Building News, News & Information

Investing in Future, Communities Go ‘Green’

Author: Frank Juliano
Source: Connecticut Post
Date Written: 4/11/2009

When Milford’s Clean Energy Task Force releases its draft recommendations next month, among them will be the adoption of a “green building” standard, officials there said.

Such a move would make Milford only the latest among several communities to seek out more energy-efficient and less polluting construction methods. The state has also adopted criteria for environmentally friendly building methods.

“That is something that we want to get behind,” said Thomas Ivers, chairman of the Milford task force. “There are a lot of ways to go about it, but we want to encourage methods that conserve resources and protect the environment.”

Todd Renz, chairman of the Connecticut Green Building Council, said Milford would be following a strong trend.

“The Fairfield County towns are fairly progressive in this area, but if, like Milford, you are not in Fairfield County, you are ahead of the curve,” Renz said. “But towns that haven’t adopted this will be. It is the way that everyone’s thinking is going.”

State legislation already mandates the use of energy-efficient, environmentally friendly building methods for larger projects that receive state bond funds, Ivers said.

“Any new school receiving $5 million or more in state bond funds, or any addition or renovation getting more than $2.5 million from the state already have to meet these guidelines,” he said.

Kevin Maloney, research director for the Connecticut Conference of Municipalities, provided “model ordinances’ that have been considered or adopted in places such as Cook County, Ill., Portland, Ore., and Oakland, Calif. These would apply only to public buildings of 5,000 square feet or more, and would exempt historic structures.

Among the Connecticut communities that have adopted such measures are Stamford, Bloomfield, Cromwell and Madison, according to CCM data. In addition, many communities have taken initiatives to use renewable energy sources for some of their public buildings.

The Stamford: Cool and Green by 2020 program requires the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) standard for private buildings beginning in 2011, according to the city’s Web site.

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