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Washington Is a National Leader In Green Building Policy

By Rachael Jamison

Washington leads the country in green building policy. After a decade of intense work at the state and local levels, the 2005 Legislature passed a law requiring that all buildings funded by state money be constructed to green building standards. We are the first state in the country to pass legislation of this kind. It is to be fully implemented by July 1, 2008.

The new law, Chapter 39.35D RCW high-performance public buildings requires that all new buildings funded in the state’s capital construction budget be built to one of three green building standards. The standard that is used depends on the type of building being constructed.

  • Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Silver is required for all new office buildings and major renovations to existing office buildings. http://www.usgbc.org/
  • The Washington Sustainable Schools Protocol (WSSP) is the standard for all K-12 school construction projects. http://www.k12.wa.us/SchFacilities/pubdocs/FinalProtocol-March2004.pdf
  • And the Evergreen Standard, which is still under development, will be applied to publicly-funded affordable housing projects. -}

    All three standards outline the construction strategies and technologies that must be integrated into the project. The standards provide guidance on topics ranging from site selection, to waste management/on-site recycling, to the use of recycled and/or reused materials, to energy efficiency. Because the law covers such a large breadth of issues, the new green requirements will have significant impacts on Washington’s natural environment.

    Site Selection: The first step in building green has nothing to do with the building itself. Rather, it deals with mindful selection of a construction site that reduces sprawl (i.e. in-fill instead of developing rural areas), does not place the surrounding environment at risk (i.e. developing a brown or grayfield instead of undeveloped or agricultural land), and is developed only after it has been determined that there is not an existing building that can serve the desired purpose.

    Waste Management/On-Site Recycling: Depending on the type of building, the standards require the diversion of 50-90 percent of construction waste from the landfill. Current estimates are that 40-60 percent of all landfill debris comes from construction or demolition projects. In addition to sparing the environment the burden of having to absorb these materials, less wasteful building practices will save money in tipping fees and unused materials.

    Use of Recycled and/or Reused Materials: Credits in the various standards can be achieved by using recycled content materials or building materials that have been salvaged from a building that was deconstructed. This will obviously help to lessen the impacts of sourcing these products from virgin materials, such as deforestation and mining. A market for these materials is growing quickly; they can be found across Washington at Habitat for Humanity’s Re-Store’s and similar outlets. In addition to protecting the environment, these products are thought to add character to the buildings in which they are installed.

    Energy Efficiency: Buildings must incorporate features that improve energy efficiency and result in measurable energy savings over time. This includes building commissioning (making sure that the building’s energy related systems are performing correctly), the use of solar and wind power, building design that applies appropriate insulation, use of energy efficient window glazing and fixtures, and day-lighting (designing buildings to maximize natural light). The Washington Department of General Administration must report the energy savings of state funded green buildings to the Governor every two years.

    Buildings have tremendous impact on nearly every major environmental sector: from land use, to waste management, to resource use, to energy. In Washington, we already have more than 265 buildings registered through the LEED system. These buildings were built prior to the 2005 green building law, which means the number of green buildings will grow significantly as new buildings and major renovations are built to comply with the legislation. By passing a law that proactively seeks to mitigate the threats to the environment that buildings pose, Washington is leading the rest of the country by example.

    Rachael Jamison is the Green Building Coordinator at the Washington Department of Ecology. She has worked on sustainable development issues in Washington for the past ten years. For more information on the Ecology’s Green Building Program, call (360) 407-6352 or visit: http://www.ecy.wa.gov/programs/swfa/greenbuilding/


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Updated 2015/01/07 21:14:22