Going for the "Gold" -- or Even Better, Platinum

Every new building should be at least as "green" as this one:

[Arlington] County Board members on April 25 approved a project that will, when built, become the first “LEED Gold” residential building in Arlington.

Developers of the 180-foot, 16-story building, to be located on 14th Street North at the site of the existing Arlington Executive Building in the Courthouse area, have sought that rating from the U.S. Green Building Council. It is the second highest possible LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) rating obtainable.

What I'd really like to see is a national energy efficiency standard for buildings, just like we have energy efficiency standards for cars, heat pumps, refrigerators, etc. I'd also like to see every new building constructed in America starting immediately be at least as "green" as LEED Gold level. With our economic, national security and environmental challenges all converging on our profligate use of energy - the nexus of all those problems, really - there's no time to waste.

The problem is, we have "leaders" like Eric Cantor and Bob McDonnell out there, not to mention the flat earthers/know nothings in the Republican-controlled House of Delegates, who completely don't get it, completely don't give a rat's you-know-what, or more likely both. Instead, these Neanderthals think it's all about "cheap energy," when in fact the #1 signal we can send to consumers to reduce their consumption of dirty fossil fuels is to put a price on carbon. This can be done in a completely revenue neutral way, so that taxes are not raised ONE PENNY. There can also be tax incentives provided to assist people in purchasing energy efficient homes, cars, appliances, renewable power generation equipment, etc. that actually SAVES THEM MONEY in the long run. Despite this, the Republicans - and some "conservative" Democrats (mainly from coal states) - oppose any serious effort in dealing with the challenges of climate change, energy security, and an unsustainable economy by moving in this direction.

That's why, if we want to solve these problems, it goes without saying that we can't elect Bob McDonnell-style Republicans. But it also means that we've got to elect BETTER Democrats, more intelligent Democrats, more Progressive Democrats. If not, we can keep sending huge amounts of money to petro-dictatorships while we f*** up the planet AND the economy. Given that no-brainer choice, which side do you think Republicans come out? Hmmmm.

P.S. I also agree with Roger Lewis of the Washington Post on this:

Speculating about visionary green houses is tantalizing, but much greater benefits accrue at a larger scale. Entire metropolitan regions need to be green. This means creating more compact land-use patterns; diverse transportation options that enable fewer automobile trips; greater mixing of land uses at higher densities; and, of course, greener residential, commercial and civic buildings.

In short, it's not just building "green buildings," it's shifting from the sprawl model of suburbia/exurbia to a "smart growth"/high-density model. Yet another thing the Bob McDonnells of the world certainly don't understand.