August 19, 2010 Buying an Energy Efficient AC system complete with one's very own tax credit might make the purchasing process easier as well as ease one's conscience about their carbon footprint. Full Article

August 18, 2010 When it comes to saving energy, many Americans seem to get it --- and at the same time they don't get it at all. Full Article

August 16, 2010 For eco-conscious homeowners who have considered a solar system for their rooftops but have found the cost and complexity daunting, Clarian Power thinks it has an idea.  The Seatlle-based clean tech start-up is developing a "plug-and-play" solar appliance...Full Article

August 10, 2010 Congress focuses on whether the Environmental Protection Agency should go where no federal regulators have gone before and regulate greenhouse gases. But the agency did something more prosaic on Monday, albeit something it has not done effectively for the last 15 years or so: it put more than 100 cement kilns on notice that they will have to spend almost $1 billion annually to clean up the pollution they put into the atmosphere. Full Article

August 5, 2010 As my colleagues Campbell Robertson, Justin Gillis and I reported on reaction, scientific and otherwise, to a government report on the fate of the oil in the gulf, it emerged that the Obama administration faced something of a credibility gap in conveying its findings to some gulf residents, environmental groups and even scientists. Full Article

August 3, 2010 The head of the new federal agency for regulating offshore drilling would like to lift the moratorium on deep-water offshore drilling as soon as the agency is “comfortable” that enough safety improvements are in place, he told reporters on Tuesday. Full Article

July 28, 2010 With a cap on carbon dioxide an apparent nonstarter in the Senate these days, some clean energy and climate advocates have shifted their sights to a scaled-back but still ambitious goal: passage of a national renewable energy standard. Full Article

July 26, 2010 The Plastiki, a boat made of bottles that set sail from San Francisco in March, glided past the Sydney Opera House at midday local time Monday in a grand finale to a voyage intended to highlight the problem of plastic waste. Full Article

July 26, 2010 A company with a different approach to the electric car battery problem got a small boost recently when the Patent Office said it would issue a patent on its concept: using a storage device called a capacitor in conjunction with a traditional battery. Full Article

July 21, 2010 Since he took over as energy secretary last year, Steven Chu, a Nobel laureate in physics, has urged Americans to help cool the planet by painting their roofs a lighter color that reflects sunlight. Full Article

July 14, 2010 Part of the fine print in solar power systems is that whatever wattage number is quoted, it is usually "peak watts," or the amount of electricity that the panel would deliver when the sun is directly overhead. For the rest of the daylight hours, the output is lower; a graph showing minute-by-minute production resembles a sharp mountain peak. Full Article

July 7, 2010 Attention, Ikea shoppers: if you can't imagine life without the warm glow of incandescent light bulbs, the time to stock up is now. On Aug. 1, the Swedish retailer will begin phasing out the bulbs in its North American stores, with the intention of eliminating them entirely by Jan. 1, 2011. The move comes ahead of new federal energy-efficiency standards for light bulbs that will make many incandescent bulbs obsolete. Full Article

July 2010 Thanks to geography, Antonio Di Oronzo, founder of the six-year-old design firm bluarch, has developed an expertise in nightclubs...When Bakhshi tapped him again to design Greenhouse, the first LEED-Certified nightclub, Di Oronzo followed his personal rules as well as those of the U.S. Green Building Council. Full Article

June 24, 2010 The ubiquitous 40- and 60-watt incandescent light bulbs are supposed to be in their last few years of existence; a phase-out of incandescents mandated by the federal government begins next year with the 100-watt model and works its way down to the smaller bulbs in 2014. Full Article

June 21, 2010 P.G.&E. Corporation, the California utility holding company, has created a $100 million tax-equity fund to finance residential solar installations by SunRun, a San Francisco start-up that leases photovoltaic arrays to homeowners. Full Article

June 8, 2010 The Department of Energy estimates that commercial and residential buildings consume 40 percent of our nation's energy. Most of this energy is used for heating and cooling, but much of it is wasted because of leaky walls and window. Adding proper insulation can help, but increasing the windows' ability to control the flow of heat in and out of the building is the most effective improvement... Full Article

June 4, 2010 Who has power in the high, sunny expanse of southern Colorado's rural San Luis Valley?...it's something of a trick question, complicated by the many shades of meaning that the word "power" conveys - from electrical to political to financial. And the story of the valley and its wrestling match/debate over a big power line project encompasses them all. Full Article

