ForConstructionPros.com

The amount of residential green building programs is numerous, but they are not all concrete specific. However, concrete does play an important role in green building. It can help earn points in multiple categories toward a green certified home, and decorative concrete is gaining popularity among home owners looking to remodel instead of buy new. The below national programs as well as many local programs are available to help you go green.

NAHB National Green Building Program
The National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) launched its new National Green Building Program in February of this year. The NAHB program is not a rating system or certification program but rather a tool to help local green building programs and contractors who want to build green, says Emily English, Green Building Program manager.

"What the national program does is allow HBAs (home builders associations) to have something in common. It also makes it easier for a new home builder association to come on board because its members don't have to spend time setting up a program and figuring out criteria," English says.

Although the program officially launched in 2008, NAHB released its Model Green Home Building Guidelines back in 2005. The guidelines were the start to the program, which now consists of three major components, English says.

The first component is the technical component. NAHB provides a green scoring tool that helps contractors figure out what the home may potentially score when certifying it green. However, English points out this is just a tool and not a way for contractors to get a home certified.