Jack Ehnes confronted the same worries you probably faced buying a TV or picking out a new computer: Am I doing this too soon? Will prices come down? Is this new technology a fad?

As LEED fever spreads across the United States and abroad, the U.S. Green Building Council hopes to revitalize the LEED for Existing Buildings (LEED-EB) standard, which has been trailing behind its far more popular counterpart for New Construction (LEED-NC).

A visit to the Old Town neighborhood of San Diego will take you back in time to the 1800s when the West was wild and California was a new state in the union. Old Town is considered California's birthplace because Spanish priest Junípero Serra founded the state's first mission in the area.

Editor's Note: The following post is a guest submission by Rosario Marin, Secretary of the State and Consumer Services Agency and Chairwoman of the California Building Standards Commission

When it comes to cutting carbon emissions, state buildings are getting into the act, too.

Prisons, with their impenetrable fences and imposing watchtowers, don't exactly boast a planet-friendly image.

Insurance policies geared to green buildings. Methane from beer brewing that is turned into energy. Company shuttle buses that cut pollution by getting employees out of their private cars

California has long led the nation in energy efficiency and environmental protection. Now it is the first state to mandate disclosure of commercial buildings' energy use to prospective buyers, lessees, or lenders, and it is requiring building owners to use the ENERGY STAR online tool, Portfolio Manager, to get the job done. A new California law, Assembly Bill 1103, requires all commercial building owners or operators to disclose their buildings' benchmarking data and Portfolio Manager performance rating to prospective buyers, lessees of entire buildings, or lenders starting in 2010. The state also has broken new ground by requiring all state-owned buildings to be benchmarked with Portfolio Manager.

For Jim Ogden, finding "green" materials for state building projects used to mean custom orders for sustainably harvested wood and costly chemical-emissions tests on ceiling tiles.

For companies devoted to eco-friendly wares and services, it is not enough that California is at the vanguard of the green business movement.

Caltrans is known for roadwork improvement, but when the agency's new $65 million District 3 headquarters opens this summer in Marysville, it will bring green features to town instead of black asphalt

North American homes, offices and other buildings contribute an estimated 2.2 billion tons of carbon dioxide to the atmosphere every year-more than one third of the continent's greenhouse gas pollution output. Simply constructing more energy-efficient buildings —and upgrading the insulation and windows in the existing ones—could save a whopping 1.7 billion tons annually, says a new report from the Montreal-based Commission for Environmental Cooperation (CEC), an international organization established by Canada, Mexico and the U.S. under the North American Free Trade Agreement to address continent-wide environmental issues.

California should make all new homes so energy-efficient by 2020 that they won't need to draw power from the state's electrical grid, according to a plan for meeting the state's future energy needs.

PASADENA - Green went to school Wednesday.

Just how green is our State Capitol Christmas Tree?

The state of California may have killed plans for a high-rise office project this week, but it is moving forward with another, albeit more humble, downtown building.

Having to choose a future California with either a robust economy or a cleaner environment represents a false choice, according to the authors of a study to be released today.

As the climate change debate rages, smart businesses are quietly studying its effects on our future lifestyle. High on the agenda is building more sustainable spaces for us to live and work in.

California energy regulators Thursday adopted a target that all homes built after 2020 produce at least as much energy as they consume to reduce demand for electricity and cut pollution tied to power generation.

Skanska USA Building Inc.'s Oakland office has been awarded a $181 million design-build contract to renovate and expand the state of California's 40-year-old central plant in Sacramento, which heats and cools 5 million square feet of government office space.

It's lunchtime at Inderkum High School in Sacramento's Natomas neighborhood, and most students are indoors.

A Going Green report from KNBC-TV, Los Angeles

The Department of Motor Vehicles in Clovis celebrated a ribbon-cutting ceremony Aug. 8 at its new location on Shaw Avenue east of Fowler Avenue.

Although many celebrities and politicians appear to be jumping on the global-warming bandwagon, the state of California continues to move forward - quietly, but aggressively - as a long-standing environmental steward. Under the tutelage of Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, the administration has gone well beyond merely reaching out to industry and individuals statewide (as well as nationally and globally) for their voluntary involvement in reducing emissions; on Sept. 27, 2006, the governor signed Assembly Bill 32 (the Global Warming Solutions Act), putting proposed early-action greenhouse-gas-reduction targets into law.

A coalition of 16 of the world’s biggest cities, five banks, one former president and companies and groups that modernize aging buildings on Wednesday pledged investments of billions of dollars to cut urban energy use and releases of heat-trapping gases linked to global warming.

Governors and environmental officials from 31 states announced Tuesday that they would create a national registry to measure greenhouse gas emissions, a key first step toward reducing emissions and another illustration of states moving ahead of the federal government in addressing climate change.

