DEVELOPING GREEN SUSTAINABLE CITIES

Local Economic Development Opportunities Promotion And Implementation Of Green Buildings

Green building practices within a community can generate new economic development opportunities. These opportunities can take a variety of forms, including new business development to meet the demand for green products and services; resource efficiency improvement programs that enable existing businesses to lower operating costs; development of environmentally oriented business districts; and job training related to new green businesses and products.

In Austin, Texas, the long-term existence of the city’s Green Builder Program has contributed to the growth of green building trades, including, companies to meet the demand for rainwater-harvesting systems and services. The city had also begun working with a non-profit organization to offer at-risk youths an opportunity to learn job skills while they build affordable green homes. On a national level, the EPA cites the potential creation of over 200,000 jobs through aggressive implementation of its Green Lights retrofit program.

In other communities, entrepreneurs have developed businesses to recycle usable building components. In Baltimore, Maryland, one non-profit company redistributes over $1 million worth of building supplies a year. These materials, diverted from landfills and received as donations from construction-related businesses, are provided to non-profit organizations and low-income clients at about one third of their retail price. A Berkeley, California, for-profit business has salvaged furniture, household goods, office equipment, and building materials for resale for over a decade. These materials are retrieved from the waste stream or donated by local residents, businesses, and construction sites. The company handles about 5,000 tons of material each year.

In Denver, Colorado, plans are underway to reuse Stapleton International Airport as a center for environmentally oriented businesses, as well as a site for training opportunities in environmental fields. San Jose, California, through its Green Industry Program, has created two Green Industry Districts, which will provide incentives such as loans and tax benefits to attract more recycled-product manufacturers and green industries. And in Portland, Oregon, the city’s Businesses for an Environmentally Sustainable Tomorrow (BEST) program uses incentives and education to encourage businesses to realize the economic benefits of energy efficiency, water conservation, waste reduction or recycling, and efficient transportation practices.

Local governments facing rising building and operational costs may find that adoption of green building practices can slash public expenditures for energy, water, and waste processing. In Montgomery County, Maryland, for example, carefully crafted Energy Design Guidelines aim to reduce energy consumption in new government buildings by 40 to 50 percent, without increases in initial construction costs. These savings can help to balance budgets and offset budgetary cuts in critical areas such as education and public safety.

These examples are only a snapshot of the growing appeal of sustainable development. Local governments and businesses across the country are starting to find that green business practices, as well as the use of green building products, can result in short- and longterm economic and environmental advantages for their communities and the wider global marketplace.