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Better Buildings Guide | how green are your building materials or systems?

Better Buildings Guide

"This could be a great resource; it is difficult to keep up with ever changing product market. I am sure homeowners/builders will appreciate this decision tool."

- Margo Rettig, SERA architects

"Your book is a great idea!"

- Allison Friedman, Founder, Rate It Green

"The way this book is designed and presented allows us to immediately and easily access the most important information about green products... I feel a person of any age could use this guide."

- Annie Kurtin, Adjunct Professor, U of A College of Architecture + Landscape Architecture

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CALGreen 2010 and Better Buildings Guide out now

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FREE answers to your building materials questions!

Better Buildings Guide

Green Standards for building materials and systems:

  • Beyond building code requirements.
  • Referenced by LEED, CALGreen, CHPS, EnergyStar and most green building codes.

For homeowners -- Use this guide while shopping at your local home improvement store:

  • To help understand why you may want a green option for paint, flooring, cabinets, or countertops.
  • To check the greenness of the product you have already selected.

For facility managers -- Use this guide to help select and specify green building products:

  • To update aging facilities to meet green codes.
  • To provide good indoor air quality.
  • To reduce energy and water use.

For designers -- Use this guide to help understand fundamental green attributes of:

  • Common building products such as indoor finishes, insulation and drywall.
  • Energy systems such as photovoltaic modules and geothermal.

For builders -- Use this guide to help shop for green products such as:

  • Paint, drywall, and insulation.
  • The most water-saving plumbing fixtures.

For retailers -- Use this guide to train staff and gain consumer confidence by:

  • Knowing product standards and metrics.
  • Being able to identify product certifications.

For real estate professionals -- Use this guide to understand green building basics and gain your client's confidence by:

  • Identifying green strategies in the buildings you present.
  • Knowing the green attributes of finishes in a building.