construction and energy use in their operation. Water and energy systems (windows, insulation, lighting, appliances, heating, and cooling) should be designed to minimize consumption while maximizing the most efficient options. Materials should be locally sourced and selected for durability and recycled content. Non-toxic materials should be utilized so they can work with exhausting, venting, humidity control, and air distribution systems to create healthy indoor air quality. It’s also important to look beyond the construction of the home to consider the ecological impact at the building site. Construction waste should be minimized or recycled.
The free seminar will begin at 6:30 p.m. and last approximately one and one-half hours with opportunities to ask many questions. Building homes that are less expensive to operate, better for the planet, and healthier for occupants just makes good sense. To learn more about green building, be sure to attend this unique seminar which takes place at two convenient locations. Juli Kaufmann from Pragmatic will be the speaker for the seminar held at the Housing Authority of The City of Milwaukee (650 W Reservoir, Milwaukee), and Tim O’ Brien from Tim O’ Brien Homes will be speaking at the MBA office (N16 W23321 Stone Ridge Drive, Waukesha). In order to register, send your name, email address, phone number, class date(s) and location you plan to attend to htickanen@mbaonline.org, or call the MBA office directly at 262.436.1122.
