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ORLANDO-Is green building a fad? Commercial and residential developers, builders and housing industry marketers are betting it isn't. About 105,000 industry professionals from 90 countries attending the 63rd annual private International Builders Show at the Orange County Convention Center are learning the energy-saving concept is catching on in communities across the US.

"Consumers want to go green, but they also want choices, and they want to make sure that any additional costs are paid back in a reasonable amount of time through energy bill savings," said Ray Tonjes, a custom builder in Austin, TX and also chair of the National Association of Home Builders' Green Building Subcomittee. He introduced a panel of three green builders Thursday who described the growth of the concept in their own markets. "These builders show that NAHB members are taking the lead, and that voluntary programs are the most cost-effective, yet innovative way to go."

Matt Belcher, president and founder of Belcher Homes and also president of the Home Builders Association of St. Louis and Eastern Missouri, launched his company's green building program in 2005, based on NAHB's Model Green Home Building Guidelines. Belcher Homes has built more than 20 green homes with another 70 under construction or on the drawing boards.