Green Building Resources

Green Building Advice

Build It Green Ask an Expert - Provides customized responses to green building questions for building professionals and the general public. Most inquiries are answered within two business days.

Cal Green Code

State of California Green Building Code - Mandatory and recommended green building measures.

Passive Homes

Passive House Institute - Provides information and design tools for super energy efficient building systems. These tools could be used for builders seeking to exceed green building ordinance energy efficiency requirements.

Landscaping

Bay Friendly Landscaping Guidelines - Provide a set of environmentally preferable methods for residential and commercial landscape projects that can be used to guide or supplement landscape design and installation of projects subject to the green building ordinance as well as on other non-covered projects.

Energy

Pacific Gas & Electric - Information on energy savings programs and incentives.
United States Department of Energy - Information on energy savings products and practices.

Solar

Go Solar California - Information on solar electric system resources and incentives.
Solar Richmond - A local advocacy, job training and solar placement organization.
Richmond Build - A City of Richmond solar installation pre-apprenticeship construction skills & green jobs training program for Richmond residents.
Pacific Gas & Electric - Additional information from PG&E on solar incentives and initiatives.
United States Department of Energy - Information from the U.S. Department of Energy on solar hot water heaters.

Energy Audits

Pacific Gas & Electric - Free energy audit tools.
United States Department of Energy - General information on energy audits.
EnergyStar - Additional energy audit tools .
Community Energy Services Corporation - Local non-profit offering subsidized lighting and energy savings inspections and retrofit to commercial business.

Low VOC Paints

Southern California Air Quality Management District - List of building and furnishing coatings with low volatile organic compound (VOC) content from Southern California Air Quality Management District

Construction and Demolition Debris Diversion

Contra Costa County Department of Conservation & Development - Guide to waste reduction and recycling. Provides information on material reuse and recycling. Follow the Construction and Demolition debris link for a listing of facilities accepting construction and demolition debris by types of materials
California Integrated Waste Management Board - Information on construction and demolition debris reuse and recycling including listings of facilities collecting C&D debris.
California Materials Exchange - Listing of building materials and equipment offered for reuse.
West Contra Costa County Integrated Waste Management Authority - Information on local waste management programs.

Water Conservation

East Bay Municipal Utility District - listings of incentives and water conservation practices.
Greywater Action - Additional information on grey water and rain-harvesting systems.

Dark-Sky Lighting

International DarkSky Association - Information on shielded light fixtures that avoid night glare and property trespass.