Press Information

At the Green Tie Gala held on October 20, 2007 at City Hall, the Middle Tennessee Chapter of the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) celebrated a great year with exciting event. From the inspiring words of Susan S. Szenasy, of Metropolis Magazine in New York City to the rocking tunes performed by the diverse and entertaining Guilty Pleasures, local green leaders gave thanks to those whose green contributions have made a significant impact on the Nashville community. The Green Star Award is presented each year to an individual, company or project that has represented the Mission of the US Green Building Council, Middle Tennessee Chapter and has served to promote the principles of sustainable design and construction.

2007 USGBC Middle Tennessee Chapter 2nd Annual Disc Golf Challenge This Saturday

NASHVILLE, Tenn. – June 21, 2007 – The Middle Tennessee Chapter of the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) announced today that, thanks to event sponsors, the USGBC Middle Tennessee Chapter 2nd Annual Disc Golf Challenge will be free to chapter members. For all non-members, the fee is $25.00. All proceeds benefit the chapter. No experience or equipment is necessary. Disc and an event T-shirt will be handed out at registration. Door prizes will be given away and snacks and water will be provided by Wild Oats.

The event is open to the public. For more information, please contact Jamie Qualk at (615) 306-4012. When: Saturday, June 23rd - Noon Registration, 1:00pm start. Where: Two Rivers Park, 2320 Two Rivers Parkway, Nashville, TN 37214.

A tree will be donated by Green Thumb Nursery and planted in the fall to offset part of the carbon footprint of the event. Please note your mileage (we will ask at the registration desk to document the footprint) or better yet carpool or ride your bike!

Mayor Bill Purcell to Address Local U.S. Green Building Council Chapter April 26

NASHVILLE, Tenn. – April 24, 2007 – The Middle Tennessee Chapter of the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) today announced that Mayor Bill Purcell will address its members at its upcoming monthly meeting on April 26 at the Adventure Science Center. He will briefly discuss the development of Nashville and the City’s efforts toward a sustainable and green future.

Mayor Purcell recently signed the U.S. Mayors Climate Protection Agreement, joining more than 300 other mayors from around the United States in an effort to:

Strive to meet or beat the Kyoto Protocol targets in their own communities, through anti-sprawl land-use policies, urban forest restoration projects, public information campaigns, and other actions;
Urge state and federal government to enact policies and programs to meet or beat the greenhouse gas emission reduction target suggested for the United States in the Kyoto Protocol -- 7% reduction from 1990 levels by 2012; and
Urge the U.S. Congress to pass the bipartisan greenhouse gas reduction legislation, which would establish a national emission trading system. (Details on this effort are available at www.usmayors.org/climateprotection.)

The meeting is open to the public. For more information or if you plan to attend, please contact Jamie Qualk at (615) 306-4012.

When: Thursday, April 26th - 11:30am Registration, 12:00-1:00pm Lunch and Presentation.

Where: The Tennessee Engineering Center (in the Adventure Science Center), located at 800 Fort Negley Blvd. Nashville, TN 37203.

Local U.S. Green Building Council Chapter Representative to Appear on Trinity Broadcasting Network Public Affairs Program, Joy in Our Town

The Middle Tennessee Chapter of the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) will be featured in coming days on a local public affairs television program, Joy in Our Town.

James Qualk, a spokesman for the local chapter, will appear on the 30-minute program to discuss the USGBC’s origins, goals and its Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) rating system. This segment will air on every one of the program’s standard times detailed in the following paragraphs.

Joy in Our Town is a program that examines a wide range of community issues affecting people in Middle Tennessee.

Joy is shown on Friday at Noon, Saturday at 3:30 a.m., Monday at 10:30 a.m. and Tuesday at 3:30 a.m. It is broadcast on Trinity Broadcasting Network, Channel 50 and Comcast Cable Channel 15.

