NOVEMBER - DECEMBER 2007
In This Issue
President's Message
*Awards Gala*
School Advocacy Opportunity
News Clips
2007 Solar Decathlon
Forbes Magazine - Greenest States Rankings
2008 National Wetlands Awards
Member News
Members on the Move
Events Calendar
How to Get Involved
Committees and Committee Chairs
Officers and Board Members
PRESIDENT'S MESSAGE
WOW! That is my first and lasting thought as I reflect on the state of the green building industry in 2007. I am on a plane returning from the annual GreenBuild conference held in Chicago this year and I am reflecting on how far we have come over the past several years, but in particular how far we have come this year. To put it in some perspective I was one of 25,000 people that attended the event this year up from less than 1,000 just six years ago. Having Bill Clinton as one of the keynote speakers for the event is another indicator of how close to the mainstream our movement truly is. Historically, I believe 2007 will be viewed as the year green buildings hit the tipping point in our marketplace.
The chapter has also had an amazing year. It started in January with the chapter formally receiving our 501c3 not for profit status from the IRS. This was an important step for organizational reasons and I want to thank our legal sponsors from Miles and Stockbridge for helping navigate us through this very complicated legal process.
Our monthly programs continue to be very successful and provide valuable education for a wide variety of our membership base. We continue to explore new topics and locations for our events and welcome any input you wish to share with us on what you would like to see in the future. We trained hundreds of individuals in our LEED training sessions and sold out every event. We will deliver more frequent training sessions in 2008 to try to keep up with the incredible demand.
We continue to add more organizations to national USGBC membership, individual members to the chapter and chapter sponsors. We formed an emerging green builders (EGB) group to help integrate our student and young professional population to help us learn from their amazing enthusiasm and passion while we share some of our valuable experience. It is a synergy that is important for us to help fuse new ideas with best practices. We want to thank everyone for helping the movement grow at the pace that it currently is experiencing. Without all of you participating in this, there is no green building movement.
We gave dozens of lectures to interested companies and organizations on the benefits of green buildings. Our reach has expanded exponentially since the chapter was first formed and will continue to grow with the increased volunteerism from our member base.
We partnered with Tai Sophia, Chesapeake Sustainable Business Alliance and Urbanite Magazine to produce the first Bioneers Conference in Baltimore. It was a tremendous success. What I personally learned this year is that the environmental and social justice movements are one and the same. How can we morally and ethically protect our environmental future without working to ensure social justice permeates throughout our planet? Conferences like GreenBuild and Bioneers are moving us in the right direction towards this goal.
Last but certainly not least is the amazing progress we had in advocacy this year. Through the efforts of our members we successfully passed green building legislation in DC, Montgomery County, Howard County, Baltimore City, Baltimore County and the state of Maryland. Much of this work is receiving national attention for the landmark nature of it. We also started advocacy programs for residential development, schools and the development of our neighborhoods. This is an area I am very proud of and our work will continue to be strong next year and many years to come.
I want to thank all of you for providing me an opportunity to lead this chapter as President. As my term nears its end I reflect on my gratitude for being a part of such an exciting time. If everyone has ever seen one of my presentations you know I always end it with a picture of my kids as the answer to the question, "Why do I do it?" We owe it to our kids to build better buildings that pollute less and integrate with our finite natural resources more effectively. We should be sending them to schools that have clean air and natural daylight. The decisions we make today will determine the legacy we leave behind and our children and their children will appreciate our thoughtfulness and deliberate actions to move us in the direction of true sustainability.
Thank you and I look forward to seeing all of you at our annual awards celebration on December 5th at The Visionary Art Museum.
David Pratt
DECEMBER MEETING - AWARDS GALA
We'd like to remind all the Chapter members about the 3rd Annual Green Leadership Awards Celebration, being held December 5th at the American Visionary Art Museum! The Celebration is the culmination a year of Excellence in Green Building / Design and Advocacy. We're thrilled to have Sandy Wiggins, Chairman of the USGBC speaking at the ceremony, in addition to Anirban Basu, Host of Morning Economic Forecast on NPR, as our Master of Ceremonies! There will be plenty of opportunities to network with fellow Green Builders, and to recognize leaders in the Baltimore area Green Building Industry. Please join us for an Open Bar with abundant and substantial hors d'oevres, and also to recognize the work that's been done in order to improve our community and world. During the course of the evening, you'll also be able to walk through the exhibits of the American Visionary Art museum, and you will have a chance to dance to the Music of MaryAnn Matheny-Katz, a fantastic Baltimore-Based Jazz singer!
