At Green Drinks Warrenton last night I had the opportunity to talk with Anthony Palladino from Golden Rule Builders about Earth Craft Homes.

I was aware of the Earth Craft Homes but hadn't realized that Golden Rule was a certified Earth Craft builder. It's great to have local builders who are excited about green building!

Earth Craft Homes are homes that are, by design, more energy efficient and environmentally friendly. The standards and scoring system are different than the LEED standards. The Earth Craft designation comes in three levels, Earth Craft House, Earth Craft House Select and Earth Craft House Premium. You need a progressively higher number of points to achieve each certification. There's a worksheet on the Earth Craft web site that shows how points are accumulated.

Earth Craft homes can cost slightly more money up front. But weigh that against the energy cost savings you'll get every month for as long as you own that home.

I'm excited to see more and more activity around green building locally. And, if you haven't been to a Green Drinks meeting yet, you're missing out!