SACRAMENTO, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--The City of Riverside on Tuesday became the first community in California to provide incentives to builders who utilize the voluntary California Green Builder program as a way to meet the city’s “Clean and Green” requirements, the California Building Industry Association announced today. The Riverside City Council enacted an ordinance officially recognizing the program. The vote was unanimous. Riverside joins a number of other communities, including Palm Springs, Palm Desert and Cathedral City, that have recognized the California Green Builder program as a preferred green homebuilding alternative. In addition, the Imperial Irrigation District provides incentives to builders who utilize the program in its service territory in the Imperial and Coachella valleys. The California Green Builder program (CGB) was developed by CBIA’s technical and research affiliate, the Building Industry Institute, to provide a measurable, environmentally friendly, and cost-effective green building program primarily for production home builders. The program provides a number of environmental benefits: * CGB homes are 15 to 20 percent more energy-efficient than the state’s toughest-in-the nation Title 24 energy efficiency standards. * They save at least 20,000 gallons of water a year compared to a typical house. * The builders divert at least half of their construction waste from landfills, helping local jurisdictions meet their state waste diversion mandates. * Wood used in CGB homes is harvested from sustainable forest operations. * And as climate change becomes a bigger issue, a CGB home results in less than half of the carbon dioxide being produced than would be generated during the lifetime of a typical California home. Robert Rivinius, President and CEO of CBIA and the BII, said the program benefits buyers, cities and builders.
