By Jim LaRue
Housing is one of the principal contributors to environmental impact in our region. If we can create a code that both inspires and informs us of ways to more effectively address our housing needs, our entire region will be the better for it.
In May 2002, a Green Building Appendix to the City of Cleveland Residential Code (pdf 234 KB) was created. It was an attempt to encourage homeowners, architects, builders, and developers to incorporate “sustainable” thinking in their projects.
Unfortunately, with all the other issues requiring the city’s attention, it was not adopted.
[Editor's note: To be fair, the city of Cleveland is at least conversing about green building codes. Green codes should be the goal of every city in Northeast Ohio. We'll explore a regional strategy to improve the lot of codes here.]
The good news is that, in the last few years, a number of residential building projects have been permitted and completed in the city incorporating extensive use of green building strategies. Their success begs for another attempt to put green building codes on the agenda.
The International Residential Code (IRC) for One-and Two-Family Dwellings has begun to incorporate many of the measures that are at the heart of making structures green. This is the code jurisdiction that has shaped most of the Ohio Residential Code (though the state often uses years old versions of the code).
All cities in Ohio that have code enforcing entities as part of their governance structure must observe the Ohio Residential Code for One-and Two-Family Dwellings, but they can also add measures which are not in conflict with the code that is currently being observed by the State (e.g., if our region would like to raise our standards for energy savings, we can do so; the town homes in Cleveland’s Ecovillage heat and cool for one third the cost of conventional homes. If we multiply those savings by every new home built in our bioregion, we can have a dramatic effect on energy requirements).
The time may be right to create a green building or sustainable code that will remain on the cutting edge of this kind of building in the future. Instead of being an appendix, it needs to be a basic building code document that incorporates the IRC and state appropriate content.
The International Residential Code helps create a common playing field for all players in the housing game, but this code must always be adapted to the conditions set by the climate in a given bioregion. A green building/sustainable code can provide this.
In his compelling book, Collapse: How Societies Choose To Fail or Succeed, Jared Diamond contends that how societies choose to relate to their environment has everything to do with whether they fail or succeed. He further contends that because of globalization, what we decide to do will have an effect on others in other bioregions, other states, other countries, other continents. Developing a green building code for our bioregion can be a significant way for us to choose to play our part in the eventual success of our society.
Resources
- Lakewood's green building policy
- Shaker's 'high performance' code
- With regard to product assessment, organizations such as the ICC Evaluation Service, Inc. can help achieve local approval of alternative methods and materials.
- David Eisenberg, Development Center for Appropriate Technology
