Why Now?

A national survey conducted by Gallup, Yale University and the ClearVision Institute indicates that nearly half of all Americans, a percentage that has more than doubled in the last four years, now believe that global warming is impacting people worldwide. The National Resources Defense Council has documented that the increase in average temperatures affecting the Western states during the last five years is 70 percent greater than the world as a whole. Ecological literacy will be the language of the future.

Land-use decisions last for hundreds of years. Local planning decisions have a powerful impact on our energy needs now and into the future, and on national energy efficiency and energy-independence goals. Where and how cities and regions grow affords potential to create millions of new jobs in the energy, sustainability and green-building sectors, protect and restore precious natural resources and reduce dependence on fossil fuels.

Sustainable design is the most efficient and resourceful avenue for tackling problems created by a system that is not sustainable. A building, site, community or regional pollution problem is typically the result of wasteful design, and can be corrected by designing to reduce the source of the pollution or by channeling the pollutant through a system of natural processes that use the pollution as fuel for other natural processes.

Regulatory Change
A 2004 executive order, known as the Green Building Initiative, now requires all public buildings to be 20 percent more energy efficient by 2015, encouraging the private sector to follow suit. AB 32, the landmark California Global Warming Solutions Act of 2006, combines free-market, regulatory and voluntary measures, fees and programs to aggressively target reduction in California's GHG emissions to 2000 levels by 2010; to 1990 levels by 2020; and to 80 percent below 1990 levels by 2050. The California Air Resources Board (ARB) approved the AB 32 California Climate Change Scoping Plan in December 2008. The adopted plan includes numerous provisions for expansion and strengthening of energy-efficiency programs, building and appliance standards, and carbon dioxide-emissions offsets.

Climate Change Action Network http://www.arb.ca.gov/cc/cc.htm
California's major initiatives for reducing climate change or greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions are outlined in Assembly Bill 32 (signed into law 2006 ), 2005 Executive Order and a 2004 ARB regulation to reduce passenger car GHG emissions. These efforts aim at reducing GHG emissions to 1990 levels by 2020 - a reduction of approximately 30 percent, and then an 80 percent reduction below 1990 levels by 2050. The main strategies for making these reductions are outlined in the Scoping Plan. Links to state agencies and other groups working on climate issues which are being coordinated by the state’s Climate Action Team.

In June of 2008, the California Building Standards Commission adopted the first California Green Building Standards. While the new standards are voluntary, the Commission will be working with state agencies and stakeholders to develop a comprehensive set of mandatory provisions for the 2010 edition. Title 24 2005 Building Energy Efficiency Standards, currently in effect, will be superseded by the 2008 Building Energy Efficiency Standards for residential and nonresidential buildings, and will apply to buildings submitted for permitting after July 2009.

On October 3, 2008, The Energy Improvement and Extension Act of 2008 passed into law, as part of the $700 billion Emergency Economic Stabilization Act of 2008. H.R. 1424 is the most significant federal policy ever enacted for the solar industry, authorizing $800 million for clean-energy bonds for renewable energy-generating facilities, including solar, with extension of the production tax credits for solar projecting a 440,000 increase in new jobs and $325 billion in private investment in the solar industry.

Title 24 California's Energy Efficiency Standards for Residential and Nonresidential Buildings http://www.energy.ca.gov/title24/

Voluntary Change
In January 2006 Ed Mazria, AIA, architect, author of The Passive Solar Energy Book, having become aware through exposure to Al Gore's An Inconvenient Truth that buildings and their operations are responsible for 48 percent of all greenhouse-gas emissions in the U.S., founded the New Mexico-based non-profit organization, Architecture 2030. In January 2006, Mazria issued the 2030 Challenge during an Internet podcast, demanding that new buildings and renovations cut emissions by 50 percent by 2010 and become carbon neutral by the year 2030. Almost immediately, the American Institute of Architects adopted the 2030 Challenge for its membership of 78,000. In June 2006 at the U.S. Conference of Mayors, more than 300 mayors representing more than 50 million citizens signed on to adopt the 2030 Challenge for their cities. The International Council for Local Environmental Initiatives (ICLEI) representing 475 cities worldwide, has incorporated the 2030 Challenge into their targets, as well.

