[SEMCO] CIRenew sponsors presentation on New Green Building Code: Waquoit Bay Reserve- Monday, 6 pm

[Muller, Joan (DCR)]

Code Green: Introducing the 'Stretch' Building Code for New Construction
& Renovations

 

June 22 Forum Sponsored by Cape & Islands Renewable Energy Collaborative
(CIRenew)

 

Media Contact: Megan Amsler, Cape & Islands Self-Reliance, 508.563.6633

 

At a June 22 forum, Ian Finlayson of the Massachusetts Executive Office
of Energy and Environmental Affairs will preview the new "stretch"
building code as an option for promoting highly efficient construction
in communities on Cape Cod, Martha's Vineyard, and Nantucket. The forum,
free and open to the public, will run from 6 to 8 pm at Waquoit Bay
Reserve in East Falmouth. 

 

The Massachusetts Green Communities Act of 2008 increases energy
efficiency in many ways, including through a requirement that the state
implement the International Energy Conservation Code (IECC) as a
component of its base building code and through an incentive program
that encourages towns to adopt even greener standards. To assist towns
seeking designation as a "Green Community" under the Act, the
Massachusetts Board of Building Regulations and Standards recently
promulgated an optional "stretch" building code that can be implemented
at the local level. 

 

At the CIRenew forum, Mr. Finlayson will introduce the new code as an
option for conserving energy, reducing emissions, and encouraging green
growth at the local and regional levels. He will describe the code's
development process, its benefits, and its potential impacts on the
construction and life-cycle costs of buildings. Time will be available
for questions and answers from the audience. Municipal officials and
building inspectors, builders and architects, energy committee
representatives, clean energy businesses, and interested citizens are
encouraged to attend.  

 

The Commonwealth adopted the "stretch" code in May 2009 as an optional
appendix (Appendix 120.AA) to the Massachusetts Building Code 780 CMR.
In communities electing to implement the stretch code, new homes and
residential buildings would need to be at least 30% more efficient than
those meeting the state's current building code (based on IECC 2006) and
at least 15% more efficient than the IECC 2009 requirements to be
incorporated in the state code in 2010. Many residential renovation
projects and new commercial buildings also would be subject to the
stretch code requirements. 

 

Mr. Finlayson is senior climate policy analyst for the Massachusetts
Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs. He supports the
Commonwealth's clean energy agenda by developing policies and programs
for climate mitigation. In addition to the "stretch" building code,
recent projects include the state's greenhouse gas inventory and future
emissions projections and the Commonwealth Solar Program. Previously, as
the "Leading by Example" program manager, he led the state's internal
energy initiatives in clean transportation, energy efficiency, and solar
and wind power. Prior experience includes integration of green building
practices into neighborhood revitalization efforts, research on the
economics of climate change, work on sustainable fisheries, and
consulting in Afghanistan for Save the Children and the UN World Food
Program. He holds a Masters degree in City Planning from Massachusetts
Institute of Technology and a Bachelors degree in Economics and
Philosophy from Edinburgh University. 

 

CIRenew is a nonprofit collaborative of organizations, businesses,
agencies, and individuals promoting a sustainable energy future. Visit 
www.cirenew.org <http://www.cirenew.org/>  for more information. 

 

 Joan Muller

Education Coordinator

Waquoit Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve

Box 3092, Waquoit, MA

508-457-0495 x107

 

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