Joyce Mason A Juror For D.O.E. Decathlon in Washington, D.C.

Los Angeles, October 1, 2009 – Joyce Mason, vice president of marketing for Pardee Homes, will be a juror for the 2009 Solar Decathlon, sponsored by the U.S. Department of Energy (D.O.E.). The Decathlon’s Solar Village will showcase 20 homes created by college and university student teams, at the National Mall in Washington, from October 9-18; for schedule and more information, see www.solardecathlon.org.

The internationally recognized Solar Decathlon promotes higher public awareness about renewable energy and energy efficiency, and is credited with getting solar energy technologies into the marketplace faster. Decathletes design and build their homes in concert with professional contractors and with the shared goal of attractive, energy-efficient solar powered homes.

At the Solar Village, the Decathletes re-assemble the homes for public tours and judging of various components of home design, engineering, energy performance measures and marketability. The 10 Decathlon contests include: objective, such as performance figures for appliances, lighting and energy balance, and subjective, such as architecture, communications and market viability. Cumulative point totals determine award winners.

Mason will serve on the subjective Market Viability panel. She and her fellow jurors will evaluate how well a home is suited for everyday living, whether its construction documents would enable a contractor to build the house as intended and whether the house offers its target market appropriate design. They will also consider whether the design’s sustainable features make a positive contribution to its marketability.

"D.O.E.’s commitment to innovations that serve market realities adds important value to the Decathlon,” Mason said. “As part of the homebuilding industry, I am particularly eager to consider these designs in the context of market viability.

“The Decathletes represent the next generation of engineers, builders and communicators,” she added. “Their intelligence, education and hard work promise to benefit homebuilders, homebuyers and the earth—now and in the years to come.”

Based in Los Angeles, Pardee Homes is a multi-regional homebuilder that is widely recognized for its leadership role in greener, more energy-efficient homes. The company’s LivingSmart® brand features EarthSmart™, EnergySmart™, HealthSmart™ and WaterSmart™ standards that help conserve energy, improve indoor air quality, save water and reduce consumption of natural resources. These benefits are part of all upcoming new home projects, as well as most current projects with homes under construction.

As a Decathlon judge, Mason will apply knowledge gained in facilitating Pardee Homes’ green building programs, which she has initiated and implemented for more than a decade. She is a member of the Building Industry Institute Advisory Board for California Green Builder, and has earned The State of California Earth Award for LivingSmart neighborhoods and habitat preservation in San Diego.

Pardee Homes is widely recognized for its green building commitments, with the California Green Builder Award at the 2009 Gold Nugget Awards among most recent honors; the company has also earned multiple honors in NAHB’s Green Builder of the Year program. Building in California and Nevada, the 88-year old company is also noted for quality construction, customer service and dedication to the educational and civic goals of the communities in which it builds. See www.pardeehomes.com.