The program is marking its first week. Jamison says that so far no applications have come through, but he expects that to change once prospective borrowers become aware of the discount.

"A lot of people want to do environmentally friendly buildings, but it's expensive," Jamison tells GlobeSt.com. "But the savings on financing under this program coupled with tax breaks from the federal and sometimes state and local governments will offset some of the costs. Some of the utility companies will also participate in things like equipment purchase or change-out, which brings costs down."

Jamison says he hopes other banks follow Community Bank's lead. "Wouldn't it be nice to have the competition? Anything that puts environmental concerns more on people's minds would be welcome," he remarks.

The Community Bancorp exec predicts all building projects eventually will have to meet more stringent environmental standards. "Over time it's going to be the responsibility of architects and engineers to factor that in," he says. "It's going to be a transition for the developer to figure out what the benefit is to them to take the environment into account. We think the discount in our program will help them reach that point."