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News Briefs
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May, 2013
California raised more than $280 million selling greenhouse gas emissions permits in its third auction, with businesses paying a record $14 per metric ton for the right to release carbon this year. All 14.5 million available allowances for use this year sold, the California Air Resources Board says.
The $280 million includes the state’s sale of 7,515,000 carbon allowances for 2016 at the minimum price of $10.71 a metric ton, according to the state. California’s inaugural auction in November raised nearly $300 million, with emitting businesses paying $10.09 per metric ton for the right to release carbon in 2013. All 23.1 million permits on offer were purchased.
Environmental Leader
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May, 2013
The debate over safe building materials shows no signs of stopping as LEED v4 draws closer to its official release. It’s clear that the certification system will include credits for optimizing building material ingredients and the supply chain in some form. And that is because specifying better building products is impossible without a clear understanding of the ingredients in the materials themselves.
Many of the environmental impacts of buildings come from the materials used to construct them. The risks to human health and to the environment from many of these chemicals are not widely understood and may bioaccumulate in the human body, thus reaching dangerous concentrations. They may also chemically react with one another, producing new substances with new risks. To minimize these risks, industry must do more to provide basic information on the chemicals used in the manufacture of building products. “Just like nutrition labels in the grocery store, project teams want to know what’s in the building products they are using,” says Brendan Owens, VP, LEED Technical Development. Of the 100,000 plus chemicals in commerce today, over 3,000 these are manufactured or imported at a rate of more than one million pounds annually. Only seven percent of these “high production volume” (HPV) chemicals have a full set of test data and some have no data on how toxic they are to humans or the environment. According to the European Commission, "little safety information exists for 99 percent of the tens of thousands of chemicals placed on the market before 1981". Of these, only 3,000 have been tested and over 800 are known to be carcinogenic, mutagenic or toxic to reproduction. This lack of information compromises the public's right to know about the chemicals found in our environment, our homes, and our workplace.
For additional information:
World Health Organization
Scientific American
Buildings
Environmental Leader
Healthy Building Network |
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May, 2013
According to the United Nations the global market for low carbon and energy efficient technologies, including renewable energy supply products, will triple to $2.2 trillion by 2020.
The UNEP report, Green Economy and Trade-Trends, Challenges and Opportunities, says developing countries with abundant renewable resources are well-positioned to increase their share in international markets for sustainable goods and services.
Green trade still represents only a small percentage of the global market, the UNEP says. However, trade in certified products and in environmental goods and services is on the rise in absolute terms.
The report identifies six economic sectors where green trade opportunities exist: agriculture, fisheries, forests, manufacturing, renewable energy and tourism.
The global market for organic food and beverages is projected to grow from $62.9 billion in 2011 to $105 billion by 2015. The total value of seafood that has been farmed according to certified sustainability standards is forecast to increase to $1.25 billion by 2015, up from $300 million in 2008, according to the report.
United Nations Environment Programme Report |
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May, 2013
The Department of Energy has published a new series of protocols for determining savings from energy efficiency upgrades in homes, commercial buildings, and industrial facilities.
Developed in collaboration with leading technical experts under the Uniform Methods Project (UMP), these protocols offer a straightforward approach for calculating energy savings made possible from common residential and commercial efficiency measures in utility-based energy efficiency programs.
Currently, there are differences in the way public utility commissions, utilities, contractors, and energy efficiency program administrators calculate energy savings in different jurisdictions and regions of the country. These differences reduce the overall credibility of energy efficiency programs. Adopting the new protocols, Methods for Determining Energy Efficiency Savings for Specific Measures, is intended to help increase confidence about reported energy savings from energy efficiency programs.
Department Of Energy (DOE)
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May, 2013
Al Gore, former U.S. Vice-President and environmentalist is putting his money on the table. According to Gore, capitalism is at a crossroads and the global context for business is clearly changing. He maintains that investors typically focus on a narrow part of the spectrum of value that any company, or economy, produces. Mainstream accounting in that way is like visible light. It’s all that eyes can see but makes up just 2 percent of the complete electromagnetic spectrum, the band of radiation that extends from high-powered gamma and x-rays to microwave and radio frequencies.
In order to invest using the full spectrum of possibilities in the current global context one needs to widen the bands of light that it sees by incorporating sustainability analysis. Essentially this requires doning night-goggles to view the larger spectrum. It’s an approach that values environmental, social and governance criteria (“ESG”) and long-term time horizons, rather than based entirely on short-term quarterly gains. There’s a lot of information that’s material today — water, carbon, working conditions in far-flung suppliers — that hasn’t always been important to investors before that clearly are and will continue to impact businesses.
