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Title:	Arizona Mandates LEED-Silver
Source:	The Arizona Republic
Date:	April 6, 2005

Napolitano Issues Order Requiring State Buildings Meet LEED-Silver Standard.

Governor Janet Napolitano has issued an executive order requiring new state-funded buildings to achieve certain goals for renewable and efficient energy and to meet the silver LEED standard.   While there are short-term fiscal constraints to raising the environmental bar for new schools, the Governor's Office is working with the Arizona School Facilities Board to resolve them.   Only one other state, California, has set such ambitious goals for state buildings. Washington is poised to do so at the gold level.

Going green makes sense for Arizona. Water is short. Air-conditioning costs are high. Houses, stores and entire communities are going up at a head-spinning pace.  To protect our quality of life, we have every interest in promoting construction that's easy on the environment.

"You don't have to break your budget to do this," observes Scottsdale Mayor Mary Manross.  LEED ratings are based on certain minimum requirements plus a checklist of options. The list includes such steps as using recycled materials, daylight, renewable energy sources and water-efficient landscaping.  The green features can raise construction costs by up to 2 percent. But those expenses will be recouped in one to five years. After that, there are savings year after year from reduced operating and maintenance costs.  Economics favor the environment. The hitch is that the payoff occurs over the long run.

In most projects, the developer isn't the ultimate tenant, so the costs get separated from the benefits.  Many developers hesitate to spend more on construction because they worry that buyers or tenants won't be willing to pay more upfront for long-term savings.  Valley Forward Association, a public-interest business group, is playing a critical role in getting the word out. It recently sponsored a forum on green building.

Arizona's future will be a lot brighter if we use resources wisely. With the rising costs of raw materials, for instance, we can expect energy costs to climb. The drought, which is not over despite a wet winter, highlights the importance of using water carefully.

To view the Executive Order, click here.