CALGreen Resources

California has become the first state in the nation to adopt a statewide Green Building Code, known as CALGreen. It is composed of several parts. The basic CALGreen code, which is mandatory, must be adopted by all local jurisdictions prior to January 1, 2011. Optional portions for adoption include Tier 1 and Tier 2; these each include a series of measures that go beyond the basic CALGreen code, also referred to as ‘reach codes’.

Many people have been asking for some time now, for a comparative analysis of the new CALGreen code and LEED and GreenPoint Rated.

In response to these requests, there have been several collaborations that Build It Green has been involved with recently relative to CALGreen, comparisons and recommendations to local jurisdictions. 

The two collaboratives are:

1. BACC – Bay Area Climate Collaborative. BACC was founded by the mayors of San Jose, Oakland and San Francisco to create regional consistency for climate action. Build It Green has been involved in documents produced for green building. BACC recently put together a letter of recommendations to assist local jurisdictions in adopting green building ordinances now that CALGreen is here.
   • The links below will take you to the documents that compare GreenPoint Rated with both the mandatory measures and the optional tier comparison of CALGreen. The purpose of these documents are to allow users a quick reference between the two well-recognized rating systems’ green building credits and CALGreen measure descriptions.
     • BACC Recommendations
     • GreenPoint Rated CALGreen Mandatory Comparison
     • GreenPoint Rated CALGreen Tier Comparison
2. GBCEC- Green Building Code Education Collaborative. This collaborative between AIA CC (AIA California Council), USGBC-NCC, SF Dept of the Environment, StopWaste, Build It Green and Simon and Associates produced two comparative matrixes – one for non-residential and one for residential. They compare CALGreen measures to GreenPoint Rated and LEED.
   • This collaborative met with the state agencies that created and published the new code, CBSC (California Building Standards Commission) & HCD (California Department of Housing and Community Development), to discuss potential clarifications of the CALGreen Tiers 1 and 2 relative to the established 3rd party programs of LEED (USGBC) and GreenPoint Rated (Build It Green). The links below compare the provisions of CALGreen (Commercial) with LEED BD+C, and a second matrix that compares CALGreen (residential) with Build it Green and LEED for Homes.
     • GBCEC Letter
     • CALGreen Non-Residential Comparison to LEED for Building Design & Construction 2009
     • CALGreen Low-Rise Residential Comparison to GreenPoint Rated & LEED for Homes

Also, related to and based on the above analyses, is the recent letter that Build It Green sent out to its Public Agency Council members, with recommendations for code adoption by local jurisdictions. Click here

Build It Green and the other members of the collaborative applaud the CBSC, HCD and the State of California for creating CALGreen. We fully support the basic code and look forward to its ability to raise the bar further for green building in our state.

Any new building code is a living document, with ongoing cycle changes. We know that there are areas that will need further clarification. We anticipate working with the related state agencies on a continuous update process, and will provide ongoing reporting. 

Please feel free to contact our Government Relations Director or GreenPoint Rated Project Manager to answer any questions or assist you further. 510-590-3360.