“If you take the rest of the sustainability factors into account, you can get a fuller and more realistic image of a company's viability", says Gore. "Shareholders will be best served by companies who maximize their financial return by strategically managing their performance in this new economic, social, environmental and ethical context. Sustainable development will be a primary driver of industrial and economic change over the next 25 years."
There are many investment opportunities for investing in the transition from a high-carbon to low-carbon economy, according to Gore, including:
Renewable Energy Generation and Distribution
Energy Efficiency and Demand Destruction
Carbon Markets and Climate-Related Financial Services
Solutions for the Biomass Economy
Bloomberg |
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May, 2013
The United Nations warned economic losses linked to natural disasters are out of control, soaring past $100 billion annually for three consecutive years, and will continue to escalate unless risk management becomes a central piece of business investment strategies.
The warning came as the UN released the third edition of its Global Assessment Report on Disaster Risk Reduction, which says direct losses from floods, earthquakes and drought have been underestimated by at least 50 percent. So far this century, direct losses from disasters are at about $2.5 trillion.
Small and medium enterprises are particularly at risk. The 2013 report, which surveyed 1,300 small and medium-sized businesses in six disaster-prone cities in the Americas, found three-quarters have suffered disruptions related to damaged or destroyed power, telecommunications and water utilities, illustrating the inter-dependence between the private and public sectors when it comes to disaster risk management.
Environmental Leader
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May, 2013
California and Texas might be leading the nation’s rollout of solar and wind power, respectively, but Washington, where hydroelectric dams provide over 60 percent of the state’s energy, was the country’s biggest user of renewable power in 2011, according to new statistics released last week by the U.S. Energy Information Administration.
Hydro continued to be the overwhelmingly dominant source of renewable power consumed nationwide, accounting for 67 percent of the total, followed by wind with 25 percent, geothermal with 4.5 percent, and solar with 3.5 percent. The new EIA data is the latest official snapshot of how states nationwide make use of renewable power, from industrial-scale generation to rooftop solar panels, and reveals an incredible gulf between leaders like Washington, California, and Oregon, and states like Rhode Island and Mississippi that use hardly any.
The gap is partly explained by the relative size of states’ energy markets, but not entirely: Washington uses less power overall than New York, for example, but far outstrips it on renewables (the exact proportions won’t be available until EIA releases total state consumption figures later this month). Still, the actual availability of resources—how much sun shines or wind blows—is far less important than the marching orders passed down from statehouses to electric utilities, says Rhone Resch, head of the Solar Energy Industries Association.
Slate News |
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May, 2013
Global consumers have clear and specific expectations for the role companies should play in addressing social and environmental issues with 93 percent wanting to see more of the products and services they use support corporate social responsibility efforts, according to a survey released this week.
Companies that disregard these demands from consumers risk more than just their reputations. Nine in 10 consumers say they would boycott if they learned of irresponsible behavior, according to the survey.
Environmental Leader
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May, 2013
At its 2013 Global Conference in Amsterdam, GRI announced their new corporate social resposibility reporting guildinges,G4. The new guildelines encourage companies to provide only disclosures and indicators that are relevant to their business and will allow reporting organizations and users to concentrate on the economic, environmental and social impacts that really matter, resulting in more credible reports.
The sustainability reporting guidelines’ revisions will also help businesses generate material sustainability information for inclusion in integrated reports, GRI says.
The organization says G4 is more “user-friendly” and accessible for those new to sustainability reporting. It’s also synced with other global frameworks including the OECD MNE Guidelines, the United Nations Global Compact Principles and the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights.
Global Reporting Initiative
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April, 2013
This year Green Building Pages is pleased to recognize the change agents of the green building industry as part of the 2013 TOP TEN EARTH DAY AWARDS. These recipients have led the charge, moved the industry as a whole and continue to set the bar in their respective arenas.
The 2013 TOP TEN EARTH DAY AWARDS recognizes four different types of independent (third-party) product certifications which have set the bar as industry leaders, three non-profit organizations whose work has transformed the building industry, and one government organization whose programs have all made significant contributions toward creating a sustainable world and building industry.
2013 TOP TEN EARTH DAY AWARDS WINNERS - Read about the winners and be inspired!
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March, 2013
REGISTER TO BALLOT LEED v4
USGBC members can register to ballot on the latest draft version of LEED v.4 April 1-30. One of many changes are those regarding building materials for LEED credits, including product disclosures and optimization (Environmental Product Declarations), supply chain/source materials, and material ingredients disclosures.
Substantially reworked, the Materials & Resources section of LEED v4 is different from LEED 2009 in that it applies lifecycle thinking at the whole-building and product level. Proposed credits reward projects for reusing as much material as possible and optimizing design to use less material overall. LEED 2009 credits were based on single attributes of materials, such as recycled content. This approach only tells part of the story; a product could have higher than average performance on that one attribute but far lower than average performance on others. The LEED v4 approach paints a more complete picture of materials and products, enabling project teams to make more informed decisions that will have greater overall benefit for the environmental, human health, and communities.
