The Los Angeles Planning Commission November 15 approved one of the most ambitious Green building programs of any big city in the nation, requiring large new developments to be 15 percent more energy efficient. The new rules, which also restrict water use, aim to cut the city's emissions of greenhouse gases.       Under the rules, new buildings with more than 50 units or 50,000 square feet of floor area would be required to meet national standards established by the U.S. Green Building Council. L.A. Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa applauded the Planning Commission's action.
    "In the city with the dirtiest air in America, reducing our carbon footprint is not a luxury but an absolute necessity," he said. Villaraigosa has pledged to lower the city's greenhouse emissions 35 percent below 1990 levels by 2030.
    The first recommended measures include wiring buildings for solar-energy systems, using high-efficiency heating and air conditioning units, and installing toilets and showerheads that use less water. In addition, half of demolition and construction waste would have to be recycled, and low-irrigation landscaping would be mandated for lots greater than 1,000 square feet.