It may not always be greener on the other side of the fence, but now it will be in California. Yesterday (Jan. 12) the California Building Standards Commission unanimously approved a series of changes to its state building codes, branded as CalGreen, which include the addition of mandatory statewide green standards that are the strictest in the country.
 
Starting in January 2011, builders in the Golden State will be required to implement plumbing that reduces water use and, in nonresidential buildings, install separate water meters for separate uses; recycle half of all construction waste to reduce landfill buildup; use low-pollutant paint, carpeting, and flooring; and have mandatory inspections of energy systems for nonresidential buildings over 10,000-sq.-ft.
 
“With this first-in-the nation mandatory green building standards code, California continues to pave the way in energy efficiency and environmental protection. [Tuesday’s] action lays the foundation for the move to greener buildings constructed with environmentally advanced building practices that decrease waste, reduce energy use, and conserve resources," says Governor Schwarzenegger in a statement.
 
Buildings meeting the new requirements will be able to carry a CALGREEN label, much in the way that many facilities across the nation carry the LEED certification designation.
 
“I think it’s a great thing. And I think everyone has seen it coming in their crystal ball: ‘There will be a day when this is legislated.’ And here we are; that day has arrived.” says Steve McCollom, principal of McCollom Consulting, a firm that provides consulting services to design firms in business development, marketing, and public relations. “This is a necessary step to get everyone thinking about incorporating sustainability into their design projects. There are so many people who are already on board, but there are so many people who are dragging their feet. This may be the push that they need.”
 
However, not everyone is stoked about the new, greener codes. Blogs and discussion boards were set ablaze earlier this week by six environmental groups that were opposed to the changes, which subsequently were reported by the San Francisco Chronicle and LA Times.
 
The groups, such as the Sierra Club and National Resources Defense Council, reportedly found the new codes less stringent than those already in use in more than 50 California metro areas that collaborate with the USGBC. The Council, whose LEED certification has been the only industry standard for sustainability to date, also voiced its opposition and expressed concerns that the more stringent codes could cause confusion among the industry. The organization denounced that its objection was due to the new competition in green certification.
 
In response to the objections, the governor’s office released a myth-versus-fact statement to dispel the negativity and clarify CALGREEN’s details and intent, emphasizing that the code will help California to promote sustainable communities, improve energy efficiency, reduce pollution, and meet its goal of 33 percent renewable energy by 2020. It also made a point to mention that CALGREEN is a market moniker created to distinguish the green building codes from other state codes in existence, and that such a mandatory code would enable all buildings the ability to receive a sustainable designation without having to pay costly third-party fees (a note obviously directed at USGBC).

California continuously has been a leader when it comes to putting green initiatives into action. The International Code Council announced this past September that it would base the new International Green Building Code, slated for publication for adoption in 2012, off of the California Green Building Code, which was adopted by Governor Schwarzenegger in July 2008 as the first statewide set of green building standards in the country but were only voluntary at the time.