Author Archive

We’re Number 1! No, Seriously…

Thursday, August 18th, 2011

SEM leads the nation in NGBC Program certifications.

When we help builders, our top goal is to help them build high-quality new homes that are more energy efficient and have a smaller carbon footprint. Period. For a lot of builders, one of the incentives to build that type home is the certification that arrives at the end of construction. That piece of paper verifies to potential buyers that the home is as green as it claims to be, and has all the energy efficiency, water efficiency, durability, air quality and environmental benefits that are built into it. (more…)

China: New Perspectives

Thursday, June 30th, 2011

I recently returned from a 3-week trip to Hong Kong and China, and nothing I saw or read before I left adequately prepared me for the experience. I was there with 30 other students for a study-abroad program through the MBA I’m pursuing at Eastern Carolina University, along with another group from the University of Alabama. As someone who’s made a living out of energy efficient building practices, I had a unique perspective about what they’re doing differently than the US, what’s similar and everything in between. As you might imagine, I believe they’re doing some things right but have a lot of room for improvement with (more…)