June 2010 Team Spirit: A Thorough House Renovation Gets Green with a Little Help from a Lot of Friends. Full Article

May 26, 2010 In another visit intended to showcase a recipient of economic stimulus dollars, President Obama toured a solar panel plant on Wednesday in Fremont, Calif. He took the opportunity to contrast the potential of clean energy with the environmental perils of fossil fuels, reflected in what he called a "heartbreaking" oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. Full Article

May 24, 2010 Houston may be working frantically to clean up the oil spill, but Dallas is focusing on a different kind of energy this week: wind. Full Article

May 20, 2010 Mountaintop wind turbines produce most of their energy at night, when electricity demand and prices are low. That limits revenue and makes it hard for utility companies to meet state goals for high percentages of renewable energy. Batteries could solve the problem, but they have always been too expensive. Full Article

May 18, 2010 The oil is flowing in the Gulf of Mexico, and the hearings are flowing at the United States Senate. Full Article

May 12, 2010 Senators John F. Kerry, Democrat of Massachusetts, and Joseph I. Lieberman, independent of Connecticut, presented their long-delayed proposal to address global warming and energy Wednesday afternoon. They are calling it the American Power Act. Full Article

May 3, 2010 For decades tire companies and would-be entrepreneurs have been searching for a way to process discarded tires by using a technology known as pyrolysis. Such a solution is considered the holy grail of tire recycling. Full Article

April 29, 2010 The USGBC officially launched its LEED for Neighborhood Development (LEED-ND) rating systems. Full Article

April 15, 2010 Getting energy-efficient design into school construction can be tough, but the Gen7 modular-classroom building from American Modular Systems, Manteca, Calif., fits many of the latest energy-efficiency advances into one package, bringing the cutting edge of green technologies to modular school construction.  Full Article

April 9, 2010 The American housing market remained in the doldrums in 2009 and automakers sputtered along, but the wind industry continued to boom, according to a report released Thursday. A record 10,010 megawatts of new wind capacity was installed in the U.S. last year, accounting for 39 percent of new electrical generation... Full Article

April 9, 2010 According to the World Health Organization, 1.2 billion people - or almost 1 out of 5 people in the world - are without access to safe drinking water. And even in areas with access, 70 percent of water withdrawn from fresh groundwater sources is used for agriculture. Full Article

April 8, 2010 A Silicon Valley company said on Wednesday that it had raised $10 million to bring to market a novel way of making thin-film solar cells. Full Article

April 1, 2010 The Obama administration on Thursday released new energy efficiency standards for water heaters and other appliances that it said would save consumers $10 billion over 30 years while cutting greenhouse gas emissions. Full Article

March 30, 2010 Kaiser Permanente, the biggest nonprofit health maintenance organization in the country, is going solar. Full Article

March 26, 2010 Water accounts for an astonishing percentage of electricity use --- 19 percent in California, for example --- partly because of all the energy needed to pump it. Can people be persuaded to change the hours that they use water, and thereby reduce their water utility's electricity costs? Full Article

March 24, 2010 Los Angeles and Washington took the top spots in the United States Environmental Protection Agency's ranking of cities with the most energy efficient buildings. Full Article

March 23, 2010 Smart water meters are taking off in California, according to a forthcoming report from the California Energy Commission. More than half of the state's water utilities have some smart meters in their service areas... Full Article

March 19, 2010 Developed in partnership with The American Institute of Architects (AIA) and ASTM International, the IGCC had been anticipated to provide competition to Standard 189 --- the code-ready green building standard modeled on LEED that was launched in January... Full Article

March 17, 2010 California regulators on Wednesday recommended that the state's first new big solar power plant in nearly two decades be approved after a two-and-half-year review of its environmental impact on the Mojave Desert. Full Article

March 12, 2010 The Los Angeles Department of Public Works has approved an ordinance that would require the capture and reuse of stormwater by new homes, large developments, and certain redevelopments in the city. Full Article

March 8, 2010 One of the stickiest points in international climate change negotiations is how to account for carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gas emissions produced to make goods that are then sold for export. Should the producing country be held to account for those emissions? Or does the consuming country bear some responsibility for counting those emissions? Full Article

