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New Green Mortgages Protect the Environment and Save Homeowners Money (continued) GOlci~3 35 features if all categories are used, or 38 features if one or more categories are skipped, to qualify the home as "Built Green." Categories of activities or practices on the checklist include energy requirements, land use, waste management, and water conservation/pollution prevention. Under the water conservation/pollution prevention category, builders must choose to implement one of the following options: . Use at least 40 percent permeable material for all walkways, patios, and driveways . Plant grass that uses less water such as blue gramma or fescue in turf areas . Xeriscape more than 60 percent of nonpaved areas . Recover rainwater from roofs for watering . Xeriscape with drought-resistant plants and/or grasses . Provide a list of native drought-reSistant plant to homebuyers . Install low-flow faucets in bathrooms, installed to manufacturer's specifications. . Install low-flow faucets in kitchen, installed to manufacturer's specifications . Install front-loading, horizontal-axis, or its equivalent, clothes washer . Install passive or on-demand hot water delivery system at the farthest location from water heater. MARCH 2000, ISSUE .&0 To provide quality control, 5 percent of all homes built under the program are inspected for compliance by E-Star Home Energy Ratings. Homebuyers are provided with a personalized Built Green certificate. Builders enroll for an annual cost of $150 and pay a fee of either $20 per home in single-builder communities or $50 for single homes, which includes a yard sign with the Built Green logo. Sponsors, companies whose products or services comply with one or more of the criteria on the checklist, pay $500 to join the program. "Green building programs are popping up all over," said Doug Seiter, Green Builder Program State Coordinator, "but there are currently fewer than 20 that have made any significant impact." He hopes that as more people move into these homes, the news of monthly savings will spread by word of mouth from neighbor to neighbor, eventually increasing the demand for the green homes. McStain Enterprises, a respected builder in the Denver area for more than 30 years, has taken the lead in green building. In fact, since 1997 McStain has been building homes to green standards that exceed the minimum points established by the Built Green program. So far they have sold approximately 750 Built Green homes; 230 of them in 1999. Not only is McStain successfuI'at selling homes, they also successfully protect water quality in the Denver area. "We encourage xeriscape in community common areas and include information on xeriscape in our Homeowners' Manual," explained Kristen Shewfelt, Director of McStain's Environmental Programs. Not only does xeriscaping reduce water consumption and landscape maintenance, it also helps reduce the use of fertilizers and pesticides. McStain will also soon begin a wetland restoration project in Loveland, Colorado, to restore wildlife habitat and improve water quality. "Responsible home builders can benefit substantially from building and promoting Built Green homes," sayJohn Kurowski, President of Kurowski Development Company, a leader for 25 years in the green building movement in Colorado. Now, with Fannie Mae's new green mortgages, home buyers benefit as well. [For more information, contact Doug Seiter, Green Builder Program State Coordinator, c/o Planit Green, 11960 West 60th Avenue, Arvada, CO 80004-4463. Phone: (303) 421-4889; fax: (303) 421-4889; e-mail: dougseiter@earthlink.net. Visit the Built Green web site at www.builtgreen.org. For more information about buying a Built Green home in Colorado, contact Fannie Mae's Consumer Resource Center at 1-800-7-FANNIE.] NONPOINT SOURCE NEWS-NOTES 11