ELLSWORTH — Green, sustainable building is a trend that is taking root in Hancock County.

“Green buildings today are about design elegance, high performance and cost-effective design,” said Mike Jordan of the Ellsworth-based construction company Filmore Inc.

Spending a little more now in order to create durable, long-lasting buildings that operate cleanly and efficiently can save homeowners substantial time and money in the long run.

“A lot of green building materials pay for themselves within a few years — the timeframe shrinks as oil prices go up,” said John Gordon of Gordon Stanley Architecture.

For many area residents, sustainability is a top-of the-mind concern. Sustainable building practices hold the added benefit of being environmentally responsible.

“I like to think of myself as a common sense type of person — I’ve been fascinated with this idea of green business for the past year and a half — the sustainability of it makes good common sense,” said Jordan.

Jordan and Gordon sat on a five-member panel of green builders at a conference sponsored by EBS Building Supplies of Ellsworth attended by over 70 area contractors, salespeople and builders on Dec. 11. The conference was held to educate area contractors and building material suppliers on sustainable building and architecture.

Demand for green building materials is growing across the state. The Ellsworth EBS is gearing up to become the first EBS location to be chain of custody certified by the Forest Stewardship Council.

Purchasing lumber from a holder of this certificate offers the consumer assurance that the lumber supplied for a project has originated from a responsibly managed sustainable yield forest. Chain of custody certification is especially important to commercial building projects seeking Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certification. LEED certification is the nationally accepted benchmark for the design, construction and operation of high-performance green buildings. LEED certified commercial buildings are eligible for a variety of governmental rebates and tax breaks.

Green building is in demand for both commercial and residential properties.

“We have 50 houses currently under construction that meet or exceed the standards — these are green, affordable, small, compact buildings,” said Gordon. His Town Hill firm is responsible for the design of two large-scale green work force housing developments now under construction on Mount Desert Island, Ripples Hill in Somesville and Northeast Creek in Bar Harbor. Gordon won first place in the 2006 Maine State Housing Authority Mainstream Green Home Design Contest with his 1,300-square-foot housing model for the Ripples Hill property. The houses for both developments were designed with longevity and affordability in mind.

“Priority is placed on providing a thermal envelope. These houses are heated with one single source heating appliance — it’s good for the homeowner’s pocketbook as well as the environment,” said Gordon.

The term thermal envelope refers to the high level of sealing and insulation that is done in sustainable design in order to maximize heating efficiency. A properly sealed house can operate efficiently with a less expensive and less powerful heater than a traditional home can.

“These homes are twice as efficient as an energy star home,” said Gordon.

Gordon’s firm budgeted a little more for green materials in its work force housing design in order to provide long-term savings and efficiencies to its clients.

Many building supplies on the market are naturally green. As the Maine sales representative for Compass Flooring Solutions, Mark Boland has seen the demand for green flooring products increase steadily in the last few years. In order to meet the demand, his firm turned to linoleum, a natural product that has been used for centuries. Made primarily of linseed oil and held together by jute backing, linoleum provides a long-lasting, sustainable floor.

“It’s a 40-year floor that is naturally anti-microbial,” said Boland.

Although sustainable building practices are on the rise, area retailers still face the challenge of selling a more expensive product to consumers.

“Price is still an issue. A lot of people aren’t ready to pay for green products,” said Bob Jancewicz, VP of Lumber & Building Materials for EBS.

“Sustainability costs more upfront. Finding green building technology that we can all afford is the real mission in my mind,” said Gordon.

Navigating the issue of cost requires a system of checks and balances. If a technology is more expensive than the efficiency level it provides, then a slightly less efficient more affordable option makes sense, said Gordon.

For many, sustainability is attractive because it advocates working with the natural environment. For example, a home’s windows can be placed to maximize their exposure to natural light, offering a more efficient, pleasant home environment.

“We need to take a lesson from our past — if we use smart engineering, local suppliers, native plantings that require little maintenance — we can bring back our history to sustain our future,” said Jordan.