It’s a different matter to specifically identify and use nontoxic, sustainable materials; minimize overall energy and water usage; and generally ease our imprint on the natural world.

“Green building is a very vague concept,” said Mike Bomar, political affairs director for the Building Industry Association of Clark County. “The biggest struggle locally is to define green building.”

The quest for clarity brought together a group representing builders, local land-use agencies and sustainability advocates last week at the Clark County Public Services Center.

With a working title of “Sustainable Communities of Southwest Washington,” the group hopes to raise its profile over the next year with tours of “green” homes, monthly workshops for builders and a hot line staffed by experts with hands-on experience.

Brandon Tauscher, a former La Center High School teacher who founded the nonprofit Project Green Build two years ago, convened the group with Clark County sustainability coordinator Pete DuBois.

Tauscher is already deeply involved in planning a hyper-green home in Felida. As reported in The Columbian, the house is being designed to generate as much energy as it consumes, capture and reuse all of its own water, and provide as much value for wildlife as it does for its human inhabitants.

He hopes to apply the lessons he learns to a broader audience. “We want to take the momentum that’s been gained from that and move forward.”

Bomar, who attended the meeting and plans to take an active role, said much depends on consumers’ and mortgage lenders’ considering long-term value over short-term savings. A highly energy-efficient home may cost more to build, but it eventually recoups the added investment in energy savings.

“It’s an added cost on the mortgage,” Bomar said. “You’ve got to show where they’re going to get their money back.”