Green is the new Black

I attended the forum on Green Building sponsored by the Nashville Civic and Design Center, with Michelle Moore of the USGBC doing much of the presentation. The forum was in relation to the Briley/Jameson/Cole/Adkins legislation which will require that metro facilities above 5,000 sq ft to obtain Silver LEED certification. David Briley was there, along with Mike Jameson, Dave Pelton, Richard Exton, Karl Dean, Peter Westerholm, and Brady Banks (could've been others, but I didn't see them); as well as blogger and radio host extraordinaire, Freddie O'Connell.

The presentation was interesting, though much of it went over my head. I'm still learning about environmental issues, especially sustainable development. I learned that there are four levels of LEED certification, and that the extra-costs of development are dependent on the type of certification. According to the USGBC, Silver certification (which is what the proposed ordinance would require) adds on average 2% to the cost of construction. Platinum, which is the highest level, adds roughly 7%, and the bare minimum, certified, adds about .66%.

Of course, starting from scratch in terms of green building, it will probably cost more initially, but as construction companies adjust to the new standards, the added costs will begin to decline. Studies conducted by the USGBC, show that when municipalities begin to adopt LEED standards, the private sector in that area are soon to follow.

Michelle Moore, Vice President of Community and Communications, frequently cited Chicago as a great example of what a city can accomplish. According to Moore, LEED certification has now become a selling point for businesses in the Chicago area, largely due to the work of Mayor Daley who in 2004 announced that all public buildings would become LEED certified.

Overall the presentation was informative, though during the question and answer period there wasn't enough focus on the proposed ordinance and how it will effect Nashville. Considering though that the Briley initiative will only require Silver LEED certification, with an average added cost of only about 2%, there doesn't seem to be a good reason for the city not to do it, especially because energy costs are only going to increase in the future, and the energy savings associated with green buildings save the city money over the long run.

In addition to this public forum, the Nashville Civic Design Center will be holding another one, focusing more on the implementation of the proposed ordinance, Thursday Mar. 15th, 5:30-7:30PM.