CALgreen Becomes Nation’s First Mandatory Green Building Code
Effective January 1, 2011, all new buildings in the state of California must comply with the 2010 California Green Building Standards Code (CALGREEN), the nation’s first mandatory statewide green building standards. The California Air Resources Board estimates that CALgreen will curb greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) by 3 million metric tons in 2020, helping the state reach its goal of 33 percent GHG reduction this decade.
Among other provisions, CALGREEN will require 20 percent mandatory reduction in indoor water use, separate water meters for nonresidential buildings’ indoor and outdoor water use, diversion of 50 percent of construction waste from landfills, mandatory inspections of energy systems for nonresidential buildings over 10,000 square feet, and the use of low-pollutant emitting interior finish materials such as paints, carpet, vinyl flooring and particle board.
To support CALGreen, the International Code Council (ICC) will be launching a comprehensive training program. Training will provide in-depth courses for inspectors, plan reviewers and other building professionals. A number of certification practice tests also will be developed as ICC introduces a certification program in the coming months. Seminars will be available to help jurisdictions adopt and implement CALGreen.
More Information: ICC Release | CALGREEN Primer | Governor’s Press Release | Myths vs. Facts | CA Building Standards Commission
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