GREEN BUILDING

Salt Lake Mayor Adds Another Chapter to his Enviro Legacy

By Headwaters News, 11-02-05

It’s been said that the same eco-socially responsible policies and behaviors of Salt Lake City Mayor Rocky Anderson that get him into trouble at home, also win him attention and praise around the world and country. Earlier this year, his commitment to cut government greenhouse gas emissions secured his invitation to speak at a global warming summit in London. Anderson also teamed with Robert Redford for an environmental congress in July that taught local government leaders what they can do to slow global warming. And he’s headed back to London in December (if he can raise the private funds to get there) because Salt Lake City is one of three finalists for a World Leadership Award for its environmental initiatives.

And now, as reported in the Salt Lake Tribune, he’s proposed that building projects larger than 10,000 square feet of occupied space that seek funding from Salt Lake City must be designed to be energy and water efficient and use green construction materials. The proposed guidelines would make the building Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED)-certified.

According to its Web site, The LEED Green Building Rating System® is a voluntary, consensus-based national standard for developing high-performance, sustainable buildings and is a project of the U.S. Green Building Council.

And that fits with Anderson’s philosophy of "practical environmentalism," as he calls it, which entails taking steps, like this one, to preserve the environment for the future while enhancing the economy and quality of life today. Sure, the contractors might have to spend a little more initially, but buildings like these often save money in operation and maintenance costs and sometimes even on construction.

As quoted in the Tribune: "We want better buildings. LEED means we get better buildings," said Lisa Romney, Anderson's environmental adviser.

It’s clear that they mayor is thinking green, but what remains to be seen is if he’s thinking big.

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