EarthCraft House Program
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Created in 1999, EarthCraft House is the environmentally friendly building program of the Greater Atlanta Home Builders Association (HBA). The EarthCraft House program was co-created by the HBA and Southface Energy Institute and was named 2004 and 2008 Green Building Program of the Year by the National Association of Home Builders.
EarthCraft House is a voluntary green building program that provides a model for healthy, comfortable homes that help reduce utility bills and protect the environment. The EarthCraft House certification process follows a checklist designed to verify that each EarthCraft home addresses site planning, energy efficient techniques and equipment, waste management and indoor air quality.
To qualify as an EarthCraft House builder, builders must be in good standing with the HBA, join the EarthCraft House program and complete a one-day training program. Builders submit a preliminary worksheet stating which EarthCraft House measures they anticipate for a specific house and receive one-on-one design and construction advice. EarthCraft House recognizes that building materials prices and availability can change during construction, and builders can adjust the measures selected as long as they still earn the minimum required points for certification.
After construction is complete, builders submit a final worksheet that shows the selected measures. Required inspections by EarthCraft House staff verify selections prior to final diagnostic testing that measures the home's efficiency.
The EarthCraft House program recognizes that there are many ways to reduce pollution and conserve natural resources when building. EarthCraft House gives builders great flexibility in earning the necessary points by choosing the measures most practical for their homes.
Click here for more information about the EarthCraft House program.
Green Fast Facts: Did You Know...
- 50 percent of National Association of Home Builders builders incorporate green into their building practices?
- Two percent of homes built in 2006 were considered "green"? By 2010, that number will rise to an estimated 10 percent of homes built?
- You can make 20 cans out of recycled material with the same amount of energy it takes to make one new one?
- It takes approximately 1 million years for a glass bottle to break down at the landfill?
- Across the country, there are 50 builder-directed green building programs?
- About 2,700 pounds of carbon per person per year (18 percent of total emissions) come from operating our homes, and most of that is from the energy used to power electrical appliances?
- ENERGY STAR appliances incorporate advanced technologies that use 10 to 50 percent less energy and water than standard models?
- Preventing 1 ton of paper waste saves between 15 and 17 mature trees?
Data compiled from the National Association of Home Builders and www.epa.gov. NAHB HouseKeys, March 2007.
