Stimulus Funds = Green Funds

President Obama’s stimulus plan that targets $5.5 billion for green building projects is welcomed news for all Americans -- today and tomorrow.

President Obama’s latest stimulus plan has targeted $5.5 billion for green building projects and another $300 million to invest in fuel-efficient vehicles. This is welcomed news for our sustainable/green-building industry. It’s also good news for all Americans. These dollars will not only create needed jobs, but will begin to reduce the damage to the environment from unhealthy buildings and vehicle pollution.

Specifically, the stimulus calls for $4.5 billion to convert federal buildings to high-performance green buildings, $750 million to renovate and construct federal buildings and courthouses, and $300 million to renovate and construct land ports of entry.

What does this mean for you and me? It means a superior workplace that is healthier for a million federal employees across the US. The federal government is taking the lead in incorporating the principles of sustainable design and energy efficiency into all of its building projects.

The private sector should pay close attention.

The goal is to require that all new federal construction projects and substantial renovations must be certified through the U.S. Green Building Council's Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Green Building Rating System.

Projects will exceed basic LEED green building certification, by achieving the LEED Silver level. LEED is a set of nationally-recognized requirements for certifying that a project is indeed green.

These funds will also send a clear message that President Obama means to walk the green talk.

So what does this mean for you? As a consumer it means green is not just a nice idea. It’s real. And more and more, it will become a part of your everyday life. It also means that each of us must become students in learning how we can each participate in this process in our homes and businesses.

The educators of this green transition will be the local designers and builders. Each of us in the building trades is no longer just a designer, a builder, or a product provider. We now are sustainability consultants, energy-efficiency contractors and green building product providers.

It’s incumbent upon each of us “in-the-know” to know everything we can about how our companies can best provide consumers with cost-effective green products and services. It’s not going to be business as usual.

The stimulus package represents an enormous opportunity to ramp up the building business. New jobs will be the result today. Even better, we’ll clean up our world and reduce energy costs – leaving a better home for our children tomorrow.

The details about funding mechanisms, such as tax credits, rebates, and low-interest loans, are now becoming apparent. I’ll update these developments in the next EcoWall blog.