U.S. Green Building Council manager gives feedback on city policy

USGBC created the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design, or LEED, certification standards the city is considering using to guide its green building efforts.

The proposed policy as it stands would require all new city buildings to be constructed to meet LEED Silver standards, but would not require those buildings to be certified. The extra investment from green building would also have to be recuperated, through utility savings and increased productivity, within five years.

Hartke said that while he is impressed with the city’s efforts to create a comprehensive green building plan – only about 80 municipalities nationwide have similar ordinances, including three in Missouri – he encouraged the city to add the certification process. The process, he said, would ensure that facilities are being built to the same standards to which they are designed.

The savings, Hartke said, are considerable and immediate. Energy and water usage can be cut by as much as 50 percent in LEED-certified buildings, and the average 2 percent additional cost for building green is usually paid off within the first 24 months, he said.

Mayor Tom Carlson said the city’s approach to green building is a long-term one.

“I have the privilege of serving on the board of the National League of Cities, and what I hear more often than not (about green building) is anecdotes – this town is doing something, that town is doing something,” Carlson said. “But as far as the communities developing a comprehensive approach, they are few and far between. This isn’t something that we’ll talk about today and then go do something. This is an ongoing discussion.”

The next step, according to Carlson, is to send the policy to the city’s Community Involvement Committee for further discussion. Carlson said he hopes council will be able to vote on the policy by the end of the year. Council previously tabled the issue to gather more public input.

See SBJ’s Oct. 8 issue for more on the green building discussion. [[In-content Ad]]