There are pockets of innovation throughout the country that serve as leading indicators for where the market is heading. Two such locales, San Francisco and Austin, recently announced initiatives that offer us a glimpse into how municipalities are tackling environmental issues on a city-wide scale.
Earlier this month, San Francisco's Board of Supervisors addressed the mounting problem of waste management by passing an ordinance that will require residential and commercial building owners to sign up for mandatory recycling and composting services. The goal of this initiative is to increase the city's recycling rate from 70% to 90%. While other cities around the country require recycling service and participation, San Francisco is the first city to require the collection of food scraps and other compostables.
In Austin, Texas, a mandate was just passed that requires homeowners to perform an energy efficiency audit prior to putting their house on the market. While critics disapprove of this mandate because of the out-of-pocket expense for homeowners, supporters, including the Mayor of Austin, claim that the audits will increase consumer responsibility and reduce energy use. Energy audits have the potential to provide homeowners with the information they need to understand how to improve their home performance, which will inevitably result in decreased monthly bills. San Francisco and Berkeley have not only required energy audits since the 1980s, but they also require current owners to make related upgrades.
We'd like to hear about how your municipalities are addressing environmental issues. Please write to me at sara@greenbuildermag.com and share your stories with us.
Posted: 6/30/2009 12:00:00 AM by
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