In Boston, 71% of our greenhouse gas emissions come from buildings. Half of Boston’s emissions come from a small group of the largest buildings. There are about six thousand of these buildings, which are 20K+ square feet or 15+ residential units.
That’s why BCAN and our allies successfully advocated for the passage of the Building Emissions Reduction and Disclosure Ordinance (BERDO 2.0). This requires large buildings to become net zero emissions by 2050. Yet, developers still build new large buildings with fossil fuels—and the high emissions they bring. That’s why we must require all new large buildings to be built with net zero emissions. The Boston Planning & Development Agency (BPDA) must require this by implementing the Net Zero Carbon Zoning Code. This code would:
- Require new large buildings to be built with net-zero emissions
- Require developers to report construction-related emissions (embodied carbon)
- Accelerate BERDO’s net zero timeline
While the BPDA’s current draft amendment is good, it could be even better.
Implementation Date
Given that the general fundamentals of this Amendment have been in discussion for several years, they should be no surprise to any large building developer. Further, with more and more developers building without gas lines, we believe the development community is more prepared than ever to operationalize this Amendment. Thus, we propose this Amendment take effect by July 1, 2025, instead of 2026.
LEED Requirements
The US Green Building Council’s LEED certification offers an array of benefits for building tenants, from improved health to lower bills over time. LEED is now an accepted industry standard. Developers everywhere have more knowledge than ever, including fantastic local buildings, that implement the LEED Platinum standard. We thus propose this Amendment to require LEED Platinum standards for all Article 80 buildings.
Ultimately, while the Building Emissions Reduction and Disclosure Ordinance (BERDO) requires all large buildings to achieve net zero emissions by 2050, we need not wait until 2050 to do so, particularly on new construction. This Amendment, with a few tweaks, will be a national model for energy efficient, zero emissions large buildings.
Take Action
- Submit feedback to the Boston Planning & Development Agency using their form by May 28.
- Tell them to:
- Implement the NZC Zoning Code by July 2025.
- Require new large buildings to adhere to LEED Platinum standard.