Home Living CT

If you haven’t yet experienced the natural beauty of Connecticut, you’re in luck: the Home Builders Association of Connecticut is ensuring that the state remains pristine for future generations. Founded in 1960, the HBACT has a lot of experience working with residential builders and suppliers, and their Build Green Connecticut initiative is helping those companies achieve a new level of environmental awareness.The Build Green Connecticut Program was the first state program to include an ANSI-certified building standard. ANSI (American National Standards Institute) accredits programs across the US. Connecticut’s program was also one of the first to formally partner with the National Association of Home Builders’ (NAHB) Green program.Working with a green building standard means working with the future in mind. Environmental homes take advantage of the special conditions of Connecticut’s location, whether it’s the humid climate or plentitude of state forests. Builders looking to learn more about the program can apply to the HBACT Green Homes Council, where builders and remodelers share information and experience. An 11-minute film on NAHB Green Certification is available online here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?vHf8xvxnQsGk. A “Green Scoring Tool” and certification guide are also available at the NAHB Green site.More information can also be found at several upcoming events, including a presentation at the Envirobuild Expo in Hartford this October, and a one-day course on green building standards in February 2011. If you’re not a builder but are in the market for a new home in Connecticut, be sure that you discuss these standards with your builder before you start. Wouldn’t you rather be a part of the solution, rather than just another part of the problem?