National Association of Home Builders Embraces Sustainable Land Development
August 2008

The July special issue of NAHB’s Builder magazine has a provocative double cover that features an illustration of a pristine earth on one side with the headline - “Can Builders Save The Planet?” On the flip side is a contrasting cover with artwork depicting the despoiled world made famous by the Leonardo DiCaprio film The 11th Hour and the headline question asking - “Will Development Destroy The Planet?”

Builder’s editorial director set the tone of the magazine in More Than Enough by admitting that “Sustainable development may be in vogue today, but over-consumption has driven the market for the last two decades.” Builder’s editor-in-chief followed up by concluding, “If you haven’t started building sustainably, it’s time you did.” The subsequent articles all provide additional evidence of the dangers of growth gone wild, along with some encouraging signs that the home building industry is finally beginning to make sustainability a priority.

What’s particularly encouraging is that in embracing sustainable development, NAHB continues to broaden its original focus on homebuilding to now include a more holistic realization that “No House is an Island.” Builder stated that, “…where these homes are built and in relation to other things – will be just as important as what the homes are made of and how efficiently they operate.” This realization, of course, is also the intellectual battleground of the ongoing development industry debate - urban vs. suburban. While maintaining that we need to build places for people to live that minimize the impact on the ecosphere, Builder now admits that 92 percent of growth since 2000 has occurred in the suburbs, and an increasing number of jobs are migrating outside city limits. As stated by Elizabeth Plater-Zyberk, an original founder of the Congress for New Urbanism, “Suburbia as we know it will remain.”

The admission that sustainable land development is essential, and that the suburban lifestyle will continue to be popular, is a healthy evolution of thought in the industry. SLDI salutes the efforts of the NAHB and we will continue to promote and enable sustainable land development – whether urban or suburban.

Your participation and comments are welcome.

Terry Mock
Executive Director
Sustainable Land Development International

Promoting land development worldwide that balances the needs of people, planet & profit - for today and future generations.

People, Planet and Profit

Beyond Buildings

Welcome to SLDI

SLDI Newsletter Archives:

January 2008
February 2008
March 2008
April 2008
May 2008
June 2008
July 2008

• It’s Not How Dense You Make It, It’s How You Make it Dense
  (July/August 2008)The Suburban Shift: From auto-dependent sprawl, to mixed-use, sustainable higher density, walkable neighborhoods.
  Source: Sustainable Land Development Today

• Collision of Brown and Green
  (July/August 2008) How to avoid unintended consequences in Brownfield redevelopment and LEED certification.
  Source: Sustainable Land Development Today

• Economic Report Summary: Higher Durable Goods Orders and New Home Sales
  (July 27, 2008) Gains in both durable goods orders and consumer sentiment offset by worsening existing home sales and jobless claims highlighted economic reports.
  Source: Seeking Alpha.com

• A Conversation with Jim Jacoby: Master Developer of Atlantic Station and the Former Ford Plant in Hapeville
  (July 27, 2008) As soon as we meet in his conference room at Atlantic Station (complete with a built-in aquarium), Jim Jacoby asks what I want to talk about.
  Source: ajc.com

• Legendary Oilman Pickens sees Wind as way out of Energy Bind
  (July 27, 2008) Billionaire oilman T. Boone Pickens is pushing an energy plan he calls vital to America's security - and its centerpiece is not drilling for more oil.
  Source: PalmBeachPost.com

• In Windy West Texas, an Economic Boom
  (July 23, 2008) Growing up in West Texas, Larry Martin became well accustomed to the challenges of living off the land. Raised on a cotton farm outside the small town of Sweetwater, he recalls defending his family's crops from sandstorms after a hard rain. More often, he hoped the region's brutal droughts would not burn the cotton to death.
  Source: World Watch Institute

• How Free Trade can help Solve the Energy Crisis
  (July 26, 2008) The public has been bombarded with lies and half-truths about biofuels, especially in the last six months. Americans should realize that biofuels are superior to fossil fuels.
  Source: Wall Street Journal. Opinion

• Climate-change Deniers in Hot Water
  (July 27, 2008) CHANNEL 4 got a bit of a kicking this week over its controversial documentary, The Great Global Warming Swindle.
  Source: The Sunday Sun

• California joins big Carbon-trade Partnership
  (July 24, 2008) California, six other Western states and four Canadian provinces launched plans on Wednesday for one of the world's largest carbon-trading systems, a sweeping effort to cut greenhouse gas emissions that contribute to global warming.
  Source: Environmental News Network

• A Greener Standard - Toward ANSI Approval
  (July 7, 2008) In a continuing effort to advance the use of environmentally responsible techniques and technologies in residential construction, the NAHB, the International Code Council (ICC), and the NAHB Research Center are close to attaining final approval for an American National Standards Institute (ANSI) standard for green home building construction practices.
  Source: builderonline.com

• Green Architecture’s New Goal: Stylish Sustainability
  (June 2008)If you’re one of many who identify “green” buildings as an ecological necessity but as an aesthetic blight, you’re hardly alone.
  Source: Christian Science Monitor

• Green Building in Montco
  (July 27, 2008) Zero energy means the homes are designed to capture solar energy and are cooled by a geothermal exchange. The homes typically generate more electricity than they need, and excess energy is sold to a utility.
  Source: Pottstown Mercury, Pennsylvania

• Chinese Pollution Powers up Demand for Green Technology
  (July 23, 2008) China recently overtook the United States as the world's biggest carbon polluter, but in a nation known for its dirty technology, a surprising business trend is emerging - green entrepreneurs.
  Source: The Washington Times

• Big Residential Projects are going up Green
  (July 20, 2008) To Alex de Parry, building a green commercial building isn't just about the good publicity he might get or the higher rents he might someday be able to charge. It's about doing the right thing.
  Source: Ann Arbor News, Michigan

• Fireman's Fund offers Green Rebuilding Option
  (July 7, 2008) Fireman's Fund Insurance Co. is launching a green insurance option for homeowners that will allow people with conventional homes to rebuild to the latest environmental standards after a loss.
  Source: San Francisco Chronicle

• On the Farm, a Back-end Solution to an Energy Crisis
  (June 30, 2008) Later this summer, Ontario electricity consumers will start using power that Laurie Stanton's dairy cow herd will contribute to the provincial grid.
  Source: Toronto Globe and Mail, Ontario

• Future is nearly now for Plug-in Hybrids
  (July 21, 2008) When hundreds of experts gather this week for the country's first and biggest plug-in hybrid conference, the tone of the gathering will reveal a dramatic change: The talk is of "when," not "if."
  Source:San Jose Mercury News, California

• Corn Boom lessens interest in Sustainable Farming
  (July 27, 2008) Farmers are planting more corn than they have in decades, raising concerns that the heavy use of chemicals needed to produce the crop will worsen pollution in rivers and streams.
  Source: Lafayette Advertiser, Louisiana

Editor's Note: SLDI News Service may feature press releases submitted directly by organizations in SLDI's network. This content is not specifically endorsed or supported by SLDI and is not subject to SLDI's editorial process.