PROGRESSIVE POLICY & RESEARCH: 300-level

SESSION 38

DATE // START TIME // ROOM NUMBER:

Thursday, September 30, 2010 – 2:00pm – Metro 2C

ABSTRACT:

Origins and goals of the NYC Green Codes Task Force, ASHRAE 189.1, the International Green Construction Code, and CALGREEN.

MODERATOR:

Laurie Kerr, Senior Policy Advisor, Office of Long-term Planning & Sustainability, New York City Mayor’s Office

SPEAKERS:

Russell Unger, Executive Director, Urban Green Council
Mark MacCracken, President, CALMAC
Allan Bilka, Senior Staff Architect, International Code Council
David Walls, Executive Director, California Building Standards Commission

DESCRIPTION:

The first quarter of 2010 heralded a reshaping of building codes. In January, California issued its Green Building Standards Code (CALGREEN), followed by ASHRAE’s release of 189.1 Standard for the Design of High Performance, Green Buildings. The NYC Green Codes Task Force issued its report at the beginning of February with 111 recommendations to green New York City’s construction codes. The next month the International Codes Council introduced its model green code. Not since energy codes were first introduced in the 1970s has the building industry undergone such an intense period of code activity.

These efforts reflect the market demand for green building and LEED, and the recognition by policy makers that the building sector provides among the most cost-effective options for reducing carbon emissions.

This session will explore the origins and goals of the NYC Green Codes Task Force (Russell Unger), ASHRAE 189.1 (Mark MacCracken), the International Green Construction Code (Allan Bilka), and CALGREEN (David Walls). Presenters will provide an inside perspective on the development process, how the codes differ, the makeup of the committees, and offer insights on future direction.

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PROGRESSIVE POLICY & RESEARCH: 300-level

SESSION 22

DATE // START TIME // ROOM NUMBER:

Thursday, September 30, 2010 – 9:00am – Altman Gallery

ABSTRACT:

A discussion of different carbon reduction strategies being pursued by New York, other American cities, and the federal government, and how closer coordination between these entities can significantly shrink our carbon footprint.

SPEAKERS:

Laurie Kerr, Senior Policy Advisor, NYC Mayor’s Office of Long-Term Planning and Sustainability
Cliff Majersik, Executive Director, Institute for Market Transformation

DESCRIPTION:

Many cities have set or would like to set citywide carbon reduction goals, but they lack clear strategic direction.  Since they are unable to estimate the carbon impact of the building-related policies that they are pursuing, it is difficult to know where to begin, how to set priorities, or how to track progress.  A lack of such analytical tools means that they may have thoughtful individual strategies, but no overarching plan that could connect the smaller pieces and create a compelling narrative.  Understanding the scale of impacts from particular code strategies would make the critical difference between traveling by instinct or having a map, and would help policy-makers prioritize which measures are most worth pursuing and which measures are ultimately most worth fighting for.

The first major steps in mitigating climate change are doable now at the scale of a city as large as New York, and they will not just clean our air, but will create jobs and save money.  Necessary ingredients include:

• A clear analytical foundation
• A mix of strategies that includes a focus on existing buildings
• A requirement that the strategies be sustainable – economically beneficial and environmentally sound
• Knowing the impact of these strategies
• Political will

In developing PlaNYC, there was a careful analysis showing that providing cleaner, more reliable power, embarking on cost-effective efficiency efforts, and improving transportation could lead to a 30% citywide carbon emission reduction by 2030.  Now, three-and-a-half years after the publication of PlaNYC, the city’s efforts are very much underway, and appear to be on target.

Laurie Kerr, Senior Policy Advisor in the Mayor’s Office of Long-Term Planning and Sustainability, will explain how New York City’s strategies fit together to reach the City’s 30% carbon reduction goal.  She will take the audience through policies already in place like the Greener, Greater Buildings Plan, potential future policies such as the passage of Green Codes Task Force proposals, and additional contributions including the repowering of cleaner power plants and other strategies that will collectively shrink the city’s carbon footprint.

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