Green Building Regulations: Extending Mandates to the Residential Sector

Abstract

As global warming has garnered significant attention in recent years, sustainability and green campaigns throughout the nation have become more common. Efforts to mitigate the human footprint have led to important developments in sustainable building design and construction. Although much attention is paid to other industry sectors such as transportation, buildings are a major source of greenhouse gases. Green buildings are more efficient and employ a variety of both construction techniques and renewable materials that result in less environmental harm and increased energy efficiency. Municipalities have encouraged large-scale green building projects through mandates or tax incentives. However, the residential sector in most municipalities remains free from these mandates and incentives. This Note argues that the residential sector should be subject to green building mandates.