Governor Jerry Brown has issued an Executive Order directing state agencies and departments to take immediate steps to make state government buildings more sustainable and energy efficient. The government order to “shrink the state’s environmental footprint and save millions of taxpayer dollars” applies to new or renovated state buildings, and among other things, requires many state government buildings to achieve USGBC LEED Silver certification or higher, to incorporate clean, on-site power generation, to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 20% by 2020, and for buildings designed after 2025 to be Net Zero Energy buildings.

For more information, please see the Governor’s press release and Executive Order.