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What is the Green Building Initiative & Why is it important?
The Green Building Initiative ( Executive Order S-20-04) calls for public buildings to be 20 percent more energy efficient by 2015 and encourages the private sector to do the same.
By implementing sustainable practices in the facilities it owns, leases, retrofits or maintains, California can reduce energy consumption, conserve resources, and lessen the impact on climate change.
At the same time, the state will create healthier and more productive places in which to work, learn and do business.
What is "Green Building and Green Buying"?
Sustainable or "green building" refers to the practice of designing, constructing, operating, maintaining, and replacing buildings in ways that cut energy use, conserve natural resources and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Green building practices also create healthier and more productive indoor environments.
"Green buying" refers to purchasing "environmentally preferable products"-
products that are long lasting, high quality, less toxic, reusable, and easy to
recycle. Environmentally Preferable products use less materials, water, and
energy, which results in a reduced impact on climate change.
Why is State Government Taking the Lead on Green Building?
As Governor Schwarzenegger put it, "California is blessed with vast
resources…we rededicate ourselves to making California cleaner, greener and
more prosperous. The green building approach builds in conservation from the
ground up…It's good for business and it's great for the environment."
Why Should California Businesses, Schools, Local Governments, etc.
Follow the State's Lead?
There are many reasons, including:
- Saving energy, resources and money
Sustainable, resource- and energy-efficient buildings use less energy,
water and materials to operate. They also reduce greenhouse gas emissions associated with the production of power needed to operate those same buildings.
- Dollar savings from energy efficiency grow over time, often paying back their initial cost-and more. In addition to saving money and resources, sustainable buildings are proving to be healthier and more productive places in which to work, learn and do business.
- Protecting the environment
Climate change is driven, in large part, by carbon dioxide and other
greenhouse gases derived from burning fossil fuels. In California,
electricity production and industry are a major source of fossil fuel-related carbon dioxide. Other harmful emissions released by burning fossil fuels to produce electricity-sulfur dioxide and nitrous oxide-are two of the primary sources of smog. Energy efficiency helps reduce the need to generate electricity.
- Promoting energy security
Energy efficiency helps ensure that California has stable and reliable
electricity service by making the system less vulnerable to electricity
supply shortages. Energy efficiency improvements reduce overall demand and, more important for reliability, shave demand at peak hours-those hours when energy demand is highest and blackouts are likely to occur if supply is low.
Will Building Green Cost the Taxpayers More Money?
Sustainable buildings consume less energy and require fewer resources to operate. With rising energy costs, energy efficient green buildings and buildings that generate their own power onsite have a significant positive economic impact on both the state's energy bills and energy needs.
Green Glossary:
Benchmarking: Benchmarking is a way to rate the energy efficiency of a building, using the federal Energy Star benchmarking system. This provides a score which ranks the building on a percentile basis against comparable buildings nationwide. Energy Star also provides the energy intensity, or annual energy use per square foot, which is useful for comparing smaller groups of buildings.
Retro-commissioning: Existing-building commissioning, also known as retro-commissioning (RCx), is an event in the life of a building that applies a systematic investigation process for improving or optimizing a building’s overall performance and the way it’s maintained and operated. The RCx process most often focuses on dynamic energy-using systems with the goal of reducing energy waste, obtaining energy cost savings, and identifying and fixing existing problems. Although RCx may include recommendations for capital improvements, the primary focus is on using diagnostic testing to identify and implement operation and maintenance tune-up activities to optimize the building systems.
Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design for Existing Buildings (LEED-EB): LEED-EB is a rating system to maximize the energy and environmental performance of buildings, It provides a recognized, performance-based benchmark for building owners and operators to measure operations, improvements and maintenance on a consistent scale.
Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design for New Construction and Major Renovations (LEED-NC): LEED-NC is a rating system for designing and constructing commercial, institutional, and government buildings to maximize energy and environmental performance. Targeting the design and construction phases of a building, LEED-NC addresses the environmental impacts of site and materials selection, demolition and construction.
LEED–NC promotes improved practices in the integrated design approach from start to finish (commissioning), site selection and development, water and energy use, environmentally preferred construction products/finishes/furnishings, waste stream management, indoor environmental quality, and innovation in sustainable design and construction.
Green Leasing: DGS is seeking out and selecting State facility leases for spaces of 5,000 square feet or more in buildings that meet a minimum Energy Star rating whenever such spaces are cost effective and meet the State’s programmatic needs. Where feasible, DGS is also seeking buildings that can or have obtained LEED certification.
Solar and Other Clean On-Site Power Generation: DGS is pursuing on-site clean and/or renewable power generation to reduce energy consumption from the utility grid.
Environmental Preferable Purchasing (EPP): AB 498 (Chan, Statutes of 2001-02) directed the development of an EPP Best Practices Manual and activities by DGS in conjunction with the California Integrated Waste Management Board (CIWMB) and other State agencies, as well as to pursue and implement measures to improve environmentally preferable purchasing of goods and services in the State.
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