NEWS

Climate concerns, energy costs spur state initiatives

05/07/2008

Robin Bravender, Greenwire reporter

With high oil prices squeezing budgets and climate change provoking calls for conservation, state governments are moving to reduce energy use and emissions with green building initiatives.

More than half of the states have green building policies, ranging from incentives that encourage environmentally friendly construction to mandates that all state facilities receive green certification.

Buildings are easy targets. They produce 39 percent of U.S. carbon dioxide emissions—more than any other sector—and consume 70 percent of the nation’s electricity, according to the U.S. Green Building Council.

The Leadership in Energy and Environment Design (LEED) standards set by the council require buildings to adopt a number of eco-friendly measures from a checklist, including the use of recycled materials for construction, choosing locations near public transportation and cutting back on water for landscaping. Buildings can rank as certified, silver, gold or platinum—depending on how far they go to conserve.

The average LEED-certified building uses 32 percent less electricity than a non-certified building and saves 350 metric tons of carbon dioxide emissions annually, the council says.

Map courtesy of Pew Center on Global Climate Change.

So far, 28 states have implemented various green building policies, including 19 that mandate certification for state facilities and three that recommend LEED.

‘Practicing what we preach’

States that already have green building mandates are eager to share what they have learned, officials say.

"This is beginning to be a pretty big topic for other states, and they are kind of looking to Washington because we have kind of gotten a jump on most other states," said Stuart Simpson, sustainable building adviser for the Washington Department of General Administration. Simpson said he has collaborated with Hawaii, Vermont and Massachusetts on greening projects.

Washington state requires all capital-funded projects larger than 5,000 square feet to be LEED Silver certified.

The National Governors Association has paired with Wal-Mart Stores Inc. to complete energy audits in up to 20 state capitol complexes during 2008 and 2009. Wal-Mart plans to send in experts to make recommendations about how the states can become more energy efficient. The company will share the results of the audits.

"We’re not just preaching, we’re practicing what we preach," NGA spokesman Chris Cashman said.

Wal-Mart will only recommend technologies that give the states a return on investment within five years, unless they specifically ask for a different timeframe, Cashman said. "We wanted something that was going to be tangible."

Every state was invited to apply for the audits, which will be free to the states, Cashman said. The NGA and Wal-Mart will announce the states chosen for the Greening State Capitols initiative at a clean energy summit near Kansas City that kicks off today.

States in the LEED

While some states are just now getting green, others have been at it for years.

California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger (R) signed an executive order in 2004 requiring that all new and renovated state buildings achieve LEED Silver certification. The state is also working to certify its existing buildings.

"It’s the smart thing to do to meet California’s energy needs," said Ken Hunt, director of Schwarzenegger’s Green Action Team. "A building that is green is also a healthier place to work in, it’s got better indoor environmental quality."

So far, 13 state-owned buildings have been certified, according to Dan Burgoyne, sustainability manager for California’s Department of General Services. Another 58 buildings are pursuing certification, and 215 new projects are seeking LEED labels, he said.

Florida’s and Wisconsin’s governors have also issued executive orders mandating the greening of both new and existing buildings.

"California and Florida stand out because they’ve addressed existing building stock and that’s really important," said Jason Hartke, director of public policy for the Green Building Council.

But there is a lot of variability in the policies, he said. "Places like New Mexico and Nevada really stand out because they’ve got great incentives that have helped move the market," Hartke said.

In addition to requiring all public buildings larger than 15,000 square feet to be LEED Silver certified, New Mexico offers tax credits for some green commercial and residential buildings.

Nevada offers a property tax reduction for private buildings—except some small homes—in addition to requiring LEED certification of state funded buildings.

Nevada’s property tax abatement has been "extremely attractive" to the private sector, Hartke said. "Folks were really taking them up on the incentive."

Construction jobs

In states with struggling economies, a green building mandate can translate to jobs in the construction industry.

Michigan Gov. Jennifer Granholm (D) in 2005 mandated that all new state buildings and renovations costing more than $1 million comply with green guidelines.

"The more we can promote alternative energy, we see that as creating jobs throughout the state of Michigan," Granholm spokeswoman Liz Boyd said.

And jobs are not the only economic incentive. Green building advocates say that, over time, the energy-saving measures will pay for themselves.

"Building green [costs] roughly 1 to 2 percent more than conventional construction," Hartke said. But the "average payback is 12 to 24 months," after which states will see a strong return on their investment.

The fiscal crunch that many states are experiencing "makes it more important that [people] understand the serious financial savings that can come from green buildings," Hartke said.

Hunt said there is "a common misconception" that new green buildings cost a lot more than their conventional counterparts. It is different when retrofitting older buildings, he said, when the costs to go green can be higher.

But advocates think they can clear up these misunderstandings and convince others that green building is good for the environment and states’ bottom lines.

"There’s an education gap, and the gap can be bigger in some states than others," Hartke said.

He said people are starting to see the benefits in the states that have gone green, and he "wouldn’t be surprised" if all states adopted green building policies in the near future.

Click here for USGBC’s complete list of LEED initiatives in governments and schools.