Public policies by The American Institute of Architects (AIA) and the U.S. Conference of Mayors are being endorsed by former Vice President Al Gore.
The AIA policy promotes sustainable design and resource conservation practices for architects to achieve a minimum reduction of fifty percent of the current consumption level of fossil fuels used to construct and operate buildings by the year 2010. Subsequent targets each year thereafter will result in the design and construction of carbon neutral buildings by 2030, according to the AIA Web site.
The U.S. Conference of Mayors passed a similar policy statement and is partnering with the AIA to promote this 2030 goal to mayors across the country by providing a tool kit for elected leaders that will help them develop local programs and regulations resulting in carbon neutral buildings as commonplace in their communities.
At a speech at New York University, Gore said the AIA and National Conference of Mayors are “asking the global architecture and building community to immediately transform building design to require that all new buildings and developments be designed to use one half the fossil fuel energy they would typically consume for each building type, and that all new buildings be carbon neutral by 2030, using zero fossil fuels to operate.”
Because of their shared energy reduction goals, the AIA and the U.S. Conference of Mayors will promote integrated/high performance building design to encourage all of the nation's Mayors to take a strong stance in favor of sustainability by adopting practices that meet the 2030 reduction goals in their own communities, according to the AIA Web site.
