Global Warming is one of the most serious threats facing our country and our planet today. Scientists agree that global warming is real and caused by human activities and many say we have only 10 years to take action before we cause irreversible harm.
 Fortunately, there are many things we can each do to respond: use less energy, drive greener cars, green our homes, and demand that corporate leaders and our elected officials act today.
The Green Energy Council Builders Initiative reflects the need for both the Federal and state legislatures to act responsibly toward the development community. Green Energy Council Builder and Developer members have taken a pledge to incorporate green building practices and sustainable design to all new development and redevelopment projects as long as it does not become a mandate and create additional regulatory fees thus making new homes and revitalization projects only more unaffordable to workforce families.
GEC members realize that 40% of the world’s resource and energy use is linked to the construction and maintenance of buildings. By reducing our energy consumption at home and at work, by building green buildings that are more energy efficient, we can begin to make a difference.
Government needs to eradicate the multiplicity in the Federal and state regulatory bodies that induce overwhelming costs to development projects in this nation. Currently the costs incurred by overregulation in Federal and state policies costs on the average of about $60,000 per new single family home in this state. If a new home were built to sustainable building practices than the additional costs incurred can be supplemented by deregulation in other areas.
Future demand for energy will only increase and capacity will have to expand to meet it. And unlike the alternative energy fad that followed the 1970's gas crisis, global warming is too pervasive to be ignored and too dangerous to go out of style.
A mandate for renewable energy production has now become politically acceptable with both Republicans and Democrats.  This bipartisan initiative needs to be controlled. New regulatory bodies cannot be established to create new green codes separate from the existing building codes. This accomplishes nothing but more overregulation. Builders and developers need to be provided with toolboxes to go “green”. Government grants should be established to provide new “green” developers incentives to build with sustainable building practices. Educational forums should be funded to train employees and tradesmen.
The GEC is committed to be a voice of reason to legislators. The GEC promotes green building practices but they must be affordable to every workforce family, every company and make sense for the development community to incorporate them into every new home built in America and every redevelopment project. |
