Springfield considers green-building policy

The new policy would require that all new city-owned buildings for human occupation meet the requirements for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design silver certification. The policy also calls for those projects to strive for gold or platinum certification levels.

LEED is a nationally accepted rating system for the design, construction and operation of high-performance green buildings. LEED promotes sustainability through site development, water savings, energy efficiency, materials selection and indoor environmental quality, according to the U.S. Green Building Council Web site.

While the city policy would require new buildings to meet silver-level criteria, the city would not actually have to get the building certified, according to the explanation of the bill, as the certification process could cost up to $15,000.

The policy would also call for renovations and city buildings not intended for human occupation to include as many LEED benchmarks as possible.

“The City of Springfield … recognizes and accepts its responsibility to continue to encourage practices that protect the natural and built environment and the health and well-being of its citizens,” the bill explanation says. It also states that the green-building goal is spelled out in the Springfield-Greene County Vision 20/20 Comprehensive Plan.

See SBJ's Sept. 17 issue for more on this story.