New Life Journal columnist and Green Home Experts Board member Clarke Snell put it best in his March Building Fundamentals column when he said, “Unless you live under a rock on another planet whose sentient inhabitants have developed advanced anti-BS technology and the ability to block HGTV, you’re just about sick of the word ‘green’ right now.”

It’s possible you might genuinely have an aversion to the color, but that annoyance is more likely to stem from the fact that the word is now on signs and labels everywhere you look and being used to describe a bevy of features and qualities, some of which are pretty far from the word’s genuine intent. In other words, greenwashing—or the exaggeration or fabrication of the eco components of a home, development or even product—is happening.

According to architect Alice Dodson, the term “greenwashing” came into existence because construction with minimal environmental improvements, as compared to basic construction practices, was advertised as “green” and “sustainable.” But, she notes, “it is a legitimate question to ask what constitutes a significant improvement in a world out of balance, where five percent of the world population—the United States—consumes about 24 percent of the world’s energy.”

So, what’s green and what’s not? Our Board recommends you keep your eyes peeled for the following greenwashing claims.

Michael Figura of Eco Concepts Realty says to be on the lookout for very large homes labeled “green” solely because they are energy efficient (i.e. Energy Star® rated). ”It’s great that those homes are energy efficient, but they aren’t green, they’re just energy efficient. A truly green home will be appropriately sized so that there is not extra square footage and will be built out of sustainable, non-toxic materials,” he says. Michael also suggests carefully examining developments that call themselves green. “In suburban subdivisions where the developer sells lots, if the lot buyers are required to build an eco-certified home (like HealthyBuilt, EarthCraft House® or LEED), those subdivisions are often then labeled as ‘green subdivisions.’ But, if the subdivision doesn’t have green planning elements, such as large amounts of open space dedicated in conservation easements, then the subdivision is not green, even if the homes in the development will be.”

David Tuch of Equinox Environmental echoes Michael’s sentiments regarding greenwashing and developments. “What we have seen is the recognition from developers that green development is extremely marketable. To take advantage of this opportunity in the real estate market, developers and others in real estate advertise properties with claims like ‘the most environmentally sensitive development in the area.’ But, when you really examine many of these projects, there’s not much behind these statements to support the marketing campaign. Some developers just aren’t that interested in creating a green development, so they don’t protect buffers along streams, they label left-over areas that are not buildable as ‘conservation areas,’ and some build on excessively steep slopes and ridgetops.”

Misleading labeling doesn’t end there. “I have many unanswered questions regarding ground source heat pumps,” says Dave Hollister of Sundance Power. “Of course the industry wants to use the term ‘geothermal,’ which is somewhat misleading. Many times the technology is perhaps green when used in a certain application and not in another. I believe this is true for ground source heat pumps, but perhaps better examples are wood burning stoves and outdoor wood furnaces. In the right application, these are completely sustainable and green technologies, while if you want to put one in when living in the city, they’re not.”

Marcus Renner of Appropriate Building Solutions is also aware of misleading labeling, specifically when it comes to energy-efficient refrigerators. When at a big-box home improvement store, Marcus noticed that “all of the refrigerators in the ‘eco-friendly’ display consumed the most energy. I could imagine that an unwary customer may trust the retailer and the big green sign and not take the time to read the energy guide inside.” When he took his observation to the store’s customer service department, he was told, “Oh yeah, they don’t know much about that back there (appliance dept).” While the chain’s local branch did eventually switch the fridges after a few weeks, Marcus asks, “Where else does this happen?”

Isaac Savage of Home Energy Partners piggybacks on Marcus’ frustration about correct marketing of green home products, citing the misrepresentation by the industry as a whole of mechanical system efficiency ratings. “The average ‘high efficiency’ furnace or boiler that we test is operating at 15-20 percent under the specified efficiency,” he says. “This doesn’t account for problems with the delivery system, or ductwork, either. It’s just looking at the combustion efficiency. There is no such thing as a 96 percent efficient gas appliance anyhow. Industry efficiency formulas assume higher-than-possible flame temperatures in order to achieve those ratings, which look nice on paper and in their marketing literature.”

“It breaks my heart that people are scraping together money to buy a more efficient unit to put in their homes, yet they are still freezing because the rest of the house, including the building envelope or ductwork, is a mess,” says Victoria Schomer of Green Built Environments.

Aside from keeping your eyes peeled for the claims mentioned, what else can be done to combat greenwashing? Our Board members recommend looking to third party verified certification programs like North Carolina’s HealthyBuilt Homes, Georgia’s EarthCraft House, and the U.S. Green Building Council’s LEED program, as well as the Energy Star rating. The WNC Green Building Council is in the processes of developing eco standards for area developments, which will prove helpful once finalized. The Board also notes that continuing education about these topics for builders, developers, retailers and consumers is an important step.

If you’re looking to buy or build a “green” home, the certifications above help provide a standard, but janeAnne Narrin of ECO-Steward Realty puts the power in your hands: Seeing authentic eco-friendly options becomes a much easier task “when you do a little research and use your own eyes.”

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