Developed by the Calgary Region Home Builders Association in conjunction with Natural Resources Canada and CMHC, Built Green launched in October of 2003. Since then, membership has grown to include all of Alberta and British Columbia and over 3200 homes in the two provinces now boast Built Green status. “Our goal is very simple,” says David Bengert, president of the Built Green Society of Canada and director of purchasing and national accounts for Jayman MasterBUILT. “We would like to see every home in Alberta and BC built to this level.”

In September of 2005 Alberta Ecotrust in conjunction with Jayman MasterBUILT and SAIT Polytechnic built the Ecotrust Ecohome  in Lake Chaparral.  The home  increased public awareness of just what could be done to create an aesthetically pleasing, environmentally sustainable home at a reasonable cost.  “Unfortunately, a lot of people still don’t know that the Built Green program exists,” says Bengert.

Essentially for a home to be registered as  Built Green, certain criteria must be met- things like energy efficiency, operational criteria (appliances), indoor air quality, waste conservation (builder has to be able to recycle some of the waste products on site), water conservation (dual flush toilets, rain barrels), basic building materials, finishes and last, but not least, business practices. “You can’t be a Built Green builder if you are running a brown business,” says Bengert. “You have to be doing some recycling within your own business.”

All Built Green homes qualify for one of three achievement levels: bronze, silver or gold depending on the number of checklist options met within each area. For example within the area of indoor air quality, air filtration systems and product use are assessed using a checklist. The more comprehensive the use of materials low in Volatile Organic Compounds (VOC’s) and formaldehydes, the higher the rating.

So what does this all mean in terms of reduced energy costs and environmental impact? According to Bengert, a Built Green home will lower energy costs significantly: 11 per cent at the bronze level, 22 per cent at the silver level and at the gold, a whopping 30 per cent.  By building green, greenhouse gas emissions are also less – three tonnes less if you build at the gold level (yes, that is three tonnes per year!) Add to all of this a healthier living environment with better indoor air quality and Built Green becomes a solid investment in our own health and the health of the environment.

For 2007 the City of Calgary has implemented an interesting incentive to build to Built Green standards. Homebuilders will receive a rebate of ten, 20 or 30 per cent of the cost of the building permit if they build to bronze, silver or gold. “We were very pleased to see this,” says Bengert. “I think that it will encourage more builders to build Built Green homes.”  That will be a welcome gift to future generations.

For more information and a list of builders, visit Built Green at http://www.builtgreencanada.ca   NL

In Other Giving Back News...
On December 7, 2006 Jayman MasterBUILT announced a most generous corporate gift - $1 million to support Multiple Sclerosis Research.  The contribution made to Reach!, the joint fundraising initiative of the Calgary Health Region and the University of Calgary was directed to the Hotchkiss Brain Institute. “Three generations of my family have been impacted by neurological or autoimmune disorders,” says Jay Westman, president and CEO of Jayman MasterBUILT.

As family and business partners, Jay Westman and his sister Diana Joseph of Wen-Di Interiors, who suffers from this devastating disease, have joined together to offer this donation. “This is a cause that is very near and dear to the hearts of Jay Westman and his sister Diana,” says Linda Marek, corporate brand manager for Jayman MasterBUILT.

The gift will support a health services initiative that will provide the foundation for building a new provincial model of MS patient education and care.
Alberta has the highest prevalence of MS in the world and currently there is no cure for this debilitating neurological disease that affects one in 350 Albertans.