Earth Advantage Launches Green Building Media Campaign with Legend Homes/Matrix Development and KPTV Fox 12
Portland, OR (January 22, 2007) – A series of video vignettes are currently airing on KPTV Fox 12’s program called “More Good Day Oregon” that follows the construction of an Earth Advantage certified Legend Home from the ground up. The segment, called “Good For Us”, runs every Thursday and is repeated again on Sunday showing the different stages and components that not only go into a Legend home, but also what types of ‘green’ products and building methods that help make up the rigorous Earth Advantage certification process; the largest third-party verified green building program in the nation.
There will be 17 segments in all, the final one airing the last week of April. Topics that will be covered include indoor air qualities, energy efficient appliances, durable and/or natural products, energy efficient heating and cooling systems, high performance windows, fresh air ventilation systems, and water efficient products to name just a few.
Earth Advantage’s executive director Sean Penrith states, “Not only will this media campaign provide information to the general public on what green built homes are, but it also presents them with options for better performing, energy efficient, and sustainable homes in the market place. Legend Homes is helping to supply to a growing consumer demand for these types of green homes.”
In fall of 2006, the Portland Regional Multiple Listing Service (RMLS, a unified database resource that allows realtors to search for and find properties for home buyers) agreed to adopt a new feature called “Home Performance Measure” that allows designated homes built to green and energy efficient standards, like Earth Advantage, to be searched for. This feature is being implemented in Feb of 2007 and will not only create more demand for these types of homes, like the ones being built by Legend, but will also recognize the value of these homes as well. This is the first RMLS in the nation to accept this type of measure into their listings.
Jim Chapman, President of Legend Homes states “Earth Advantage helps set a bar for us that we strive to meet. Not only do we believe we build a good home, but Earth Advantage acting as a neutral third-party verifier confirms that we do. They help support our mission of quality and that enables our homes to be enjoyed by families for generations to come.”
Earth Advantage is having monitoring equipment installed so the home’s energy use and indoor air quality can be tracked once the home is complete and buyers have moved in. The data will be used to demonstrate the superior attributes of a high-performance Earth Advantage home. The concept of this media campaign is to show consumers that homes can be built in a production style manner that are more sustainable, energy efficient and has a softer impact on the environment. Duane Woik, senior green building consultant for Earth Advantage encourages the home buyer to “look for the Earth Advantage symbol in the property pages; you will know the house you are buying is climate-friendly performance.”
Founded in Oregon in 1965, Legend Homes and Matrix Development have become one of the Northwest’s largest residential development companies. Since its inception, approximately 5,000 home sites and 3,500 homes, town homes and condominiums have been developed and constructed.
Earth Advantage, Inc., a 501(c)3 non-profit corporation, is a leader in the sustainable building industry in the Pacific Northwest. At a minimum, Earth Advantage homes are designed to use 15 percent less energy than houses built to standard code practices. Earth Advantage homes adopt the philosophy of holistic sustainability (4-pillar approach) and are accordingly certified for energy efficiency, healthier indoor air, resource efficiency and environmental responsibility. The organization has the ability to certify homes as Earth Advantage (Gold and Platinum levels exist too), ENERGY STAR, or LEED for Homes and certified just over 2,500 homes in 2006. For more information, visit www.earthadvantage.org.
To view the premier airing of this Fox12 campaign visit http://www.kptv.com/video/10671601/index.html