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GREEN BUILT™ MICHIGAN ANNOUNCES SIGNING OF ITS 100th MEMBER
—Statewide Initiative Gains Popularity with Builders from Marquette to Monroe and From Saginaw to St. Joe—

LANSING, Mich. (June 20, 2007) — Today Green Built Michigan reached a milestone when it announced the signing of its 100th builder member. Green Built Michigan is designed to help bring more energy-efficient and environmentally-friendly homes to Michigan by providing a baseline for practical green building approaches for local builders. The statewide initiative has already certified 85 homes under the NAHB Model Green Home Building Guidelines.

"To have 100 builders on board is a great achievement, but more importantly it's a testament to the changing culture of sustainable construction across the state of Michigan," said Chris Hall, executive director of Green Built Michigan. "With the support of numerous partner organizations, we're excited to see builders implementing sustainable practices and leveraging the latest green technologies and products to build better homes."

BENEFITS OF GREEN HOMES
While the environment is at the core of green building, the construction trend goes beyond just saving the environment. Owners of green homes reap various benefits, including utility savings, improved indoor air quality and less overall maintenance. Not surprisingly, green homes also have less negative impact on the environment by saving energy and reducing waste, particularly during construction.

"With energy costs continuing to rise, everyone wants to save money on monthly utility bills," added Hall. "When you also factor in improved indoor air quality and reduced environmental impact, you really begin to see the true value of a green home."

Third-party verification is required for all homes to be certified green. "When a home is certified, it means the home has undergone testing and verification by an independent rater. In order to be a Green Built Michigan Certified home, it must perform," said Hall. "Simply put, homeowners can trust a home bearing the Green Built Michigan stamp of approval."

THE GUIDELINES
Although there is no one-size-fits-all approach to green building, the Green Built Michigan guidelines are customized to the various climate zones throughout the state and based on fundamental green building principles including:

Minimize Solar Heat Gain

• Position the structure so the longest walls and most of the windows face south
• Position infrequently used rooms, such as storage spaces and service areas, on the west side to act as buffers from the sun

Maximize Natural Light and Ventilation

• Ensure that most rooms have windows on two walls
• Position windows for cross ventilation

Create a Cool Shell

• Consider light colored surfaces for walls and roofing
• Choose metal, concrete or wood roofing, which absorb less heat than asphalt shingles

Improve Home Performance and reduce utility costs

• Build each home to meet the standards of the Energy Star® for New Homes Program

Ensure Efficient Heating and Cooling

• Select right sized heating and cooling equipment
• Install a programmable thermostat
• Install ceiling fans in major rooms

Use Efficient Appliances and Lights

• Use Energy Star® rated appliances
• Install task lighting to reduce the need to light whole rooms

Choose "Green" Materials

• Consider renewable and sustainable lumber for framing, doors and flooring
• Consider materials with recycled content (i.e. fly ash, slag, carpet, insulation, siding, roofing, flooring, countertops, outdoor decking)
• Use non-chemical, bio-based cleaning products

Green Built Michigan also provides technical expertise to help members implement sustainable construction practices and collaborates with the Michigan Association of Home Builders (MAHB) and other local home builder associations across the state to encourage the construction of green built homes in Michigan.

For more information on Green Built Michigan, call (877) 322-0801 or visit www.greenbuiltmichigan.org.

ABOUT THE NAHB MODEL GREEN HOME BUILDING GUIDELINES:
In March 2004, NAHB convened a group of builders, researchers, environmental experts and designers to write the NAHB Model Green Home Building Guidelines so that members could easily develop local green building programs. Published in 2005, the voluntary guidelines cover seven areas-including lot preparation and design, resource efficiency, energy efficiency, water efficiency and conservation, occupancy comfort and indoor environmental quality, and operation, maintenance and homeowner education-and can be customized to reflect local geographic and climate conditions. For more information, please visit www.nahb.org.