Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger announced recently that on January 1, 2011, California will adopt the nation’s first ever mandatory Green Building Standards Code (CALGREEN) to improve efficiency and reduce environmental impact in new California buildings. Under CALGREEN, every new building constructed in California will be required to reduce water consumption by 20 percent, divert 50 percent of construction waste from landfills and install low pollutant-emitting materials, in addition to other requirements. The regulations also call for mandatory inspections of energy systems such as heating, air conditioning, and mechanical equipment for nonresidential buildings over 10,000 square feet to ensure maximum efficiency. The California Air Resources Board estimates that the mandatory provisions will reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 3 million metric tons by 2020.
CALGREEN also includes more stringent voluntary provisions to encourage local communities to take further action to green their buildings and improve energy efficiency.

Many of the mandatory provisions in the code are already part of the statewide building code, making verification of CALGREEN an easy transition for local building inspectors. Additionally, building owners will enjoy the benefit of being able to label their facilities as CALGREEN compliant upon passing inspection, without using costly third-party certification programs.

* Read the press release: “Governor Schwarzenegger Announces First-in-the-Nation Statewide Gre...” Office of the Governor (1/12/10)
* Visit the California Building Standards Commission Website