In California, a growing number of local and state governments are mandating standards for energy efficient green-building construction and renovation, initially for the public sector but increasingly for the private sector, as well. Twenty-six cities and counties in California have now enacted mandatory green building ordinances. Rating systems, including the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) and GreenPoint Rated programs and other local alternatives, are being incorporated into the ordinances as prescriptive requirements for development by cities and counties with specific resource needs. Cities and counties are increasingly adopting performance-based energy efficiency requirements that far exceed Title 24 in their ordinances, offer rebates, variances, expedited permitting and fee waivers as incentives, and enforce compliance through plan checks, the issuance of building and occupancy permits, the required posting of bonds, and legal sanctions for violations.

Mapping the Green Economy: California
The Environmental Defense Fund has created an interactive mapping element on the organization's website that identifies companies across the State working in the fields of transportation, energy efficiency, energy generation and green building. The maps allow the visitor to access by type of business, provides the business location and links to business' website.

Public Awareness
2009 California Climate Adaptation Strategy"A first-of-its-kind multi-sector strategy to help guide California's efforts in adapting to climate change impacts is available below. In cooperation and partnership with multiple state agencies, the 2009 California Climate Adaptation Strategy summarizes the best known science on climate change impacts in seven specific sectors and provides recommendations on how to manage against those threats." http://www.climatechange.ca.gov/adaptation/

Climate Action In California Global climate change will impact how cities and counties rebuild themselves. Governor Schwarzenegger has joined with Google Earth to provide an interactive map showing the impact of global warming on California. The tool, available in September, is previewed as a video, Climate Action in California, at: http://news.cnet.com/8301-11128_3-10408583-54.html

US Department of Energy considers California "a model for the potential of alternative and renewable energy sources. In fact, California's Mojave Desert is home to the world's largest concentrating solar power facility, while three of the Department of Energy's National laboratories are located elsewhere in the State." The latest figures for each Recovery Act Project sponsored by the Department of Energy broken out by State/Territory are updated on a weekly basis. Click Here http://www.energy.gov/california.htm

Californians are demanding energy-efficiency and sustainable-development practices where they live and where they work. The rapidly rising cost of energy generated by the use of fossil fuel, coupled with limitations to availability, are major factors in corporate site selection and housing affordability.

The general public is becoming increasingly aware of the health benefits of living and working in built environments that are well-lit, well-ventilated and sited for more immediate interaction with the natural environment. Companies oriented towards sustainable building and business practices are discovering the branding and competitive advantages of being environmentally responsible, as well as the intended benefits of operations efficiency, talent attraction and retention, and economic vitality: a cost/benefit analysis that mirrors the "triple-e" bottom line – ecology, equity and economy – of good sustainable planning. Redevelopment agencies are in position to follow suit.

Related Information
Smart Growth Leadership Recognition Program
The Environmental Council of Sacramento (ECOS) and the American Institute of Architects Central Valley Chapter (AIA-CV) have developed the Smart Growth Leadership Recognition Program to promote healthier, more equitable, and more environmentally sound developments in our region. Developers submit their project plans to a joint committee for consideration for possible endorsement. The joint ECOS / AIA-CV committee does a comprehensive and holistic review of submitted projects based on criteria outlined in the Program Guidelines document below. http://www.ecosacramento.net/?e=20

California Climate Change Portal: California’s Resource for Global Climate Change Information http://www.climatechange.ca.gov/

Doing Well by Doing Good? Green Office Buildings. By Piet Eichholtz, Maastricht University, Netherlands, and others. (Center for the Study of Energy Markets, Berkeley, California) August 2009. 35 p.
"This paper provides the first credible evidence on the economic value of the certification of 'green buildings' -- value derived from impersonal market transactions rather than engineering estimates…. Full text at: http://www.ucei.berkeley.edu/PDF/csemwp192.pdf

The US Environmental Protection Agency has determined air quality inside buildings – where Americans spend up to 90% of their day – can be two to five times worse than outside air
Improved indoor environments can increase productivity in the workplace and reduce or eliminate respiratory problems in the home
Green buildings assess at a higher value by appraisers and investors, and typically lease or sell sooner because they offer superior workmanship and lower occupancy costs
An average building designed to LEED standards saves 32% in electricity annually and reduces CO2 by 350 metric tons
A one-time investment of less than 1% upfront provides energy savings of 20-30% and combined energy/water savings cut utilities costs in half compared to standard building practices
a "green" designation can also increase a building's market value as assessed by appraisers and investors
A 2007 study by Deloitte found companies declining to green existing buildings may incur unrecoverable loss due to increased operating costs, lower productivity, poor public image and worker dissatisfaction

Related Information