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The standard defines six categories and four different "thresholds" for a green building point-based rating system, Morrow says. A contractor must achieve a minimum amount of points in each category to reach the different threshold levels, which are bronze, silver, gold and emerald. Contractors are also asked to acquire extra points to ensure their projects qualify as green. But Morrow says these extra points can come from any of the six categories of the standard.

The six defined categories in the standard are lot design, resource efficiency, energy efficiency, water efficiency, indoor environmental quality, and operation maintenance and building owner education. "There's also the general site development," Morrow says. "That is its own entity within the standard that has its own set of criteria, just to make sure the specific best practices for doing a more environmentally concerned project from a site development standpoint are taken into consideration."

Even though the standard is a national document, it is not a mandatory requirement for contractors looking to build green. "It's not designed to be a requirement. The standard is meant to be used by the builder and developer that want to use it with the idea that they can then make a legitimate claim that the project has been built in accordance with a nationally recognized standard for green building. It's not intended to be mandated, though," Morrow says.

The standard is also not a certification system but a tool for contractors looking to build a legitimate green home. Nate Kredich, vice president of residential market development for USGBC, says that USGBC is looking forward to the release of the standard. "It will provide a positive, entry-level path for builders without prior green home building experience to incorporate more sustainable practices into their products," he says.