CitiesGoGreen - Promotional Issue - (Page 11)

Mazria also encourages cities to create a department supporting educational offerings in local universities, design schools, and community colleges, giving students and faculty information about building codes and standards, current sustainability issues, and the like. In 1991, according to Roger Duncan, general manager for Austin Energy (the city’s own energy department), Austin started providing workshops for builders and contractors. He too cautions against just passing ordinances and thinking your city is making a real difference. If builders are not properly trained, and if city officials don’t know how to perform proper inspections, it doesn’t matter what the code says. Creative Codes  Portland, OR requires LEED education for any- one bidding on a city project, resulting in more than 150 LEED certified builders in the Portland area. Residential Energy Conservation Ordinance (RECO) requiring buildings to meet modest efficiency standards before sale. rebate” policy to reward builders who exceed energy efficiency code requirements. larger new homes to meet energy standards on a sliding scale, including using renewable energy. Building Codes Assistance Project  San Francisco, Berkeley and others have a  Portland, OR is contemplating a “feebate,  Boulder County’s BuildSmart Program requires  Some useful code examples are collected by the  Santa Barbara, CA and Austin TX are integrating the 2030 Challenge goals into their building codes.  What effective code-based approaches to en- Meeting the challenge and the opportunity Ed Mazria applauds cities for their hard work and congratulates them on their courage. To him, cities are the ones out front, calling for change, putting pressure on state and federal governments to make sustainability a priority. Local governments of all types and sizes can make the difference in preventing catastrophic climate change through action and example. The final word goes to Bob Berkebile, a member of the Green Building Advisory Group: ‘’The moment of greatest danger is the moment of greatest opportunity. That’s where we find ourselves now.” couraging green building do you know about? Share them at www.CitiesGoGreen.com. The 2030 Blueprint (Update) In light of recently updated scientific findings indicating even more urgency for change than previously thought, Ed Mazria has analyzed the options and presents the results in this brief paper (pdf). From the conclusion: There is a clear, simple, realistic and achievable solution to climate change that also offers significant additional benefits: building energy efficiency. Of the energy and climate change solutions proposed today, building energy efficiency is the one that can be implemented immediately, costs the least and offers the greatest benefits to both the planet and the economy. With a single action, the U.S. can begin replacing coal, reduce CO2 emissions, strengthen the US economy, save consumers billions of dollars and create jobs. The paper ends with a national plan of action for the US. Elizabeth Johnson is the director of Energía Strategies, a consulting business dedicated to teaching empowerment and capacity building tools to U.S. and Latin American based organizations and community groups. She holds a masters degree in Community and Regional Planning and Not-For-Profit Management from the University of Oregon. She can be reached at elizabeth@energiastragies.com. April 2008 .com .co http://www.o2env.com http://www.ci.berkeley.ca.us/sustainable/residents/ResSidebar/RECO.html http://www.ci.berkeley.ca.us/sustainable/residents/ResSidebar/RECO.html http://www.bouldercounty.org/lu/buildsmart/ http://www.bcap-energy.org/ http://www.citiesgogreen.com http://www.architecture2030.org/pdfs/2030Blueprint.pdf http://www.architecture2030.org/pdfs/2030Blueprint.pdf http://www.o2env.com http://www.citiesgogreen.com

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CitiesGoGreen - Promotional Issue Contents In Motion Conversations with Mayors Feature Article: How Can Cities Respond to the 2030 Challenge? Fast Forward

CitiesGoGreen - Promotional Issue

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