Local green builder Gary Poush, president of Serra Construction, Inc., attended the International Builders Show in Las Vegas last week to come up to speed on the new national green building standards generated by the National Association of Home Builders.

“With the phase-out of Built Green Colorado, builders who want to certify their homes must find a replacement,” he said.

He attended several educational seminars, including a session on carbon emissions and climate change, and viewed the exhibit halls, a million and a half square feet of exhibition space, the largest building show in the world.

Some of the newest green technologies: Combination solar/HVAC, where solar is integrated into traditional heating and cooling systems, and state-of-the-art gearless wind turbines, which produce electricity at very low wind speeds.

“In the near future, green building standards are going to be gradually adopted by the International Residential Code,” said Poush, “and builders must be prepared for the impact upon building procedures and materials. All new homes will have to comply with more stringent regulations and become more energy efficient. We welcome the changes the building industry is going through, because they're long overdue.”