Green Building Blocks

• Sustainable Sites alleviate the impact of the landscaping and building exterior on the ecosystem and the region.
• Water Efficiency means minimal use of potable water from the municipal system.
• Energy & Atmosphere performance is optimized through integrated design, use of renewable energy sources and good energy managment practices.
• Materials & Resources employed in construction, renovation and ongoing maintenance shoud be reused, recycled, recyclable, non-toxic, locally produced and renewable.
• Indoor Environmental Quality involves the air, thermal comfort, light views and acoustics in a building.
• Process is the key to better performance in all areas. At its essence, green building is a process - an approach based on teamwork.

~ Shades of Green 2002 :: Report of the Green Building Alliance

Green Buildings: Incorporating sustainable design and construction practices through environmentally sound facility templates used in all new construction and rebuilds. These practices incorporate:

• Implementing efficient water and energy systems
• Using the least toxic building materials
• Recycling demolition debris, diverting thousands of tons of materials from landfills
• Making use of daylight whenever possible
• Managing storm water to enhance surrounding habitats
• Reducing site development area (e.g., total gross square footage) to concentrate and limit total paving and other site disturbances
• Installing over 50 acres of reflective roofing
• Publishing an Eco Toolkit reference book, providing it to KP capital project team members and more than 50 architects and design alliance partners

One of the most exciting and promising developments that is fostering sustainable design is the increasing use of the US Green Building Council's Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) rating system, which evaluates the environmental performance of buildings and sites.¹⁵ A subset of its criteria appropriate to water-sensitive design includes strategies such as minimizing parking spaces, reducing impervious surfaces, installing multiple source stormwater treatment technology such as bioretention swales,¹⁶ building green eco-roofs and rain gardens,¹⁷ and developing on-site water reuse systems.

15. LEED Green Building Rating System, Version 2.1, http://www.usgbc.org/Docs/LEEDdocs/LEED_RS_v2-1.pdf.
16. Bioinfiltration swales are berms, small dams, or depressions created by excavation placed in channels intended to filter the first half-inch of storm water runoff from impervious surfaces through a grass or vegetative root zone.
17. Rain gardens absorb stormwater from roofs, thus reducing its flow off site.

1. Housing Choice Principle: Create a range of affordable, quality housing choices
2. Vibrant, Walkable Complete Communities Principle: Foster development that creates vibrant, unique, walkable complete communities where uses like residential and commercial are mixed to create attractive places to live, work and play.
3. Smart Building Design Principle: Encourage building designs that contribute to the context of a pedestrian-oriented neighbourhood and use green building technologies
4. Renew Existing Communities Principle: Direct development away from unsettled areas and encourage growth and renewal in existing communities
5. Green Infrastructure Principle: Utilize green infrastructure to save money and protect the environment.
6. Green Space, Farmland and Ecologically Sensitive Areas Principle: Preserve and enhance green spaces, farmland and environmentall sensitive areas.
7. Broad-Scale, Integrated Planning Principle: Undertake broad-scale planning for cities and towns in adjacent regions and towns in adjacent regions and towns in a way that integrates land use and transportation planning for the entire region
8. Transportation Options Principle: Provide varied transportation options and infrastructure for walking, bicycling, car pooling, car sharing, scooters, public transit and others
9. Community Involvement Principle: Encourage effective community involvement early in the process to find unique solutions that fit with the community's vision of itself
10. Focus on Implementation Principle: Utilize planning processes, tools and incentives to facilitate private sector investment and ease of navigation in achieving smart growth solutions

~ Based on the The Ahwahnee Principles

Financial Benefits of Green Buildings
Summary of Findings (per ft2) in US dollars

Category	20-year Net Present Value
Source: Capital E Analysis
Energy Savings	$5.80
Emissions Savings	$1.20
Water Savings	$0.50
Operations and Maintenance Savings	$8.50
Productivity and Health Value	$36.90 to $55.30
Subtotal	$52.90 to $71.30
Average Extra Cost of Building Green	(-3.00 to -$5.00)
Total 20-year Net Benefit	$47.90 to $68.30

~ The Cost and Financial Benefits of Green Buildings :: A Report to California's Sustianable Building Task Force