Green Building LA-Style
image credit: 4×4jeepchick
Los Angeles hasn’t kept too high of a profile when it comes to green building. But late last month, a significant change is underway.
The city of Los Angeles has become the largest city in the nation to impose green building rules that would potentially cut millions of tons of pollution over the next decade.
The announcement was made on Earth Day.
According to the story on Inhabitat:
The law will require new commercial buildings and high-rise residential structures over 50,000 square feet to meet LEED standards, including drought-resistant landscaping, use of recycled materials, and energy efficient heating, cooling, and lighting. This makes LA the latest of 14 US cities that have required private developers to meet greener building practices. These legislative efforts were heralded by several groundbreaking reports released earlier in the month.
The mayor has also set a target:
The mayor has pledged to reduce the city’s carbon emissions 35% below 1990 levels by 2030, an effort that will also require a crackdown on the city’s coal-dependent municipal utility and a move toward electricity from renewable sources.
This is a fantastic move, and based on everything I’ve read on it, Los Angeles should be applauded.
Now that LA is moving more to Green, there is one big question:
Is the race on between San Francisco and Los Angeles: who will be the greenest city?
