First off, review 10 Things To Do At Work for general recommendations on how to make your business more sustainable. Then review ways to improve both your energy efficiency and water efficiency. If you don't already have a business recycling program in place, start now. Finally, here are some other specific environmentally friendly options for contractors and builders looking to make their business more eco-friendly.

Education is key, so look into training programs, certifications and ways to increase your knowledge of green building. The Living Future Institute is an excellent resource for regenerative buildings, and the Living Building Challenge sets the standard for sustainable buildings. The Utah Net Zero Consortium is a local organization that regularly holds training programs and seminars on net-zero buildings that promote highly energy efficient building design and products. The US Green Building Council also certifies individuals on green building with their LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design).

Finally focus on building materials that increase energy efficiency, conserve water and are more environmentally friendly. Look for materials that are recycled, reused, non-toxic, renewable, and salvaged. The Whole Building Design Guide and Build It Green are great resources for green building.

One way to differentiate yourself from other builders in the area is specialize in energy efficient construction and becoming an ENERGY STAR Partner. This program provides you with the necessary education, assistance and technical resources to build homes that lower utility bills, greater comfort, and enhanced durability, which homebuyers appreciate and look for these days.

ENERGY STAR offers free resources and webinars to help train your team in order to build ENERGY STAR qualified homes. Sign up today and start building energy efficient homes that homebuyers are demanding.

• Become an ENERGY STAR Partner

Contractors and builders should also look to make the actual construction process more sustainable by preventing waste, recycling, practicing sustainable site management, providing healthy and safe working conditions as well as buying and using more environmentally friendly construction materials. Sustainable construction is an important part of the green building process and should be considered just as equally as choosing energy efficient equipment or interior finishes.

To learn more about sustainable construction, review the Field Guide to Sustainable Construction (PDF), which was a joint project between PENREN/C and The Pennsylvania State University. This guide provides you with all you need to know about managing a more sustainable construction site, providing a healthy and safe working environment for your employees and overall reducing your impact during construction.

One way to become a more eco-friendly builder or contractor is to reuse and salvage materials rather than buy brand new. With a little bit more time and energy, a remodel or a tear down can be properly deconstructed and the usable parts can either be reused or sold to someone who can use them. This keeps usable materials in good condition out of the landfill. Likewise, for new construction, look to salvages and reused materials first.

There are a number of resources to help you reduce the use of new materials. First off, learn about deconstruction or find a deconstruction contractor in your area from The Reuse People the Deconstruction Institute.

An incredibly valuable resource in our community is Recycle Utah's Warehouse Store, which is a construction thrift shop that takes and sells reusable building materials. They accept a number of materials that can be resold at very low prices to contractors or do-it-yourself builders. In addition, the Habitat for Humanity ReStore is a valuable resource. Last but not least, construction materials can be bought and sold on KSL's classifieds.