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Articles
"California Adopts
Green Building Code for All New Construction", (c)
Leslie Guevarra, Greenbiz.com, July 18,
2008
The California Building Standards Commission adopted
a green building code yesterday for all new construction
statewide as part of a rules package that policymakers
said was the first of its kind in the nation.
Adherence to the California Green Building Standards
Code [PDF], which takes effect in 180 days, will be
voluntary until 2010, when its provisions are expected
to become mandatory, commission leaders said. The
voluntary period gives builders, local governments and
communities time to adapt to the new rules, the
commission said.
The code sets targets for energy efficiency, water
consumption, dual plumbing systems for potable and
recyclable water, diversion of construction waste from
landfills and use of environmentally sensitive materials
in construction and design, including eco-friendly
flooring, carpeting, paint, coatings, thermal insulation
and acoustical wall and ceiling panels.
"By adopting this first-in-the-nation statewide green
building code, California is again leading the way to
fight climate change and protect the environment,"
Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger said in a statement
released Thursday. "This is literally a groundbreaking
move to ensure that when we break ground on all new
buildings in the Golden State we are promoting green
building and energy efficient new technologies."
"This is a huge step in greening the state and greening
the nation," said Rosario Marin, the Secretary of the
State and Consumer Services Agency and the chair of the
California Building Standards Commission.
At Sierra Club California, Senior Advocate Jim
Metropolus said, "We recognize that this is a first
step. We also recognize that there is still a lot of
work that needs to be done."
In announcing the adoption of the new code, just hours
after its approval, Marin said the standards represent
the work of more than 15 months by policymakers and
external stakeholders ranging from environmentalists to
industry advocates.
Those familiar with the process said the challenge was
to produce guidelines that struck a balance among the
different groups, from advocates of requirements that
set the highest standards for environmental
responsibility to others who held that objectives
perceived as being too tough would not be achieved — and
possibly not attempted.
Marin acknowledged the efforts by saying the process
brought together groups with "very disparate interests"
to develop the building code. The code "sets a floor,
not a ceiling," she said, adding that builders, cities
and counties are encouraged to exceed the standards.
The standards cover commercial and residential
construction in the public and private sectors as well
as schools of all levels, hospitals and other public
institutions. The green thresholds include a 50 percent
increase in landscape water conservation and a 15
percent reduction in energy use compared to current
standards. All the measures if acted upon would at least
be comparable to the requirements of a "silver rating"
under the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design
(LEED) standards set by the U.S. Green Building Council
(USGBC), commission representatives said.
The standards were preceded by an executive order signed by the governor in
2004 that requires state buildings to reduce energy use by 20 percent by 2015,
and directs all new state buildings and renovation projects to attain at least a
LEED silver level certification.
Last October, Schwarzenegger vetoed green building Assembly Bill 1058. In a
memo to the Assembly, the governor said he supports green construction standards
and shares the goals of the bill. But he said he objected to some of its
provisions, noting passages that ran afoul of California seismic and fire safety
standards. The governor also said building standards should not be statutory and
that the responsibility for setting that criteria rests with the Building
Standards Commission. His memo, in effect a directive to the commission,
accelerated work by the panel that resulted in the green building code approved
on Thursday.
In Washington, D.C., USGBC President, CEO and Founding Chair Rick Fedrizzi
lauded California for adopting its new code.
"The LEED green building certification system helped lead the way while setting
the stage for states and municipalities to strengthen local building codes,"
Fedrizzi said in a statement. "Buildings are our first, best opportunity to
reduce energy use and C02 emissions, and greening them must be a critical
component of any policy approach that aims to fight climate change."
Buildings account for 39 percent of the energy used in the U.S., 71 percent of
electricity use and 39 percent of C02 emission, according to the USGBC.
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