Currents

An Energy Newsletter for Local Governments

California Government Commits to Green Building

California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger signed an executive order in mid-December that commits the state to following a Green Building Action Plan with two goals: to reduce electricity purchased from the grid by existing government and private commercial buildings by 20 percent by 2015 through energy efficiency and distributed generation; and to retrofit, build, and operate public buildings that are highly efficient in terms of energy use and resource consumption. To help meet those goals, the executive order requires state-run entities to purchase Energy Star equipment; seek out leases in Energy Star-rated buildings; and design, construct, and operate all new and renovated state-owned and state-funded facilities to meet the Silver LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certification from the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC).

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