California :: GBIG Insight

State of California Buildings Focus on Water, Energy, Environment, Performance

By Dan Burgoyne on 07 Jul 2015 • 3 minute read

Green building has long been part of California’s approach to a wide array of energy, water, environment, and development priorities. There are more than 3,500 LEED-certified green buildings in the state totaling more than 500 million square feet of real estate (see s …

New Research: In California’s Unyielding Drought, Green Buildings Can Help

By Jeremy Sigmon on 25 Mar 2015 • 4 minute read

Yesterday, the USGBC Northern California Chapter and its partners hosted the 12th annual Water Conservation Showcase in San Francisco. It was filled to the brim with exhibitors, green building professionals, students, water systems engineers, government representative …

Transforming the Market for Green Homes

By Amy Dryden on 12 Nov 2014 • 4 minute read

Continual change is something we’ve come to expect in the building industry, and something Build It Green has always embraced. The past two years have brought particularly fast-moving changes and transitions for California builders, contractors, policymakers, and even …

The Benefits of Classroom Ventilation

By Dan Kandy on 30 Jun 2013 • 1 minute read

We've talked about how poor indoor environmental conditions can lead to more sick days in office buildings, but what is the impact of poor indoor air quality in schools? Furthermore, how does the cost of improving those conditions compare to attendance-linked funding lo …

In California, a Market Premium for Green Homes

By Ulyana Hrudzko on 15 Jun 2013 • 2 minute read

Do single-family homes with a green label command a market premium compared to a comparable home without the label? In California, the answer appears to be “yes”. A study, The Value of Green Labels in the California Housing Market, conducted by Matthew E. Kahn, …