For the last 30 years, I have had the good fortune to be a part of the construction industry in the state of Maine. Through my work and involvement with building trade associations, I can assure you that the green building revolution is here. Those of us who are in this field know that we are on the cutting edge of great changes in the building industry.

Good government programs and policies have made a big difference in the green economy. The Energy Star Program is a longterm and successful government program to promote energy efficiency. The Building America Program is a partnership between industry and the federal government to hasten the development and use of advanced building energy technologies in America's homes.

So why not implement a green economic recovery program to help foster the growth of jobs and accelerate economic activity?

Our representatives in Washington and Augusta have such an opportunity now, and I urge them to grab it for a multitude of reasons: our economy, our environment and our energy security.

At the federal level, an economic stimulus package should contain funding for research and development projects in wind, water and solar. We've made similar investments for the oil and nuclear industries, so why not encourage research in something that is infinitely renewable and essentially free?

The stimulus package should contain tax credits for home and business to improve building efficiency and for direct block grants to states to fund efficiency programs tailored to their own needs.

At the state level, the federal block grants, along with additional state funding, should be used to consolidate the existing scattered efficiency programs, to encourage partnerships with the private sector for research and development, to have the Department of Labor work with the private sector to develop training programs for these emerging industries and to revive the annual educational seminars for tradespeople.

Thirty years ago, those educational programs, sponsored by the state energy office, taught an entire generation of home builders and remodelers about state-of-the-art energy efficiency measures they then put to good use.

We also need to streamline the regulatory approval process. I'm not suggesting that we forgo due diligence, but it seems a bit absurd when it takes several years to go through the approval process. State agencies should build bridges, not walls.

The focus of these programs and research should be to make our homes and businesses more energy efficient.

Maine is the most oil heat-dependent state in the nation. Currently, 85 percent of the new homes built here do not meet the nationally recognized energy code. More than 450,000 older homes in Maine are either not insulated or are under-insulated.

Making Maine homes more energy efficient is an economic opportunity waiting to happen.

If the state and nation invested in incentives for homeowners and expanded training and certification for energy auditors, building analysts, insulation installers and others in the green energy field, it could let loose a tsunami of sorely needed employment opportunities for contractors around the state -- while at the same time increasing Maine's energy independence.

I've spent the last 30 years building and insulating energy-efficient homes for Maine families, but I don't think, "Hey, I've got a green job." I do know that the work that I do puts families into healthy homes, saves them money and is good for the environment.

The current energy problem affects our economy, our environment and our security. Our work to solve it can make a difference in all three.

Ashley Richards is president of the Home Builders and Remodelers Association of Maine.