The Middle Tennessee Chapter of the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) has elected new leadership for 2007:

Santa Fe (December 1, 2006) - Recognizing that the Building Sector is responsible for almost half of all greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions annually, key leaders in this Sector have banded together to confront the global-warming crisis. Last week, the American Institute of Architects (AIA), U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC), American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE), Architecture 2030 and about 20 other leaders attended a special meeting at the 2006 Greenbuild International Conference and Expo, a conference presented annually by the USGBC. According to Rick Fedrizzi, President, CEO & Founding Chairman of USGBC, "Eliminating the built environment's negative contribution to climate change is not just a strategic priority, it's our collective responsibility to generations to come. Science tells us we have 3650 days to meet that goal, and urgent action is required."

During the meeting, the group reached a consensus on three critical issues facing the Building Sector as it works to bring energy consumption and GHG emissions in this sector under control: the need for a common goal, the definition of this goal and a baseline to measure progress against. "The building industry is coming together around the common goal of Architecture 2030's targets for reductions in energy use. The organizations and individuals in this meeting need to reach out to the entire industry, encouraging them all to work together in achieving these targets.", said R.K. Stewart, President-elect of AIA.
In a show of solidarity and commitment, these leaders have adopted 'The 2030 Challenge' targets. The 2030 Challenge, a global initiative officially launched by Architecture 2030 in January 2006, calls for all new buildings and major renovations to reduce their fossil-fuel GHG-emitting energy consumption by 50 percent immediately, increasing this reduction to 60% in 2010, 70% in 2015, 80% in 2020, 90% in 2025, and finally, that all new buildings would be carbon neutral by the year 2030. Terry Townsend, President of ASHRAE, stated that, "ASHRAE is committed to developing the tools needed to accomplish the Architecture 2030 challenge."

The 2030 Challenge targets had previously been adopted by the 78,000 member AIA, the US Conference of Mayors (for all buildings in all cities; Resolution #50) and individual cities and counties; endorsed by the International Council for Local Environmental Initiatives (ICLEI) and incorporated into their "Statement of Action"; integrated into the EPA's Target Finder; and promoted by the National Wildlife Federation and others. However, last week's collaborative adoption creates a powerful consensus, allowing for the sharing of information and support.
A critical component to the success of this effort is the definition of a baseline by which all reductions will be measured. A complete regional database of actual energy use for all building types is not currently available. To provide an immediate and interim solution, the group adopted the data supplied by the Energy Information Agency's (US Department of Energy), which is currently used by the EPA in their Target Finder program.

All participants agreed that collaboration is necessary to reach the goal and each will develop the tools necessary for their membership to accomplish this. The participants are openly inviting other industry leaders to join forces with them. Edward Mazria, founder and Executive Director of Architecture 2030, said, "The task we face is daunting. Working separately, we could accomplish something significant in each of our respective spheres. But by working together, we actually have a chance to influence the course of history."

The USGBC Middle Tennessee Chapter Announces The 2006 “Green Star” Award Recipients

The Green Star Award is presented each year to an individual, company or project that has represented the Mission of the US Green Building Council Middle Tennessee Chapter and has served to promote the principles of sustainable design and construction. The awards were presented at the First Annual Green Tie Gala last Thursday night. The Gala included dinner, live music and a presentation by U.S. Green Building Council President, CEO & Founding Chairman, S. Richard Fedrizzi. The Event was a resounding success with nearly two hundred in attendance including representatives from state and local government, Middle Tennessee architects, engineers, contractors and building owners. For more information, please contact James Qualk at 615-405-5217.

Green Star Award: Educational Contribution
Rick Cottle

For his long time commitment to the education process, volunteering his time to teach courses related to sustainability at MTSU

Green Star Award: Residential Contribution
Westview Condos

For the example and success story of a private development that utilized a green roof for all the right reasons and allowed tours for further education

Green Star Award: Commercial Contribution
Edward Belbusti
Vanderbilt University, Residential College Project

For the responsible reaction to student desires to provide a healthy and sustainable project setting an example for future generations

Green Star Award: Individual Contribution
Gwen Griffith, Cumberland River Compact

