Virginia Gov. Tim Kaine on Wednesday imposed the strictest environmental regulations to date on all state agencies.
“We have a responsibility to set an example to the rest of the state,” said Gordon Hickey, the governor’s spokesman.
The executive order requires that all government buildings be environmentally friendly, bans the purchase of plastic water bottles and requires recycled paper in state offices. Additionally, agencies will have to give their employees free transit passes while charging them for parking.
A major component of the directive requires all new and renovated government buildings to reach the second-level Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design standard. Green buildings cost “a little bit more,” said Gina Baker, director of sustainable design at the Burt Hill architecture firm in Washington, but she said it was difficult to put a dollar amount on the expense.
Ashley Katz, communications manager of the U.S. Green Building Council, said the extra cost for an energy-efficient office building average “only 1 to 2 percent of the overall budget” but the building would pay itself off, even bringing in an average 20 percent return on investment.
The buildings will not strain the already strapped state budget since construction projects are financed using long-term bonds, Hickey said.
He emphasized that the long-term environmental and economical benefits of reducing Virginia’s carbon footprint far outweighed the “expense up front.”
Kaine’s first executive order in April 2007 set the goal of reducing nonrenewable energy by at least 20 percent by 2010. The new directive demands a 25 percent reduction by 2012, which Hickey said would save the state $60 million annually.
Kaine hopes to encourage state agencies to become more environmentally savvy through the “Green Commonwealth Challenge.” The competition, which runs from June 15 through Nov. 15, creates incentives for government agencies to implement programs that reduce energy such as holding video conferences instead of traveling to meetings.
