When looking forward, it often makes sense to look back - below is a very rough and very big-picture timeline of some key events.
In my work, I’ve found that studying and honoring the lessons of the past is one of the best ways to innovate; look back to look forward. To that end, I’ve consolidated some of what I would consider key events in the history of our collective sustainable thinking. Keeping these dates / data points in mind helps frame my thinking.
1792 - 1750 B.C. - Code of Hammurabi - often cited as one of the earliest codes to contain building requirements
1666 - London’s Great Fires
1871 and 1889 - Great Fires of Chicago and Seattle, respectively
1888 - AIA’s first contract documents released
1962 - Rachel Carson’s Silent Spring
1970 - First Earth Day; Environmental Protection Agency; National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA)
1974 - Safe Drinking Water Act of 1974
1976 - Toxic Substances Control Act
1990 - Austin Energy Green Building Program; Americans with Disabilities Act
1992 - US Energy Star Program
1993 - US Green Building Council; approx. time John Elkington credited with coining the phrase “Triple Bottom Line”
1998 - LEED 1.0
1999 - Executive Order 13,123 Greening the Government Through Energy Efficient Management
2000 - LEED 2.0; Green Globes
2005 - Energy Policy Act of 2005
2006 - Living Building Challenge
2007 - Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007
2009 - LEED 2009; AGC ConsensusDOCS 310 Green Building Addendum; American Reinvestment and Recovery Act
2010 - CALGreen Code (California Green Building Standards Code); International Green Construction Code (IgCC) 1.0
2013 - WELL Building Standard; AIA D503 - 2013, Guide for Sustainable Projects
2015 - Executive Order 13,693 Planning for Federal Sustainability in the Next Decade
2016 and 2018 - LEED v4 and v4.1, respectively
Resources:
Whole Building Design Guide - Green Building Standards and Certifications page.
Whole Building Design Guide - Federal and Executive Government page.
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