How Minnesota Leads in Sustainable Housing

Experts choose local eco-friendly materials that emphasize longevity and comfort

February 23, 2026

Minnesota is a leader in sustainable housing. This home from Sustainable 9 Design + Build and Unfold Architecture is one of many examples of how homes are built with eco-friendly materials and longevity in mind.

In the Minnesota custom design-build market, building eco-friendly homes has shifted from a niche ask to a continued request. More than one-third of new homes built in the state are rated by Home Energy Rating System (HERS), achieving one of the best scores among states that do similar volume of testing. HERS is an industry standard rating system offered by Residential Energy Services Network (RESNET) (and is the rating system used by the Minnesota’s Green Path program), who adds that a lower score means higher efficiency. The average new-build score is 100—but in Minnesota, the average HERS-rated home is 47.

Many local design-build firms are in the business of constructing sustainable and efficient homes and offer base builds that are well above code. For them, sustainable housing is less about simply making eco-friendly upgrades, and more about building homes that demonstrate a commitment to longevity and comfort.

Raising the Bar for Minimum Product Quality

Large windows, a winding staircase, and local Hennepin Made lighting fixtures are on display in this sustainable home from Sustainable 9 + Design and Unfold Architecture — Sustainable 9 Design + Build vets materials and sources locally to create more sustainable homes, like in this project they worked on with Unfold Architecture.

“We don’t want our customers moving in and having to replace windows six or 10 years from now,” says Carole Griffith, executive vice president of McDonald Construction Partners. For this reason, they are careful and intentional about the materials they use to build homes.

A Designated Builder in the MN Green Path program, McDonald Construction Partners offers, at minimum, green housing features including rough-in for solar power, tankless water heaters, and engineered wood siding.

Sustainable 9 Design + Build also prioritizes certain base features for its build projects. Director of architectural design and engineering Paul Trieu finds that clients come to Sustainable 9 to bring sustainable solutions to the table. “They are putting their trust in us to make the right decisions,” says Trieu.

Mindful Materials Criteria

Trieu has three core criteria for vetting materials: location, carbon impact, and durability. When considering these things, Trieu is interested in the following aspects of sustainability:

Reduced transportation carbon. Local sourcing is a way to reduce complexity. While a material might seem sustainable, if it comes from China in a shipping container, the total carbon impact is too complicated to verify.
Quality and craftsmanship. Local products often have a craftsmanship element that is important with sustainability.
Supporting the local economy. Using local partners and materials helps those in the community.

Sustainable 9 takes its commitments to sustainability seriously. “We’re not a company that would just say, ‘Hey, I saw this yesterday on Instagram. Would you want it for your project?’ I vet it with our partners, suppliers, and potentially in a spec project, before it would be an offering that we’re putting in front of a client,” Trieu explains.

Local Swaps for a Sustainable Build

Locally sourced products, like lighting from Minneapolis-made Hennepin Lighting, is one strategy to minimize the carbon footprint of a project. — Locally sourced products, like lighting from Minneapolis-based Hennepin Made, is one strategy to minimize the carbon footprint of a project.

Both Trieu and Griffith cited the availability of local, high-quality materials that support eco-friendly homes. Some of their favorites for responsible sustainable homes include:

Insulation: “If we replace fiberglass batt with the same thermal performance hemp or timber batt, they’re rated exactly the same, but now you have a carbon negative material,” Trieu says.
Flooring: For wood, consider elm that is being cut down due to emerald ash borer, or a locally crafted tile.
Lighting: Reduce carbon footprint with unique, locally made lighting options.
Windows: Minnesota is home to multiple high-end, high-efficiency window manufacturers.
Envelope: Choose natural materials or those that are meant for Minnesota’s harsh weather changes.
Countertops: Many locally made countertops utilize recycled materials with minimal VOC emissions, created using sustainable practices.

Additionally, Griffith finds that sourcing from “hometown names” makes his customers happy. “A home is about community, and using local materials helps customers feel good about their environment,” says Griffith.

Local design-build firms that are committed to prioritizing sustainable housing options shows how thoughtful environmental considerations can support a sense of community pride and ultimately, customer satisfaction.

Read this next: Sustainable Style: 4 Homes Built for the Future