Evanston demands green building standards

EVANSTON, Ill., Dec. 2 (UPI) -- All new commercial buildings in the Chicago suburb of Evanston, Ill., must meet stringent "green" construction standards, city officials say.

A recent ordinance requires that all such new buildings bigger than 10,000 square feet obtain Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design, or LEED, certificates, meaning they be built according to strict energy efficiency standards developed by the U.S. Green Building Council, The Chicago Tribune reported Wednesday.

Brian Granahan, staff attorney with the environmental watchdog group Environment Illinois, told the newspaper: "What Evanston has done is a big step forward. It signals to builders that they are going to have to build in the public interest."

Evanston officials said the LEED law is only part of a larger goal launching more than 200 environmentally friendly initiatives -- including the construction of a $100 million wind farm on Lake Michigan, the Tribune reported.

Evanston renewable energy task force member Nathan Kipnes said the proposed wind farm, with at least 10 turbines, would be built four miles out into the lake and could generate enough power to supply electricity to at least 14,000 city homes.