Creating Green Building and Sustainability Standards for Your City
by Walker Wells
This is the third in a series of articles on the topics and issues that will be
presented at the “Finding Solutions for the Challenges Facing Cities
Today” Leadership Training Institute seminar scheduled for January
29-31, 2009, in Los Angeles.
Green building methods are the future of building and construction regulations. Just as energy and stormwater considerations have been incorporated into building regulations, green building strategies and methods will be incorporated into building standards in the near future.
Developing a green building program sooner rather than later will allow your municipality to stay ahead of the curve, leading the way toward sustainability rather than being regulated to do so.
The overall fabric of a community is enhanced when its buildings are constructed in a manner that is respectful of the surrounding built and natural environments. In addition to creating healthier places for people to live and work, green building programs can spark a broader discussion of the city’s sustainability in terms of how it builds buildings, operates infrastructure and guides land use.
Conventional building construction, use and demolition, together with the manufacturing of building materials, has multiple impacts on the local, regional and global environment.
In the United States, buildings account for:
- 65 percent of electricity consumption;
- 30 percent of greenhouse gas emissions;
- 30 percent of raw materials use;
- 30 percent of landfill waste; and
- 12 percent of potable water consumption.
In addition, numerous studies have shown a correlation between poor indoor air quality and respiratory health problems, leading to reduced productivity and increased absenteeism.
Green building is a holistic process that addresses a broad range of issues including community and site design, energy efficiency, water conservation, resource-efficient material selection, indoor environmental quality, construction management and building maintenance. But the overall goal is simple — to create buildings that:
- Minimize the use of resources;
- Are healthier for people; and
- Reduce harm to the environment.
A green building program can be the “umbrella” that brings your city’s programs together in a coordinated and streamlined way so that staff are working toward common goals. A well designed program should build on a municipality’s existing efforts in recycling, water conservation and stormwater management, and promote coordination among departmentals. By integrating and enhancing your agency’s existing activities, green building programs stretch local tax dollars and create a more effective and efficient delivery of services.
Awareness of environmental issues such as climate change and water scarcity continue to grow. There are currently more 900 mayors who are signatories of the U.S. Conference of Mayors Climate Protection Agreement.
Today, being a good steward of the environment plays a major role in attracting progressive “green tech” businesses and environmentally responsible residents. Establishing a green building program allows your city or county to showcase its environmental leadership and demonstrate that it is contributing to larger efforts to reduce resource consumption and waste generation, improve air and water quality, preserve natural resources and create sustainable communities.
Details: For more information on this seminar, contact the Leadership Training Institute at (202) 626-3170 or visit the NLC website at www.nlc.org.
Walker Wells is director of the Green Urbanism Program for Global Green USA.
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