MORE "GREENWASHING" IN THE NEWS

"Greenwashing" refers to the rampant and exagerated loose advertising claims about anything "green."  Oddly, in today's world of heightened legitimate interest in green homes, green living and green products, no Federal or industry group enforces rules against "greenwashing."  Caveat Emptor.  We're on our own. 

Until now.  ABC News recently ran a fine background story on the topic of greenwashing and where to find help identifying it, and thereby how to hold manufacturers and homebuilders to meaningful facts instead of puffery.  Scot Case of TerraChoice did a fine job of providing solid facts and helpful tips for us consumers on how to detect, measure, and circumvent greenwashing.

We wrote about greenwashing in real estate here a few months ago in regard to the growing volume of whatever-sells advertising claims made by some homebuilders.  New-home sales is the hardest hit segment of our otherwise strong real estate market in Rapid City and the Black Hills.  It's tempting for a new-home builder to give in to the temptations of implying that their homes achieve some sort of green standard. Whatever sells...even though recent South Dakota State law (Senate Bill 64, 2009) requires builders to provide an Energy Efficiency Disclosure Statement, declaring what is so green about their homes.

So here's a tip.  If you are placing value on the green systems or features that are engineered in to the new home you are buying, you may want to engage an independent, highly trained engineer to help interpret the real facts or to project the real savings on utilities you can expect.  It's not rocket science.

(DISCLOSURE:  Lee Alley, Chief Editor of this Hills Watch blog, is a licensed real estate agent and a former physicist and university professor, with a Ph.D. in engineering...and strong devotion to genuine green living.)