DuPage County looking to go green

It's not easy being green, but Kermit the Frog soon may be able to ease his pain with a break on building permit fees for his next lily pad in DuPage County.

The county board's development committee Tuesday directed staff to develop a policy encouraging environmentally friendly buildings.

Such "green" structures may involve, for example, paint with low volatile organic compounds, roofs covered by soil and vegetation, extra insulation or windows that maximize daylight to cut electricity use.

Incorporating those features into building designs tend to increase construction costs, resulting in higher rents or sale prices.

Still, county officials say there are long-term financial savings and health benefits.

"We can't look at just the dollar signs," Development Committee Chairman Kyle Gilgis said. "We have to look at the ripple effect."

Full recommendations for a policy likely won't come before the county board until early next year.

However, staff members Tuesday voiced their support for an incentive-based system.

If that concept is approved, it could include measures such as a sliding scale that lowers permit fees based on the extent of environmental features in a particular design. It also could involve nonmonetary incentives such as automatically moving "green" permits to the front of the approval line.

Staff will use the U.S. Green Building Council's Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design rating system and the International Code Council's programs as models for a DuPage County hybrid.

The guidelines would apply to all building projects requiring permitting from the county and structures the county builds itself.