August 6, 2007 — The National Association of Counties (NACo) has adopted a resolution supporting the American Institute of Architects (AIA) SustAIAnability 2030 Challenge that calls for public buildings to be carbon-neutral by 2030.
AIA said that US buildings account for nearly the same amount of carbon emissions as the economies of Japan, France and the United Kingdom combined, and if designed in an energy-efficient manner they can significantly reduce energy consumption, energy costs and greenhouse gas emissions, and slow the effects of climate change.
Paul Mendelsohn, AIA vice president, government and community elations, said that the momentum for more eco-friendly building design is continuing to gain steam and NACo has been a strong supporter of environmental initiatives, including the creation of the Green Government Advisory Board and other programmatic actions.
NACo Commissioner Shannon Staub said it was important that the counties, like the US Conference of Mayors, show their support for the initiative.
NACo said it also supports federal efforts to promote green buildings and stressed the importance of determining life cycle costs of all buildings.
For more information, visit the NACoWeb site.
