| Seattle, 1/05/2007 – At an international symposium hosted by the Commission for Environmental Cooperation (CEC)—an organization created in a side accord to NAFTA—experts on green building presented new research today showing the potential for the building sector to dramatically reduce greenhouse gas emissions in North America.
The preliminary results of one study confirmed that the “2030 Challenge,” an aggressive set of targets adopted by American Institute of Architects and the Royal Architecture Institute of Canada that envisions all new buildings be carbon neutral by 2030, is indeed technically achievable. The authors acknowledge, however, that “significant work is required in the area of policy and program development in order to make changes actually happen.”
“Green buildings have demonstrated their environmental, health and productivity benefits throughout North America, but we need to do a better job of promoting their uptake,” explains Adrián Vázquez, executive director of the CEC. “Our approach is to involve all stakeholders, from architects, builders, real estate developers, policy experts, academia and the public, and develop concrete recommendations for decision-makers.”
Research presented at the symposium also examined how governments at all levels can influence the uptake of green building through the integrated use of building codes, zoning regulations, tax-based incentives, tax shifting, preferential treatment for green developers (such as fast-track permitting), demand-offset programs, preferred purchasing and government-supported research and development and educational programs.
Another study presented at the Seattle meeting looks at opportunities and challenges to meeting affordable housing needs, which are particularly critical in Mexico, with green building approaches.
The symposium is a key step in the CEC Secretariat’s Green Building in North America: Opportunities and Challenges report prepared for the top environmental officials in Canada, Mexico and the United States. Background papers presented by their authors today will also be discussed tomorrow at the Hotel Monaco. Registration is free.
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For more information, including access to the summaries of draft background papers presented at the international symposium, please consult our web site at www.cec.org/greenbuilding.
Media-related inquiries may be directed to Jeffrey Stoub at 514-350-4347. |