More Information on LEED Building Certification : http://www.usgbc.org/leed |
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February 2013
Sustainability is paying off for a growing number of companies with 37 percent of surveyed executives reporting a profit from their efforts, a 23 percent rise over last year, according to a global study by the MIT Sloan Management Review and The Boston Consulting Group.
The fourth annual study, which is based on a survey of 2,600 executives and managers from companies around the world, found nearly half of the companies have changed their business models as a result of sustainability opportunities, a 20 percent jump over last year.
Early findings from the survey, which were reported late last year, found North American companies are still lagging considerably in the integration of sustainability compared to their peers in other regions of the world.
Environmental Leader
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March 2013
Under the leadership of Ed Costa, vice president of construction for Office Depot, the company has chosen to make numerous energy efficiency investments, including de-lamping one out of every three bulbs in tens of thousands of fixtures across more than 1,000 stores, while maintaining similar light output by adding reflectors above the remaining two bulbs.
The $8 million de-lamping/reflectors project garnered an 84 percent internal rate of return. In addition to helping achieve its carbon reduction goal one year ahead of schedule, these efforts helped Office Depot achieve the following results:
- A reduction in electricity use across all stores in North America from 625,000 MWh in 2007 to 433,000 MWh in 2011 – a drop of 31 percent, while facilities under management dropped just 8 percent
- A reduction in electricity costs across all stores in North America from $56 million in 2007 to $46 million in 2011
- A reduction in natural gas use across all stores in North America from 361,000 mmBTUs in 2007 to 326,000 mmBTUs in 2011
Office Depot recently received a Climate Leadership Goal Achievement Award for Excellence in Greenhouse Gas Management by the US Environmental Protection Agency’s Center for Corporate Climate Leadership, the Association of Climate Change Officers, the Center for Climate & Energy Solutions, and The Climate Registry.
Energy Manager Today
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January 2013
The Sustainable Building Industry Council of the National Institute of Building Sciences honored the following 2012 Award winners during Building Innovation 2013—The National Institute of Building Sciences Annual Conference and Expo.
Beyond Green™ Award of Merit for Distinction in High-Performance Buildings- University of Vermont George D. Aiken Center. The Aiken Center demonstrates the possibilities to transform an existing building to meet current needs. Submitted by Maclay Architects, who led the project team, this building, a renovation with a $13 million project cost, serves as the home for the Rubenstein School for the Environment and Natural Resources. This net-zero energy ready building embraces both its past character and its role as an educational demonstration. Over 200 sensors and meters provide data and the EcoMachine cleans 100% of the building’s wastewater in full view of occupants.
Beyond Green™ Award of Merit for Distinction for High-Performance Buildings- Carbon Neutral Energy Solutions Laboratory at the Georgia Institute of Technology. "The jury appreciated the desire on the part of the owner and the design and construction team to reflect the work being done in the building to advance clean energy sciences,” said Jury Member and Program Manager for Design Excellence Architecture+Sustainability in the Chief Architect’s Office at the U.S. General Services Administration (GSA) Public Buildings Service (PBS) Lance Davis, AIA. "The incorporation of daylighting and natural ventilation in the lab space, and the attention to grouping spaces of similar needs together, is testament to the importance of having the design team work toward a common goal and cooperate toward that end.”
Beyond Green™ Honor Award-First Place for High-Performance Buildings-U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Seattle Headquarters. "The twin challenges of making a high-performance building and a secure federal facility are met elegantly and efficiently, to the significant benefit of the client and the public,” said SBIC Jury Member and Curator of the National Building Museum Susan Piedmont-Palladino.
Beyond Green™ Award of Merit for Distinction in High-Performance Initiatives - Fort Drum Mountain Community Homes Synergy Rewards Program. "The ability to engage over 4,000 residents in an incentive-based program to achieve energy savings in military housing is impressive,” said SBIC Jury Member and Director of Stanford’s Center for Integrated Facility Engineering Martin Fischer. "The jury recognized the work of Fort Drum Mountain Community Homes in communicating opportunities to reduce energy consumption through simple, everyday activities. Lessons learned from this program can be applied across the country and should help inform future initiatives aimed at reducing community energy use.”
Detailed project information can be found for these and many other previous Beyond Green winners as well as many other case studies of High Performance Buildings.
National Institute of Building Sciences
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November 2012
Google has propelled itself to the forefront of the shift to the green frontier, requiring in all new of its new offices which is roughly 40,000 s.f. of new space each week, that all of its vendors to provide comprehensive information on each product ingredient from every point in the supply chain. Google began conducting international pilot projects this year as part of its plans to expand the requirements to its global facilities.
