California Adopts Statewide Green Building Codes
February 7th, 2010
Landfall, NC custom home builder Mark Johnson Custom Homes would like to share with our readers an article written by Stephani L. Miller of Custom Home Magazine regarding mandatory green building code for residential, commercial, and public projects in the state of California.
Why does this matter to our readers on the East Coast? It’s because a lot of our building codes related to energy efficiency follow that of Western states that have experienced the Energy Crises in the past. Items like occupancy sensors which are mandatory in California will likely be mandatory for us someday soon.
The California Building Standards Commission has unanimously voted to adopt the nation’s first mandatory green building code for residential, commercial, and public projects.
The California Green Building Standards Code (CALGreen), which will go into effect Jan. 1, 2011, provides guidance on the implementation of energy efficient and environmentally responsible building methods and aims to reduce the water consumption of all new buildings in the state by 20 percent, divert 50 percent of construction waste from landfills, and improve the overall indoor environmental quality of all buildings. According to the California Air Resources Board (CARB), the mandatory codes will reduce the state’s greenhouse gas emissions by 3 million metric tons in 2020. It also will help the state achieve its goal of 33 percent renewable energy by 2020 as well as help mitigate global climate change. More stringent voluntary provisions also are part of CALGreen, which the state’s government hopes communities will pursue.
Mandatory residential construction measures under CALGreen address nearly every aspect of the process, from site selection and development, reuse of pre-existing structures, energy efficiency, and indoor and outdoor water use to materials conservation, resource efficiency, and indoor environmental quality and comfort.
Courtesy of: CustomHomeOnline.com
Turtle Lovers, Gill-Netters Head Toward Showdown
February 7th, 2010
Wilmington, NC remodeler Mark Johnson Custom Homes would like to share an article written by Gareth McGrath of StarNewsOnline.com regarding protecting sea turtles in our area.
A traditional way of fishing in North Carolina’s extensive inland and near-shore waters is under threat because of its impacts on an already endangered species.
The N.C. Division of Marine Fisheries has proposed a temporary closure of large-mesh gill net fishing from May 15 through Dec. 15 for most areas south of Orgeon Inlet – including the Cape Fear River south of Snow’s Cut – as it struggles to balance the popular and economically important fishing practice with federal rules protecting sea turtles.
The National Marine Fisheries Service has called the growing number of interactions between sea turtles and fishermen in the state’s inshore waters “excessive and unacceptable,” and the Karen Beasley Sea Turtle Rescue and Rehabilitation Center in Topsail Beach could soon move the matter into federal court.
“We haven’t seen or heard anything that meets or addresses our needs and concerns,” said Executive Director Jean Beasley, adding that the filing of a suit could be imminent.
Gill nets, used up and down the coast in a number of fisheries, are stretched from the water bottom to the surface. They are effective fishing tools in the state’s extensive estuaries and sounds.
But the nets, which are often left out overnight, catch everything that swims into them – and that includes sea turtles. The animal’s head or flippers can get caught in the net, and the air-breathing turtles eventually drown.
That has incensed environmentalists, who consider the nets among the biggest controllable threats to sea turtles. They also note that North Carolina and Mississippi are the last states still allowing the fishing practice. To read the complete article, click here!
Courtesy of: StarNewsOnline.com
