Go green or pay
In April, the Los Angeles City Council approved the Green Building Retrofit Ordinance, which calls for retrofitting all city-owned buildings larger than 7,500 square feet or built before 1978 to achieve LEED Silver-level certification. The ordinance complements a green jobs training program that will connect underserved communities to careers in the new green economy. Derek Walker, director of the Environmental Defense Fund’s California Climate Initiative, told the Los Angeles Times that, “[The Green Building Retrofit Ordinance] will put people to work in green jobs, generate revenue for local businesses, save L.A. taxpayers up to $6 million in energy costs and cut global warming pollution.” The ordinance sets a goal of starting 100 retrofits annually, with priority given to projects with high community impact.
