Mayor Richard M. Daley announced the City of Chicago’s Green Building Agenda today in welcoming remarks to the Greening the Heartland conference at the Palmer House Hilton Hotel.

The conference, hosted by the City, attracted more than 600 participants from throughout the Midwest. It includes presentations and exhibits of green development strategies and successes from Chicago and other cities.

In June 2004, Daley announced that all new City of Chicago construction projects would meet green building guidelines. At that time he set the goal of creating a Green Building Agenda to lay out a strategy to implement the guidelines citywide.

"I want Chicago to be a shining example of how a major urban area can live in harmony with its environment - and I want our city to be an advocate for green practices in city planning, construction, energy use and day-to-day management of government and the private sector," said Mayor Daley. "And that’s why the City of Chicago is hosting this conference, in cooperation with the U.S. Green Building Council."

The Green Building Agenda sets forth the City of Chicago’s goals and proposed actions in the following areas:

• Leading by Example
  By constructing to highly efficient standards, buildings can reduce operating costs by 20 to 50 percent. These operating costs represent 90 percent of the costs associated with a building over its entire life.

• Greening the Municipal Code
  A significant first step in this process was the 2002 implementation of the Chicago Energy Conservation Code, which established minimum energy conservation standards for new and renovated buildings.

• Creating Standards and Tools
  To encourage the use of green building practices in residences, the City will develop a residential green building standard. This standard will guide the design, construction and renovation of City-owned and City-funded housing.

• Developing Policies and Incentives
  The City has adopted a policy that encourages and, in some cases, requires green roofs and adherence to green building standards in developments undergoing Department of Planning and Development review. In addition to outlining goals for City construction projects, the agenda also sets forth strategies to further create incentives for the private sector to construct green buildings, as well as other programs that the city will pursue to educate and recognize Chicago’s construction industry.

• Providing Education
  The Chicago Center for Green Technology offers tours, workshops and other opportunities for people to learn about green building. Educational workshops on topics of general interest, such as solar, electricity, native landscaping, and green roofs, are offered to the general public. Seminars designed specifically for industry professionals are available as well.

• Recognizing Excellence
  One recognition program introduced in 2004 was Mayor Daley’s GreenWorks Awards, a bi-annual awards program created to recognize outstanding green buildings in Chicago. Awards are given in three categories: residential projects, non-residential projects and green building design proposals completed by college or university students.

  So far, Chicago has achieved LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certification for several libraries and a police station. A dozen more City buildings are awaiting approval. The Mayor also has created a Green Building Award program to recognize excellence in the private sector.

  To showcase new methods of energy conservation, the City financed the restoration of four model bungalows with geo-thermal heating and cooling; insulation made from blue jeans and shredded newspapers; and innovative ways of re-using rain water. In their first year, these homes saved over $700 in utility costs.

  The City also hosted a competition to design five affordable green residences, which were then built and sold for about $150,000 each. These models influenced the construction of subsidized affordable housing, including replacement residences for the public housing high-rises we’ve torn down. The City will track the costs and benefits of its own green building efforts and share them with the private sector, along with a set of best-practice guidelines.

  The City intends to review the building code and remove any barriers to green building. One incentive for the private sector to construct green buildings will possibly be an expedited permit process for green buildings.