Traditionally, codes have focused on building safety and fire prevention. Through federal legislation, codes have also addressed environmental protection in the areas of air quality, water quality and habitat protection for threatened and endangered species. As a result, many local and state governments have adopted rigorous standards for energy efficiency, stormwater management and erosion control, and protection of shoreline, wetlands and critical areas such as steep slopes.

The International Code Council and Development Center for Appropriate Technologies are launching new initiatives to incorporate green building principles into the future development of codes and standards. The International Code Council Board of Directors issued a policy on Green Building to emphasize its commitment to social responsibility and expand the boundaries of public safety to include principles of sustainability.

The American Society of Heating Refrigeration Air Conditioning Engineers, Illuminating Engineering Society of North America and US Green Building Council co-sponsored the of ASHRAE Standard 189, “Standard for the Design of High-Performance Green Buildings Except Low-Rise Residential Buildings.” This standard scheduled for completion in 2007 will provide minimum requirements for the design of green buildings and uses LEED as a framework. Standard 189P is intended to provide a baseline that will drive green building into mainstream building practices.

Regulatory changes cannot be made without support from elected officials. The changes have a significant impact on staff time and resources, and require a public process to gather input from industry stakeholders. These actions will be most successful when there is a broad constituency of support from elected officials, industry groups and professional, environmental organizations and citizens.