Okay, I'm Interested. What Are Some Ways to Get Started?

Suggested Steps to Go Green

Action: Establish Local Government Environmental Commitment

Sample Activities:

• Adopt United States Conference of Mayors' Resolutions for local usage.
• Write or rewrite mission statement to include the local government’s commitment to the environment.
• Incorporate the mission statement into the local government’s comprehensive plan.

Approach:

The mission statement should highlight efforts to enhance or preserve sustainability within the city. The mission statement can be further strengthened with an ordinance or direct reference to the United States Conference of Mayors' Resolutions.

Real World Examples:

• Albuquerque, NM
• Columbus, OH
  • Columbus, OH—"Get Green" Press Release
• Oakland, CA
• Santa Fe, NM

Action: Dedicate Personnel to Green City Process

Sample Activity:

• Develop and maintain an office, person, or group to coordinate current and future green city activities.

Approach:

Create a designated office of sustainability, sustainability coordinator, or sustainability task force that consists of representatives from multiple departments to aid in fulfilling the environmental mission of the local government. These offices/positions can be strengthened with an ordinance/resolution.

Real World Examples:

• Austin, TX
• Boulder, CO
• Chicago, IL
• Cleveland, OH
• Portland, OR
• San Francisco, CA—Green Building Monitoring
• San Jose, CA

Action: Monitor and Track Green Building within the City

Sample Activities:

• Create and maintain an electronic database of all building energy code compliance.
• Create and maintain an electronic database of all green and energy ratings conducted on all buildings within the city.
• Monitor and track local government energy use.
• Develop a local government energy reduction plan.

Approach:

1. Require electronic submission of energy code calculations or manually enter them into a database. The data acquired can be useful to determine effectiveness of any incentives or promotions taking place towards the creation of green buildings.
2. Monitor and track local government energy use in buildings through bill collection or other means and use this as a performance indicator. Utilize this information to develop and institute a plan to reduce energy consumption by __% over __ years.

Real World Examples:

• Boston, MA
• Portland, OR
• Salt Lake City, UT
• Scottsdale, AZ

Action: Establish City Green Building Program with Incentives

Sample Activities:

• Adopt LEED or Green Globes green standards as officially recognized green standards of the city.
• Offer an incentive for LEED/Green Globes certified commercial and institutional buildings.
• Locally endorse the energy reduction goals established by the American Institute of Architects and reflected in the United States Conference of Mayors' Resolution #50. Enact a policy whereby all new government buildings/renovations meet requirements of an existing standard, such as those administered by LEED or Green Globes.

Approach

Incorporate by resolution, ordinance, or otherwise a green building standard to promote resource conservation and to act as a proactive step to reduce future capital expenditures for resource extraction. Offer incentives to foster participation. Examples include reduced permit, inspection, or impact fees; fast-track permitting; green building tax incentive programs; added density or height bonuses for certified buildings; or formal promotion/publicity activities.

Real World Examples:

Executive Orders

• Salt Lake City, UT
• San Francisco, CA

Government Buildings

• Houston, TX
• Kansas City, MO
• New York, NY

Sample Legislative Language

• Energy-Efficient Building Codes—Illinois
• Energy Savings Performance Contracts
• Green Building Tax Credit

Sample Incentive Programs

• American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy Tax Credit Fact Sheet
• Green Building Tax Incentive Programs Overview
• Sample Municipal and State Tax Incentive Programs
• Chicago, IL, Green Permitting Program
  • Article on Chicago Green Permit Program
• Miami-Dade Ordinance on Expedited Permitting
• San Francisco Expedited Permitting Program
• Comprehensive Commercial Retrofit Program Overview
• Seattle, WA—Commercial Incentive Programs

Green Building Ordinances

• Atlanta, GA (Chapter 75—Sustainable Development)
• Gainesville, FL (Chapter 6, Article I.5)
• Long Beach, CA
• New York City Green Building Ordinance
• Portland, OR
• Santa Monica, CA
  • Green Building Ordinance

Ideas to Overcome Potential Obstacles

• Financing Public Sector Energy-Efficiency Projects—California Specific
• Breaking Down the Barriers: Challenges and Solutions to Code Approval of Green Building

 

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