Buildings
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October, 2012
Largely as the result of the U.S. Green Building Council's LEED building certification, green construction has grown from $3 billion in 2005 to $58 billion in 2011. Green construction is expected to reach $122 billion by 2015 as developers incorporate low-cost options to make buildings more environmentally friendly and earn tax breaks.
Green design generates another $4 billion a year for architects and engineers. LEED has not only expanded dramatically within the U.S., but world-wide into 139 countries as a way to win environmental approval and to boost profits.
USA Today |
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October, 2012
 
Ikea has announced its plan, called People & Planet Positive, to become energy and resource independent by 2020, including construction of $2.4 billion of wind and solar projects and increase energy efficiency of its operations by at least 20%. In addition it aims to inspire and enable its customers to live sustainably at home using more efficient appliances, lighting and products that are made from renewable, recycled materials and are themselves recyclable. This year Ikea achieved 51% of its energy from renewables.
Environmental Leader |
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September, 2012 
Architecture 2030 has extended its 2030 Challenge to building products. Product manufacturers signing onto this challenge have agreed to reduce their carbon footprint by 30% below the product category average. This reduction will be increased incrementally every five years to 50% or better in 2030.
2030 Challenge For Products |
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August 2012
2030 District are forming in great American cities to meet the energy, water, andtransportation emissions reduction targets call for by Architecture 2030 inthe 2030 Challenge for Planning.
Pittsburgh has joined Cleveland and Seattle, launching a Pittsburgh 2030 District, transitioning from an industrial past to a lively, low-carbon metropolis. The new district, containing 61 properties and over 23 million s.f. of downtown space, is a significant step in its efforts to build a reputation as a healthy, vibrant, and sustainable American city.
2030 Challenge E-News
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August 2012
Climate change has become embroiled in the the culture war debates. Political affiliation is now one of the strongest correlations with individual uncertainabout climate change, not scientific knowledge, states Andrew J. Hoffman in his recent article in the Stanford Social Innovation Review. "The public debate around climate change is no longer about science--it's about values, culture, and ideology."
Stanford Social Innovation Review |
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August 2012
The CEOs of 37 major financial institutions announced that they would be integrating natural capital considerations as a result of their commitment to the UN backed Natural Capital Declaration. The focus is shifting from environmental impacts of banking operations (1%) tothe impact in their investments. When valued, the scale of the environmental impacts are usually startling. A report comissioned by UNEP and UNPRI found that the world's largest 3,000 companies create environmental damage calued at $2.2 trillion or 11% of GDP.
Environmental Leader |
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August 2012
The 2012 Beyond Green High Performance Building Awards program will recognize excellence in three award categories this year: High-Performance Buildings, High-Performance Initiatives, and High-Performance Products. Architects, engineers, consultants, builders, building owners (public & private), developers, universities, trade associations, researchers, educators, product manufacturers & suppliers , marketing & media experts, utilities and municipalities are encouraged to enter. Submittals must have been completed withint the last three years.
For more information:
National Institute of Building Sciences |
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June 2012
It's easy to take nature for granted.
But rivers, forests, oceans, and other intact ecosystems all have enormous value — and when we don't account for that value, bad things can happen. Nature doesn't give us a free lunch.
In this three-minute video clip, Sandra Bessudo — Colombia's high presidential advisor for environmental policy, biodiversity, water and climate change, brings this idea to life in a clever, fun way. Watch the clip to see how!
Conservation International |
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June 2012
Although the majority of consumers state they are more likely to buy products with green seals, only around one-third or less recognize and understand specific seals. Recognition and understanding is higher in developing countries. The oldest environmental seal, the recycled logo, is globally recognized by over 75% of consumers and thus has a substantial positive impact on purchasing decisions. With the growing number of certifications and green seals, it is important that consumers are educated about what these represent is critical in driving purchasing decisions.
Natural Marketing Institute (NMI) |
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April 2012
The parties agreed on broad terms to fund the government for the next six months, and Democrats said that the agreement did not include Republicans’ sought-after provision to limit EPA regulations on greenhouse gases (GHGs), the New York Times reported. A 2007 Supreme Court ruling, Massachusetts v. Environmental Protection Agency, obliged the EPA to determine whether carbon dioxide emissions endanger human health and welfare. In 2009, the EPA declared that GHGs do indeed pose that threat.
The agency has since ordered states to begin issuing GHG permits to big emitters such as oil refineries, coal-burning power plants, cement factories and glass makers. Those rules took effect January 2, although the EPA decided to defer application of the GHG rules to biomass facilities for three years, and states have struggled with the federal government over the permitting process..
