Daley continues to burnish Chicago's green rep. Will this translate into anything substantial? No telling, way to early in the process to make any claims. Still, every little bit helps. There are less splashy things that the Mayor's Office could do to reduce the Chicago carbon footprint, but these acts probably wouldn't get national media attention. For instance, as Dean Armstrong noted a while ago, switching street lights could make a huge impact. Anyway, from the PR hacks at City Hall, we read, in part:
Taking another step towards making Chicago the nation's "most environmentally friendly city", Mayor Richard M. Daley today announced initiatives to encourage the city's home builders and owners to use energy efficient technologies, materials and construction methods.Expedited permits? I'd like to see that in action.
[snip]
The Green Homes program is for builders and developers who are constructing new residential units in the Chicago or renovating existing units.
It gives points to builders for every sustainable technique and material used in the construction of a new home or residential building.
Upon review and approval by the Chicago Department of Environment, a Chicago Green Homes Certificate will be issued with a 1-, 2-, or 3-star rating depending on the number of points attained.
Projects submitted to the program may qualify for the Chicago Department of Buildings expedited green permit process. Participants also will be granted the use of the Chicago Green Homes logo, and their projects will be recognized on the city’s website.
[Click to read more of City of Chicago - Green Homes Initiative]
