FLORHAM PARK, N.J. - BASF Corp. has launched the www.betterhomebetterplanet.com Website, a learning tool about how to build homes that are 80 percent more energy efficient, disaster resistant, faster to construct, and affordable, says the company.

The Website features an interactive, multimedia presentation on the BASF Near-Zero Energy Home, part of the company's Better Home Better Planet initiative and now under construction in Paterson, N.J. Slated to open for tours in the spring of 2006, the Near-Zero Energy Home has been selected by the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) as a pilot test for the recently launched Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design for Homes (LEED-H) rating system. Based on current estimates, the Near-Zero Energy Home will also achieve a Housing Energy Rating Score (HERS) Energy Star® score of 93 - the highest rating received to date under New Jersey's Energy Star program.