For most Israel real estate contractors (‘kablanim‘), environmentally friendly construction has in recent years not been much more than a popular logo or slogan adorning signs or brochures. The global trend of green housing mainly in residential building could now slowly be starting to take shape in Israel.
Israel already has a 'green building standard' in place which works something like the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) does in the USA, but is completely voluntary and not binding and does not include any financial incentives. The standard was launched in 2005 and covers issues like energy, water, land, waste and transport. At the same time, the government is aiming to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 2020 in a number of ways out of which the encouragement of green building could be a major one."
