MINNESOTA'S "NEXT GENERATION ENERGY ACT OF
2007" FEATURES
GREEN GLOBES™ SYSTEM
Through its Next
Generation Energy Act of 2007, Minnesota
has recognized the growing demand for
energy as well as the state’s
role in providing for increased energy-efficiency,
the development and use of renewable
energy resources and the creation of
effective energy forecasting, planning
and education.
Among its many directives, the new policy sets a state goal of
certifying 100 commercial buildings to the Green Globes or US Green Building
Council's LEED® standard by December 31, 2010, and mandates utilities to
include in their conservation improvement plans programs that facilitate
professional engineering verification to qualify buildings as Green
Globes-certified, Energy Star-labeled, or LEED-certified.
"We applaud the state of Minnesota for taking a leadership
role in making our country, states and cities more sustainable," said GBI
president Ward Hubbell. "This policy is inclusive of all major green
building rating systems in the US and sets an example that we hope more states
will follow with their own sustainability initiatives."
Minnesota joins Arkansas, Connecticut, Hawaii, Maryland,
Pennsylvania and Wisconsin as states which have formally recognized Green
Globes in green building legislation or regulation.
For more information about the Green Globes environmental
assessment and rating system, or the GBI, visit www.thegbi.org.
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