Category: Green Building
CEQA EXCEPTION FOR BIKE LANES NEARING THE FINISH LINE
While most attempts to push-through last-minute CEQA reform were parked until next year, one bill, AB 2245, glided through the legislature and now heads to the finish line on Governor Brown’s desk for signature. The bill, which provides streamlined environmental review for certain bike lane projects, was unanimously passed by...
Green Building Coming to a Home Near You
Yesterday, the California Energy Commission unanimously approved energy efficiency standards for new homes and commercial buildings. The new 2013 Building and Energy Efficiency Standards (Standards), which take effect on January 1, 2014, are projected to be 25 percent more efficient than previous standards for residential construction and 30 percent more efficient for nonresidential construction. For...
City Adopts Progressive General Plan Addressing Link Between the Built Environment and Public Health
Recently, the City of Richmond, a bay area industrial and commercial hub, approved an innovative General Plan that includes a comprehensive element dedicated to community health and wellness. The city’s General Plan, which will guide development in the city through the year 2030, is one of the first in the nation to recognize that...
CERTIFYING THE CERTIFIERS: GSA ONE STEP CLOSER TO CHOOSING A FEDERAL GREEN BUILDING PROGRAM
Last week, the U.S. General Services Administration (GSA) came one step closer to identifying a federally recognized green building certification system. The review, conducted by the Department of Energy (DOE) and commissioned by the GSA, narrowed down the list of candidates to three: the U.S. Green Building Council’s Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED), Green Building Initiative’s Green...
Does Your City Make the Energy Star Cut?
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) released today the annual list of metropolitan cities with the most Energy Star certified buildings for 2011. To earn EPA’s Energy Star, commercial buildings must perform in the top 25 percent of similar buildings nationwide and must be independently verified by a licensed professional engineer or a...
Green Building in Practice: A Success Story
Greenberg Glusker client, Structure Home, in partnership with Green Builder Media and others, is well underway in its development of VISION House Los Angeles. Among the first of its kind in the Los Angeles area, this single family residence is located in the Pacific Palisades community of Los Angeles. The goal of...
Building Energy Benchmarking: Are We There Yet?
In a classic case of “the devil’s in the details,” Assembly Bill 1103 (“AB 1103”), which mandated the disclosure of energy-usage data of commercial buildings in certain transactions, has yet to be implemented nearly four years after it was first enacted. The legislation set a deadline of January 1, 2010 for...
The GREENing of Greenberg Glusker
In honor of Earth Day, we thought we’d share some of the steps that Greenberg Glusker has taken to be more green. Last year, Greenberg Glusker completed its office remodel in true green fashion. We recycled and reused materials from the old office design whenever possible, which resulted in using...
Arizona Tribe First to Adopt International Green Building Code
As our regular readers know, we have been closely following California’s efforts toward mandating green building requirements both state-wide (through CalGreen) and locally. In a sure sign that green building is here to stay, the Kayenta Township, a political subdivision of the Navajo Nation located in Arizona, recently became...
Five Ways to Avoid Seeing RED over CALGreen’s Requirements
As reported by my land use partner, Elizabeth Watson, a LEED accredited professional, on January 1, 2011, the long-awaited statewide green building code for new commercial and residential construction in California went into effect. Referred to as the California Green Building Standards Code or CALGreen, the new code sets forth...
L.A. Takes the Lead in Replacing LEED
Amid much fanfare, in 2008 the Los Angeles City Council established the Green Building Program requiring, among other things, that most new structures over 50,000 square feet in size be built to the United States Green Building Council (“USGBC”) Leadership in Environmental and Energy Design (“LEED”) basic “Certified” standard. To incentivize...
Court Upholds Pay to Pollute Rule
Last week, the Ninth Circuit ruled that the federal Clean Air Act does not preempt the San Joaquin Valley Air Pollution Control District (Air District) from requiring certain developers to either reduce their polluting emissions from their construction activities or pay a fee. The case (National Association of Home Builders v. San Joaquin...
Seeing the Greenbacks in a Green Retrofit: Key Issues in Securing Financing for a Green Retrofit
Savvy building owners and operators recognize the commercial rental market’s growing awareness of energy efficiency and sustainability issues. Driven by state and local government mandates and a desire for healthier working environments, builders and architects are constructing new green buildings nationwide. However, for every new green building constructed, there...
CALGreen: Mandatory Green Building Standards Take Effect in 2011
California’s first-in-the-nation set of mandatory green building standards for new construction is slated to take effect on January 1, 2011. Referred to officially as the California Green Building Standards Code, CALGreen applies to all new public and privately-constructed commercial and residential buildings. Integrated within the state’s Building Standards Code, it includes...
Beware of the “Green” Form Lease
As the economics of green buildings continues to align with the social and political pressures of climate change, many national and regional businesses are “greening” their form leases by including provisions that address everything from the installation of energy efficient lighting to the use of toilet paper that incorporates...
Seller Beware: Does Your Building Make The Grade?
Deadline Approaches for Disclosure of Energy Efficiency Rating of Commercial Buildings One of the ongoing challenges in making the case for “green building” has been to monetize the value of high-efficiency features, such as reduced energy consumption. In a “light-bulb” moment, the California Legislature enacted Assembly Bill 1103 (“AB 1103”) in...
Urban Land Institute Favorably Reviews California’s Law to Reduce Greenhouse Gas Emissions By Curbing Urban Sprawl
The Urban Land Institute (ULI), a nationally recognized organization which encourages sustainable development practices, has favorably reviewed SB 375 in its June 2010 report, “SB 375, Impact Analysis Report.” Adopted in 2008 by the California Legislature, SB 375 for the first time links land use decisions to funding of transportation infrastructure. According to...
Green Leases Draw Attention and Investors
A story from the New York Times, published March 3rd underscores what we have been saying for over a year: green leases — or commercial leases that draw on the benefits of sustainability — are attracting the attention of both tenants and investors. The story, “Seeing the Investor Value...
The New Wave in Building Sustainability and Efficiency: Green Leases
Despite a troubled economy, developers are exploring the opportunity for new Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certified energy efficient buildings. Likewise, many tenants are also bent on reducing their carbon footprints and meeting emerging corporate sustainability requirements demanded by their customers and encouraged by their employees. As...
The Greening of Greenberg Glusker’s New Offices
The California Climate Action Registry recently recognized Greenberg Glusker for the firm’s extensive commitment to climate change and sustainability. That commitment was on display in the office remodel making it a true green office. The key elements included recycling and reusing materials from the old design and incorporating them...
Red, White & Green
California wineries are joining the increasing number of industries that are instituting sustainable and carbon-friendly methods of operation. To date, although only one winery, located in Napa Valley, has received LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certification from the U.S. Green Building Council , numerous wineries and vineyards...