Committee on the Environment (COTE-SD)

Powered by: SDG&E's Savings By Design

Committee on the Environment (COTE-SD)

Powered by: SDG&E's Savings By Design

2011 Chair: Walt Kanzler, AIA LEED AP

The COTE meetings occur on the 3rd Wednesday of every month at the offices of Platt/Whitelaw from 5:00-6:30pm.  

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May 21, 2011

Hello All!

Here on the COTE-SD, we have a busy agenda in front of us for 2011.  The City of San Diego is currently working on revising City Council Policy 600-27 - The San Diego Affordable Housing and Sustainable Building Incentive Program; COTE-SD is currently up-front and center in these discussions.  We issued an endorsement letter to Kelly Broughton the Director of Development Services and continue to provide support as the Policy works its way thru the numerous approvals.

The California Building Standards Commission has issued Title 24 - Part 11: The California Green Building Standards Code and it has been in effect since the beginning of 2011.  

We are hosting a CalGREEN workshop in June to share a multi disciplinary perspective and obtain direct feedback from the plan review community from various jurisdictions including San Diego, The County, and Chula Vista.  (Click HERE for the flyer.) Each municipality is adopting and implementing CalGREEN in their own way, which proves to be an interesting mix we should all be aware of.

In 2010, the members of the COTE-SD created a collection of Case Studies of various cities around the country that have established successful green building programs. Included in this collection are overviews of how numerous cities have achieved significant Sustainable goals including the City of San Diego.  This year, the COTE-SD has proposed that we join together with various other like minded organizations and promote San Diego as potentially becoming a top 10 green city in the US.  Sacramento has already declared a green city campaign and San Francisco and Los Angeles are already leaders in the Nation.  Why not our own naturally beautiful, healthy and vibrant San Diego.   Did you know that the USGBC’s Greenbuild and the AIA National convention will both be hosted in San Diego in 2016.  What a great opportunity for our city to shine and demonstrate to the nation and the world what is possible. 

Our temperate climate allows for our buildings to achieve Net Zero energy, our water conservation and land use policy is aligned with sustainable values, our clean tech industry is envied by some of the leading cities across the nation.  If we work together with our partners within the AIA and beyond we can transform the seeds of the Eco Revolution here in San Diego into a strong, persistent and publicly recognized commitment to Sustainable Design and values that will support the overall goals of our City, our region and the world.

We are looking for people that enjoy advocating for sustainable initiatives.  There are also opportunities to work with other AIA-San Diego committees in event planning.  Our committee members have not only enjoyed the benefit of first-hand knowledge on the most up-to-date local green issues, but also develop relationships with some of the top sustainable professionals in San Diego.

If you are interested in joining us, please contact me at COTE-SD@AIASANDIEGO.ORG.  

Sincerely,

Walt Kanzler, AIA, LEED AP

2011 Chair, AIA-SD COTE

Concerns over the ability of our environment to sustain ours and future generations grow with every passing day.  As principle designers of our built environment, architects - and their allies in the building community-have a unique and historic opportunity to address these challenges.     

To that end, the AIA San Diego Committee on the Environment's (COTE-SD) mission is to lead and coordinate the profession's involvement in environmental and energy-related issues and to promote the role of the architect as a leader in preserving and protecting the planet and its living systems.

Please join us in advancing the cause of environmental sustainability as we work to advocate, educate, and network with the profession, the building industry, the academy, and the public, to foster design practices that integrate built and natural systems and enhance both the design quality and environmental performance of the built environment.