Green Building Update - September 11, 2009

September 11, 2009

NY mandates green government building

NY Office of General Services - September 2

New York is the latest state to mandate green building for government-owned facilities. Guidelines are promised and the Office of General Services will provide new green building standards.

Related story: The Garden State Goes Green

Green Building Focus

Yudelson urges Quadruple Zero Sustainability
PR Web - September 3
Jerry Yudelson, author of ten green building books, advocates the European approach of 'Quadruple Zero Sustainability' -- zero net energy use, zero net carbon emissions, zero net water use and zero net waste generation. "What part of a 30 percent increase in value from LEED certification is hard to communicate?" said Yudelson, who challenged design professionals to advocate for green building and said it was a "disservice" to let clients build without LEED certification. "It almost amounts to dereliction of your duty as professionals." Yudelson believes that sustainability will be the driving force for the next 25 years in the U.S.

Study: growth and risks of green construction
earth2tech - September 2
McGraw-Hill predicts strong green building growth from 10-12% in 2009 to 20-25% by 2013. Also, research identified five perceived risks from green building: (1) financial risks; (2) legal risks; (3) green-washed building materials; (4) difficult energy retrofits; and (5) regulatory risks.

ICT's key role in green building
Engineering News - September 2
The Intelligent Building Automation symposium emphasized the importance of an intelligent communications technology (ICT) infrastructure for green building. ICT enables intelligent lighting, monitoring, verification and data storage. Engineering News offers a video of the presentation.

Taking It Upstream: Collaboration, Consensus Building and Sustainable Development--A Green Leadership (Un)Conference

Pepperdine University

On September 25, 2009, the third anniversary of AB 32 and the first year anniversary of SB 375, Pepperdine University is proud to host "Taking It Upstream: Collaboration, Consensus Building and Sustainable Development—A Green Leadership (Un)Conference." This groundbreaking symposium will use highly participatory engagement techniques to explore the opportunities and constraints that lie ahead, and develop the leaders required to address tomorrow's challenges. Bryan Jackson is speaking.

Nation's largest green jobs program

California Newswire - August 31

California's Clean Energy Workforce Training Program will leverage federal funds, public-private partnerships and state and local funding, to train workers for green jobs in renewable energy, climate change reduction, clean transportation and construction.

Occupancy requirement lowered for LEED-EBOM

Mother Nature Network - September 3

LEED-EBOM has lowered occupancy rates requirements from 75% to 50%. The USGBC believes lower occupancy rates do not undermine the technical integrity of LEED-EBOM certification.
Related story: LEED seeks to beef up its credentials

Campuses are leading green building

ABC 7 - August 28

The USGBC will help colleges establish sustainability courses, student organizations and green construction. Nearly 4,300 LEED projects will be certified on college campuses through 2009.
Related: Green schools summit in NYC; Mass. colleges make green building choices

Building not living up to green label

New York Times - August 30

Gaps between LEED design and energy performance? A LEED certified Federal building in Ohio failed to qualify for the EPA's Energy Star rating. The USGBC is investigating.
Related: LEED under-delivers on Federal building in Ohio

USGBC opens second Miss. branch

Sun Herald - September 4

USGBC opened a second Mississippi branch because of the growing demand for green buildings.

Notable green building projects...

Wells Fargo meets LEED Gold through Portfolio Program
GreenerBuildings - September 4
Wells Fargo earned LEED Silver pre-certification in 2008 for its prototype green banking branches and it's newly opened Manhattan Beach branch earned LEED Gold with 20% recycled content and over 50% of the wood certified by the Forest Stewardship Council.

Chicago Botanic Garden's sustainability
Chicago Press - September 3
The LEED Gold Chicago Botanic Garden educates the public about the importance of saving the planet by saving plants. The site conserves water, energy, materials, etc.

Horizon Uptown earns LEED-ND
USGBC - August 31
Horizon Uptown, a 503-acre development in north Colorado, received LEED Certification for its neighborhood plan. One of eight LEED-ND projects in Colorado, it will combine residential, commercial and retail uses in an urban format.

Boston's Cubellis HQ awarded LEED Gold
Reuters - September 2
The HQ of Cubellis architects earned LEED Gold for energy use, lighting, water and material use.

Ecolab earned LEED-EB Gold
Fox Business - September 3
Ecolab, specializing in foodservice, food and beverage processing, healthcare, and hospitality in 160 countries, said that its R&D facilities in Eagan, Minn., have been awarded LEED-EB Gold.

Events
Our attorneys speak at many conferences and seminars on green building topics. Bryan Jackson's list of recent speaking engagements can be found here. Taking It Upstream: Collaboration, Consensus Building and Sustainable Development--A Green Leadership (Un)Conference Pepperdine University *September 25* Bryan Jackson of Allen Matkins is speaking. Get the Allen Matkins discount when you register!
Sponsors
Enhancing value for commercial real estate
Bringing industry professionals together to build networks, teams and project successes.
	Association of Environmental Professionals
A non-profit organization of professionals working to improve our skills as environmental practitioners and natural resource managers.

Have a suggestion?

Events

Sponsors