University of California is considering going green.

A policy under consideration next week by a UC regents committee would require that all new buildings constructed on UC campuses meet nationally accepted environmental and clean-energy standards.

So-called green-building policies call for the use of everything from recycled building materials to water conservation principles to reliance on renewable energy sources, such as solar panels.

Student Regent Dexter Ligot-Gordon urged regents to consider green-building policies after he was approached by student groups who requested the university pay more attention to long-term sustainability of campus buildings.

Several UC campuses have adopted green-building standards in individual construction projects. UC Merced, the system's 10th campus currently under construction, has pledged to use green-building standards in the construction of all its academic buildings, for instance.

But Ligot-Gordon said this would be the first system-wide plan to require the use of environmentally friendly building practices.

"It's important for UC to invest in these technologies," he said, adding, "Green buildings last longer, they use less and are more efficient. In the long run, the university can only benefit while also serving the benefit of the larger community."

The UC regents' committee on grounds and buildings will consider the policy during a special meeting Wednesday before forwarding it to the full board on July 16.

The policy would require that all new building and building-renovation plans submitted after the start of the 2004-05 fiscal year meet defined energy efficiency and green-building standards. Medical acute care facilities, which have specific needs, would be exempted from the policy, although separate energy efficiency standards for those buildings would also be developed.

Several universities across the nation have adopted green-building policies, said Taryn Holowka, communications coordinator for the U.S. Green Building Council, a national coalition that has created guidelines for green buildings.

But Holowka didn't know if any university system as large as UC has drafted a similar, broad-reaching green-building policy. Holowka said research indicates that construction costs of green buildings can be higher than traditional buildings. Some estimates put initial construction costs for green buildings between two and seven percent higher, but she said that gap is closing as environmentally friendly building materials become more readily available.

Holowka said green buildings are cheaper in the long term. Utility bills in green buildings are between 30 to 50 percent lower, she said.

UC already boasts several examples of green-building policies at its campuses. The office wing of UC Santa Barbara's Donald Bren Hall, for instance, faces the ocean and has no air conditioning, instead relying on natural ventilation.

UC Merced goes further, incorporating the latest in sustainable architecture and technology in building construction. Windows will open automatically as the climate changes and the wind shifts; landscaping uses non-potable water for irrigation and relies heavily on native plants to maximize water conservation efforts; light-colored roofing materials will help keep buildings cooler and reduce reliance on air conditioners.