By Elizabeth Gibson, Reprinted from the Miami Herald
November 20, 2006

Pembroke Pines (FL) Mayor Frank Ortis is dreaming green.

From New York to California, trends in environmentally friendly ‘’green’’ development have become local goverment standards.

Ortis said he has caught the fever, and he hopes it’s contagious. ‘’I want to make every city in Broward County green with envy that we were the first to go green,’’ Ortis said.

The mayor has encouraged Pembroke Pines commissioners to develop an ordinance outlining an environmentally friendly building policy. If Pembroke Pines is to be first with a set of standards, as Ortis hopes, officials will have to hurry to establish them.

Oakland Park, Hollywood and Coconut Creek recently have established some ‘’green’’ requirements.

Rob Hink, chairman of the public policy committee for the South Florida chapter of the U.S. Green Building Council, said he is signing environmental building consulting contracts once a week in South Florida through his private business.

Consultants said they expect Broward County’s government to be recognized as the first county in the state to be recognized with the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certification for a building in Broward – a library slated to open in Pembroke Pines at the end of this year or in 2007. The U.S. Green Building Council awards levels of leadership for energy and design for individual buildings based on certain criteria. LEED has become the standard measure of environmentally friendly construction in the United States.

Ortis, who attended the U.S. Conference of Mayors summit on energy in late October, said he realized Florida had fallen behind other states. ‘’I think a lot of people here just go about their daily lives and don’t think about it,’’ the mayor said.

Commissioners could look at several methods to encourage construction with the environment in mind. The city could require new buildings to meet LEED standards, but Ortis said he doesn’t want to force the issue on residents and developers. The government could set an example with an ordinance similar to one Miami-Dade County is considering that could require all government-funded development to meet LEED standards starting in January of next year.

An environmentally friendly Pembroke Pines City Center could be the centerpiece for smart building in the city, Ortis said. Tax breaks and other incentives also could point builders in the right direction.

Environmentally friendly building has taken on a modern, scientific approach where simple changes add up, and the technology has become more affordable, Hink said.