ADVOCACY FOR SUSTAINABILITY: BEYOND LEED—THE LIVING BUILDING CHALLENGE

Federal Legislative Initiatives
U.S. Representative Jay Inslee (by video)

As a member of the House Committee on Energy and Commerce and of the Select Committee on Energy Independence and Global Warming, I have been working to ensure that green buildings are not the exception, but the rule. I would like to provide an overview of what’s happening at the federal level to support green building, to help inform people’s advocacy strategies.

In August, the U.S. House of Representatives passed a broad energy package that will go a long way toward reducing greenhouse gas emissions. This legislation will reduce our dependence on foreign oil; make the largest investment in homegrown biofuels in history; and support cutting-edge research and the development of new technologies to bring down energy costs.

The efficiency measures in the legislation are remarkable: they will reduce carbon emissions by as much as 10 million tons—more than the emissions of all cars on the road in the U.S. today—by the year 2030. Many of them address buildings, which account for 40 percent of energy consumption and produce over one-third of greenhouse gas emissions. These provisions include: updated state energy-efficiency codes for commercial and residential buildings, requiring a 50 percent reduction by 2020; strict new efficiency standards for appliances and light bulbs; a federal office of high-performance green buildings to facilitate the development of green building practices; tax deductions for energy-efficient commercial buildings and tax credits for energy-efficient appliances; and a block-grant program that will provide cities, counties and states with seed money for innovative local projects that boost efficiency.

This is just the start, and I am going to make sure that these and other groundbreaking measures are included in the final version of the energy package. We’re not done. There will be new legislation this fall, and at that time we will consider cap and trade provisions, which is what we ultimately need to create a clean energy revolution.

I will also continue to push my broad stand on green buildings. This summer, with the support of the AIA, I introduced my Advanced Design in Energy for Living Efficiency Act. Crafted with the help of some talented architects, this bill would establish federal standards for the construction of new commercial and residential buildings, which would reduce carbon emissions 40 percent by 2010 and 70 percent by 2020. It would also provide grants to help state and local governments meet new efficiency standards and to encourage research in green building. It specifically addresses schools, providing federal grants to school districts to inform board members and school personnel about the benefits of high-performance schools and to assist with the development of technical solutions and the planning and design of green buildings. It would also support the development of environmental science curriculums and provide loan guarantees for public universities that construct energy-efficient green buildings or renovations.

Architects can play a key role in the fight against climate change by creating green buildings that reduce environmental impacts and foster learning about sustainability. In the course of researching the book I co-authored, Apollo’s Fire: Igniting America’s Clean Energy Economy, I got to know AIA Executive Vice President Christine McEntee; and I was really impressed with the AIA's vision of architects playing a key role in this revolution. I appreciate that commitment to changing global warming and to ensuring that our nation is a leader in green building practices.

Additional Information

Congressman Inslee: www.house.gov/inslee

Apollo’s Fire: Igniting America’s Clean Energy Economy: www.apollosfire.net

> City of Seattle Green Building Program