Olszewski Strengthens Environmental Standards for New County Buildings

TOWSON, MD — Baltimore County Executive Johnny Olszewski today issued an Executive Order requiring all newly constructed County facilities or major renovations to be completed to the U.S. Green Building Council’s Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Silver standard or higher.

Requiring LEED Silver standards will ensure future construction and renovation projects incorporate sustainable elements that will generate lower costs over the long-term due to energy efficient design.

“We have a responsibility to take action today so the next generation inherits a more sustainable future,” Olszewski said. “Sustainable building design is the responsible thing to do for our environment and for our pocketbook.”

The U.S. Green Building Council created LEED to define green building and encourage more entities to pursue clean, sustainable design. The standards provide a “framework for healthy, highly efficient, and cost saving green buildings.”

The Executive Order is Olszewski’s latest effort to advance sustainability within County government. In his first year, he created the position of Chief Sustainability Officer to coordinate efforts across the government and the County.

The County has begun developing a Climate Action Plan to mitigate the County’s greenhouse gas emissions and address the impacts of increased temperatures, more severe weather events and sea level rise.

Last year, at Olszewski’s direction, the Department of Public Works re-started Baltimore County’s glass recycling program, which had been sidelined for seven years, and launched an innovative landfill gas-to-energy system that captures methane gas and converts it to energy, putting the County back on track to meet renewable energy goals.

Olszewski has also convened a Solid Waste Working Group to examine the County’s solid waste collection and disposal practices, as well as a Youth Climate Working Group, which engaged young people in a conversation about how climate change impacts their communities and potential solutions.
 
The full Executive Order is available here.