International Green Construction Code needed to be mandatory. These codes will reduce utility bills for our residents; it will also protect Scottsdale’s water resources and air quality for years to come. Why? Because Buildings account for over 12% of water use, 40% of CO2 emissions, 65% of all waste outputs, and more than 70% of electricity consumption.
You know, it just makes sense to implement this internationally recognized already established construction code in our city! For those of you who aren’t familiar, the International Green Construction Code was produced through a public/private collaboration and it provides a green model code to government jurisdictions.
As a result, Scottsdale citizens will save money, because we don’t have to incur the cost of developing our own code, and we benefit from code uniformity among all of the adopting jurisdictions around the world. (About 25% of the world’s population is already impacted by the IgCC.)
Some people have voiced concerns that the IgCC doesn't suite our community or will be too costly to implement, but these concerns are incorrect. The IgCC has been developed and updated using an accredited consensus-based process. The code is modernized in part through input from stakeholders in the fields of government, business, engineering, architecture, and healthcare among others. Remaining mindful of the unique needs of individual communities across the globe, the IgCC offers the City of Scottsdale flexibility by providing a comprehensive package of measures that can be modified when adopted to suit our local needs. This structure provides options appropriate for our city’s unique challenges and goals.
Many local organizations supported the IgCC including: Experience Scottsdale, Honor Health, the American Lung Association, the Coalition of Greater Scottsdale, Scottsdale's chapter of the American Institute of Architects, and Arizona Forward. During community outreach sessions, the vast majority in attendance supported making the IgCC mandatory.
