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West Coast Green Building Codes: CalGreen, OEESC and More

February 8, 2012 By Leave a Comment
Electric streetcar San Francisco

The west coast of the US – California, Oregon and Washington – has always been seen as being progressive and forward thinking is many ways. They have held up that reputation with their building and energy codes, too. California was the first state in the US to adopt a statewide, mandatory building code. The California Green Building Standards Codes, or CalGreen, took effect in January 2011. It applies only to new construction of low-rise residential, public and commercial buildings, including … [Read more...]

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Green Building Codes in New England

February 3, 2012 By Leave a Comment
Paul Revere Statue

The New England states are all over the map as far as mandatory green building codes. Some have little interest, whereas others are progressive. I spent my first 33 winters in Connecticut and New Hampshire. I distinctly remember the last two weeks of January with lows of minus 20-40 degrees and a high rarely above 0 degrees. Bitter northwest winds after snowstorms made it unbearable to go outside. If any region should have energy efficient features built into their codes, it should be New England! Green … [Read more...]

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Green Building Codes In The Four Corners Region

February 1, 2012 By 3 Comments
Four-Corners-Region-US

A few years ago, as a real estate agent specializing in green homes, I was asked to be part of a steering committee to write a green building code for the town of Taos, New Mexico. A group of contractors, solar installers, architects and designers met with a consulting company for several months to find out what the industry would benefit from. Hours of brainstorming sessions and fine-tuning details led to the High Performance Building Ordinance of 2009. Taos was one of the first communities … [Read more...]

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Green Building and Retro-Fitting: Economic Engine to the Future

February 1, 2010 By Leave a Comment
Morning Road

In reading Rick Fedrizzi of the Huffington Post today, I am reminded once again of how much sustainable building practices fall in line with good old fashioned common sense.  In this case for today's post, good old fashioned economic sense for industries, and for policy makers on all levels of government when looking to provide public support to local and national commerce. At this point in history, everyone who is in the know, and even most who are not, are worried about the state of the economy.  … [Read more...]

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Sin City: Green Building Role Model

September 17, 2009 By Leave a Comment

Las Vegas has quite a reputation for greed, self-indulgence, and to use an older word - sin.  Hence, its affectionate nickname Sin City.  They say what happens there, stays there.  Although in the age of Twitter, Facebook, and YouTube I'm not so sure. On paper, you'd think that Las Vegas was the least green city in the world.  With all of the lights that burn 24/7, to the energy expended to keep the casinos, the barrooms, the clubs running around the clock, and the fact that the city is built … [Read more...]

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Green Building To Drive California Building Codes

August 18, 2009 By Leave a Comment

As I read more and more about the green building industry, it seems to me that the efficiency which is inherent in that approach has the goals of combating climate change and in spending less on utilities too. Conservation of resources - both natural and financial - are goals that may be the focus in California's new building codes over residential building standards.  The new codes, effective as of August 1st, are to be implemented as mandatory across the board in California by 2011 with the … [Read more...]

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Green Building Linked to Better Financial Performance

April 3, 2009 By Leave a Comment

One thing which really helps push a movement from early stages to the mainstream is when it begins to make an impact on return on investment.  It's then that positive change really takes hold, when people of different professions, experiences, and even values, can no longer deny the shift in paradigm. In reading this article about how green building is connected with a higher market value than uncertified buildings, it struck me that if no other incentive to a more efficient use of resources … [Read more...]

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Green building a priority: Michelle Obama

March 18, 2009 By Leave a Comment

Here's an article about the very socially active Michelle Obama, and her involvement not only in the promotion of green building, but in restoration of underdeveloped neighborhood in the US.  The program the article spotlights is Youthbuild, which empowers young people in low income areas to learn the skills necessary to become the major influences in renewing those areas. One thing that struck me with this, besides the night and day contrast between the two Presidential administrations with … [Read more...]

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Green Support in Canada’s Federal Election

October 16, 2008 By Leave a Comment

If Canada’s Green Party was the standard bearer for environmental policy in the country’s recent federal election, one could draw the conclusion that Canadians on the whole are not particularly interested the environment but that there is a nascent interest emerging in the population. This doesn’t square with most polling prior to the election, and the reason in large part is likely the current global economic turmoil that caused voters to focus on issues of more immediate self interest. However, … [Read more...]

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Canadian Election Drops Environmentalism

October 15, 2008 By 1 Comment

My green building blog isn’t about partisan politics or environmentalism per se, but I’d be remiss if I didn’t make a bit of an observation in these veins regarding the results of Canada’s federal election yesterday. Since green building is driven by global environmental concerns (I’d welcome a dissenting voice that could convince me it was simply driven by energy efficiency.), it does get connected to political events and environmental movements, if only tenuously. So, what … [Read more...]

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