In case you haven’t noticed, it’s officially the Year of Green Building. And while some areas have had eco-standards in place for a while now (helloooooo, D.C.!), the fevah is spreading in cities across the U.S. Take a gander at a few places considering formal green-building guidelines this spring:
- In a move described as a “watershed time, a wonderful thing,” Chula Vista, Calif. voted yesterday to approve mandatory green-building standards for homes and businesses. San Diego and Los Angeles are working on standards as well.
- Annapolis passed a green-building law in March with various higgledy-piggledy guidelines about square feet — it applies to both public and private buildings.
- San Francisco is poised to enact the toughest standards in the country, requiring private projects to get greener or lose their construction permits.
- The Dallas City Council is saddling up to pass a two-phase policy that would push conservation and LEED certification. They’ve delayed the vote so developers can review the proposal, but Mayor Tom Leppert remains optimistic: “This is something where the process went exactly right. Our goal is to be a leader.”
