There's a lot of gray area in going green for builders and
architects today. The number of new guidelines, environmental laws, green products and services can be confusing, if not overwhelming. Recognizing this need, Hurd Windows and Doors is offering the free brochure "A Simple Guide to Building Green."

According to Hurd Vice President of Marketing Joe Herman, green building is inescapable. Statistics indicate that 88 percent of Americans, who plan to buy a home in the next two years, say it will be more energy efficient. In an AIA survey, 90 percent of Americans said they’d be willing to pay an extra $5,000 for a home that would use less energy or protect the earth. "The bottom line is green building is between the builder and the home buyer. Hopefully, with this brochure, we have helped simplify that process," Herman said.

"A Simple Guide to Building Green" weighs in on topics such as energy efficiency; sustainable site development; use of environmentally friendly materials; conservation of materials; improved indoor air quality; among others. A cost discussion as it relates to the builder follows each section.

"There is so much environmental information streaming at us these days, it's hard to discern what's right. In fact, a Google search for 'green building' will generate more than 5 million links," Herman explained. Follow a few of those links, and you'll discover a quagmire of conflicting national, regional and local standards and rating systems for green building.

There's simply no definitive standard to follow at the moment, Herman explained. The U.S. Green Building Council's LEED certification program, while nationally recognized, can be complicated and cost-prohibitive – especially for residential builders. The NAHB, which created voluntary guidelines in 2005, is developing a comprehensive set of National Green Building Standards that isn't slated for release until the end of 2008. Other green building standards like ANSI's Green Globes, The Department of Energy's Building America program, the National Institute of Standards & Technology's BEES, and the Corps of Engineers' SPiRiT Program, for example, differ broadly and often conflict with one another. "The bottom line is that builders want to go green, but don't really know how to do it," he said.

Since builders can't wait for the definitive set of standards, Hurd took action. "We didn't create any new information or write any new standards, " Herman said. "We just studied the different standards, pertinent editorial and research findings, and put it all together in one how-to list so builders, home buyers and architects could start making some easy decisions."

Hurd prides itself in being a leader in green building practices. Citing its northern roots, where winters last several months and the summer sun is blazing; Hurd products have always offered superior energy efficiency, durability and performance since their origin in 1919. Environmentally responsible attributes include solid wood construction, low VOCs, advanced insulated glass and glazing technologies for energy efficiency, ClimaGuard SPFTM to block solar heat gain and minimize heating and cooling costs, and free environmentally friendly anodize cladding.