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Sustainability Strategic Plan for the City of University City, Missouri <br />September 12, 2011/ REVISED JANUARY 8, 2012 <br />Page 33 <br /> <br />Green Buildings <br />Committee Members Lois Sechrist, Chris Gordon <br />The process of designing, developing, and inhabiting the built environment has a profound influence on a community’s <br />economy, environment and quality of life. In the United States, buildings account for approximately 40% of the total energy <br />consumption and carbon dioxide emissions; 13% of water use; and 160 million tons per year of construction and demolition <br />debris. <br />Sustainable design for the built environment challenges local officials, planners, developers and architects to examine the <br />connections between their buildings, the environment, and their communities. The goal is to integrate local ecology into <br />design and construction, and improve operations and maintenance practices. 1 <br /> <br />Refer to the US Green Building Council website for detailed information on green building practices, “Why Build Green” and <br />green building rating systems. 2 <br /> <br />Local governments control and shape the built environment with a regulatory system that includes codes and ordinances. <br />Communities trying to encourage sustainable design may find that their existing regulatory system presents barriers to <br />developers wanting to use sustainable design and green building technologies and techniques. <br />The International Code Council (ICC), American Institute of Architects (AIA), American Society for Testing and Materials <br />International (ASTM), International, American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE), US <br />Green Building Council (USGBC), and the Illuminating Engineering Society of North America (IES) have announced the <br />launch of the International Green Construction Code (IGCC), which will provide the building industry with language that <br />both broadens and strengthens building codes in a way that will accelerate the construction of high performance green <br />buildings. <br />Cross Reference: Air Quality/ Transportation; Energy; Water/ Stormwater sections of the Strategic Plan <br />1. Municipal <br /> Goals Actions <br />1 Provide incentives and <br />motivators to promote <br />sustainable building <br />a Consider requiring a green rating system such as LEED for new construction and <br />major renovation projects in buildings owned and operated by University City