Both Los Angeles and San Francisco's cities' mayors have proposed new green building standards. San Francisco's plan is much more stringent, but Los Angeles's plan would cover twice as much space. The following article from the LA Times argues that San Francisco's plan is stricter "by a long shot"; however, Los Angeles' plan would remove more carbon dioxide from the atmosphere.

San Leandro California is developing a municipal green building ordinance. The city has recently been rolling out a list of "green" initiatives meant to reduce its carbon footprint, from passing a resolution to cut greenhouse gas emissions to evaluating the energy use of all city buildings. Planning staff are developing the ordinance and have been presenting it to Planning Commission and Board of Zoning Adjustments members. The matter will come before the City Council at its May 5 meeting.

Vestar Development Co. has launched a program called GreenStar, with the goal to achieve LEED certification for the company's new retail projects. Although the USGBC has not approved a LEED program for retail projects, Vestar is involved in development and testing of LEED guidelines currently in the pilot stage. Adoption of those guidelines is expected in early 2009.

South Bend, Indiana signed the U.S. Conference of Mayors' Climate Protection Agreement, adding South Bend to the ranks of "Cool Cities" seeking to reduce causes of global warming. The agreement includes more than 500 communities that have pledged to proactively address climate control issues.

The following post outlines several benefits of becoming a 'green' property owner in today's housing market. Highlights include:

• While the rest of the housing market is in trouble, green properties are rising in value.
• Customers are willing to pay more for to live in a green building
• Appealing to a niche market of customers who want to live in a sustainable home
• Tax credits