March 2, 2010 Mobile photovoltaic (PV) generators consist of PV panels, charge controllers, lead-acid batteries, and inverters mounted on easy-to-tow trailers. They offer an environmentally responsible, silent alternative to the diesel or gasoline generators typically used for construction jobsites, lighting, or other off-grid power requirements. Full Article

February 18, 2010 Virginia's attorney general, Ken Cuccinelli, filed a petition Tuesday asking the Environmental Protection Agency to reconsider its finding that global warming poses a threat to people. Full Article

February 10, 2010 Funds from the $787 billion stimulus package and other federal assistance kept growth in the renewable energy sector strong in 2009, a trend that will probably persist as federal investment continues to pay off over the coming year, industry leaders said in a teleconference Tuesday.  Full Article 

February 9, 2010 Kevin Clayton, the chief executive of Clayton Homes, a modular home manufacturer based in Maryville, Tenn., predicted last year that his company's "i-house" --- a solar modular home --- would command 10 percent of its profits. Full Article

February 5, 2010 In a unanimous January 2010 decision, the California Building Standards Commission approved "Calgreen" as the first mandatory statewide green construction code to be adopted in the United States. Full Article

February 3, 2010 Measuring greenhouse gases locally. Full Article

January 29, 2010 Overcoming the Ugly Factor in Building-Integrated Solar Design. Full Article

December 28, 2009 10,000 companies prepare to start a low carbon diet this New Year. Full Article

December 23, 2009 Glitter-sized photovoltaics could revolutionize the way solar energy is collected and used. Full Article

December 15, 2009 Lowe's launches energy centers to help customers go green'er'. Full Article

December 10, 2009 Sending an encouraging message across the globe, US senators agree on a framework for a climate change bill. Full Article

December 7, 2009 Already known as a leader in environmentally-friendly development regulations, Santa Monica officials are proposing new green building requirements that could make the city one of the strictest places to build single family homes in the nation. Full Article

November 30, 2009 High rise urban farms of the future - vertical farming technologies are increasing the possibilities of cultivating crops much more efficiently. Full Article

November 23, 2009 Vons Credit Union is spearheading the green movement in the city of El Monte, CA, with several projects that reinforce their commitment to the environment, as well as their social responsibility to the local community. Full Article

November 20, 2009 Starting Jan. 1, San Mateo will require developers of most new homes and commercial buildings to use a minimum amount of environmentally friendly materials. Full Article

November 17, 2009 At GreenBuild last week Al Gore calls for a green building revolution and discusses the significant growth of the green building industry. Full Article

November 12, 2009 The cement industry accounts for at least 5% of CO2 emissions. Many companies are reducing the amount of Portland cement needed in concrete by replacing some of it with fly ash, a byproduct of coal-fired power plants. Full Article

November 9, 2009 Green building activity has sustained impressive growth during 2009, amid the construction marketplace, according to the 2009 Green Building Market & Impact Report. Full Article

November 5, 2009 The Clean Energy Jobs and American Power Act today passed the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works on a vote of 11-1. Full Article

November 2, 2009 King Abdullah University of Science and Technology is considered to be the most environmentally innovative campus of its kind. Full Article

October 28, 2009 Report from the USGBC - Chicago Chapter provides a first look at post-occupancy performance of LEED buildings on a local scale. Full Article

October 23, 2009 NASA's gorgeous LEED Gold Building, in Pasadena, California. So far it is the greenest building facility in the NASA Family. Full Article

October 19, 2009 New pro football stadium in Walnut, CA will be the first LEED certified stadium in the NFL. Full Article

October 16, 2009 Extra Credit Home Improvements: your winter Energy Efficiency projects could save you on next spring's taxes. Full Article

October 12, 2009 Solar Hydrogen House in the middle of Florida State University's campus is completely off-grid with Zero Emissions. Full Article

October 9, 2009 Building sustainably is a growing trend, but there is a prevailing perception that it costs more to go green. Not true, says a study conducted in New York City. Full Article

October 6, 2009 NEW YORK — The CPC a key player in a new public-private partnership that will provide $1 billion in construction and mortgage loans for energy efficient upgrades and property retrofits of affordable multifamily rental and coop buildings. Full Article

September 29, 2009 NEW YORK - NYC launches green building program, One Year One Thousand Green Supers, which is approved by the U.S. GBC and the Building Performance Institute. The program is a 40 hour class that provides building service workers with the latest, state-of-the-art practices in energy efficient operations. Full Article

