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San Francisco Adopts Green Building Standards |
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San Francisco Becomes First City in the Country to Adopt Green Building Standards
City wins $300,000 in grants from Green Communities™ to begin implementation of new standards to integrate green principles into design and construction of all new affordable housing developments.
Standing on the unfinished roof of the Plaza Apartments, amidst a checkered pattern of energy-producing solar panels, Mayor Gavin Newsom announced that San Francisco will apply environmentally sustainable development principles to all the City’s new affordable housing developments. With this announcement, San Francisco becomes the first city in the country to adopt green construction standards for housing targeted to low-income residents.
Created by The Enterprise Foundation, in collaboration with environmental and sustainability experts including the National Resources Defense Council and GlobalGreen USA, the nationwide Green Communities initiative will grant $300,000 to six local non-profit housing developers to design the first six affordable housing developments to be built to this new, green standard in San Francisco. The grants will provide 600 units of healthy, sustainable housing for low-income and homeless families, seniors, and individuals. The Enterprise Foundation will also offer up to $60 million in discounted financing for San Francisco projects participating in the Green Communities Initiative.
Mayor Newsom emphasized the importance of safe building materials saying, “Children in low-income neighborhoods often suffer from childhood diseases like asthma or lead-poisoning that are exacerbated by unhealthy housing. By signing up to be the country’s first citywide Green Community, we’ll prove that it is possible to build affordable housing and to build it green.” The Mayor continued, “I’m proud to be the first Mayor to announce this smart partnership between builders, environmentalists, the affordable housing community and our City’s low-income residents.”
Enterprise commends Mayor Gavin Newsom and the City of San Francisco for joining us to launch the first city Green Communities collaborative and raise the bar for building affordable housing,” said Bart Harvey, chairman of Enterprise. “Working together, Enterprise and San Francisco will prove that green building can be cost-effective while ensuring healthier homes are available to low-income families and protecting the environment.”
Matt Petersen, President and CEO of Global Green USA that will provide technical assistance to San Francisco’s participating affordable housing developers said, “Global Green USA is pleased to join the City of San Francisco and the Enterprise Foundation to launch the nation’s first City Green Communities partnership. By integrating green building products and technologies like solar into these projects, we are creating healthier homes for families in need and protecting the environment.”
Historically, environmentally sound building materials and design features have been considered too costly, especially by nonprofit housing developers who know that their residents cannot pay for such amenities. Green Communities is intended to increase demand for and familiarity with green building materials, reducing costs over the long-term. Many of the newly standards adopted by the City, like reducing energy and water usage, promoting long-term durability, and minimizing construction waste through use of recycled materials – reduce operating and capital costs, increasing overall affordability.
Healthier indoor air quality is one of green housing’s major selling points. One in ten California and Bay Area kids has asthma and in many Bay Area communities, that number is one in five. As asthma is triggered by residential exposure to mold, mildew and vermin, healthier indoor air quality can help reduce asthma attacks and visits to the emergency room.
To create a workable standard, the initiative is asking its local partners to test and implement these criteria, and then track results over time.
Only the replicable, best practices will be promoted to the entire industry. Green Communities is a 5-year, $555 million national initiative to build more than 8,500 homes using green “criteria” that will promote health, conserve energy and natural resources and enhance access to jobs, schools, and services.
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