GreenPoint Rated System has been chosen the model program for voluntary green building policies by the Building Industry Association of Central California. The BIACC's board of directors voted unanimously to recommend the system, after the association's Green Building Task Force reviewed a number of programs currently available to home builders.

A few of the characteristics of the GreenPoint Rated System particularly convinced board members:

• Third-party verification of compliance
• Accessibility
• Cost-effectiveness

“The recognition that the program is already being used throughout California and is the dominant program being used by Bay Area government jurisdictions was an important consideration in our decision," said Stephen Madison, executive vice president of BIACC, in a press release. "An equally important factor was the availability of training for both members and jurisdictions that adopt the program.”

BIACC will promote voluntary adoption of the GreenPoint Rated System by local governments, in order to make the program more attractive to its members. According to Build It Green, a nonprofit organization responsible for developing and maintaining the GreenPoint Rated System, 70 local governments have already adopted the system or referenced it in their policies.

It has also received endorsements from the California Energy Commission, the Association of Bay Area Governments and the Home Builders Association of Northern California.

Image — GreenPoint Rated