Rebuilding Green After the Wildfires

Travelers grabbed headlines awhile back for promoting “greenness” by offering hybrid owners a 10% discount on their auto insurance. Interesting gimmick, true…but I think Fireman’s Fund may be trumping them in greenness. From Insurance Journal:

In response to the Southern California wildfires that burned in late October, Fireman’s Fund Insurance Co. is responding with an innovative green upgrade for affected policyholders. The company said it will rebuild its Prestige Premier policyholders’ homes that were damaged or destroyed “green,” if desired by policyholders.

The relevant item from the a bulletted list in the article/press release, as to what they mean:

Green building features include Energy Star-rated appliances and lighting fixtures, home insulation, heating/ventilating/air conditioning, low VOC (volatile organic compounds) paints, sealants, adhesives, low-emission carpeting, Federal Energy Management Program- designated plumbing fixtures featuring water conservation, and use of forest stewardship certified wood for cabinets, ceilings, siding and framing.

Of course, my inner cynic wonders if the building codes in the affected areas are such that green is effectively required as-it-is. If so…well, it’s still good advertising/promotion, I think.

Also included in the item is an offer to replace (up to the relevant sublimits) destroyed or damaged landscaping with fire-resistant landscaping…but that falls into the category of “good citizenship that will also reduce future losses.”