Washington builder embraces green building.
Every home Bennett Homes builds is green. Most of its efforts involve processes such as erosion control, waste reduction and recycling - things that may not be as visible to buyers as, say, energy-efficient appliances but are extremely eco-friendly. The Bellevue, Wash., company was one of the first home builders to introduce the Built Green program in Washington State.
In June 2007, Bennett hired a full-time green officer to analyze its business practices and ensure the company walks the green walk. The builder recently started printing collateral materials on recycled paper and plans to replace its fleet of cars with hybrid vehicles.
Bennett Homes won the 2007 Built Green Pioneer Award from the Master Builders Association (MBA) of King and Snohomish counties for its contributions to Built Green since the program's inception in 2001. Company Chairman Todd Bennett was president of the MBA in 2003 and has been on the board of directors since the late 1990s. Bennett's involvement with national committees gave him broad exposure to green-building practices and programs.
"He felt that it was a natural fit for the general philosophies of our marketplace," says Gayl Van Natter, vice president of sales and marketing for the firm. Bennett and President Paul Glosniak convinced the MBA to adopt Built Green in its purest state, says Van Natter.
We're building in jurisdictions where people might call themselves Built Green, and certainly there are green components, but it isn't nearly as regulated and strict as it is in King and Snohomish counties," she says. "In some of those outlying places, builders are being allowed to use [the Built Green] icon with pretty minimalistic criteria."
The company projects 225 closings in 2007 at an average price of $723,000. It builds custom and production homes in five counties, including a resort community in the Cascade Mountains east of Seattle.
- by Susan Bady, Senior Editor, Design
Professiona Builder, Sept 2007