[Greenbuilding] where in the USA to relocate?

[Ian Remmler]

On Sun, Jan 07, 2007 at 10:14:35PM -0800, KG wrote:
> Greetings.  My family is living outside the USA now, and we
> would like to return and build our dream house, applying green
> building principles as much as possible.  We can go anywhere.
> My question is where in the USA are economic, social, and
> political conditions most favorable?  I think I'd like to
> begin by looking at locations where the government offers high
> incentives, or where there is a high concentraion of green
> owner-builders.  Any tips would be appreciated.

No one has mentioned Austin, Texas yet, so I will.  Austin has
the oldest and largest municipal green building program in the
country.  They have quite a few incentives, including a
$4.50/watt rebate on PV systems.

http://austinenergy.com/Energy%20Efficiency/Programs/Green%20Building/index.htm

We have a pretty broad spectrum of green building, from cob and
earthen floor to massive green "estates", and everything in
between.  We started thinking about building green a while back,
and I was amazed at how many resources are available around
here.

Austin is pretty progressive (for Texas) and the local economy
is strong, with lots of support for local businesses.  Public
transportation isn't what it is in other metro areas, but they
are working on it.  A commuter rail line is coming in 2008, with
several mixed use areas planned around several of the stops.

    - Ian.