Congress News: NOGRALES PUSHES GREEN GOVERNMENT BUILDINGS With the dwindling amount of resources and the increasing incidence of extreme weather conditions due to climate change, Davao City Congressman Karlo Alexei Nograles today said the government should now think “green” even in designing government buildings. He said the extreme typhoons and extended monsoon rains that have been causing severe flooding in the country is a result of climate change and the only way to reverse its effects is for governments worldwide to take the lead in protecting the planet. It is for this reason that he and Pampanga Rep. Juan Pablo Bondoc filed House Bill 5011 which they hoped would transform the traditional “dig-and-build” method of putting up structures to “green construction.” Under the bill, it becomes a requirement for all government buildings to “be set, designed, constructed, operated, maintained and retrofitted using environmentally responsible materials, sustainable architecture techniques and other green building practices for the purpose of reducing the building impacts on environment and human health.” Nograles said buildings constructions have been contributing a lot in the slow destruction of the planet because to be able to build one, it requires large amount of land which could have been otherwise occupied by trees and uses huge amount of energy and water, and even cause air pollution. But with the availability of new technologies and structural designs that actually promote environmental protection, Nograles said that it now possible to erect buildings that puts premium on environmental protection. “Now you can build green parks inside government buildings. Now we can have buildings that run on alternative energy sources such as solar panels. Now we can harness the power of the sun and the wind not only to power our buildings but also to provide light and ventilation through various architectural innovations,” Nograles said. The government now has the option to adopt the best practices in green construction such as the use of water-free urinals, solar-paneled walls, aerial parks and gardens and efficient ventilation to reduce dependence on airconditioning units. He added that the advancements in the field of environmental science has also allowed the use of “smart” escalators, elevators and other building fixtures that automatically shuts off when they are not used. Led lights are also now available and this should replace the incandescent and flourescent lights that are being used to light buildings, streets and public parks. “There are now street lamps that does not only use led lights but also uses solar panels. We are not only saving energy that way but we are also helping save Mother Earth,” he said. Nograles noted that while the initial cost of constructing “green” buildings may be more expensive than the traditional buildings, this is more cost-effective in the long run because the government would be saving a lot from electricity, water and maintainance cost. “The government should take advantage of these technologies. This is the practical solution not only to our perennial energy woes but it should give the government billions of savings due to lower cost of energy and other basic utilities,” he said. He said that by using “green buildings,” the government is not only helping to save Mother Earth but would also save a lot of taxpayers’ money as these building “only use one third less energy than conventional buildings.”
Posted on: Mon, 22 Sep 2014 02:16:50 +0000
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