Schwarzenegger Calls for LEED Silver

California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger signed the Green Building Initiative in December 2004, mandating that all new and renovated state-owned facilities achieve a LEED

^® Silver or higher rating from the U.S. Green Building Council. The Initiative, part of executive order S-20-04, was made in recognition that state-owned buildings consume more than $500 million of electricity every year and that “the Energy Action Plan adopted by the state’s energy agencies places conservation and energy efficiency first in the loading order of energy resources because they are the least expensive and most environmentally protective resources.” The Green Building Initiative is part of a larger plan to reduce grid-based energy purchases for state-owned buildings 10% by 2010 and 20% by 2015.