Verde Laguna: Building code an opportunity to ‘green’ city

Last month California adopted the first mandatory green building code in the country. The new code is meant to help achieve the state’s goal of 33% renewable energy sources by 2020, curb greenhouse gas emissions, and save energy and water.

The code requires cutting water use by 20%, diverting half of the construction waste away from landfills and including low-polluting building materials beginning in 2011.

The proposed rules should be understood as a baseline minimum standard that cities are allowed to amend in order to determine the level of “green” that they want to enforce in their communities. This action will allow the local jurisdiction to integrate more rigorous green local ordinances that many already had in place when the code was adopted. It clearly places the decision for adoption and enforcement in the hands of local authorities.

In Laguna Beach this means that it is up to city staff to reconcile the proposed standards with the City Climate Protection Action Plan (CPAP), to develop a Laguna Beach green building program that responds to the climate, topography and characteristics of the city, and to adopt a code and establish guidelines that incorporate current best practices in order to achieve the CPAP goal to reduce man-made greenhouse gas emissions to 7% below 1990 levels, no later than 2012.

Green buildings by definition incorporate principles, techniques and materials that conserve natural resources and improve environmental quality throughout a building cycle. Priorities include resource conservation (energy, water and materials), ecosystem protection (air, water and soil) and indoor environmental quality.

Some environmental solutions that I would like to see included on our local amendment are:

?Upgrading the building envelope, to reduce fossil fuel use, is a source of the five types of greenhouse gases;

?Construction, demolition and landclearing debris waste reduction, to reduce landfill production of methane, a very potent greenhouse gas;

?Efficient framing techniques to reduce wood use up to 20%, reducing stress on forests;

?Energy efficiency to reduce the cost of operating a home while saving energy;

?Solar water heating installations, which can reduce fuel usage for water heating by 75%; and

?Sustainable design-integrated solutions, which can result in an overall reduction in the cost of construction.

The construction, operation and demolition of buildings accounts for 30% of all U.S. greenhouses gas emissions. More specifically, buildings represent 40% for the world’s total energy use, 30% of raw materials consumption and 40% of municipal waste destined to local landfills. This is the opportunity to curb pollution where is created.

As noted in the CPAP, each Laguna Beach resident adds about 30,500 pounds of carbon dioxide to the atmosphere every year. For a sense of scale, this is equivalent to the weight of almost four Hummers.

Taking also full advantage of solar hot water in California would lead to a reduction of 6.8 million metric tons of carbon dioxide-equivalent per year, as much as the annual emissions of more than a million cars. (Source: Environment California Research & Policy Center, 2007).

Here is where policy-makers place enforcing policies and building programs that incorporate principles, techniques and improve environmental quality throughout a building cycle as an essential contribution. Reducing this burden should be the core purpose of the ordinance the City Council adopts. Our actions today pave the way to create a greener future.

GUSTAVO GRAD is a Laguna Beach resident and certified sustainable building advisor. He can be reached at ggrad@cox.net