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'Work Boots Tour' Educates Indiana Brokers, Home Buyers
 A day of behind-the scenes tours of green homes for real estate agents, subcontractors and potential home buyers garnered excellent results for The Porter County Builders Association, the NAHBGreen affiliate in Northwestern Indiana.
The Work Boots Tour of six homes under construction at The Village in Burns Harbor, the first development to be certified under the National Green Building Standard, provided education, networking and good visibility for its participants.
These outcomes together made it "a very great experience," said Sarah Oudman, the education chair for the PCBA Green Parade committee, organizer of the tour.
It also gave the HBA a role to spotlight its Certified Green Professional members, who acted as tour leaders and helped explain the green products and construction methods demonstrated on the tour.
PCBA partnered with the Greater Northwestern Indiana Association of Realtors® for the event, and participation earned attendees credit hours both for broker and CGP continuing education requirements.
After a morning session called "Going Green in Real Estate" and a networking lunch for the 120 real estate agents, vendors and builders who signed up for the July 17 event, attendees broke into 10 groups for a "shotgun start" — each group beginning at one of the 10 tour stations placed around the Burns Harbor community.
 Each stop focused on hands-on demonstrations and exhibits tied to various aspects of the standard, with a 10-minute presentation on the topic and time for participant questions.
For example, the "energy efficiency" tour stop took place at a house under construction by Pickering Homes, where tour attendees could examine spray foam insulation, learn about high-efficiency furnaces and gain an understanding of the concept of "right sizing" HVAC equipment to take into account the home's insulation and square footage.
Village Builders hosted a water efficiency and indoor environmental quality tour stop with a look at low-volume faucets, radon mitigation techniques and paints and sealants with low- or no VOCs, or volatile organic compounds.
Visitors could watch a blower door demonstration at a home built by Coolman Communities and learn about onsite construction waste management in front of a set of dumpsters, where the Burns Harbor builders also separate wood, drywall and carboard for recycling.
Attendees also learned more about the National Green Building Certification and verification process from Energy Diagnostics and Chris Schwartzkopf, CGP, an NAHB Research Center-accredited verifier.
 Christine Livingston, the watershed program director for local environmental group Save the Dunes, gave tour attendees an up-close look at a rain garden and various techniques to manage storm water on the construction site and after the home is finished.
The participation by Save the Dunes is another example of how green building initiatives show home buyers, environmentalists and government officials that home builders are a big part of the solution to responsible environmental development techniques, Oudman said.
A Work Boots Tour-style event would be a great tool for a group of green home builders or HBA green building committee looking to raise awareness of the value of green homes, she added.
The tour "can help real estate agents understand how construction practices and products should influence the market value of a home, instead of using the standard square footage benchmarks," Oudman said.
As a bonus, Jeff and Jerry Thatcher of Energy Diagnostics also provided a projected Home Energy Rating certificate for each home so attendees could see how the homes and their features compared. "We were able to share the differences in energy savings from different construction techniques as well as the projected payback periods" for insulated concrete form foundations, different kinds of insulation and framing, Oudman said.
 In a slightly less technical and more consumer-focused version of the event, the HBA conducted a second tour later in the afternoon for area residents and prospective home buyers.
Treasure Homes, The Given Group and Accent Homes also featured homes on the Work Boots Tour, which was sponsored by Sherwin-Williams, Demilec and Indiana Spray Foam.
Treasure Homes plans to keep its demo home in the pre-drywall stage for the Sept. 18-27 Green Homes on Parade Tour, which will be the nation's first single-site green parade of homes. "We want to continue our educational efforts with parade attendees," Oudman said.
For information on green building resources available from NAHB, e-mail Calli Schmidt, or call her at 800-368-5242 x8132.
 ‘National Green Building Standard’ Available at BuilderBooks.com
“The National Green Building Standard,” available through BuilderBooks.com, provides “green” practices that can be incorporated into multifamily and single-family new home construction, home remodeling and additions and site development.
The standard covers lot design, resource, energy and water efficiency; indoor environment quality; and owner education.
Currently the first and only ANSI-approved green building rating system, the National Green Building Standard is the benchmark for green homes.
To view or purchase this publication online, click here.
 The Future of Residential Construction Is Green
The Certified Green Professional (CGP) designation teaches builders, remodelers and other industry professionals techniques for incorporating green building principles into homes using cost-effective and affordable options.
Earning the CGP demonstrates to clients and peers your commitment to the best and latest in green building practices and techniques. More than 3,800 people have earned the CGPdesignation to date.
For more information, visit www.nahb.org/CGPinfo.
 ‘Build Green and Save’ Available at BuilderBooks.com
“Build Green and Save: Protecting the Earth and Your Bottom Line,” available through BuilderBooks.com, is a comprehensive, easy-to-read reference that shows builders how to identify and select green building materials; implement green construction techniques; explain the benefits of green housing and offer affordable green building solutions to consumers; and use resources wisely and reduce water and energy consumption.
To view or purchase this publication online, click here, or call 800-223-2665.
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