In the hearts of many environmentalists, Earth Day comes each April like an old, familiar friend. It's a day to plant a tree, clean up a riverbank, or gather with like-minded souls on a campus lawn to celebrate the marvels of the planet.

In accordance with the California Green Building Initiative, the Department of General Services will turn all state-owned and state-leased commercial buildings green, starting with West Sacramento's pyramid-shaped Ziggurat Building. Though the initiative was mandated in 2004, Davis residents should be proud to see local officials finally beginning this important energy-efficient movement.

Responding to Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger's executive order S-20-04, otherwise known as the California Green Building Initiative, the Department of General Services will be turning all state-owned and state-leased commercial buildings green. Starting with its own headquarters located in West Sacramento's pyramid-shaped Ziggurat Building, the DGS will be doing its part to cut energy use in state-operated buildings 20 percent by 2015.

The pyramid building in West Sacramento, once headquarters of the Money Store, is turning a new shade of green.

Adobe Systems, a pioneer in desktop publishing software, has cemented its status as a pioneer in green building

Waterless urinals and recycled carpet could become common building features in the nation's capital under green construction legislation passed Tuesday by the District of Columbia Council.

SAN LUIS OBISPO, Calif. - California Polytechnic State University's (Cal Poly) Engineering West will dedicate its new solar photovoltaic energy system on December 7 at 11 a.m.

Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger has committed government to leading by example, showing California's private sector - and the nation - the path to a sustainable future.

By the year 2011, all buildings over 50,000 square feet owned by the Executive Branch of the State of California* will have been retro-commissioned to meet the requirements of the Governor's Executive Order S-20-04. Currently, 6 consultant contracts to retro-commission 24 buildings totaling over 5.8 million square feet are scheduled to begin within the next 30 days. Completion of the buildings is expected in 2007.

SAN BERNARDINO, Calif. - State and private utility company officials announced Tuesday they will spend $17 million to make state-owned buildings more energy efficient.

When Toyota Motor Corp. moved one of its divisions into an environmentally friendly, or "green," building in Torrance three years ago, it expected to save on its energy bills. The building offered natural lighting, electricity-generating rooftop solar panels and water recycling.

Each year, California government agencies purchase enough carpet to cover 47 miles of four-lane freeway. By the end of August, at least four major carpet suppliers will have products that meet the rigorous demands of the new California carpet standard. Architects and contractors will be able to choose from a wide range of styles in carpet tiles and broadloom. There's no choice, however, when it comes to sustainability. As of September 1, all carpets being installed in California state buildings will have to be certified "California Gold."

In ceremonies in the State Capitol, the headquarters of California's Department of Education was acknowledged by the U.S. Green Building Council as the first state-owned building to receive Platinum Certification for energy efficiency and sustainability.

PORTLAND, Ore. — Michelle Walsh looks out a wall of windows in her airy new condo high above the Willamette River. Across hills and forests loom snow-capped Mount Hood and, when it's clear, Mount St. Helens. Below? Construction chaos all around.

When California environmental officials were looking at areas where the state could save on its energy bill, they only had to look as far as their own building.

Green, the symbolic color of the new millennium, is hot. But how do you know when green is really green?

Call them progressive. Call them environmentally responsible. Call them tree-huggers.

The 12 million square feet of dreary new carpet the state buys for its offices each year -- enough to cover 208 football fields or 47 miles of four-lane freeway -- is about to get a lot greener.

In the ominous trailer for "An Inconvenient Truth," Al Gore's new film on global warming, planet Earth is approaching the tipping point. Storm clouds swirl. Smokestacks belch. Traffic snarls. A piece of the ice cap breaks away and plunges into the sea. In the big picture, we've got 10 years or we're sunk, too.

The first destroyed skyscraper to be rebuilt since Sept. 11 opened May 23 with few tenants but with many state-of-the-art features that developers say will be part of all the new office towers to rise at the World Trade Center site.

Hospitals are increasingly building their facilities with the environment in mind. Not just because it's the right thing to do, but because they can save money. Listen to the story:

YES, there are sweeping views of the Hudson River, 35 acres of parkland and waterfront promenades. But what gets James Cavanaugh especially jazzed about Battery Park City is the reclaimed toilet water, processed by a waste-treatment plant in the basement of an apartment building at 20 River Terrace.

Long known as a leader in energy, environmental and transportation research, the campus is now home to the UC Davis Energy Efficiency Center, the nation's first center to bring together leaders in academia, industry, and the investment community to advance innovation in energy efficiency-the state's most critical energy resource.

I found the unveiling of architect Frank Gehry's designs for the Grand Avenue development exciting, bold and encouraging. The core of our city would have a true center that helps define our sprawling metropolis.

West Sacramento has landed an investment powerhouse to anchor the city's ambitious waterfront development.

