KB Home released its first sustainability report and announced that starting in 2009, every home built by the company would be compliant with Energy Star certification requirements and would utilize low-VOC paint and low-VOC carpet.
The company set its benchmark for its annual energy use and found that its headquarter was using 66 kBtu per square feet, more efficient than the national average of 88 kBtu. The company headquarters emitted 670 metric tons of GHG emissions for the fiscal year 2007, a lower rate than if it were located in other parts of the U.S., mainly due to California using five times more renewable sources in generating electricity, thus reducing the intensity of GHG emissions per unit of electricity.
In 2007, through the company’s recycling program, the company has:
– Recycled 56,000 pounds of paper compared with 52,000 pounds a year ago
– Saved 479 trees compared with 442 trees in 2006
– Reduced almost 200,000 gallons of water compared with 180,000 saved last year
– Avoided 17,000 pounds of air pollution compared with 16,000 pounds in the previous year
– Reduced 84 cubic yard of landfill compared with 78 cubic yards a year ago
– Saved 120,000 kW/hr compared with 110,000 kW/hrs reduced last year.