By Dave Breitenstein
The Fort Myers News-Press
5/23/08

Architects, developers and builders someday might be required to go green.

State Sen. Burt Saunders, R-Naples, said Florida could revise its building codes to force builders into addressing environmental factors.

"We're going to try to make Florida as energy efficient as possible, and we're going to update building codes to assist us in moving that direction," Saunders told a crowd of 125 Thursday at "Greenprint: A Vision for Southwest Florida," held at Florida Gulf Coast University.

The two-hour seminar focused on environmental sustainability and preservation.

Dennis Gilkey, CEO of the Gilkey Organization, told the audience that developers are interested in environmental, social and economic sustainability. However, there often is a "what's in it for me" mentality when analyzing the feasibility and added cost of pro-environmental projects.

Conserving and preserving does not have to be a complex initiative. Simply using a different color scheme on roofs can trim 20 percent from electric bills during the summer, Saunders said.

"We can save a tremendous amount of energy by simply building green buildings," Saunders said.

Saunders championed fellow legislators to cough up $8.5 million for a solar power field at FGCU. Once a private donor matches that amount and construction begins, the field will generate enough electricity to power the entire campus during winter months.

Although the region is making progress, Steven Brown, an environmental policy specialist at the Conservancy of Southwest Florida, said gated communities that tout their efforts in environmental preservation and protection are among the biggest offenders. Gated communities import everything from food and landscaping to hundreds of workers who make the community function.

"Everything they need to sustain themselves is being brought in from the outside," said Brown, who believes some element of affordable housing and food production is needed in all communities.

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