Chapter News
Washington: USGBC Launches Building Performance Initiative
The U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) announced that it has stepped up its commitment to improved building performance with the launch of the Building Performance Initiative, designed to put in place a comprehensive data collection effort from all buildings that have achieved LEED certification; implement an appropriate analysis methodology of that data; and provide feedback to building owners so they have better information with which to address any performance gaps that stem from predicted building performance vs. actual performance.
Phoenix: Al Gore and Sheryl Crow to headline USGBC Greenbuild Conference (from Greensourcemag.com)
In what organizers call a “makeover” of the traditional opening plenary, the U.S. Green Building Council has announced that former vice president Al Gore will deliver the keynote address at the 2009 Greenbuild convention, followed by a performance by nine-time Grammy winner Sheryl Crow. The event will take place from 6 to 9 p.m. on Wednesday, November 11
Roughly 30,000 participants are expected to attend this year’s conference, which will be held from November 11 to 13 in Phoenix, at the city’s newly expanded downtown convention center (part of which earned LEED-Silver certification). The theme of this year’s event is “Main Street Green: Connect to the Conversation.”
The opening ceremony will be at Chase Field, home of the Arizona Diamondbacks. USGBC president Rick Fedrizzi will kick off the event, followed by Gore. Gore is the author of two best-sellers, one of which went on to become the Oscar-winning documentary An Inconvenient Truth, and has recently released a third book, Our Choice.
Crow is known for her eco-conscious choices and has used her celebrity status to spread the sustainable message. In 2007 she participated in the “Stop Global Warming” college tour (which showcased clips from An Inconvenient Truth), and she regularly tours the United States in a bio-fuel bus. She also made her home energy-efficient and drives a hybrid car.
Knoxville: Local Architecture Firm's Gift Helps UT Students Seeking Green Building Accreditation
A Knoxville firm has funded an award to help students in the College of Architecture and Design at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, earn "green" building and sustainability credentials and prepare for costly environmental design exams.
The Brewer Ingram Fuller Sustainable Design Award was established thanks to an endowed gift from Brewer Ingram Fuller Architects in Knoxville. The firm was founded in 1986 by three architecture alumni, Dan Brewer, Lee Ingram and Anthony Fuller.
Members-Only Webcasts: Learn All About LEED v3
Employees of a USGBC national member organizations are invited to join USGBC and the Green Building Certification Institute for a weekly series of free members-only webcasts addressing the various components of LEED v3 and GBCI’s updated LEED professional credentialing system. Each hour-long webcast will offer a quick overview of the day’s topic, but the majority of the time will be dedicated to a question-and-answer session with the presenter.
LEED Version 3 Launch
The LEED green building certification program's greatest strength lies in its consensus-based, transparent, ongoing development cycle. On April 27, 2009, the next version of LEED will launch. The ability to be flexible allows LEED to evolve, taking advantage of new technologies and advancements in building science while prioritizing energy efficiency and CO2 emissions reductions.
USGBC Update January 2009
Message to the Transition: Green Building Creates Jobs, Saves Energy and Saves Money / USGBC Advances Green Building as Essential to Economic Recovery Facing an unrivaled financial crisis, President-Elect Obama and the new 111th Congress have been moving quickly and decisively to develop a plan to revive the economy through swift passage of the single largest economic recovery package in U.S. history.
