Earth Equity News

San Francisco's Mayor Signs Nation's Most Stringent Green Building Codes. By Wyatt Buchanan, SFChron, August 6, 2008. "San Francisco took a major step Monday to cement its reputation as the most environmentally progressive city in the United States, as Mayor Gavin Newsom signed into law stringent green building codes for new construction and renovations of existing structures in the city. The new codes focus on water and energy conservation, recycling and reduction of carbon emissions. They apply to most buildings in the city, including residential projects of all sizes, new commercial buildings over a certain size, and renovations of large commercial spaces... The city's Office of Economic Analysis estimated that the new codes would cost the city between $30 million and $700 million a year in economic output, as it could lead to higher rents and businesses choosing to locate elsewhere. Newsom called that report inaccurate and predicted the new regulations would actually attract businesses to the city."