Environmental Leader |
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April 2012
The goal was to assess each company’s actual environmental footprint and management of that footprint (including policies and strategies), along with its reputation among environmental experts.
Companies on each list—the U.S. 500 and the Global 100—are ranked by their overall Green Score. This score is derived from three component scores: the Environmental Impact Score (EIS), the Green Policies Score (GPS), and the Reputation Survey Score (RSS), weighted at 45 percent, 45 percent, and 10 percent, respectively. The Green Score, as well as each component score, is published on a scale from 100 (highest performing) to one (lowest performing).
Newsweek |
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March 2012
Shippers may be required to limit their carbon emissions, possibly through participation in carbon markets, under proposals being considered by the European Union.
The EU is crafting tools to limit emissions from maritime transport because the International Maritime Organization (IMO) has been unable to agree on such measures for over a decade.
Bloomberg |
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March 2012
The 2030 Challenge for Products specifically asks the global architecture, planning, design and building community to specify, design and manufacture products for new developments, buildings and renovations to meet a maximum carbon-equivalent footprint of 30 percent below the product category average through 2014. The embodied carbon-equivalent footprint reduction will be increased to 35 percent in 2015, 40 percent in 2020, 45 percent in 2025, and 50 percent by 2030. A two-year period, from 2011 to 2013, has been established for the development of industry standards and product averages, and for product manufacturers to move to meet the 30 percent reduction based on a Life Cycle Assessment.
Interiors & Sources |
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March 2012
The G3.1 Sustainability Reporting Guidelines feature expanded guidance on issues including local community impacts, human rights and gender, as well as environmental, product responsibility, labor, governance and other existing GRI categories. "Together, the Protocol and the new guidance in G3.1 will enable all organizations to be transparent about a wide range of important, but often neglected, issues," said GRI deputy chief executive Nelmara Arbex.
Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) |
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July 16, 2011
Jeffrey Hollender, co-founder of Seventh Generation, presents his philosophy of radical transparency. After Hollender posted a list critiquing Seventh Generation’s products on the company’s website, he says, customers responded favorably and asked for the same from Seventh Generation’s competitors.
Check out the video!
Environmental Leader News |
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June 9, 2010
A global study on consumer perceptions of green brands and corporate environmental behavior reveals global differences about their top environmental concerns. A key finding shows that while climate change is important across most countries, 30 percent of Brazilians and 26 percent of Indians cite deforestation as the top issue, and in Australia, 68 percent of consumers say it’s important that companies manage water efficiently.
In the United States, energy use is the biggest green issue or problem, although economic concerns are taking precedence over environmental ones with 79 percent of those polled citing greater distress about the economy. Thirty-five percent of respondents say they will spend more on green in the coming year, which is down slightly from last year.
The top ten perceived greenest brands: Burt’s Bees, Whole Foods, Tom’s of Maine, Trader Joe’s, Google, Aveeno, SC Johnson, Publix, Microsoft, and Ikea.
Environmental Leader News |
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May 7, 2010
The House passed the Home Star Energy Retrofit Act of 2010 (H.R. 5019) by a bipartisan vote of 246-161. Home Star will provide homeowners with rebates for energy-efficiency upgrades -- a total of $6 billion over two years.
Unlike some other energy-related policies, which can have unpredictable effects, the net social benefit of Home Star is all but guaranteed. Home energy retrofits are one of the rare investments that provide returns both substantial and completely reliable.
The coalition is optimistic about the bill's fate. They expect a Senate vote, conference committee, appropriations, and a presidential signature by Memorial Day.
grist.org |
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May 20, 2010
Eighty-four percent of Americans say they can help companies create products and services that benefit consumers, business and society but only 53 percent feel that companies are engaging with them on corporate social/environmental practices and products, according to the 2010 Cone Shared Responsibility Study. (Fact Sheet)
The survey also finds that the majority of consumers want to be involved at all levels: how a company conducts its business (85 percent), products and packaging (83 percent), social and environmental issues (81 percent) and marketing and advertising (74 percent).
A key finding reveals that if a company incorporated their ideas, consumers would be more likely to buy its products and services (60 percent), be more loyal (54 percent) and more likely to recommend the company (51 percent).
Environmental Leader News |
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May 21, 2010
This article discusses PricewaterhouseCooper's Appetite for Change global survey. The top concern of U.S. businesses for climate change and environmental issues is reducing carbon emissions, followed by new regulation, energy efficiency, and legislation/new laws.
“The Obama Administration recently announced that the federal government would reduce its own carbon footprint by 28 percent by 2020. If the government were to push down that requirement through its supply chain to all government contractors and suppliers, the impact on U.S. business would be quite significant,” says Kathy Nieland, leader of the Sustainability and Climate Change practice of PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP.
