The Ten Places to Watch in 2010 campaign, launched by the Building Codes Assistant Project (BCAP), recognizes U.S. states and localities that demonstrate a real commitment to energy-efficient buildings.
Cities and states can demonstrate their commitment to energy-efficient buildings – and gain recognition from BCAP – by adopting recent versions of the International Energy Conservation Code and ASHRAE Standard 90.1, delivering compliance training, running enforcement programs, or promoting above-code innovation.
So far, nine of the 10 localities have been selected:
- Austin, TX
- Georgia
- Idaho
- Kansas
- Massachusetts
- New Hampshire
- New York City
- Rifle, CO
- Santa Fe, NM
Of the locations selected so far, Austin, New York City, and Santa Fe have very creative approaches to building code programs, BCAP reports. For example, New York City’s 200-person Green Codes Task Force advises the city on future changes to municipal codes that will shrink the city’s carbon footprint and improve public and environmental health.
In Austin, the Green Building Program – run by local utility Austin Energy – is one of the nation’s first and most successful such programs for commercial construction.
Not to be outdone, Santa Fe is in the second year of implementing its Sustainable Santa Fe Plan, which addresses greenhouse-gas inventory (which estimates the levels of greenhouse-gas emissions in the city and provides baseline data for tracking reduction efforts) and reduction, green building codes, renewable energy, water conservation, solid waste reduction, and education on sustainability.
As the year advances, BCAP will track these 10 locations, highlight their successes, encourage dialogue with interested outside organizations, and share their best practices and lessons learned with other places throughout the country. Learn more by visiting www.bcap-ocean.org/tenplaces.
