Saturday, July 12, 2008

The District of Columbia Goes GREEN

The District government agencies are going green. The green initiative began with the passage of the Green Building Act of 2006, which calls for all new public buildings built with government assistance and all new commercial buildings to be constructed to meet specific requirements set forth by the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED). The LEED green building rating system was created by the U.S. Green Building Council, a nonprofit organization.

Private and commercial construction over 5,000 square feet will be required to be LEED certified by fiscal year 2012. Affordable housing projects greater than 10,000 square feet and use more than 15 percent government assistance fit into the "publicly financed" category and will need to comply with the Green Communities stardards created by the Enterprise Community Partners, Inc. These requirements take effect in October 2008

GreenHome and Enterprise Community Partners, Inc are conducting training sessions for several local agencies to help them understand the new regulations and to incorporate the Green Communities Criteria into their work. The sessions are run by Steven Winter Associates, Inc. Participants include officials from the Department of Housing and Community Development (DHCD), the District Department of the Environment, the Department of Consumer and Regulatory Affairs (DCRA) and the Office of Property Management. (The Washington Informer, 7/10/08)

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