Now more than ever, the country (and the world) is looking at ways to reduce the use of scarce natural resources.
One way many companies are doing this is by building green.
Green buildings offer companies the opportunity to conserve resources and improve air and water quality. They also offer the company economic benefits, something that is very important in these uncertain times.
“Green buildings reduce or eliminate negative environmental impacts, lower operating costs, enhance building marketability, increase worker productivity, and promote occupant health,” says Matt Jacob, Esq., an attorney at Katz Barron Squitero Faust.
Smart Business spoke with Jacob about green building, the legal implications of it and why it’s so important in today’s society.
What green building standards exist?
The foremost green development rating system was created by the United States Green Building Council and is known as the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) program. The LEED rating system is based upon the type of product being developed and the number of ‘points’ that the project obtains. The points are based on achieving certain criteria in the following categories: sustainable sites, water efficiency, energy and atmosphere, materials and resources, indoor environmental quality, and innovation and design.
The Florida Green Building Coalition (FGBC) has its own standards that take into account Florida’s climate and land characteristics, including the green home standard, the green development standard, the green high-rise standard, the green local government standard for green cities and counties, and the green commercial buildings standard.
What else is involved with green building?
Certain local governments in Florida, including Sarasota, Gainesville, Miami and Miami-Dade County, have mandated that government-funded projects be LEED certified and have developed incentive programs to support private green development in their jurisdictions, including priority permitting, expedited review and reduced permit fees. Also, recent state legislation requires all new or renovated state and local government buildings to be constructed to meet a green rating system. Further, the state building code is incorporating energy performance requirements.