September 23, 2009 New Green Corporate Rankings on S&Ps 500 using three metrics: Environmental Impact, Green Corporate Policies, and Reputation Survey Score.  Find out who ranked at the bottom and who came out first. Full Article

September 15, 2009 - Even though prospective home buyers want the benefits of new, more efficient homes, they are unwilling to pay much more for a "green hom", according to a recent member survey from the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB). Full Article

September 14, 2009 NEW YORK - There are green buildings, then there are "bright green'' buildings, IBMer tells Healthy Buildings audience.  Full Article

September 13, 2009 MEMPHIS - Retrofitting suburbia, Memphis takes the first steps in retrofitting shopping malls. Full Article

September 11, 2009 The Greenest White House. Barbara Walters visits the White House and interviews President Obama on the first family's eco-friendly lifestyle. Full Article

September 8, 2009 Chinese government officials signed an agreement on Tuesday with First Solar, an American solar developer, for a 2,000-megawatt photovoltaic farm to be built in the Mongolian desert. Full Article

September 3, 2009 LOS ANGELES - Commercial and industrial properties in sprawling Los Angeles reduced their water consumption by double-digits in July, the mayor’s office announced last week. Full Article

August 31, 2009 NEW ORLEANS -A new report from the Sierra Club examines the green rebuilding efforts in New Orleans, nearly four years after Hurricane Katrina devastated the city. Full Article

August 27, 2009 TEXAS - More sun for less: solar panels drop in price due to the greater supply of a crucial element in solar panels, polysilicon. Full Article

August 24, 2009 LOS ANGELES - With global warming and a future water crisis in southern California, greening our lawns and using exessive amounts of water might not be the wisest choice.  We have been taught that green grass is good and brown is bad, however, in our chapparal environment our native fauna has many different colors. California has one of the most diverse and resilient floras in the world. Just outside of our pruned and planted property lines, the wild hills tell us what's not only sustainable, but beautiful. And it's brown. Full Article

August 21, 2009  LOS ANGELES - Thinking about setting out a sprinkler on that parched front lawn on a Tuesday afternoon? Does your debris-encrusted driveway need a good hosing down? If you’re a resident of Los Angeles, don't even try it. “Water cops,” water conservation officers from the LA Department of Water and Power, are out in full-force. Full Article

August 18, 2009 - The California Senate Energy, Utilities and Communications Committee passed AB1106 the Feed-in-tariff (FIT) legislation by a 6-2 vote.   The next stop on the way to legislation is the Senate Appropriations Committee. Full Article

August 17, 2009 - Record Month for Renewables in U.S. The latest Electric Power Monthly Report released by the Energy Information Administration (EIA) shows net U.S. electrical generation from renewable sources (biomass, geothermal, solar, hydro, and wind) reached an all-time high in May of 2009, comprising 13% of the total electrical generation for the month. Full Article

August 13, 2009 TEXAS - The Tagos Group, LLP chose Building Performance Compass to benchmark educational facilities across 76 school districts in Texas. The study supports a market transformation program to reduce energy use among K-12, colleges and universities sponsored by the largest regulated electric distribution and transmission company in Texas. Building Performance Compass provides state energy efficiency programs, weatherization agencies, and utilities with the resources necessary to track building energy. Full Article

August 10, 2009 BOSTON - Walmart recently took a giant step to encourage sustainability investments for its 60,000 suppliers with its Supplier Sustainability Assessment program initially a set of 15 questions. This tactical workshop is a time- and cost-effective way to gain confidence with your submittal and to gauge investment levels in sustainability programs. Full Article

August 3, 2009 SAN FRANCISCO - U.S. solar power system installer Borrego Solar Systems said it has received $30 million from Taiwan's Walsin Lihwa to offer financing to solar power project customers. Full Article

July 29, 2009 CALIFORNIA - Green Chemistry laws in California are expected to start affecting most products made in or brought into the Golden State including fuels and building materials. Additionally, it will act as a boost to the state's economy by providing jobs. Full Article

July 27, 2009 NEW YORK - Largest Green Roof in New York City. The Green Roof at the Morgan P&DC is much more than a pretty space — it will last 50 years, twice as long as the roof it replaced, and it will reduce the amount of polluted storm water runoff into the New York municipal water system by as much as 75 percent in summer and 40 percent in winter. The Green Roof is more energy efficient than a traditional roof, and is projected to save the Postal Service $30,000 yearly on heating and cooling costs. Full Article