Eighty-seven percent of U.S. survey respondents say change is likely over the next few years as a result of the climate change and environmental debate. Twenty-eight percent believe these changes could be significant.
Environmental Leader News |
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May 15, 2010
Many builders contest that increasing the engergy efficiency of a household will price many buyers out of purchasing new homes. In the past, this may have been the case, but no longer. In many areas, a 12-15% increase in efficiency can be met by using materials that are already available. This is especially important for low income families where a large chunk of their monthly budget goes to paying utilities.
Washington Post |
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May 14, 2010
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has finalized its rulings to cut greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from the largest stationary sources at facilities such as power plants and oil refineries that are responsible for 70 percent of GHG emissions.
The article discusses who are required to have permits for their GHG emissions, as well as several lawsuits that threaten the EPA's authority on climate.
Environmental Leader News |
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December 10, 2010
This report from Next 10 tracks the growth of green jobs in the Golden State over the last 14 years, and finds big growth and regional hotspots for different types of environmentally oriented careers. Some highlights are:
-Between 1995-2008, green businesses increased 45 percent, green jobs grew 36 percent while total jobs in the state grew only 13 percent.
-Between 2007-2008, green jobs grew 5 percent while total jobs dropped one percent.
-From 1995-2008, Energy Generation employment expanded 61 percent by nearly 10,000 jobs. Solar makes up the largest portion, and strongest growth (63 percent).
GreenBiz.com
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April 28, 2010
Thousands of complaints have erupted, and many people in Florida and Luouisiana have moved out of their homes. They say that newly installed wallboard is corroding their air conditioning coils, metal pipes and fixtures, and wiring. They blame an egg-like sulfurous odor emanating from the boards for an array of health symptoms, from respiratory distress to heart disease. This drywall is from mostly from a manufacturer in China, though recent federal lawsuits include inquiries into US companies.
Healthy Building Network |
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April, 2010
Collecting and interpreting environmental indicators play a critical role in our understanding of climate change and its causes. An indicator represents the state of certain environmental conditions over a given area and a specified period of time. Examples of climate change indicators include temperature, precipitation, sea level, and greenhouse gas concentrations in the atmosphere.
These indicators will be used to better understand climate change. It mainly focuses on the United States. Download PDF
Enironmental Protection Agency |
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April 23, 2010
Every year the AIA Committee on the Environment (COTE) invites electronic submission of built projects, and this year is no exception to their high standards in environmental design. Click on the link to view the projects.
AIArchitect |
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March 19, 2010
This 220,000 square-foot office space is designed with performance as the ultimate priority. The building is a rather unusual “H” shape, with the lobby area connecting two wings. The project’s engineers determined that shape would maximize daylight and thus reduce energy needs. The building is meant to be a national showcase and a teaching tool, in addition to serving its primary function as office space for National Renewable Energy Lab (NREL).
Solve Climate |
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March 15, 2010
After a year-long development process, the International Code Council (ICC) released its International Green Construction Code (IGCC) on March 15, 2010. Developed in partnership with The American Institute of Architects (AIA) and ASTM International, the IGCC had been anticipated to provide competition to Standard 189—the code-ready green building standard modeled on LEED that was launched in January.
BuildingGreen.com
Link to International Code Council |
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March 2, 2010
This year the list was voted on by the readers who subscribe to the Smart2BeGreen newsletter and green philosophy. Readers chose leaders in environmental awareness that have inspired us by demonstrating that small steps can yield great results towards a greener future.
Smart2BeGreen |
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March 2, 2010
Colorado is one step closer to increasing requirements for electricity generation from renewable sources, like wind and solar energy.House Bill 1001 would require large utilities in Colorado to generate at least 30 percent of their electricity from renewable sources by 2020. T
Environment Colorado estimates the legislation would deploy 700 megawatts of solar generation by 2020. The organization's new report, “Investing in the Sun,” concludes that 1,000 megawatts of distributed solar energy would create more than 33,000 jobs, generate enough electricity to power 146,000 homes, save 6.8 billion gallons of water and obviate 30 million tons of carbon dioxide emissions over the life of the systems.
Vail Daily |
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March 4, 2010
3M reveals its strategies for managing energy usage in the U.S. Department of Energy’s “Energy Matters” newsletter. The centerpiece of 3M’s plan includes establishing a new set of corporate environmental goals every five years and tracking individual plants on a quarterly basis and again annually to evaluate their progress toward meeting energy-reduction goals.
Environmental Leader News |
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March 1, 2010
Initiated in 1999 by the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the US Department of Energy (DOE), the ENERGY STAR program for buildings was developed to help businesses improve energy management through recognition of energy efficiency and cost-effective measures. Much like LEED, the intent is to spur all parties involved in the design, construction and maintenance of buildings to work together to find energy solutions that are both financially beneficial yet minimize negative impact on the environment.
