Press Releases

U.S. Green Building Council teams up with Better Homes and Gardens magazine

USGBC highlighting the benefits of green homes at Better Homes and Gardens Green Home Exhibit during Macy’s Flower Show in San Francisco

Contacts
Taryn Holowka
Director of Communications, USGBC
202.828.1144
tholowka@usgbc.org

March 20, 2008 (San Francisco) – The U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) and Better Homes and Gardens magazine have joined forces to promote the benefits of green homes during Macy’s Flower Show in San Francisco, Ca. this Friday and Saturday, March 21-22, 2008. Representatives from USGBC will be on hand to talk with attendees about the benefits of green homes and the Council’s LEED for Homes green home certification program. They will highlight real-life examples of various local green homes, answer attendee questions and direct people to their local resources.

“Working with Better Homes and Gardens has enabled us to reach out to the local San Francisco community and provide people with timely and useful information on greening their homes,” said Michelle Moore, Senior Vice President, U.S. Green Building Council. “Everyone with questions from ‘Where do I start?’ to ‘Can you help me find a green home builder?’ will find the sessions informative and valuable in navigating the growing green options for new homeowners as well as those who want to green their existing home.”

A green demonstration house, located in the exhibit hall of the Macy’s Flower Show, is part of the Better Homes and Gardens’ Green Living Tour and the site for the educational sessions, providing a living laboratory for various green features and design techniques. Green homes use less energy and water; fewer resources and are healthier for families living in them. In fact the top reason cited by consumers for wanting to green their home is the desire to create a healthier environment for their families.

The Better Homes and Gardens home is a teaching tool that will enable conference attendees to learn more about the importance of healthy living and green, sustainable lifestyles. The Macy’s Flower Show exhibit hall is open to the public on Friday and Saturday, March 21-22, 2008, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. USGBC representatives will be speaking on Friday at 12, 3 and 5 p.m. and on Saturday at 3 and 7 p.m.

The San Francisco conference is one in a series of nationwide conferences that will be held throughout the year in which USGBC will be working closely with Better Homes and Gardens to provide the latest information on green housing. For more information and to see the list of future conference dates, visit: www.thegreenhomeguide.org.

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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 UGSBC’s founding in 1993, the Council has grown to more than 14,500 member companies and organizations, a comprehensive family of LEED® green building rating systems, an expansive educational offering, the industry’s popular Greenbuild International Conference and Expo (www.greenbuildexpo.org), and a network of 72 local chapters, affiliates, and organizing groups. For more information, visit www.usgbc.org.

About LEED for Homes
LEED® for Homes is a third-party certification system that promotes the design and construction of high performance green homes. LEED for Homes awards points to projects within seven categories of environmental performance: Location & Linkages, Sustainable Sites, Water Efficiency, Indoor Environmental Quality, Energy & Atmosphere, Homeowner Awareness and Innovation and Design. A green home uses less energy and water and fewer natural resources; creates less waste; and is healthier and more comfortable for the occupants. To date there are over 550 homes that have been certified and over 13,000 that are in the certification process. USGBC is working with more than 700 local builders and LEED for Homes Providers who are administering LEED residential certification on USGBC’s behalf at the local level. For more information, visit www.thegreenhomeguide.org.