Code Green: Napa gives its own name to CALGreen standards

From North Bay Biz magazine
March 2011

Napa gives its own name to CALGreen standards

By Barry Dugan

California may have adopted the nation’s first-ever statewide Green Building Standards Code, but city leaders in Napa decided on a more accurate description for their local version of sustainable building standards. Nearly seven months before the CALGreen Code went into effect in January 2011, the city of Napa adopted its own building standards that require energy efficiencies, improvements in indoor air quality and reductions in water and materials use. Not only did it get the jump on the state-mandated efficiency standards, but it came up with a different name.

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State of Green Business 2009

In the second annual State of Green Business report, Joel Makower and the editors of GreenBiz.com answer the question: How are U.S. businesses doing in their quest to be more environmentally responsible?

Read the report online or Download the report for free from GreenBiz.com.

Gasser Goes Green: Conservation features and solar panels installed

Gasser Goes Green
Conservation features and solar panels installed

By KEVIN COURTNEY
Register Staff Writer

Gasser Foundation is not only talking the energy conservation talk, it’s walking the walk. The foundation has retrofitted its 12-year-old office building on Soscol Avenue with $1.6 million worth of conservation features, including a vast array of solar panels.

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Napa City Council makes history

Adopts city’s first mandatory high performance building ordinance

On December 2, 2008 the Napa City Council voted unanimously to adopt a high performance building ordinance requiring large nonresidential projects to be built to a LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) Silver standard. This is the first in a series of steps as the City of Napa establishes a complete framework for high performance building.

Sustainable Napa County (SNC) applauds the members of the Napa City Council and City of Napa staff for their leadership on this issue and for taking a significant step to ensure future environmental, economic, and social health and vitality for the community.

SNC also deeply appreciates the many community members who attended the meeting and provided eloquent, persuasive and powerful comments in support of the Council’s leadership and Sustainable Napa County’s position to adopt a LEED Silver building standard.  Members of the Napa City Council commented on the inspiration they drew from seeing their community moved to action by passion and careful consideration of an important issue. The evening was indeed inspirational and illustrated the results of what is possible when we get informed and get involved.

Napa Valley Register, December 4, 2008: Napa council OK's tough green building rules

North Bay Business Journal, December 3, 2008: Napa council picks higher green-building standard

View SNC’s presentation on High Performance Building

SNC High Performance Building background and position statement