July 20, 2009 - Rubber Sidewalks Give the Bounce to Concrete. Once perceived mainly as a safe surface for playgrounds, rubber sidewalks have developed into a means of preserving urban trees, reducing stormwater runoff, recycling tires, and curbing greenhouse gas emissions. Full Article

July 17, 2009 AUSTIN - Saving Energy through Building Codes.  While some cities like Austin, Texas implement tough building codes many more cities are still weak in this area of regulation.  Thus, creating unnecessary energy use for years to come. Products are already available to make buildings more energy efficient however builders claim the costs are high and lobbying groups fight stringent codes in Congress.  Tougher building codes will not only decrease our greenhouse gas emission but also save the home owner money in the long run.  As part of Obama's stimulus package states are required to adopt stronger energy building codes as a condition of receiving more than $3 billion in funding for energy programs. Full Article  

July 14, 2009 - As its newest venture EXXON Mobile plans to invest $600 million in producing liquid transportation fuels from algae — organisms in water that range from pond scum to seaweed. Congress has mandated an increase in biofuel levels to 36 billion gallons by 2022, meaning new sources of energy are needed along with more research into alternative energy sournces. According to Exxon, algae could yield more than 2,000 gallons of fuel per acre of production each year, compared with 650 gallons for palm trees and 450 gallons for sugar canes. Corn yields just 250 gallons per acre a year. Could your future car be powered by algae? Full Article

July 13, 2009 WASHINGTON - Eastern and Midwestern politicians in Congress are divided over the climate-change and energy bill.  Eastern governors and lawmakers argue that the energy not only has to be clean and free of carbon-dioxide emissions, it also has to be generated nearby, meaning the wind farms should be located closer to Eastern cities where consumption rates are high and not in the Midwest. Full Article

July 12, 2009 WASHINGTON - U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Secretary Steven Chu today announced more than $141 million in Recovery Act funding to support energy efficiency and renewable energy projects in Hawaii, Maine, Nebraska, New Mexico, the Northern Mariana Islands, and Texas. Full Article

July 8, 2009 SAN FRANCISCO - The economic recession hasn't stopped eco-conscious San Franciscans from installing solar panels on the rooftops of their homes and businesses - with some financial help from the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission. Full Article

June 30, 2009 - Under a new initiative federal agencies will work with western leaders to designate tracts of U.S. public lands in the West as prime zones for utility-scale solar energy development, fund environmental studies, open new solar energy permitting offices and speed reviews of industry proposals. Full Article

June 29, 2009 - Buildings consume approximately 40 percent of energy used and produce about the same amount of the nation’s carbon emissions. The International Code Council launched its International Green Construction Code (IGCC) initiative today, which will reduce energy usage and the carbon footprint of commercial buildings. Full Article

June 29, 2009 LONDON - BP (beyond petroleum) has shut down its alternative energy headquarters in London, accepted the resignation of its clean energy boss and imposed budget cuts in moves likely to be seen by environmental critics as further signs of the oil group moving "back to petroleum". Full Article

June 11, 2009 LOS ANGELES, CA - California is leading the growth in the nation's Green Jobs Economy. Even in the current economic downturn, investments in venture capital projects such as energy-efficiency programs and renewable energy are expected to continue expanding, fueled by billions of dollars in federal economic recovery grants, the research foundation predicted in its "Clean Energy Economy" report. Full Article

June 1, 2009 SAN FRANCISCO, CA - Clean-tech start-ups are pushing the green button. Hara, which launches today, is the latest IT effort to help firms and the planet through software to manage water and energy use. Can the "greening of IT" and digital solutions help our planet and companies save water, energy, and costs? Full Article

May 26, 2009 - Building climate positive communities. The Climate Positive Development Program, a joint venture between the Clinton Climate Initiative and the U.S. Green Building Council, unveiled last week thei efforts to build an entirely urban community with on-site emissions of zero. Energy efficient methods such as high densities, mixed-use zoning, and transit accessibility are a few examples along with state-of-the-art energy-efficiency building technology, like super-insulation, high-performance glass and natural ventilation systems. This enforces the idea that green building needs to stretch into the neighborhood to have optimal results. Full Article

