Whatever prompted the Legislature to offer big tax breaks for green building in 2005, it’s become more obvious by the day they’re not needed any longer. First it was Rupert Murdoch’s News Corp. promising that it would be carbon neutral in a few years.

Now comes word that CB Richard Ellis is making the same promise. It wants to leave no impact on the climate by 2010. It hopes to do that by reducing its energy usage, reports the Los Angeles Times. And if that doesn’t work, it will buy carbon credits.

CBRE will be working with the Natural Resources Defense Council to develop its new green building code. There are big opportunities in refitting old properties to make the biggest gains.

And, reports Reuters, Wachovia has promised that its bank branches would all be environmentally friendly by 2008. The program begins with eight new branches in Southern California. Within three years, it expects to add 300 green branches in California and Texas. Wachovia paid $24.2 billion last October to buy Oakland-based Golden West Financial Corp., the second-largest U.S. savings and loan. That gave it a small presence here but there’s no word on greening those branches but it hopes to add them to the green program with retrofitting.