Green Building Michael Vieira | 13 Jul 2010
What Will Drive Green in Hawaii—USA
USA…USA…USA. This chant can be the rallying cry for fans of the Olympics, the World Cup and … sustainable building.
One of the biggest factor in the future growth of the sustainable building industry in Hawaii is the federal government.
1) The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act invested more than $25 billion in sustainable buildings.
2) The Government Services Administration (GSA) requires all federal government agencies to meet sustainability goals, including increasing water and energy efficiency and diverting waste and construction materials from landfills.
3) The GSA requires that all new federal construction projects and substantial renovations must acquire LEED Silver certification.
4) The United States Department of Housing and Urban Development announced that LEED for Neighborhood Development will be applied to the evaluation process in awarding $3.25 billion in Sustainable Communities Planning grant funds.
Hawaii is beginning to realize the effects of the federal government’s investment in sustainability. At least 44 of the projects registered with the United States Green Building Council to achieve LEED certification are federal government projects.
Green Building Michael Vieira | 10 Jul 2010
Hawaii Sports 24 LEED Certified Projects as of July 2010
Last year there were 146 projects registered for LEED certification in Hawaii. Of the 146 registered projects, 14 attained LEED certification by July 2009.
Add 10 more to the list. As of July 2010, there are 24 Hawaii projects that have attained LEED certification. The list includes three platinum projects:
Hawaii Gateway Energy Center at NELHA;
Halau Ho`olako – Community Center;
Group 70 International 2nd Floor Renovation.
There are also 232 Hawaii projects registered for LEED certification.
While the number of sustainable building projects in Hawaii is growing, the figures still lag behind metropolitan areas throughout the county. For instance, Washington D.C., which has a metropolitan population comparable to Honolulu, has more than 80 LEED certified projects.
In upcoming posts we will discuss factors that will drive the expansion of sustainable building projects in Hawaii in the future.