Rachel Grossman on Friday, 22 April 2011 23:55

California Dreaming? - AB32 & LEED

On April 12th, the US Green Building Council’s Northern California Chapter hosted California Dreaming? - AB32 & Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) at the Googleplex in Mountain View.  Featured speakers included Rafael Reyes, Director of the Bay Area Climate Collaborative, and Wade Crowfoot, West Coast Political Director for the Environmental Defense Fund.

The event included a diverse discussion of items including existing policy and regulations related to global climate change and green building, current challenges associated with using a cap and trade program to address greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, zero net energy (ZNE) buildings, and energy management techniques including demand response.

Focusing on California’s Assembly Bill 32 (AB32), which aims to reduce GHG emissions to 1990 levels by 2020, and other state policies concerning green building such as CalGreen, Wade highlighted the present challenges and opportunities ahead for California as we strive to be at the forefront of GHG reduction.  With the implementation of federal policy and regulations to address GHG emissions inching forward at a snail’s pace, California continues to charge forward as the nation’s leader in sustainable development and implemenation of clean technologies.  

Shifting from policy to implementation, Reyes highlighted the current advances and trends in the green building realm, with a focus on ZNE and energy management.  Reyes highlighted the rapidly accelerating work in the space of ZNE, energy management, EVs, and demand response, and the great convergence of sustainable building and high-tech practices.