by
Don Knapp
May 31, 2009
Bill Becker, Executive Director of the Presidential Climate Action Project, doesn't mince words: "We can’t count on Washington or Copenhagen to solve the climate and
energy problems. The most important leadership ahead still will come
from cities and CEOs."
In his SolveClimate blog post, "Why Cities and CEOs Can't Relax," Becker argues that just because Congress is moving forward with climate legislation doesn't mean local elected officials -- the original climate action leaders -- and corporate CEOs can take a break from their climate mitigation efforts. Cities, in particular, hold the key because they wield so much power to influence, for example, how buildings are built and public transit is organized.
Becker gives ICLEI a nice shout-out in the piece, but then drops the reality check: ICLEI's 560 U.S. local government members, plus the 940 cities who have endorsed the Kyoto Protocol, are only a fraction of the
40,000 U.S. local governments and nearly 20,000 cities. We've got a ways to go, and room to grow. Wanna join us?
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by
Don Knapp
May 31, 2009
The buck starts here: Take one dollar of federal stimulus money earmarked for local government energy efficiency projects, but don't spend it directly on a one-off project. Instead, use it -- and thousands of other dollars -- to create a local program that lowers the mortgage
interest rates for homeowners who renovate or invest in energy efficiency upgrades or renewable energy systems.
When the program takes off, you'll leverage each $1 to generate $14 of private spending and 14 times the number of jobs, reimburse
the federal government $3, put $1 back in your local government coffers--and take a big leap toward your local energy and greenhouse gas reduction targets.
In a nutshell, that's 14x Stimulus: A Plan for State and Local Governments. 14x, the brainchild of Architecture 2030 founder Ed Mazria (who hatched the idea after a 1 a.m. phone call from Michelle Wyman), is winning interest among local governments who see its potential. And if you study the plan and grasp the arithmetic, you'll see what they see: that its
everybody-wins ROI is for real.
Mother Jones' Michael Mechanic's May 29 article "What One Stimulus Buck Could Do," tells the story of how Mazria created 14x and caught the attention of local elected officials at the Local Climate Leadership Summit.
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by
Rena Ragimova
May 31, 2009
The Achievement
In January 2007, the City of Boston, MA, implemented a green
building zoning code to reduce emissions from privately owned and
operated buildings throughout the city. This zoning code will require
all major construction projects exceeding 50,000 square feet to adhere
to the U.S. Green Building Council’s (USGBC) LEED certification
standards.
Boston tweaked the LEED certification “points”
requirements to fit the cities needs. In fact, developers are not
required to attain formal LEED certification. Rather they must provide
documentation to show their building meets the requirements identified
by USGBC for LEED Certification. This qualification ensures that all
major building projects are planned, designed, constructed, and managed
to minimize adverse environmental impacts, conserve natural resources
and promote sustainable development.
Thanks to the zoning code, a
number of notably green buildings have been constructed.
- The Audubon Nature Center uses 30 to 35 percent less energy
than traditional construction. To minimize its environmental impacts,
the building has geothermal heat pumps, photovoltaic shingles, a solar
hot waters system, and high performance glass,.
- The Artists
for Humanity building in South Boston is the first LEED Platinum
building in the city. It features the largest solar panel array in
Boston and north- and south-facing glass walls for passive heating and
cooling as well as daylight for the interior.
The Key Steps
Mayor Tom Menino initiated the Green Building Task Force, which
conducted a comprehensive exploration of the opportunities and
challenges with green buildings in Boston. Based on task force
recommendations, a three-year plan was created. Rather than attempting
to alter the state building codes, which are controlled by the state
legislature, City of Boston changed the city zoning codes, which the
City has direct control over through the Zoning Commission.
The Benefits
- In the United States, buildings are responsible for 72 percent
of electricity consumption and 38 percent of all carbon dioxide (CO2)
emissions. Requiring buildings to be more energy and resource efficient
through building codes and zoning codes can help achieve tremendous
reductions in carbon emissions and energy use, and help building owners
save money on their energy bills.
- According to the City of
Boston, each building that adhere to its zoning code will save, on
average, 82 tons of C02 and 64 million British thermal units per square
foot of energy.
- Green buildings reduce our dependency on
imported energy and enhance worker health and productivity.
- By
promoting new green buildings and development, as well as “greening”
Boston’s existing buildings, the City can stimulate business growth and
job creation.
[Source: Boston
Redevelopment Authority]
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Getting Started
