This month we mark 5 years from the adoption of the city’s green building program in January of 2003.  At the time the city adopted the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) rating system of the US Green Building Council, the construction industry locally was barely aware of the impact that building green was to have in our area.  As a catalyst to spur market transformation, Dallas chose to lead by example and be the first city in this region to adopt the building standard for its own new facilities over 10,000 square feet.  The City of Dallas continued its leadership by helping to found the North Texas Chapter of the US Green Building Council, through staff participation and in-kind program sponsorships.  This visionary thinking and innovative attitude has helped promote green building through education and community involvement, and has been key to the wider attention and adoption that green building has obtained locally.  There are over 150 buildings registered with the US Green Building Council in the Dallas/Fort Worth metro area, with over 40 within the City of Dallas.  Dallas is leading the effort with over 20 of the city’s projects either certified or seeking LEED certification.

The goal of green building is to create high-performance buildings through energy efficiency, water conservation, use of recycled and recyclable materials, reduction in the transportation of materials, improved indoor air quality and other sustainable strategies.  The City’s program began with the design and construction of the Jack Evans Police Headquarters’ project.  The building design focused on passive strategies such as higher wall insulation values, reflective roof material and occupancy sensors.  The building’s reduction in energy consumption was estimated at approximately $246,000 in annual savings.   To date, we have built 4 fire stations, 1 police sub-station, 5 libraries, 2 service centers, the homeless assistance center and the animal shelter to green building standards, and there are more to come…

For a city known better for its shopping “big box” stores, atrium hotels and extravagant lifestyle, Dallas has come a long way.  We joke about the competition that looms among Texas cities and we are proud to say that Dallas adopted a green building program before Houston, and that we are keeping up with Austin to surpass their reputation as the green city of Texas. Green building is one of several environmental initiatives that the City of Dallas has begun and implemented in the past 5 years.  The City has also joined the US Green Building Council, Seattle and over 20 partners including US cities and counties, non-profit organizations, state and federal agencies and utilities who collaborated to produce the first phase of a Playbook for Green Buildings + Neighborhoods to help mayors and county leaders who have accepted the challenge set out in the US Conference of Mayors Climate Protection Agreement.  Launched in November 1, 2007, the Playbook details strategic actions that build support and assure steady progress toward developing and implementing local climate action plans.  The Playbook is a web-based resource that can be accessed through www.greenplaybook.org

Dallas is now ready to expand its green building program citywide.  A green building task force has been established to develop a green building policy, program and standards for private development in Dallas.  Local stakeholders in the fields of sustainable design, real estate development, finance and construction have been invited to advise on the development of new regulations and programs to support the construction of green residential and commercial buildings in the City of Dallas.

The Task Force follows the successful adoption by the City Council of a resolution on October 24, 2007, authorizing the City Manager to solicit input from the building industry and to come back by March 12, 2008 with recommendations for “the components of the green building program, including the standards for green construction in Dallas, educational programs for the building industry, and a realistic implementation schedule that is based upon building industry input, allowing for a smooth transition to green building practices.”  The Dallas City Council has outlined its commitment to a policy calling for all new buildings constructed in Dallas to meet green standards.  

As stated by City Manager Mary Suhm in the first annual report on the metropolitan environment:  “Using an eclectic mix of actions, technological improvements, policies and educational outreach, the City of Dallas is boldly committing itself to a future in which a strong environmental ethic fosters both a healthy urban lifestyle and an economy unhampered by preventable environmental impacts.”   These are exciting times in Dallas and every one of us has a role in the making of our future.  We exhort you to be part of the change and to preserve and enhance our environment through your everyday activities. 

Zaida Basora, AIA, LEED AP is an Assistant Director with Public Works for the City of Dallas, in addition to serving as a Director for the USGBC North Texas Chapter. For additional information regarding this article, please contact Zaida at zaida.basora@dallascityhall.com. All comments are the sole responsibility of the writer.

This article was originally posted 2/12/08.