California has approved a statewide green building code (CALGREEN) that sets minimum standards for green building in the state. This initiative is designed to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and conserve water, and by incorporating it into the existing building code, should minimize compliance costs.

Governor Schwarzenegger of California

Last week, Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger announced that the California Building Standards Commission had approved a new Green Building Standards Code, known as CALGREEN (pdf). These new set of building standards, applying only to new construction and taking effect January of 2011, is the first statewide green building code in the nation.

“With this first-in-the nation mandatory green building standards code, California continues to pave the way in energy efficiency and environmental protection. Today’s action lays the foundation for the move to greener buildings constructed with environmentally advanced building practices that decrease waste, reduce energy use and conserve resources,” said Governor Schwarzenegger.

Buildings in California account for one-quarter of the state’s greenhouse gas emissions. The California Air Resources Board estimates that CALGREEN will avoid 3 million metric tons of CO2 equivalent in 2020. It will also reduce water use by 20% and divert 50% of construction waste to landfills.

The major mandatory provisions of CALGREEN are as follows:

- 20 percent reduction in indoor water use, with voluntary goal standards for 30, 35 and 40 percent reductions.
- Separate water meters for indoor and outdoor water uses in nonresidential buildings, and moisture-sensing irrigation systems for larger landscape projects.
- 50 percent of construction waste be recycled
- Mandatory inspections of mechanical and energy systems for nonresidential buildings over 10,000 square feet to ensure maximum efficiency
- The use of low-pollutant emitting materials (such as paints, carpets, vinyl flooring, and particle board) in interior spaces.

As CALGREEN will be incorporated into the existing building code, its provisions will be inspected and verified by local and state building departments. Unlike 3rd party green certification systems, CALGREEN verification does not cost any additional money, as it will be a part of the inspection process.

The U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) currently offers a set of voluntary green building standards known as Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) by far the most popular and well-known green building certification program in the nation. LEED operates as a point-based certification system, where building developers can reach certain levels of ‘greenness’ different ways. While a point-based system allows flexibility for building developers, it has been criticized for not leading to significant reductions in energy usage. Also, LEED certification requires an investment of money to pay for third party verification, which is seen by many as a barrier to adopting the standards.

California Acadamy of Sciences - a LEED platinum green building

Many municipalities, such as San Francisco, have mandated that new construction be LEED certified. Elizabeth Echols of the U.S. Green Building Council’s Northern California chapter said her group was concerned that parts of the new code were not as environmentally stringent compared with existing local regulations. This could possibly make it difficult for cities and counties to adopt more rigorous standards. However, CALGREEN is intended as a set of minimum standards for green building practices in California, allowing (an encouraging) municipalities to develop more stringent green building codes. Having a statewide system ensures that even the smallest cities and towns are able to incorporate green building practices into construction.

Matthew Hargrove, a vice president with the California Business Properties Association, welcomed the new standards. “At the end of the day you will have a whole bunch of cities that never would have included this in their building doing it, and doing it in a way that won’t kill the economy,” he said.
It will be a few years before the effectiveness of CALGREEN can be evaluated in terms of how much it has helped reduce greenhouse gas emissions and water use. But should it be successful in meeting its environmental goals, CALGREEN will likely be a model for other states that are looking into implementing similar green building code programs.

Additional reporting by Ana Carolina C. Murphy of MicroEmpowering.org.