The California Building and Standards Commission has adopted the nation's first statewide "green" building code. The code will require builders to include energy efficiency and water conservation elements in every project well beyond current building standards.

Under the new code, builders will be required to reduce the energy use of their structures by 15 percent more than today's standards. It also aims for a 50 percent reduction in landscape water use. The code will be updated after 2010 to keep up with changing technology, a policy endorsed by the Washington-based U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC). "As building codes evolve, it's also important to ensure that individual builders and communities are free to reach for even higher levels of performance," said USGBC President, CEO and Founding Chair Rick Fedrizzi in a statement. He went on to praise the specification in the code that it does not "preempt local authorities from continuing to lead by example."

More information on the code changes is available at http://www.bsc.ca.gov/prpsd_stds/default.htm.