Materials procurement is probably the biggest headache for a contractor on a green project, Francis Dardis, the project's architect with FBD Architecture, said.

The specifications of the materials - non-toxic paints and certified lumber, for example - require a contractor's diligence. Everything must be documented, which means calling materials suppliers to ask where exactly materials, such as fly ash in the concrete, come from.

Materials must often be specially ordered, which can also create kinks in a project schedule if it's not done properly. If a site runs out of certified lumber, for example, a crew member can't just run to the lumber yard and pick up more, Morgan said. On the Rocket project, if something was missing, he had to send somebody to Newberg in order to re-stock the item.

With the Rocket project under Morgan's belt, Schommer & Sons is ready to have him take on more complicated projects, including those with a sustainable bent.

"Jeremy is relatively new to the industry, and it just became an assignment for him to give him an opportunity to learn specifically about green construction practices and methods," Bob Schommer, owner of Schommer & Sons, said. "We don't have these opportunities like this every day ... and he was the right person at the right time. "