Brad Pitt is bringing his love of architecture to the public - public television, that is.

Going green generates great gobs of greenbacks for Harrell Remodeling Inc. More specifically, CEO Iris Harrell's emphatic commitment to environmentally sustainable materials and techniques has been a boon for business at the Mountain View general contractor which specializes in residential remodeling.

As Michael Doyle gave his upteenth "lunch and learn" lecture to architects about the latest techniques and products, he realized he could never reach the entire industry, even if he focused solely on the East Bay.

How green is your data center?

City of Fremont officials hope a proposed ordinance will help the environment and be beneficial to residents and community members.

California is looking for a few good business plans for clean technology.

Cayuga-Onondaga BOCES has a problem with its heat.

When the University of British Columbia decided four years ago to commission a new $125-million Life Sciences Centre on its sprawling ocean-side campus, it had three main goals in mind.

Today just about all architects put sustainability near the top of the list of project design goals. Sustainability is on practically every conference agenda related to design, planning, construction and real estate development. But what does it mean to create sustainable architecture?

The 16-story Center for Health and Healing taking form at the South Waterfront casts a big shadow over Oregon's sustainable development community. But it's not so big that it overwhelms the landscape.

CALIFORNIA"S governor, Arnold Schwarzenegger, a Republican, built a movie career by playing the role of a supercharged action hero taking on all manner of bad guys. But now, in his political career, Schwarzenegger has become the supercharged campaigner against bad guys who generate greenhouse gas emissions or waste energy. The debate is over, he says, and "the time for action is now."

Long before President Bush told Americans they were addicted to oil, UC Berkeley graduate student Ilan Gur was down in his basement chemistry lab working toward a cure.

The University of Michigan Medical Center and Henry Ford Health System will go green at their newly planned hospitals, but that has nothing to do with the paint on the walls.

From an idea on a piece of paper to a student walking through the doors, Cesar Chavez Elementary took almost six years to come to fruition.

People are tired of high energy bills, Charleston architect Adam Krason says. So they're turning to something traditionally favored by environmentalists: "green building."

Olympic athletes go for the gold. Chicago's Center for Neighborhood Technology went for -- and won -- the platinum.

Travelers on Interstate 295 in Portland may notice a four-story medical office being completed next to the DoubleTree Hotel. The architecture won't grab their attention. Few drivers will see anything extraordinary about the building.

Building Understanding: Many of the Chartwell campus' new technologies will be built so as to allow students and faculty to easily study the science behind them.

The U.N. Environment Program has launched an international effort to 'green' the building and construction industry with the help of big names in the business.

In Chicago office development, "going green" has a double meaning. It's about environmental friendliness, yes, but especially the color of money.

Although his desk sits in the middle of a 15,400-square-foot manufacturing floor, Gary Aoki can spy peregrine falcons, bald eagles and red-tailed hawks through his binoculars.

A "Green California" Web site intended to help government and business make environmentally friendly decisions was unveiled Wednesday by state officials.

With its curtain wall and faceted crystal design, the Bank of America building rising at 1 Bryant Park in Manhattan probably seems unremarkable to New Yorkers accustomed to looming glass skyscrapers. But it's not architecture with a capital A that makes the tower unusual.

The U.S. Green Building Council, as much social movement as trade association, formed in 1993 when a small band of business and environmental activists came together to pressure the nation's construction industry to create "sustainable" buildings.

What is green design? And how did we get beyond it?

UC Davis is launching its first-ever campuswide commitment to sustainability with six new initiatives aimed at bringing sharp focus to practices that can meet present needs and, at the same time, enhance the environment and the ability of future generations to thrive.

An iconic American city that almost got buried under the crushing weight of a terrible hurricane season is trying to make a comeback.

The call center can look like the galley of modern commerce, a place where the din of chattering operators echoes around a dark, cramped space.

At the Adobe Systems headquarters in downtown San Jose, a computer system checks the weather forecast before turning on the sprink

California energy regulators placed a $2.9 billion bet on solar power Thursday, backing a landmark plan that environmentalists hope will become a model for the nation.

Californians will receive rebates to install solar panels on their rooftops through 2016 under a $2.9 billion plan approved Thursday by the state Public Utilities Commission.

Last year, hybrid cars zoomed toward mainstream popularity. This year, it could be solar power.

The largest university in Oregon is camouflaged, its many parts spread among the tight urban canyons of downtown Portland.

What do old blue jeans and recycled newspapers have in common?

When she needs a break from her day as a city council aide, Theressa Hamilton retreats to a garden oasis on the roof of City Hall. There, among the cement, steel and glass, Hamilton smiles at an orange butterfly alit on a green bush with pink flowers. The practicing Buddhist says she uses the garden often to chant.