Green Building Guidelines

Green building is a “Whole-Systems” approach for designing and constructing buildings that conserve energy, water, and material resources and are healthier, safer, and more comfortable.

In practical terms, green building includes:

• Using sun & wind to the building's advantage for natural heating, cooling, & daylighting
• Landscaping with native plants & using water efficiently
• Building quality, durable structures
• Insulating well & ventilating appropriately
• Incorporating salvaged, recycled, & sustainably harvested materials
• Maintaining healthy indoor air quality with appropriate building techniques & materials
• Using energy-efficient & water-saving appliances & fixtures
• Reducing & recycling construction waste
  
  The City of Antioch has hard copies of the Green Building Guidelines for New Construction and Home Remodeling available at the Building Department Permit Counter. Both booklets are also available for download at http://www.co.contra-costa.ca.us/depart/cd/recycle/gbg/.

The City of Antioch also has copies of the Contra Costa County Builder’s Guide to Reuse & Recycling. The Builder’s Guide was developed to provide local building contractors with information about recycling facilities and services that recover rather than dispose of jobsite debris. Copies are available at the Building Department Permit Counter or by emailing
Julie Haas-Wajdowicz.

Learn More about Green Building

Ask An Expert is a free hotline that provides customized responses to a variety of green building questions.

• Serves the general public, building professionals, local governments, & building suppliers in the 9-county bay area
• Provides practical, unbiased, quality green building information
• Staffed by the Green Resource Center

Submit a Green Building Question online (click on box above) or call 1-888-40 GREEN .

Green Resource Center www.greenresourcecenter.org

• Fact sheets, referrals, case studies, events listings, other green building links, & in-depth info about green building materials & strategies
• Workshops & presentations

Bay Area Build it Green www.build-green.org

• Continuing education & networking for public agencies, non-profits, & building professionals
• Listing of certified green architects & building contractors
• Materials Database: extensive listing of green products, materials, & technologies available in the Bay Area.
• Green Home Tours, workshops, & presentations
  

Build Green Now www.buildgreennow.org

• Green building resources for the general public, design & building professionals, & public agencies
• Green Building Guidelines for renovations & new construction that have been adopted by or serve as the basis for many green building programs in the San Francisco Bay Area
  

Waste Reduction & Recycling www.co.contra-costa.ca.us/depart/cd/recycle

• Construction & Demolition: ordinance & waste diversion guidelines for builders
• Recycling resources for Contra Costa county
• Green building resource links
  

United States Green Building Council (USGBC) www.usgbc.org

• Extensive collection of green building resources: market research, publications, presentations, & links to additional resources
• LEED ® Rating System info: case studies, training, certification, workshops

Flex Your Power www.fypower.org

• Energy efficiency & conservation info for California residents, business, industry, local governments, schools, & agriculture
• Incentives/rebates, technical assistance, retailers, product guides, case studies & more
  

Energy Star www.energystar.gov

• Info on energy efficient buildings, appliances & equipment
• ENERGY STAR appliances & building strategies often qualify for rebates
  

DOE Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy

Building Technologies Program www.eere.energy.gov/buildings

• Support for R&D activities to improve the energy efficiency of buildings
• Tools, guidelines, training, & access to technical & financial resources
  

Water Wiser www.waterwiser.org

• News, info, research results, discussion forums, references, calendar of events, & searchable databases
• Targeted to water conservation professionals, but freely accessible to the general public
• Links to Water Saver Home ( www.h2ouse.net ), a virtual encyclopedia of water saving tips for indoor & outdoor uses
  

EPA Water Efficiency Program www.epa.gov/owm/water-efficiency

• Extensive info & resources on how to use water more efficiently
• Applicable to all water users from homeowners to governments

EPA Indoor Air Quality www.epa.gov/iaq

• Extensive info & resources on indoor air quality
• IAQ INFO: hotline to help locate the appropriate info, 800-438-4318

Health House www.healthhouse.org

• For Consumers: info on IAQ concerns & tip sheets to help identify & reduce pollutants in the home
• For Builders: guidelines & Registered House Builder training for building homes with better IAQ