SCHOOLS ADVOCACY OPPORTUNITY
There is an exciting new development in the Advocacy Committee activities. It is Advocacy for Green Schools. If you have just been waiting for the right Chapter activity, this may be it.
Beverly Eisenberg, a Chapter Board Member, and member of our Committee is heading up the schools advocacy activities as an Advocacy Committee subcommittee. There will be a schools advocacy training session given by a representative of national USGBC on December 12th (9am to 5pm) Bev is arranging this for the Committee. The location will be in our area. There will be no cost to committee members, but space is limited.
NO TIME TO WASTE - Chapter members who want to join the Advocacy Committee to be a green schools advocate - contact Bev right away and let her know beverly.eisenberg@verizon.net (phone 410-732-9832). The deadline to register for this training is November 30th. Please also copy sandymch@earthlink.net to be added to the Committee membership list.
NEWS CLIPS
2007 Solar Decathlon - USGBC was an active sponsor and contributor to the 2008 Solar Decathlon. The event took place on the National Mall in Washington, D.C., October 12-20.
From the official Solar Decathlon website - "The Solar Decathlon challenged 20 college and university teams to compete in 10 contests and design, build, and operate the most attractive and energy-efficient solar-powered home. After two years of preparation and a week of competition, the final scores and standings are in."
First Place was won by the German team from Technische Universitdt Darmstadt. The University of Maryland was awarded second place. Maryland was highly praised by the judges for many notable aspects, including scoring a perfect 100 points in Energy Balance.
DECEMBER MEETING - AWARDS GALA
We'd like to remind all the Chapter members about the 3rd Annual Green Leadership Awards Celebration, being held December 5th at the American Visionary Art Museum! The Celebration is the culmination a year of Excellence in Green Building / Design and Advocacy. We're thrilled to have Sandy Wiggins, Chairman of the USGBC speaking at the ceremony, in addition to Anirban Basu, Host of Morning Economic Forecast on NPR, as our Master of Ceremonies! There will be plenty of opportunities to network with fellow Green Builders, and to recognize leaders in the Baltimore area Green Building Industry. Please join us for an Open Bar with abundant and substantial hors d'oevres, and also to recognize the work that's been done in order to improve our community and world. During the course of the evening, you'll also be able to walk through the exhibits of the American Visionary Art museum, and you will have a chance to dance to the Music of MaryAnn Matheny-Katz, a fantastic Baltimore-Based Jazz singer!
SCHOOLS ADVOCACY OPPORTUNITY
There is an exciting new development in the Advocacy Committee activities. It is Advocacy for Green Schools. If you have just been waiting for the right Chapter activity, this may be it.
Beverly Eisenberg, a Chapter Board Member, and member of our Committee is heading up the schools advocacy activities as an Advocacy Committee subcommittee. There will be a schools advocacy training session given by a representative of national USGBC on December 12th (9am to 5pm) Bev is arranging this for the Committee. The location will be in our area. There will be no cost to committee members, but space is limited.
NO TIME TO WASTE - Chapter members who want to join the Advocacy Committee to be a green schools advocate - contact Bev right away and let her know. beverly.eisenberg@verizon.net (phone 410-732-9832). The deadline to register for this training is November 30th. Please also copy sandymch@earthlink.net to be added to the Committee membership list.
NEWS CLIPS
2007 Solar Decathlon - USGBC was an active sponsor and contributor to the 2008 Solar Decathlon. The event took place on the National Mall in Washington, D.C., October 12-20.
From the official Solar Decathlon website - "The Solar Decathlon challenged 20 college and university teams to compete in 10 contests and design, build, and operate the most attractive and energy-efficient solar-powered home. After two years of preparation and a week of competition, the final scores and standings are in."