May 25, 2009 LONDON - Britain's ideal: green homes. In response to the new Climate Change Act enacted by Parliament, architects, manufactureres, and the construction industry will need to find ways to design and build super-efficient neighborhoods in order to comply with the nation's goal of cutting emissions by 80% by 2050.  The new act also mandates that all new homes be zero-carbon by 2016, one of the toughest requirements in the world. Full Article

May 21, 2009 - The race for better building codes.  There is increasing pressure from organizations and now the government for buildings to reduce their ecological footprint and energy use. As of February, states receiving money from the stimulus package in the area of energy need to bring their codes up to international standards in order to achieve 30-40% reduction in energy use. Full Article

May 14, 2009 WASHINGTON, DC –  As the House Energy and Commerce Committee prepares to  markup the American Clean Energy and Security Act, the Pew Environment Group released national survey findings demonstrating overwhelming support for decisive action on behalf of clean energy jobs, energy independence and reducing the carbon pollution that causes global warming. Full Article

May 5, 2009 - Fortune Data Centers' New Facility Offers Big Savings, LEED Certification Fortune Data Centers, a San Jose-based data center space provider, unveiled its newest data center last week, touting its green qualities and energy-efficient technologies. Full Article 

May 5, 2009 - US green building draft under review While the Dubai construction industry waits with bated breath for the government to officially unveil its long-mooted green building regulations, the US’s first green building standard began its third public review period on May 1, 2009. Full Article

May 4, 2009 - Intersection of Art and Ecology, LEED Platinum David Brower Center Named for the father of the modern environmental movement, the David Brower Center reflects its namesake's commitment to the environment. The center is expected to receive LEED Platinum certification and hopes to bring together people committed to environmental and social action under one roof. The 24,000 square feet of office space will house a number of nonprofits, including the Earth Island Institute, which was founded by Brower in 1982. In addition, ground level retail space will have a public gallery, a state of the art theater, and an organic restaurant with locally sourced California cuisine. Full Article

May 3, 2009 - A greener Greensburg grows on Kansas prairie GREENSBURG - The mayor of Greensburg guides the city-leased hybrid Ford Escape around a corner and pulls to a stop. "Wow, I hadn't seen this," he says. "Another new home going in." Two years after an EF-5 tornado killed 11 people and swept away 90 percent of the town, so much has changed in Greensburg that even the mayor has to stay alert to keep up with it. Full Article

May 3, 2009 - Buildings face carbon clean-up: Homes and offices consume 40% of global energy and emit the same proportion of pollution.The internal combustion engine. The jumbo jet. The desktop computer. In the fight against climate change, they have all been targeted by lawmakers and eco-warriors alike. Full Article

May 1, 2009 - Needed: Leadership From Architects and Designers We need new leadership from architects, planners and designers. Yes, we need them to design better buildings, streets and public spaces. But what we may need most from them has little to do with the act of design itself. That's because we need a massive change in the very way buildings and places are planned, regulated and seen by the public. We urgently need people to re-imagine their cities in very directly political ways, and no one else is as prepared for that job as the talented few who've been trained to understand form and space and place. Full Article

May 1, 2009 - NYC Targets Buildings with $16 M in Stimulus Funding "We're introducing the Greener, Greater Buildings Plan, a far-reaching package of new local laws that will dramatically improve New York's energy efficiency and reduce energy costs by some three-quarters of a billion dollars a year," said Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg. "This will significantly improve our economic competitiveness, put thousands of New Yorkers to work in green jobs, and do more to shrink our own direct impact on global warming than any other actions imaginable." Full Article

May 1, 2009 - New Grid May Be Needed, But So Is Smarter Use All Things Considered. Power companies are planning to beef up the nation's electricity transmission grid. At the same time, conservationists are trying to reduce the vast amount of power wasted in Americans' homes and offices. That raises a question: If we simply used energy more efficiently, would we need to spend billions of dollars on a new grid? Full Article 

April 30, 2009 - Bloomberg Pushes Energy Efficiency Laws for New York Buildings: Legislation Would Require Energy Benchmarking and Some Retrofits. The owners of tens of thousands of New York City’s largest buildings would be required to conduct energy audits and make energy efficiency retrofits under a sweeping package of green building laws announced last week by New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg. Full Article