In practical terms, green building includes:

• Using sun & wind to the building's advantage for natural heating, cooling, & daylighting
• Landscaping with native plants & using water efficiently
• Building quality, durable structures
• Insulating well & ventilating appropriately
• Incorporating salvaged, recycled, & sustainably harvested materials
• Maintaining healthy indoor air quality with appropriate building techniques & materials
• Using energy-efficient & water-saving appliances & fixtures
• Reducing & recycling construction waste

Learn More about Green Building

Ask An Expert is a free hotline providing customized responses to a variety of green building questions.

• Serves the general public, building professionals, local governments, & building suppliers in the 9-county bay area
• Provides trusted, unbiased, quality green building info
• Staffed by Build It Green

Submit a Green Building Question online (click on box above) or call 1-888-40-GREEN.

Build it Green - www.builditgreen.org

• Continuing education & networking for public agencies, non-profits, & building professionals
• Listing of certified green architects & building contractors
• Materials Database: extensive listing of green products, materials, & technologies available in the Bay Area.
• Fact sheets, referrals, case studies, events listings, green building links, & in-depth info on green building materials & strategies
• Green Home Tours, workshops, & presentations

Build Green Now - www.buildgreennow.org

• Green building resources for the general public, design & building professionals, & public agencies
• Green Building Guidelines for renovations & new construction that have been adopted by or serve as the basis for many green building programs in the San Francisco Bay Area

Sonoma County Waste Management Agency - www.recyclenow.org

• Recycling & waste management resources for residents and businesses
• Case studies of green buildings in Sonoma County
• Green building resource links

United States Green Building Council (USGBC) - www.usgbc.org

• Extensive collection of green building resources: market research, publications, presentations, & links to additional resources
• LEED® Rating System info: case studies, training, certification, workshops

Flex Your Power www.fypower.org

• Energy efficiency & conservation info for California residents, business, industry, local governments, schools, & agriculture
• Incentives/rebates, technical assistance, retailers, product guides, case studies & more

Energy Star www.energystar.gov

• Info on energy efficient buildings, appliances & equipment
• ENERGY STAR appliances & building strategies often qualify for rebates

DOE Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy Building Technologies Program - www.eere.energy.gov/buildings

• Support for R&D activities to improve the energy efficiency of buildings
• Tools, guidelines, training, & access to technical & financial resources

Water Wiser - www.waterwiser.org

• News, info, research results, discussion forums, references, calendar of events, & searchable databases
• Targeted to water conservation professionals, but freely accessible to the general public
• Links to Water Saver Home (www.h2ouse.net), a virtual encyclopedia of water saving tips for indoor & outdoor uses

EPA Water Efficiency Program - www.epa.gov/owm/water-efficiency

• Extensive info & resources on how to use water more efficiently
• Applicable to all water users from homeowners to governments

EPA Indoor Air Quality www.epa.gov/iaq

• Extensive info & resources on indoor air quality
• IAQ INFO: hotline to help locate the appropriate info, 800-438-4318

Health House - www.healthhouse.org

• For Consumers: info on IAQ concerns & tip sheets to help identify & reduce pollutants in the home
• For Builders: guidelines & Registered House Builder training for building homes with better IAQ

Whole Building Design Guide - www.wbdg.org

• The WBDG is a web-based portal providing government and industry practitioners with one-stop access to up-to-date information on a wide range of building-related guidance, criteria and technology from a 'whole buildings' perspective.

BuildingGreen.com - www.buildinggreen.com

• An independent company committed to providing accurate, unbiased, and timely information designed to help building-industry professionals and policy makers improve the environmental performance, and reduce the adverse impacts, of buildings.

Green Building Ordinance Development

• The City of Rohnert Park Building Official, Peter Bruck, completed his Master's work at Sonoma State University documenting one method for developing a green building ordinance. This document is provided as informational only and is not intended to reflect City policy.

Green Building Ordinance Development