Green Builder Program in Austin Recognized at Rio Summit

The City of Austin’s Green Builder Program was one of 12 award recipients in the United National Local Government Honours Programme at the Earth Summit in Rio, and the only winner from the United States. “The purpose of the Honours Programme is to recognize innovative local approaches to ‘sustainable’ development and the important role to be played by local government in addressing global environment and development problems,” said Jeb Brugman, Secretary General of the International Council for Local Environmental Initiatives.

Modeled after the City of Austin’s Energy Star Rating Program, which rates homes on their energy efficiency, the Green Builder Program is designed to encourage the use of sustainable building practices and materials in new home construction. The program awards stars for low-environmental-impact homes, based on a rating system developed in association with the Center for Maximum Potential Building Systems (Max’s Pot) in Austin. Four major areas of resource use are addressed in the rating system: energy, water, solid waste, and building materials. The