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Planning Commission September 22, 2010 Page 2 Why We Have CalGreen But, the move to green building standards took away that certainty, with many different cities like Pleasanton developing their own green building standards, creating a hodge podge of different "green" requirements, often with dubious scientific and technical basis. The California Green Building Standards (CalGreen) Code seeks to bring uniformity and rationality back to building standards, including green building standards. By allowing higher local green standards (Tier 1 [higher] and Tier 2 [highest] levels). CalGreen still allows communities which wish to emphasize green building and sustainability to do so within a coherent set of optional green regulations that have been vetted by the same professionals who develop the Title 24 building standards. Why We Have Points Based Systems Pleasanton's higher level of green building requirements was rationally based using LEED standard ratings for commercial buildings, and Build It Green standards for residential construction. The key to both LEEDS and Build It Green is a smorgasbord of means to comply. Essentially, there is a list of categories (energy, community, indoor air, health /quality, resources, and water) and each category has a list of optional means of compliance, with an assigned point value for each option. The project applicant can select from within the options to achieve the required number of points in each category, and the required total green points. Both LEEDS and Build It Green were designed to be voluntary additions to the minimum requirements of the Building Code. Advantages and Disadvantages of Points Based Systems So, the advantage of the LEEDS /Build It Green approach is flexibility in choosing the means to reach the standard in direct contrast to the advantage of a Building Code which is having one coherent set of rules. A disadvantage of the LEEDS /Build It Green approach is that selecting the right combination of points requires substantial expertise in the chosen green system, and creates a burdensome bureaucratic approval process, overwhelming small builders with process and adding substantial time and cost for even the big builders, but at least it generates jobs for green building consultants. Points Based Systems Use Building Code as their Baseline A rising level of green standards in the CalGreen Building Code squeezes the potential for optional excellence (by individual builders, or individual cities), by holding everyone to a higher standard of green building excellence. CalGreen attempts to harmonize that urge for excellence by defining Tier 1(higher) and Tier 2 (highest) levels of green building above the basic (now higher) green standards which will be henceforth required for all new construction, The Problem with Keeping Both Systems The Staff Recommendation is to adopt CalGreen Tier 1, but then adds a point and category system like the LEEDS /Build It Green approach to get a few increments above the Tier 1 level. It's a point like system with a series of categories in which the applicant has to select a specified number of green building options from each category.