San Francisco  appears to be leading other cities which have  adopted green building policies.  In 2004, San Francisco began requiring all municipal buildings to meet LEED Silver requirements. About a year later, the city introduced a system for fast-tracking building permits for private development projects that meet LEED Gold or Platinum standards. Then a task force with the job of expanding green building standards for major new private construction projects was implemented. Some critics have already predicted that these policies will act as a drag on the local market, but with other cities developing or expanding environmental rules, it may only be a matter of time before tough green rules become the norm in all cities.

Palo Alto's planning and transportation commission recently approved a green building ordinance. Part of the ordinance includes a checklist for new construction, which could take effect July 1. Assistant Planning Director Curtis Williams told the commission that green-building checklists now have wide acceptance among builders and developers.  After July 1, 2008, residential projects must comply with Build It Green's "GreenPoint Rated" checklist, which has at least 251 available "points" for single-family residences.

Novato, California, held its first city-sponsored forum to discuss trends in green building designs.  The Forum included a wide variety of panelists discussing various aspects of the subject, from California's mandated carbon-reduction goals to the new designs and business strategies that may help achieve such goals. According to Dave Wallace, planning manager for Novato, the city will consider a commercial green-building ordinance in the near future.

The LEED certification program has instigated a national conversation about green buildings. Several recent news stories have examined the cost of LEED certification and discussed how some colleges have decided to build green but skip costly certification. Several architects, however, believe that paying for certification can push institutions to be greener in construction and operation than they would be without certification.

Dallas City Council voted unanimously to implement numerous "green building" regulations. The policy fulfills campaign promises of several city leaders who have argued that Dallas must improve its environmental stewardship.  Effective  Oct. 1, 2009, builders of projects less than 50,000 square feet must use 15 percent less energy and 20 percent less water than current Dallas energy conservation code standards mandate.

Sacramento's recent Green California Summit and Exposition concluded that green-building standards in the US have matured and government mandates have taken hold in recent years.  The Summit concluded that building green now means little extra hassle and often no extra cost. The event was meant to help the public sector, schools and government agencies connect with commercial providers of green building materials and services. Organizers said the Summit was more than twice as large as last year with more than 5,000 attendees.

The city council recently declared that new commercial buildings in Boulder Colorado should be held to higher standards of energy efficiency as one way to help create an "energy-neutral" community.  City staffers made the suggestion at a study session on the progress being made by Boulder's Climate Action Plan, the city's master plan to reduce carbon emissions.

California recently adopted international environmental standards for its new and refurbished buildings.  These standards have been utilized by a growing number of companies hoping to capitalize on the green market. The upcoming Green Expo 2008 in Peterborough Ontario (Canada) is expecting to draw more than 3,500 attendees, including 200 national and California companies with products and services. Organizers say the list of attendees includes buyers for several hospitals, universities and prisons.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and several partners are organizing the second Lifecycle Building Challenge. The competition seeks designs that facilitate building material adaptation and reuse, minimize waste, and reduction of greenhouse gas emissions. Ideas generated by the challenge will help jumpstart the building industry into diverting more of the 100 million tons of building-related construction and demolition debris sent each year to landfills in the United States, according to an EPA press release.