Times Editorial : Sticker crazy
Posted on Tuesday, July 22, 2008
Last week, John McCain proposed a $ 5, 000 tax credit to Americans willing to purchase a zero carbon emission car. On Sunday, former Vice President Al Gore (you know, the guy who won the presidency but, well, never mind... ) was on "Meet the Press "to discuss all his ideas for saving the planet. Maybe it's just us, but we can recall a time when most readers / viewers could have cared less about such things. Today, observers can't seem to get enough. What changed ?
Nationally, a combination of things, from rising gas prices to overwhelming evidence that global warming was more than mere theory, and was, in fact, man-made, has propelled the discussion of the greening of America.
Locally, however, we're proud to write that cities like Fayetteville and conscientious local residents have been pounding away at this issue for years. As a result, Fayetteville finds itself at the forefront of energy conservation efforts in Arkansas.
The latest example may be the efforts by city government to encourage builders to maximize energy efficiency.
Huh ?
Mayor Dan Coody decided several months ago that the city needed to encourage construction of more energy-efficient buildings. About that time a committee including builders, developers, local utility representatives and citizens came together with the goal of providing recommendations on subjects from energy code upgrades to energyefficient construction.
At a July 8 City Council agenda session, committee member Jeff Beaver proposed, among other things, that aldermen sign off on a proposed energy rating system that recognizes energy-efficient building practices. If they wished, builders could fill out a scorecard that documents what features help make a new house energy efficient, such as solar panels, LED lights, etc. A government-issued score label would then be placed on a new home's electrical panel, and potential buyers could use that information in their buying decisions.
John Coleman, the city's sustainability coordinator, says the practice would be new for Fayetteville, but that it's not controversial among builders. "Yeah, we want [builders ] to support it. They were a big part of the discussion. Obviously we don't want to do something that requires a lot of extra cost on their part. We just want to provide a mechanism."
Coleman says the stickers would be provided through the permit application process. "The way it works is they will come in and get their anticipated score in the very beginning, and the city inspector will go through the checklist and see if these things have been incorporated. "Coleman also said the Arkansas Energy Office has interest in seeing projects like this one work, and if so, if they can be duplicated across the state. As proof of state government's interest, Little Rock sent along a grant to help the process along. Coleman says the program is only focused on residential construction at this time.
The issue was left on the first of three required readings during the council's July 15 meeting, though it could be approved the next time it comes up. For his part, Coody says that developing efficient building practices for commercial properties may be the next direction this conversation takes.
And we're particularly pleased that program is voluntary. Not every move government makes has to be shoved down people's throats. A voluntary program like this clearly has benefits to all involved - a builder can create one more marketable features, buyers can use the information for purchasing decisions and city leaders have promoted energy efficiency. With those sorts of forces at work, who needs a costly government mandate ?
"If this system is adopted," sustainability salesman Coody said on July 8," not only will the city of Fayetteville be better off, but quite possibly the whole state. It's amazing how Fayetteville has made a national leadership role in doing things like this. I find it very heartwarming."
That may be laying it on a bit strong. But there's no doubt that Fayetteville is slowly but surely carving out a role for itself in the new century by supporting policies like this one. Besides being progressive, they make common sense. What could be more simple ?
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