Green Building Standards Approved
The COG Board of Directors has approved regional “green building” standards for the construction of new government and commercial structures that they hope will be adopted by all local jurisdictions. The standards establish a system for rating new construction based on whether the buildings use environmentally friendly designs that are energy efficient, control storm-water runoff, and reduce construction-related waste. “We want to reduce the environmental impact of our building so they sit more lightly on the land,” said Joan Kelsch, chair of COG’s Intergovernmental Green Building Group and an environmental planner for Arlington County. The COG Board is among the first regional bodies to adopt the standards, and the region’s efforts were lauded in an editorial by The Washington Post.
2008 MWAQC/TPB Officers Elected
The Metropolitan Washington Air Quality Committee elected David Snyder of the Falls Church City Council as its Chair for 2008. District of Columbia Council Member At-Large Phil Mendelson, Greenbelt Council Member Leta Mach, and a Virginia official (TBD in January) will serve as MWAQC vice chairs.
The Transportation Planning Board elected District of Columbia Council Member At-Large Phil Mendelson as its Chairman for 2008. Frederick County Commissioner Charles Jenkins and Falls Church Council Member David Snyder were elected as vice chairs to the TPB. In addition to his TPB post, Mendelson was also recently elected to the Board of Directors of the Association of Metropolitan Planning Organizations, a national group that provides assistance to the TPB and similar organizations.
Greater Washington 2050 Moves Forward
The COG Board approved a work program and initial budget for Greater Washington 2050, an initiative that will guide regional and Mid-Atlantic development for decades. Members of the Greater Washington 2050 Coalition (including representatives of COG policy committees,
the federal government, key regional business,
civic and environmental stakeholders) will be appointed by the COG Board in January. The Coalition will create a compact of regional planning goals that local governments will be asked to implement. It will also measure regional progress in improving transportation links, environmental quality and the availability of affordable housing.
50th Anniversary Video Narrated by Gordon Peterson Online
The 50th Anniversary video is now available on COG's website. Narrated by ABC7 News Anchor Gordon Peterson, the six-minute video chronicles the histories of both COG and the region it has served since 1957.
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