ELI Healthy Schools Project: Colorado

Healthy, High Performance School Facilities:
Developments in State Policy

Colorado

Citation: Colorado Senate Bill 07-051
Effective: September 2007
Available: HERE

This law establishes green building requirements for state agencies controlling the construction or substantial renovation of facilities that are at least 5,000 square feet and that receive state funding equal to at least 25% of the project cost. Such projects must use a state-approved high performance building rating system and must achieve the highest rating that can be attained with a 15-year payback of any increased initial costs. The law directs the Office of the State Architect to adopt a rating system and provides general criteria for doing so, but does not specify a rating system. This requirement becomes more significant in the school construction context following passage of another law (House Bill 1335) in 2008, which will increase the state’s role in funding school building projects.

The Innovation in Governance Programs work to develop inventive approaches to new or entrenched environmental problems and changing technologies and economies. The programs focus on four objectives:

Investigate and promote innovative approaches to managing government agencies and private businesses that will achieve greater environmental protection.
Safeguard and strengthen the safety net of federal environmental law, its enforcement in the courts, and its state implementation through strategic research, education, and outreach.
Improve understanding of environmental governance tools by hosting visiting scholars and international delegations.
Through ELI’s Center for Business Environmental Strategy, provide information, ideas and tools for corporate environmental lawyers and executives to improve environmental management.

Healthy, High Performance School Facilities: Developments in State Policy

Colorado

Healthy, High Performance School Facilities:
Developments in State Policy