Last week I attended the State Home Builders Convention hosted by the Oklahoma State Home Builders Association at Big Cedar Lodge in Branson. (Yes, we know we are Oklahoma builders, and that we met in Missouri, but have you seen Big Cedar?)

Among the other business and education conducted there, I most-enjoyed Justin Wilson's Building Sciences classes, which spanned our two day agenda. I've attended two other similar seminars in the past, both of which were led by condescending academics who lack experience or practical insight into how constructions processes and management truly work and how they can also break down. Not the case with Justin.

While there were plenty of "duh!" no-brainer moments, he teaches from the perspective of baby-steps. Covering topics from improving building envelopes and energy efficiency, to green building and best practices in water management, his past experience as a builder really played a big part in his credibility with me.

He stated his mission clearly at the beginning of his presentation; we as builders could do infinitely better, but it's unrealistic to expect it to change overnight as a result of one seminar. He challenged us to pick at least one practice to change and implement it immediately, then set a goal when to take on the next.

I'm going one step further and chose to do two things for the energy efficient homes in Edmond I build: Lo-e glass in every home as a standard amenity, which will further reduce energy consumption and costs beyond what I already do, and better exhaust fans with several changes in implementation to improve indoor air quality.