In recent decades, the consensus around climate change science has grown to reflect a need to reduce man-made carbon emissions for the sake of universal environmental protection in the long-term. Schemes for making the necessary carbon-emission reductions have been implemented at the local, state, federal, and international levels to some success, but more can be done. Review these green building resources to find out what your municipality can do to bring carbon-reducing, green-initiatives to your community and the doorstep of City Hall.

• A rundown of the possibilities for local governments to engage in green building initiatives can be found in Tom Dietsche’s article “Green Building Goes Local”
• ICMA’s IQ Report “Green Building” highlights the economic, environmental, and community health benefits of green building—the design and construction of ecologically friendly living and working environments.
• Review Alachua County, Florida’s award-winning “Green Infrastructure Investment Program” to see what a fleshed out green infrastructure development plan entails.
• Check out “Arlington County Building Green Brochure” for an example of publications designed to promote your green building initiatives to your community and beyond.
• Learn about the new “staple of true green building” in this article about Charlottesville Virginia’s CitySpace development.

As you look forward to development that will be made in your community, be sure to consider the green building alternatives that you can employ to make a beneficial impact on your community and the whole environment. You can review more green building resources on the Environment, Smart Growth and Sustainability topic pages. Share your thoughts and stories of your community’s green building initiatives in the comments section below this post.

Aloha,

James Davidson

James Davidson is an intern for ICMA’s Knowledge Network. You can reach him for questions and comments at jdavidson@icma.org.