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By Peter Lord
The Providence Journal

When the General Assembly passed and Governor Carcieri signed into law this year legislation mandating green building standards for public buildings in Rhode Island, the measure had some of the broadest support any bill could engender.

Because of an executive order by Carcieri, the state has already constructed several "green" buildings, including a new residence hall at Rhode Island College, an environmental science building on the University of Rhode Island's Kingston campus and a new library at URI's Graduate School of Oceanography.

The new law broadens the executive order and makes it applicable to more buildings. It also applies to public school buildings that receive any state financing.

Along with the Green Building Council, the legislation was endorsed by the Rhode Island Chapter of the American Institute of Architects and by the Environment Council of Rhode Island.

"We are no longer in an era when environmentally friendly design is a luxury," DiPalma said in a statement. "Not only are green building materials and systems more affordable and available than they used to be, but environmentally responsible design pays off in lower costs for energy, water and more over the life of a building. Building green is good for the health of our environment, the public and the bottom line. It's time we made it the standard."

The new law applies to new construction of buildings larger than 5,000 square feet and renovation of spaces larger than 10,000 square feet.

It will apply to buildings entering the design phase after Jan. 1.

The law requires conformance with standards, such as the Northeast Collaborative for High-Performance Schools Protocol.

The standards are designed to make the buildings more energy and water efficient, improve indoor air quality and make a better use of resources in building materials.

According to the American Institute of Architects, buildings use about half the country's energy and produce about half of its greenhouse gas emissions. They also use about three quarters of the country's electricity. Following such standards will result in dramatic reductions in energy use.

Connie McGreavy, founder and head of the local Green Building Council, points out that while the legislation applies to new buildings, it has implications that extend much further.

"Rhode Island's stock of existing buildings, including historic buildings, is vast and in need of building improvements to improve energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions," says McGreavy. "The legislation helps build awareness of a trend that is knocking on our doorstep for all buildings, not just ones funded with state money. Same for schools, public and private."

The law requires the state's Department of Administration to publish an annual report documenting the operational savings resulting from utilizing the standards. It also creates an advisory committee of industry experts to make recommendations for education and training and to evaluate implementation of the law.

Find out more about the launch of the new NE-CHPS 2.0 Protocol here.