First Place was won by the German team from Technische Universitdt Darmstadt. The University of Maryland was awarded second place. Maryland was highly praised by the judges for many notable aspects, including scoring a perfect 100 points in Energy Balance.
photos by Kaye Evans-Lutterodt/Solar Decathlon
For all the details and more photos http://www.solardecathlon.org/scores_standings.html
Greenest State -Forbes Magazine issued their rankings of America's Greenest States on 17 October. Predictably, Vermont , Oregon, and Washington topped the list, but there were some surprises such as New Jersey at number 7, and neither California nor Colorado made the top 10. The state of Maryland came in 4th. The Forbes article noted that "Only 10 states have a lower carbon footprint per capita than Maryland" It goes on to notes good records in compliance Clean Water Act permits, energy consumption, and low toxic waste. Read the entire article at http://www.forbes.com/2007/10/16/environment-energy-vermont-biz-beltway-cx_bw_mm_1017greenstates.html
Nominations for The 2008 National Wetlands Awards are being solicited by its Co-Sponsors: The Environmental Law Institute; U.S. Environmental Protection Agency; USDA Forest Service; U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service; NOAA Fisheries; Natural Resources Conservation Service; U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, and the Federal Highway Administration
The National Wetlands Awards Program honors individuals who have
demonstrated extraordinary commitment to the conservation and restoration of
our nation's wetlands. Awards will be given in six categories: Education and Outreach;
Science Research; Conservation and Restoration; Landowner Stewardship;
State, Tribal, and Local Program Development; and Wetland Community Leader.
The deadline for submitting nominations is January 15, 2008.
For more information or to submit a nomination - www.nationalwetlandsawards.org
MEMBER NEWS
Brad Jones, PE, LEED AP has joined Century Engineering as a Project Manager in the Site Development Group
Brittany Murray LEED AP has joined Lorax Partnerships
Larry Hennessey, PE, CSI, CCS, CCCA, LEEP AP has joined UMBC as Assistant Director of Planning and Construction Services.
Peter Doo, AIA, LEED AP has established a new consulting firm, Doo Consulting, dedicated to sustainable practices. The October 2007 issue of College Planning and Management Group published an article by Peter entitled The Cost and Value of Green Buildings. To read the article-http://www.peterli.com/archive/cpm/1630.shtm.
Marc Shaener, Development Manager EnviroSolutions, Inc (ESI)
spoke at the 2007 Capital Building & Facility Maintenance Show discussing recycling and waste materials management for compliance with LEED standards and local ordinances.
A Reminder - Keep Current
Don't forget to send notification if you change employment, email address or other contact information.
Chapter Members may submit items to be considered for publication in future newsletters.
The submission deadline for the next (Jan/Feb) newsletter is January 3, 2008.
EVENTS CALENDAR
*Awards Gala*
3rd Annual Green Leadership Awards Celebration!
It will be an exciting night of recognition, entertainment and networking at the American Visionary Art Museum.
Wednesday, December 5th 6:30 to 9:30 p.m.
We will have:
Beer & Wine
Live Music
Heavy Hors d'oeuvres
Door Prizes
$75 for USGBC-Baltimore Regional Chapter Members
$50 for Significant others of Chapter Members
$110 for Non-Members
Register for this Event NOW!
For more information go to our website
http://chapters.usgbc.org/baltimore
An organization is only as strong as the commitment of its members
HOW TO GET INVOLVED
All Chapter members are welcome and encouraged to serve on committees.
Good ideas and willing volunteers are always needed.
Find your voice in the Chapter, join a committee.
Email addresses for committee chairpersons
are listed below and on our website.
http://chapters.usgbc.org/baltimore
COMMITTEES AND COMMITTEE CHAIRS
MEMBERSHIP-SandyMcLelland
sandymch@earthlink.net
PROGRAMS - Kim Ilardi
Kim.Ilardi@whiting-turner.com
COMMUNICATIONS/MARKETING- Marc Hurwitz
mhurwitz@jposey.com
SPONSORSHIP- Amy Wortman
awortman@energydesigngroup.com
EMERGING GREEN BUILDERS - Rex Wright
rex.a.wright@jci.com
ADVOCACY- Nestor Arabejo & SandyMcLelland
Narabejo_usgbcbalt@prodigy.net
sandymch@earthlink.net
WORKSHOPS- Neal Fiorelli
Neal.fiorelli@loraxllc.com
AWARDS -Kim Ilardi
Kim.Ilardi@whiting-turner.com
NEWSLETTER- Sandy McLelland
sandymch@earthlink.net
OFFICERS
President - David Pratt
Vice President - Kim Schaefer
Treasurer - Earl Rosenow
Secretary - John Bergman
BOARD MEMBERS
Peter Doo
Amy Wortman
Earl Rosenow
John Bergman
David Pratt
Beverly Eisenberg
Kim Schaefer
Anthony Jones
Kim Ilardi
Marc Hurwitz
Jim Kraft
Andrew Marani
Dan Winters
Rex Wright