As of September 2007, over 110 municipalities nationwide have implemented green building programs. City bureaucracies are often easier to penetrate than state governments. Green building programs can complement existing municipal efforts to promote smart growth, develop brownfields, or curb global warming.
Municipal
Boston
In the summer of 2003 Mayor Menino convened the Green Building Task Force and charged it with establishing recommendations to foster green building and establish Boston as a leader in the field. The culmination of their efforts is the Green Building Task Force Report. With the release of the report Mayor Menino announced that the City of Boston will:
* Establish the LEED Silver rating as the goal for all City-owned building projects.
* Amend Article 80 of the Boston Zoning Code to require that all large projects built in Boston are LEED certifiable.
These are just two of the highlighted requirements presented within the Green Building Task Force Report.
The Green Roundtable, as an integral part of the task force and hub of green building activity in Boston, has been recommended to provide technical assistance to development projects in Boston.
Cambridge
GRT provided support to the City and Department of Public works to develop green building standards for all of their buildings, for both renovation and new construction. We facilitated a process with all stakeholders in the City to arrive at an action plan to address necessary changes in all systems of city finance, decision-making, purchasing, contracting and executing work.
Community Outreach Program (COP)
Based on the work GRT has been doing in the City of Boston, the COP provides support to cities and towns around Massachusetts to initiate green building and development programs. GRT identifies "legacy" bodies (such as a Permanent Building Committee) and uses live projects as a vehicle to educate citizens and influence policy so that sustainable development becomes the standard approach.