The Florida Green Building Coalition (FGBC) is a nonprofit that promotes sustainability in the construction industry through education and certification programs. The coalition certifies projects according to green building standards, promotes housing affordability, raises awareness of the benefits of green building and sustainable development, and certifies eligible projects. FGBC has created various certification programs for building projects and local government operations, such as The Green Home Standard.
FGBC's Green Home Certification Standard recognizes Florida's environmentally friendly homes. The program offers builders guidance on constructing green homes and meeting the demand for healthy, cost-effective properties. The FGBC Green Home Standard applies to homes and buildings of three floors or fewer.
FGBC also offers a High-Rise Residential Standard program for buildings over three stories, encouraging developers to use cost-efficient green building practices during construction. Meanwhile, FGBC offers the Commercial Building Standard process to streamline green building. The process encourages sustainable building practices, with certified commercial buildings typically benefitting from higher property values, occupancy rates, and rents, along with lower operational costs, compared to uncertified buildings.
Closely related to the Commercial Building Standard is the Green Development Standard, which aims to foster environmental conservation, create safe communities, and promote sustainability education for residents. FGBC's Green Development Standard encourages earth-friendly, cost-effective, and livable communities. The program guides developers in selecting eco-friendly features that add long-term value.
FGBC also offers a Green Local Government Standard that recognizes environmentally friendly cities' and counties' exemplary environmental sustainability efforts. This program focuses on evaluating environmental performance, educational activities to improve the environment, in-house practices, and ordinances and incentives to promote green practices. Unlike traditional green building programs focusing on individual buildings and developments, this program aims to broaden the scope of sustainability initiatives.
Individuals who want to become FGBC certifying agents must fulfill certain requirements, including having at least one year of experience in the home construction sector and a professional (such as a licensed home inspector) to verify this. They must also have completed 14 hours of Green Home Construction continuing education in the previous two years and a two-day workship and exam for the Florida Green Home Certification. Last, they must fill and submit a certifying agent registration form to FGBC, along with the fees and necessary documents. One must also be a member of FGBC to be certified as an agent.
Upon accreditation as an FGCB certifying agent, one can now assess homes in accordance with the organization's standards. However, they should maintain an active status by staying current on fees, certifying at least one home in accordance with the Green Home Standard, and attending more than half of all Home Standards meetings. Agents who meet these requirements but have not certified a home are considered inactive and must do so, in addition to reviewing the latest standard update course/video, to be considered active.
FGBC certification offers several benefits for green professionals, such as builders and architects. The lower certification fees and streamlined certification process save time and money compared to other national building certification programs. In addition, FGBC standards are based on Florida's unique climate and regulatory requirements, resulting in lower compliance costs. These standards are the only ones that consider the hot, humid environment and potential natural disasters such as hurricanes, floods, and wildfires common to the state.
These certification programs also communicate an eagerness to supply customers with eco-friendly and sustainable products or services. They are easily implemented and adjustable to each project's objectives, and help make them stand out from the rest.
