Improving the Built Environment is Better for Business
Florida Leads the Way in Green Building
One mission. One group of dedicated people. This is what it takes to make green building a hallmark in Florida structures.
The Florida Green Building Coalition (FGBC) has been the driving force in a widespread effort to generate awareness and credibility of green building in the state. The nonprofit corporation, founded in 2000, is dedicated to improving Florida’s built environment. Because of the FGBC’s work, Florida building professionals have more business opportunities and building owners can enjoy lower operating costs.Suzanne Cook, Executive Director of FGBC, has been leading this charge since 2007 but has served on the organization’s board since 2003. Prior to that, she spent 17 years with the Florida Home Builders Association where she was the go-to person for green building. “The FGBC knew that a partnership with home builders was critical to getting the building industry to adopt a mindset for green building. Since my interest had always been on sustainability, shifting my efforts to the FGBC was a perfect move,” she says.
Verifying Sustainability
The most valuable achievement of the FGBC is the development of its green building certification programs, which provide both a guide for building professionals and an independent, third-party verification that adds a layer of accountability and integrity for the project team.
“Statewide, certification programs create a consistent process and measure of green achievements, so architects, builders, owners and others who want to build green don’t have to reinvent the process for each project,” says Cook. “Unlike national standards, the FGBC certification programs are the only standards developed with climate-specific criteria to address issues caused by Florida’s hot, humid environment and natural disasters.”
She adds, “Our standards, developed by industry stakeholders, provide a reliable, verifiable process that is extremely important to proving the credibility of green building. These standards form a framework for professionals and the public that produces healthier, more efficient buildings—and help protect and conserve natural resources to create more sustainable communities.”
From its beginning, the coalition has used education to dispel the myth that green building is more costly and difficult to achieve than traditional construction. “The real impact came through educating builders and other industry professionals. They are very important to achieving the acceptance of green building because they play such a key role in the construction process. The more builders know about green building approaches and technologies, the easier and less costly it is for them to implement them,” says Cook.
Statistics Prove Value
Confirmation of green building’s economy comes from national surveys, such as the 2015 McGraw Hill Construction SmartMarket Report, which showed that a higher level of involvement in green building decreases builders’ costs. The report also indicated that builders who do less than 16 percent of their projects as green have a premium cost of more than 10 percent; but builders who do 60 percent or more of their projects as green see 1 percent to 4 percent in additional costs.
According to Cook, historical data that is now available demonstrates the advantages of green building to owners and occupants. Green buildings offer lower utilities and maintenance costs because energy-efficient products and more durable materials are used. Occupants are becoming increasingly interested in the health benefits associated with green building, such as the use of products that don’t “off-gas” or release harmful volatile organic compounds (VOCs), such as those found in some paints, stains, sealers, insulation, carpet, furniture and cabinets.
Municipal and Realty Groups Get on Board
Another contributing factor to increased awareness of green building’s value comes from studies of real estate sales. These studies reveal an increased resale value and fewer days on the market for green-certified buildings. GreenWorks Realty, the nation’s first real estate brokerage firm to specialize in green properties, published an ECert Report in January 2012 that showed about a 12 percent increase in the sales value of certified green vs. non-certified homes sold between November 2009 and January 2012.
Now, the mainstream Florida real estate industry is also including green features and certification documents in its MLS listings. Since decisions on content of area listings are made by local real estate boards, these features may not appear in all states.
The Appraisal Institute also recognizes the increased value of green building through its “Green Addendum,” which lists any green and high-performance features that add to a building’s appraised value. The Appraisal Institute sets requirements nationally and credentials appraisers.
“When you have multiple entities working together, such as appraisers and realtors, it has a larger impact on the market,” notes Cook. “Local governments are also very important. When they have comprehensive sustainability plans that offer incentives and establish ordinances to benefit green building, it has a huge influence on the public. Educational outreach efforts to the community—such as information about organic gardening, recycling and water conservation—are also helpful. Local governments that provide utility services, electric and water rate structures that reward conservation offer additional incentives for green building,” she adds.
Developers Escalate Green
Florida green building programs have also expanded dramatically through their use in large developments, such as Lakewood Ranch in Sarasota, Babcock Ranch in southwest Florida and Oakland Park in central Florida. Each of these developments require that all buildings be certified through FGBC standards.
Some developers have added even more sustainable measures. Take, for example, Kitson & Partners, a Florida-based real estate company that created Babcock Ranch. The real estate firm made this development the world’s first solar-powered town.
“Developments like these, complemented by local green building requirements such as those found in Miami, Hallendale, Hollywood and other municipalities, go a long way in promoting green building. Under the Miami 21 Zoning Code, which requires green certification for buildings 50,000 square feet or larger, the bond required at the time of the Certificate of Occupancy application can be prorated based on proof of the number of green credits remaining for certification. For large projects that are prolific in South Florida, this can have a significant financial impact,” says Cook.
Staying Ahead of the Curve
The FGBC standards are the only ones developed with criteria that address issues caused by Florida’s hot, humid climate and its history of natural disasters. “Being climate-specific results in optimal building performance. National programs—such as LEED, the ICC 700 NGBS, Green Globes and others—are based on heating-dominated climates, whereas Florida is a cooling-dominated climate, meaning Florida uses air-conditioning more than furnaces. Criteria that doesn’t address local climate conditions can create indoor air quality problems,” Cook notes.
Although FGBC is specific to Florida, the corporation has the same objectives as all organizations dedicated to improving the built environment through green programs—to keep up with regulations, technology and product developments.
“We do periodic reviews to ensure that we are compliant with regulatory and code requirements. We also continually monitor new concepts, studies or products so we can incorporate those into our standards. This is a very intense process but it’s necessary to be sure that Florida’s built environment protects our state’s natural resources and ensures a sustainable future,” she adds.
With the FGBC leading the way, green building in Florida has a credible system for staying current on code requirements and creating better-performing buildings that help protect the environment.
About the FGBC
Membership in the FGBC is open to anyone interested in promoting green building, including businesses, individuals, students, government and nonprofit groups. In addition to its green building standards, the FGBC offers a Certified Green Professional designation. This differentiates individuals as green building professionals, offers them opportunities to improve skills and generally affords them a better position in the marketplace.
FGBC offers directories for finding green products and building professionals, listings of FGBC-certified projects and various education programs for industry professionals, consumers and government entities. The organization also hosts an annual GreenTrends Conference that brings together green building professions to collaborate on ways to achieve sustainability in Florida’s built environment.
In 2016, the FGBC also established a scholarship program that provides five $1,000 scholarships each year to full-time college students seeking careers in sustainability. To learn more, visit
www.floridagreenbuilding.org.