For her relentless pursuit of community and design industry education through the Building Outside the Box program and relentless efforts to set up and facilitate educational opportunities

Green Star Award: Corporate Contribution
American Constructors

For their “practice what we preach” attitude and continued dedication to promoting sustainable principles in construction

U.S. Green Building Council President, CEO & Founding Chairman, S. Richard Fedrizzi, to Visit Nashville For Local Chapter Event

The Middle Tennessee Chapter of the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) is hosting S. Richard Fedrizzi as the keynote speaker for the chapter’s first formal fund-raising event. The “Green Tie Gala” will be held On Thursday, October 26th at the City Hall (http://cityhallnashville.com/) located at 405 12th Ave. South, Nashville. Cocktails, entertainment and dinner will commence at 6:30 pm and the festivities are scheduled to continue until 9:00 pm. Mr. Fedrizzi will be in Nashville an entire day prior to the event to meet with local elected officials and community leaders. A list of these meetings and the attendees can be obtained upon request.

Bio: Rick Fedrizzi, founder & president of the consulting firm Green-Think, Inc., and the founding chairman of USGBC, was appointed President & CEO of USGBC in April 2004. Before starting Green-Think, Rick served as an in-house environmental marketing consultant for United Technologies' Carrier Corporation in their commercial and residential business units, where he worked through engineering, marketing and sales operations to ensure responsible environmental product development and strategy implementation. Externally, Rick worked with government agencies, utility companies and environmental organizations to advance the environmentally responsible HVAC strategies of Carrier Corporation, such as energy efficiency, safe refrigerants, acoustics, indoor air quality, thermal comfort and materials related issues, resulting in Carrier Corporation's receiving the US Environmental Protection Agency's Stratospheric Ozone Protection Award and the US Department of Energy's National Energy Award for new product development.

April 13, 2006
Local USGBC Chapter Hosts Disc Golf Challenge to Raise Money and Awareness - Already a Success

The Middle Tennessee Chapter of the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) is sponsoring a Disc Golf Challenge at Two Rivers Park on April 21st , 2006. This event coincides with the celebration of Earth Day (April 22 nd ) and will focus on raising awareness of the Green Building Movement while also raising money for the local chapter of the USGBC, a 501(c3) not-for-profit corporation.

Donations and sponsorships are still encouraged and available. Current Sponsors include Lightning 100’s Team Green, Wild Oats, The Cracker Barrel, Segway and many more. In conjunction with the current sponsorships and over 100 anticipated participants, the event is expected to be a huge success for the USGBC’s Middle Tennessee Chapter.

Participation in this “earth friendly” event will require an entry fee of $20.00 for which one will receive a round of Disc Golf, an event T-shirt and one regulation all-around USGBC logo stamped disc. Registration will begin at 12:00 pm and there will be a ”shot gun” start at 1:15 pm. If you would like more information about the event, or are interested in sponsorship opportunities, please contact Paul McCown at pmccown@ssr-inc.com or 615-460-0538 for more information.

March 7, 2006
Local USGBCChapter Announces Disc Golf Challenge to Raise Money for Middle Tennessee Organization

The Middle Tennessee Chapter of the U.S. Green Building Council(USGBC) recently announced the organization and sponsorship of a Disc GolfChallenge at TwoRiversParkon April 21st, 2006. This event coincides with the celebrationof Earth Day (April 22nd) and will focus on raising awareness of theGreen Building Movement while also raising money for the local chapter of theUSGBC, a 501(c3) not-for-profit corporation.

Participation in this “earth friendly” event will require amodest entry fee of $20.00 for which one will receive one round of Disc Golfand one regulation all-around USGBC stamped disc. Hole and general eventsponsorships are still available. Lightning 100's Team Green hasexpressed considerable interest in the event and will be partnering with theUSGBC for promotion purposes.

Registration will begin at 12:00 pm and there will be a”shot gun” start at 1:15 pm. If you would like more information about theevent, or are interested in sponsorship opportunities, please contact PaulMcCown at pmccown@ssr-inc.com or 615-460-0538 for more information.