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The Greening of Minnesota’s Homes is Here...Minnesota GreenStar
Choosing Green can mean saving money on gas when you trade in the big SUV for a fuel-efficient sedan. It can mean creating a healthier lifestyle for your family as you choose organic foods. And it can mean reducing your water bill by collecting rain water for irrigating the garden. But every family has different definition of Green and how to best apply it to their own lives.
The same is true about Green remodeling. Some families will pay more now to save big on energy over the years. Others will want recycled and locally manufactured materials that reduce their impact on the environment. Some families will choose to downsize, others to use only materials that ensure pristine indoor air quality for their asthmatic child. Some will want to go totally Green and have it all. And that’s the beauty of Minnesota’s own new certification program, MN GreenStar.
This exciting new program allows home owners who remodel to choose the most important aspects of Green for their home. With three certification levels and four project types, MN GreenStar is designed to ensure each level meets stringent goals yet allows a wide range of flexibility and options. The MN GreenStar standards and certification program applies a whole house, systems approach within the five key concepts of Green building: energy efficiency, resource efficiency, indoor environmental quality, water conservation plus site and community impact. These Green concepts are each applied across the eight traditional components of the building process (high performance building envelope and systems, mechanicals, electrical, finishes and trim, waste management, outdoor and site, water and plumbing, as well as innovation.
MN GreenStar was developed by a unique group of professionals that included environmental and building science experts, home builders, and remodelers. The originating partnership included the Green Institute (a nationally-recognized leader in the green building movement), the Builders Association of the Twin Cities, and the National Association of Remodeling Industry -?Minnesota. Experts from the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency, the University of Minnesota, and Excel Energy were also tapped to help develop the program.
Today, Twin Cities’ residents can choose to have their remodeling project certified as a MN GreenStar project and be assured that it has been constructed under a regionally-appropriate green building standard that embraces our unique climate concerns, building codes, and energy, materials and natural resources. Each project is subjected to an objective, third-party verification system that assures it performs as promised. Additionally, remodelers are required to attend mandatory educational programs prior to beginning their MN GreenStar project.
“We are thrilled to see more and more remodeling projects registering and being certified with MN GreenStar,” commented Mike Williams, executive director of MN GreenStar. “Finally, homeowners have a Minnesota-specific green remodeling standard to insure their remodel is truly green.”
Both the new home and remodeling programs have completed the pilot phase and are now available for Minnesota families through their builders and remodelers. For more information visit their website www.mngreenstar.org.
MN GreenStar Remodeled Homes to Tour
#34
Building Arts Sustainable Architecture + Construction LLC
95 Mackubin Street, St. Paul, Whole House
#46
RRR Construction Co.
3641 47th Avenue S., Minneapolis, Whole House
#47
EnterSpace Professional Design & Quality Construction
3552 - 45th Avenue S., Minneapolis, Addition, Bedroom
#49
Buck Brothers Construction Co. Inc.
2605 40th Avenue South, Minneapolis, Addition,?Bathroom
#70
Otogawa-Anschel Design-Build, LLC
2415 W. 22nd Street, Minneapolis, Whole House
#71
Open Air Concepts, Inc.
1724 Colfax Avenue South, Minneapolis, Whole House Remodel
#80
Stonehearth Custom Homes, Inc.
5113 West 59th Street, Edina, Whole House
#93
Mike Otto Construction, Inc.
2248 Drew Avenue S, St. Louis Park, Addition, Family Room
#132
Showcase Renovations, Inc.
9000 - 100th Street, Monticello, Whole House
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