Reed Construction Data |
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2010
This Pike Research report analyzes the emerging market for commercial building Energy Management Systems in depth, including a focus on energy efficiency, advanced building management systems, and the commercial demand response sector. Based on extensive supply-side and demand-side analysis, the report provides a comprehensive examination of business models and market drivers, technology issues, and the competitive landscape within this dynamic space. The report includes detailed market forecasts through 2020 along with profiles of key industry players.
PikeResearch |
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March 3, 2010
U.S. regulation of greenhouse-gas emissions won’t target stationary sources emitting 50,000 to 75,000 tons a year until at least 2013. The EPA paved the way for new regulations by declaring carbon dioxide a health hazard in December. Republican lawmakers and some Democrats have said they will move legislatively to block or delay EPA action.
BusinessWeek |
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February 12, 2010
Seven federal agencies have issued a combined funding opportunity announcement of up to $129.7 million over five years to create an Energy Regional Innovation Cluster (E-RIC) centered around an Energy Innovation Hub focused on developing new technologies to improve the design of energy-efficient building systems. The regional research center will develop new building efficiency technologies and work with local partners to implement the technologies in area buildings.
Environmental Leader News |
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February 1, 2010
Fifty-five nations accounting for almost 80 per cent of world greenhouse gas emissions have set national goals for fighting climate change by a deadline in the "Copenhagen Accord."
The Copenhagen Accord seeks to limit a rise in temperatures to below 2 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels and sets a goal of $100 billion a year in aid for developing nations from 2020 to help confront climate change.
The Gazette |
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March 1, 2010
Safeway Inc. has become the first U.S.-based retail grocery chain and manufacturer of private label merchandise to join The Sustainability Consortium in support of the organization’s science-based work toward a more sustainable global supply chain. The company joins other retailers and consumer product manufacturers that have become members of the Consortium and its product “life cycle” mission including social and environmental considerations.
Business Wire |
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March 4, 2010
Google has released a new PowerMeter API to encourage integration of its technology by home developers. The code is intended for manufacturers of electrical devices, from refrigerators and washing machines to other appliances, that have built-in energy monitoring technology. It also works with other smart meter devices.
Environmental Leader News
Google PowerMeter API |
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March 4, 2010
Record Filings Follow SEC Calls for Stronger Corporate Attention to Climate Change. The 40 percent increase in climate-change resolutions filed over last year is a first sign of the growing pressure on companies to disclose climate risks and opportunities in the wake of the recent Securities and Exchange Commission’s climate disclosure guidance and other recent policy developments.
Investor Network on Climate Risk |
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Feb 22, 2010
The General Services Administration is reorganizing how it provides green services to the rest of government. "As part of Governmentwide Policy, the Office of Federal High-Performance Green Buildings will broaden its reach to provide federal agencies with the necessary measurement tools and policies they need to meet their own sustainability mandates under the Executive Order," reported GSA administrator Martha Johnson. She went on to say "PBS's Chief Greening Officer will aggressively pursue sustainable practices within GSA's large portfolio of government-owned and leased buildings to ensure that we are enabled to better meet our mandates."
President Obama issued an executive order in October requiring agencies to reduce the amount of energy they use.
Federal News Radio |
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February 15, 2010
This article written by Amelia Timbers examins why sustainability metrics differ and whose metircs to trust. She discusses methodology, disclosure, and motive as being keys to understanding sustainability metrics.
tripplepundit |
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February 28, 2010
As a result of China's growth being negatively impacted by pollution, awareness of climate change and energy security has spread in China. Wal-Mart is asking their suppliers to consider environmental and energy saving details ; not just low prices, but low greenhouse gas emissions. Many of Wal-Mart's suppliers have heard that you need to be an environmentally friendly company to work with Wal-Mart in the future, so suppliers are changing their production process.
Washington Post |
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January 22, 2010
NREL researchers are trying to do the high-tech equivalent of putting sunglasses on buildings with a new generation of insulated "dynamic windows" that change color to modulate interior temperatures and lighting.
National Renewable Energy Laboratory |
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February 25, 2010
The awards distinguish the initiatives that shape and catalyze the high performance building market, as well as the real-world application of high performance design and contruction practices.
Congressman Russ Carnahan (D-MO) and Congresswomen Judy Biggert (D-IL), co-chairs of the High Performance Buildings Congressional Caucus, were on hand for the event and praised the winners for their work.
