Model Green Building Ordinance Allows Municipalities to Enact Energy-Efficient Building Policies

Model Green Building Ordinance Allows Municipalities to Enact Energy-Efficient Building Policies

 

Public Affairs, 212-854-2650
 
New York, Oct. 14, 2010—A Model Green Building Ordinance was released Thursday by the Center for Climate Change Law at Columbia Law School for use by municipalities looking to promote the construction and design of new buildings that make efficient use of energy, water and materials.
 
The model ordinance, a result of over a year of work and consultations with dozens of stakeholders, is designed to be readily adopted by local jurisdictions.
 
“With 40 percent of all energy consumed in the U.S. used by buildings, it is clear that a large part of the effort to mitigate the impact of climate change will have to come from efficiency gains in the built environment, particularly through the use of green construction, design and operating practices,” said Michael Gerrard, Director of the Center for Climate Change Law and Andrew Sabin Professor of Professional Practice.
 
Current municipal green building ordinances vary widely in content, coverage, and quality of drafting. Many smaller localities cannot devote sufficient resources to form a fully developed green building ordinance. To this end, the model ordinance compiles the best aspects of green building ordinances nationwide, and is structured to avoid the legal pitfalls encountered by some municipal ordinances.
 
The ordinance is designed for New York State municipalities, but with minor revisions can be readily adopted in other states, if not around the world, Gerrard said.
 
“Our vision is for municipal governing bodies to see this model ordinance as a valuable resource,” he added.

 

The model ordinance, together with extensive commentary, legal analysis, and other supporting documentation, is available for download at the Center for Climate Change Law’s website, http://www.columbiaclimatelaw.com.

 
 
Columbia Law School, founded in 1858, stands at the forefront of legal education and of the law in a global society. Columbia Law School joins its traditional strengths in international and comparative law, constitutional law, administrative law, business law and human rights law with pioneering work in the areas of intellectual property, digital technology, sexuality and gender, criminal, national security, and environmental law.