Sonoma County is Leading
the Way in Green Building

California, a leader in social trends and emerging industries, has now moved to the forefront in the implementation of the green building revolution.  Last September California passed AB 811, an energy efficiency improvements bill, which allows residential and commercial property owners to pay for energy saving upgrades with low-interest financed property tax assessments.

“Sonoma County is the first county in the state to have this program up and running”, says Tom LeDuc, President & CEO of LeDuc & Dexter Inc.  Only two other AB 811 programs have been started, one in Berkeley and the other in Palm Desert.  Sonoma County’s Energy Independence Program (SCEIP) is funded the Sonoma County Water Agency and the County of Sonoma.

The North Coast Builders Exchange hosted a two-day Build It Green seminar on May 15-16 for participants to become Certified Green Building Professionals.  There were 80 attendees including Tom LeDuc.  “It was two full days of intensive training in all facets of residential green building with a final test”, says LeDuc, “We’ll get the test results in 30 to see if we’re certified.”

It seems as though Sonoma County has become a leader in California’s green building movement.  Tom LeDuc recently attended the California PHCC convention in Hawaii.  LeDuc was one of three licensed Green Plumbing contractors in attendance. There were over thirty members of the MPMSA, Australia's Mechanical Contractors Association. GreenPlumbers® presented a seminar on Solar Hot Water, and MPMSA presented seminars on water conservation, rainwater harvesting, grey water and carbon management, plus worldwide case studies on green management. "It was one of the best conventions I've attended in years", said LeDuc