Green Building, Required By Law

San Francisco Could Impose Energy Efficiency Standards On Private Buildings If it's a West Coast-East Coast grudge match, we say: Bring It On! Following Boston's lead, San Francisco is considering imposing green building requirements on not only publicly funded building projects, but commercial and private developments as well. The law would go beyond even Boston's example, reclaiming a bit of eco-glory for the Golden State, which has a history of leading the nation on environmental issues. Green building has clear benefits for the building owner, who saves on energy bills indefinitely, though when the developer and the owner are different entities, there are few incentives for the developer to build green. San Francisco, like Boston before it, would take away the disincentive for green building's higher costs on the development side. Buildings account for a sizable chunk of the nation's greenhouse gas emissions, and with a new, low-carbon economy looming, building smart now is a simple, wise choice.