Cupertino Seeking Cleaner Construction

The days of dirty construction projects may be coming to an end.

That's the hope in Cupertino, where new regulations place strict limits on the amount of pollution that newly-built structures are able to produce.

Starting from a set of policy recommendations, the city polled residents, ecological experts, and construction companies to figure out how they could accommodate everyone's green dreams.

The result is a proposed ordinance, costing $25,000 to draft, that outlines various standards for new construction projects.

For every ecologically friendly measure that a development implements (such as energy-efficient lighting and better-insulated windows), it gets a point. Later on, developers can "cash in" their points to expedite the permitting process. No word yet on whether the points can be exchanged at Chuck E. Cheese for toys and games.

The green effort was touched off by CALGreen, a state program intended to ensure that newly-built dwellings cause less ecological harm. CALGreen takes effect on January 1, and Cupertino hopes that its new ordinance can go on the books as early as this summer. It still needs to be analyzed by the planning department and voted on by the city council, but with the green fever that's been sweeping California lately, it should be smooth sailing for the eco-friendly effort.