At the December 18, 2007 City Council meeting the City adopted a Green Building Program.
Buildings account for one-sixth of the world's fresh water withdrawals, one-quarter of its wood harvest, and two-fifths of its material and energy flows (Roodman and Lenssen, 1995). Building “green" is an opportunity to use our resources efficiently while creating healthier buildings that improve human health, build a better environment, and provide cost savings. Learn more about Green Building Basics.
Links to Green Building Web sites:
US Green Building Council has many wonderful resources.
LEED: Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design
The LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) Green Building Rating System® is a voluntary, consensus-based national standard for developing high-performance, sustainable buildings. Members of the U.S. Green Building Council representing all segments of the building industry developed LEED and continue to contribute to its evolution.
U.S. Department of Energy - The Sustainable Building Technical Manual may be downloaded from this site.
City of Irvine Green Building Program - Since 2005, the Irvine Green Building Program has been providing resources to residents and businesses who want to develop sustainable buildings. By applying waste reduction, water conservation and energy efficiency principles to businesses and homes, our economy, environment and quality of life can be tremendously improved. The Irvine Green Building program comprises three different segments: Green Home Building, Commercial Green Building and Apartment Green Building.
California Sustainability Alliance - The California Sustainability Alliance (the Alliance) is designed to help meet the State’s aggressive energy, climate and other resource and environmental goals by increasing and accelerating energy efficiency in combination with complementary green measures and strategies.
The Ecology Center is a nonprofit organization that aims to serve as Orange County's premier eco-educational learning center and is driven to inspire and educate people across Southern California communities in the areas of environmental sustainability and stewardship. By providing hands-on activities, quarterly exhibits, on-site demonstrations and informational seminars promoting practical and ecologically sound solutions for the household and community.
The Ecology Center is located at South Coast Farms in the suburb of San Juan Capistrano and seeks to create a healthy and thriving environment where clean air, water and power are economically, ecologically and elegantly enjoyed.
Helpful Websites:
www.edf.org