As we head towards the finish line of 2008, we turn our eyes towards 2009 and what lies ahead for green building. The next two posts at Green Building Law Update will highlight the shift in political support for green building policies that will soon occur. In order to understand the shift, we must start … Continue Reading
As we close out 2008 here at Green Building Law Update, we must acknowledge all of the people, contributors and thought leaders out there that helped us come up with our content. This list could go on forever but neither you nor I are interested in long posts this time of year. Please feel … Continue Reading
As we all settle in for the Holidays, I want to extend a thank you to all of my readers. Green Building Law Update has far exceeded my expectations in just a few short months. None of this could have happened without all of you reading my blog, subscribing to my blog and telling other … Continue Reading
Here at Green Building Law Update, sometimes we wonder if we are just talking to our parents and significant other. Then we get a comment or a great email from one of our readers and we realize someone is actually paying attention. With that said, what happened this past week in the green building industry … Continue Reading
Green Building Law Update’s review of reasons to build green has somehow become a top 5 list. Here’s a recap of the first four reasons: 1. Increased opportunity to obtain financing 2. Build to the state of art 3. Distinguish your project from traditional construction 4. Your customer is demanding green Rounding out the top … Continue Reading
Green Building Law Update came across an interesting lawsuit in Texas challenging a green cement regulation. First, here’s a little background on green cement regulations: Green cement resolutions put pressure on wet kiln operators to either update their smog-causing pollution controls to the level of dry kilns, or replace their wet kilns with new dry … Continue Reading
While I was at GreenBuild, I became motivated to think about reasons to build green despite the slumping economy. While Green Building Law Update has been critical of some green building trends and focused on the potential risks associated with this type of construction, there are many reasons to undertake green building projects now. Green Building … Continue Reading
In two previous posts prior to Greenbuild, Green Building Law Update focused on reasons to build green in the slumping economy. Continuing that theme, here’s another example of how green buildings help parties distinguish their projects as demand for new construction decreases: “LEED for Existing Building helps owners compete in tough market” You may know … Continue Reading
Last week, Green Building Law Update highlighted Portland’s innovative green building regulation that includes a "Feebate" system to encourage green building development. According to this OregonLive article, City Commissioner Dan Saltzman unveiled a previous version of the green building program nearly one year ago at the USGBC’s Greenbuild event in Chicago. The reception in Portland … Continue Reading
For Thanksgiving, I returned to my original home, Kansas, fully expecting to take a break from green building. Turns out, green building was waiting for me in Kansas as well. On the Saturday evening following Thanksgiving, I attended my high school reunion. Just like any other reunion, my classmates and I discussed our jobs and … Continue Reading
Continuing our discussion of topics from Greenbuild, we now move to Los Angeles’ green building regulation. We have already highlighted Portland’s innovative Feebate enforcement mechanism. Los Angeles has created a very different enforcement mechanism that, frankly, may cause problems. Under Los Angeles’ Green Building Program Standard of Sustainability, projects meeting certain size requirements must: (1) include … Continue Reading
Thanks to all of the Green Building Law Update readers that attended Rutherfoord’s symposium, “Green Building: Opportunity or Legal Quagmire.” I went to bed last night without a voice, but thankfully, the laryngitis let up and we were able to discuss green building litigation issues. If you are interested in having me speak on green building … Continue Reading
Continuing our posts from GreenBuild, our next two posts will discuss two very different green building regulatory enforcement mechanisms from two very different cities. The first city, Portland, has created a very innovative enforcement mechanism to enforce its stringent green building regulations. Portland is very similar to other cities in that they will require specific … Continue Reading
