Have a restful weekend and make sure to check your email on Monday morning, May 19th, because the USGBC is set to open LEED v3 / LEED 2009 to public comment.
The first step in the process is simply sorting through the new naming convention. The overall initiative (LEED Version 3) is designed to improve LEED project execution, documentation, and certification. There are three key pieces:
There's a lot of talk here on Jetson Green about the (adverse) impact that architecture and materials choice can have on the environment. So it's nice to know that housing can actually be an essential factor in combating climate change according to a new study from Smart Growth America.
While attending the recent EcoCity World Summit in San Francisco, I heard panelist Reid Ewing, research professor at the National Center for Smart Growth, discuss urban development and its (negative and positive) effect on climate change. The study, published by the Urban Land Institute, documents how key changes in land development patterns could help reduce vehicle greenhouse gas emissions.
If you own a home, you’re likely to have a remodeling story. The good, the bad, the never-quite finished. One thing’s for sure; every remodel is different. Given the depth and breadth of residential remodeling, the USGBC, in collaboration with the American Society of Interior Designers, is formally releasing their REGREEN Residential Remodeling Guidelines today at the INTERIORS 08 conference in New Orleans. Not to be confused with the LEED for Homes rating system (a certification program), REGREEN is a set of remodeling guidelines.
The 182-page document will take some time to sift through, although a draft has been available for some time. A technical committee developed the guidelines, which then went through a public comment period with an opportunity for all interested parties and stakeholders to provide feedback. In the interest of transparency, a 28-page summary of public comments is available at the REGREEN website.
In
the tradition of the Worldwatch Institute's State of the World annual summary, Greener World Media producers of GreenBiz.com (among other websites), last
month released their first annual State of Green Business 2008 Report. Joel
Makower and his team of editors examined multiple categories in the green
business arena from alternative energy vehicles to toxic emissions to determine
the true state of green progress. Although the report provides a mixed review, green building was
identified as one of the more tangible signs of forward progress. This is
especially important given the downturn in the construction economy.
According to the report, the “green [building] market, [expanding] for years, began soaring in 2007, as several marquee projects opened their doors and some big-time initiatives were born.”
Although memories of elementary school for most of us may evoke images of stuffy classrooms, florescent lights, and playground bullies, students at Chartwell School located in Seaside, CA (near Monterey) are quite proud of their new school campus. That’s because the USGBC recently gave them an A+ in green building. In December, Chartwell students announced that they have the first complete educational campus to be awarded LEED Platinum, which makes them just about the greenest school campus in the country. Congrats also to Sidwell Friends School in Washington DC for their LEED Platinum middle-school building.
EHDD Architecture and general contractor Ausonio, Inc. helped Chartwell School achieve the high green building rating. According to Chartwell, here are some of their green features:
