GSA Daily Staff Report
Published July 22, 2010

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Region 4 has released a toolkit for local governments to use to promote sustainable design and green-building practices.

The Sustainable Design and Green Building Toolkit for Local Governments provides a resource for communities to evaluate the impact local codes and ordinances have on green design, construction, renovation, operation and maintenance of buildings, as well as on site selection.

The toolkit contains an assessment tool, a resource guide, and an action plan for implementing changes to the permitting process. The assessment tool is designed for local governments to review their permitting process and identify barriers or resistance to sustainable design practices.

The resource guide contains links to existing organizations and documents that will help communities learn more about each category in the assessment tool. Additionally, the resource guide provides users with information that can aid in making codes and ordinances more compatible or supportive of sustainable design and green building. If green tools or techniques are not permitted or encouraged, this information can help local governments implement changes to allow these techniques.

The action plan section will help communities develop their own tailored approach for implementing the necessary regulatory and permitting changes to allow for more sustainable design and green building practices.

The toolkit was developed collaboratively by the Agency’s Regional Resource Conservation and Recovery Act Division and Water Protection Division and Pollution Prevention Office, with support from the EPA Green Building and Smart Growth Programs, the Office of Solid Waste and Emergency Response’s Innovations Workgroup, and many external partners.

It can be downloaded at www.epa.gov/region4/recycle/green-building-toolkit.pdf.