During perhaps the worst time for builders in Cape Coral, one industry organization is trying to stay ahead of the curve, attempting to keep up to date on state and federal construction trends and standards that are becoming more green.
The Cape Coral Construction Industry Association will hold its first Green Building Council meeting at 11:30 a.m. Wednesday at Acra Electric.
Mike Prewitt, chairman of the Green Building Council, said the group will educate CCCIA members about the greening of their industry.
“That’s the whole purpose of why we’re doing this, to keep our membership apprised of the green trends,” he said.
The council’s first meeting will feature guest speaker Drew Smith, a green building expert and chairman of the Sarasota Green Building Council.
He is also the president of Two Trails, a green building consulting company, and was appointed as the Green Building representative on the Florida Building Commission by Gov. Charlie Crist.
Smith’s expertise and familiarity with the public sector’s increasing emphasis on green construction should help CCCIA members take advantage of state and federal grants for using energy more efficiently or building more sustainable homes, Prewitt said.
“I think green building is the wave of the future since so many governments and agencies have signed on to it,” he said.
Some CCCIA members are already catching on to the green revolution, but the Green Building Council will allow them to stay savvy.
“Some builders are already building very close to a green standard home,” Prewitt said.
According to a flyer for the council, the movement toward a darker shade of yellow in the construction industry is “inevitable.”
“This is something that’s coming our way. It’s already worked it’s way into the building code,” Prewitt said.