WCI Leads Florida Builders in Green Building Certification 91 Employees Complete Certification Exam
Bonita Spring, Fla. (Aug 8, 2002) - WCI Communities, Inc. has reaffirmed its strong commitment to green building and sustainable development practices as another 16 employees recently completed the two-day "Build Green and Profit" program administered by the University of Florida. Together with the 75 employees who achieved Level 1 certification last year, WCI has now trained a total of 91 employees in green building practices.
"WCI has trained more employees in our green building program than any other company in Florida," said Dr. Pierce Jones, Director of Florida Energy Extension Service (FEES) at the University of Florida which administers the training program. "No other company in Florida comes close to those numbers," Jones said.
Florida is the only state in the country to offer the green building certification exam which is authored by Green Advantage, a program based in Washington, D.C. and created under a grant from the Environmental Protection Agency. Florida was selected as the pilot state largely due to the training curriculum that the FEES program had designed. The program offers a one-stop education and training session on the principles of green building.
"The more employees who are trained in green building, the better equipped WCI is to deliver on its commitment to build its homes and communities in an environmentally sustainable manner," said President Jerry Starkey. "We want to be proactive in building communities and homes that are highly energy efficient, use sustainable products and materials and provide a healthier environment for our customers and Florida's natural habitat. We have always aimed to deliver a superior quality of life in our communities and green building is an important part of that commitment," he added.
The company's commitment to sustainability is further demonstrated in its partnership with Audubon International (AI), a non-profit organization that assists developers in designing and constructing communities that follow its principles for sustainability. In a first of its kind agreement between a community developer and an environmental organization, WCI announced last year that it would build ten future communities in Florida adhering to these principles. Under the AI guidelines, significant emphasis is focused on wildlife habitat, water quality, water conservation, energy efficiency, waste management and environmental education outreach programs.
The first community designed under the AI - WCI agreement is Evergrene, a 364-acre community in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida. Evergrene will also be the location of a new "green" model home designed to demonstrate many of the methods and materials highlighted in green building training. Energy efficiency is key in green building, so the WCI green model has been designed to minimize energy use and incorporate features that promote indoor air quality and comfort. Construction of the green model is scheduled to begin in early August.
The measurement used to rate a green home in Florida is the Green Building Standards Checklist compiled and approved by the Florida Green Building Coalition (FGBC). The standards assign points for specific elements that are environmentally friendly and healthy within a home. Homes that attain a rating of 200 points or more receive certification as a green home. Audubon International also uses the FGBC standards checklist for homes within the sustainable communities it sanctions.
For more than 50 years WCI has been creating amenity-rich, leisure-oriented master-planned communities that serve affluent homebuyers in Florida. Based in Bonita Springs, WCI is a publicly held company with 34 communities located in many of Florida's coastal markets. WCI's award-winning communities currently feature more than 600 holes of golf, more than 1,000 boat slips at five deep-water marinas, and various country club, tennis and recreational facilities and several luxury hotels. The company's land holdings include approximately 15,000 acres. WCI's homebuilding operations serve primarily move-up, retirement and second home buyers, with prices from $100,000 to more than $10 million. In addition to traditional single homes, the company also builds luxury high-rise residences.
