2120 Milvia Street, 2nd Floor, Berkeley, CA 94704
TEL: (510) 981-7439, TDD: (510) 981-7474
Office Hours: Mon-  Fri 8 a.m. - 5 p.m., Email: Energy@ci.berkeley.ca.us

Green Building Services

Berkeley's Best Builders

Ask an Expert

Berkeley's  Green Building Reference 
Guide

Green Building Requirements

Build It Green

Build It Green is a professional non-profit organization whose mission is to transform the building industry so that buildings are remodeled and built using green practices and products. We are dedicated to creating healthy, durable, energy and resource-efficient buildings in California to sustain and enhance the quality of our lives and future generations.

Partnering with public agencies, building industry professionals, manufacturers, suppliers, and non-profits, Build It Green offers education and training, unbiased product information, technical assistance, and networking opportunities. Build It Green links consumers, building professionals, and green product manufacturers.

The Build It Green  website www.BuildItGreen.org offers extensive on-line materials regarding sustainable building practices as well as referrals to professionals across a number of building disciplines. In addition, their offices offer a print library of sustainable building books and periodicals.  You can also view samples of a variety of construction and finish materials at their Building Materials library.   

Two additional Green Building programs are operated through Build It Green:  Berkeley's Best Builders and Ask an Expert.

Berkeley's Best Builders

The Berkeley's Best Builders program provides building owners and architects with free introductory consultations on resource-conserving design strategies, technologies, and materials.  Selected projects receive a free design assistance meeting with a group of specialized consultants covering a range of environmental systems relevant to the project.

Qualifications for Berkeley's Best Builders assistance:

• Commercial, industrial or multi-family residential buildings
• Projects of at least 5,000 square feet
• Owner has not yet filed for a building permit

Rehabilitation, new construction and gut/rebuild projects may all qualify.

The Berkeley's Best Builders Program is operated through the Build It Green.

For additional information regarding the Berkeley's Best Builders Program, please read the BBB Primer (pdf), the  BBB Final Report (pdf) or download the BBB flyer (pdf).  (Documents in .pdf format require Adobe Acrobat Reader for viewing.  Download a free copy from Adobe's website. If you are unable to access this information online, please participate by contacting us via email or by telephone (510) 981-5438).

Ask An Expert

The Ask An Expert program, operated by Build It Green,  provides green building assistance and referral services primarily for clients working on residential projects.  Currently, Ask An Expert serves more than 50 homeowners, architects, designers and institutions per month through its hotline, website, library and in-person consultations.  The number of clients increases every month as word-of-mouth and Build It Green's marketing efforts penetrate the construction and design markets.  

Contact the Ask An Expert Program by calling 1-888-40-GREEN (1-888-404-7336) or visiting their website.

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