Saturday, February 6, 2010

In the future, new buildings in Napa will be energy-efficient, stingy with water, will produce less greenhouse gases and provide a much healthier space to work and live.

Napa is taking a hint from the state’s new green building standards code — referred to as Calgreen and scheduled to take effect in 2011 — and is using it as a foundation to upgrade the city’s standards for construction of commercial, retail and residential buildings.

Among other changes, Calgreen calls for is a 20 percent reduction in water consumption, a 50 percent cut in waste going to landfills and requires the use of low-polluting paints, carpeting and flooring materials.

Until now, the state’s green building code has been voluntary. But on Jan. 1, 2011, the California Building Standards Commission rules will become mandatory. No other state has crafted green building code standards.

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