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Contractors can use the NAHB program and green building guidelines in planning the concrete elements of the building process. A concrete contractor can also use the online scoring tool to calculate the number of credits the concrete work might earn and then use that when bidding on a job, English adds.

LEED for Homes
Launched in November 2007 by the United States Green Building Council (USGBC), LEED for Homes is a voluntary rating program designed to help enhance construction of residential building, says Nate Kredich, vice president of residential market development for USGBC.

The rating system consists of eight categories in which contractors must earn a certain number of points to achieve various levels of certification: certified, silver, gold and platinum. "A basic rule of thumb is that each of the successive certification levels require about 33% more points than the prior," Kredich says.

The categories are location and linkages, sustainable sites, water efficiency, energy and atmosphere, materials and resources, indoor environmental quality, innovation and design, and awareness and education.

Kredich says over 600 homes have been certified in 2008.

To get certified through LEED for Homes, a contractor needs to work with a LEED for Homes provider, go through several inspections throughout the building process, accumulate the desired number of points, and then submit the project for certification.