Catagory A - High-Performance Buildings
First Place:
Empire State Building, Integrated Energy Efficiency Retrofit, New York, NY
Citations:
Emerson's Energy-Efficient Global Data Center, St. Louis, MO
Charlotte Vermont House, Charlotte, VT
Kroon Hall, School of Forestry & Environmental Studies Yale University, New Haven, CT
Catagory B - High-Performance Initiatives
Citation:
Water Independence in Oregon's Buildings, Portland, OR
Link to SBIC's 2009 Beyond Green Awrads PDF
Link to SBIC Beyond Green Awards Case Studies |
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February 18, 2010
A legal battle is brewing for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s endangerment finding for greenhouse gasses after several industry groups, conservative think tanks, lawmakers and three states filed 16 court challenges before yesterday’s (Feb. 16) deadline, reports the New York Times.
The lawsuits filed in the U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals request a review of EPA’s determination that greenhouse gases endanger human health and welfare. The finding allows the EPA to regulate greenhouse gas emissions under the Clean Air Act.
In response, the EPA and environmentalists say the agency is required by law to begin regulating greenhouse gas emissions, and is finalizing new greenhouse gas rules for automobiles and large stationary sources next month, reports the New York Times.
Environmental Leader News |
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February 2, 2010
In 2009, EPA’s Energy Star Leaders prevented the equivalent of more than 220,000 metric tons of carbon dioxide and saved more than $48 million across their commercial building portfolios. These savings have quadrupled since 2008 and represent the single greatest year of savings since EPA recognized the first Energy Star Leaders in 2004. Over the past five years, Energy Star Leaders are saving money and helping our environment by preventing greenhouse gas emissions equal to the emissions from the electricity use of nearly 39,000 homes annually.
United States Environmental Protection Agency |
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February 17, 2010
Kicking off a race to jumpstart American jobs in a clean economy, Nike, Starbucks, and other businesses, unions and youth groups in Oregon are urging Congress to approve a comprehensive climate change legislation this year, reports The Oregonian.
The group was joined by U.S. Rep. Earl Blumenauer, D-Ore., at a news conference, where they announced a “Race for American Jobs” campaign to help persuade the Senate to pass climate change legislation similar to the one passed in the House in June last year, reports The Oregonian.
The group is pushing for a low-carbon economy that will create jobs, reduce the U.S. dependence on foreign oil suppliers and promote technological innovation in an economic arms race with China, reports The Oregonian.
Environmental Leader News |
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February 4, 2010
Carbon emissions management is becoming an increasingly important business objective for U.S. companies; however, outstanding questions about accounting, reporting and tax considerations have led to inconsistent practices, according to a report by Ernst & Young LLP.
The new report, “Carbon market readiness: accounting, compliance, reporting and tax considerations under state and national carbon emissions programs”, concludes that companies should consider carbon emissions requirements as part of their businesses and financial management strategies now despite the uncertainty over the scope of climate change legislation in the U.S. The study also finds that many countries as well as states have some type of regulatory program to manage carbon emissions.
Out of 1,000 U.S. registrants, only 29 companies disclosed an accounting policy related to emissions credits or allowances in their financial statements.
Environmental Leader News |
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January 15, 2010
California continues to take the national lead in environmental protection. The California Building Standards Commission voted unanimously this week to approve the first statewide green building code.
Taking effect January 2011, the nation's first mandatory green building code – dubbed “CalGreen” – lays out specific constraints for newly constructed buildings. It requires builders to install plumbing that cuts indoor water use by as much as 20 percent, to divert 50 percent of construction waste from landfills to recycling, and to use low-pollutant paints, carpets, and floors. It also mandates inspection of energy systems to ensure that heaters, air conditioners, and other mechanical equipment are working efficiently. And for non-residential buildings, it requires the installation of water meters for different uses.
The Christian Science Monitor |
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February 16, 2010
The Georgia Institute of Technology is once again taking a leadership position in the area of sustainable design and energy management. Georgia Tech is currently updating its Facilities Design Standards to meet LEED Gold standards as set by the U.S. Green Building Council. Energy Ace, Inc., an Atlanta-based sustainability consulting firm helping architects, engineers, construction managers, building owners and developers design, create and operate energy efficient, sustainable environments assisted Tech in preparing the Standards upgrade.
Building Design and Construction |
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February 17, 2010
Businesses today generally understand they need to do as much as possible to conserve energy and water, reduce waste and greenhouse gas emissions, and minimize their environmental impact overall.
But as they look outward for solutions, they may be missing the best source of intelligence and insight in addressing green and sustainability issues – their own employees. These are, after all, the people who help them run their businesses every day – they know the processes, products, properties and operations inside and out. And many would be thrilled with the opportunity to improve their company’s efficiency and environmental impact.
This article discusses two projects that demonstrate what can happen when you engage employees in green and sustainability efforts.
Environmental Leader News |
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February 9, 2010
Seattle’s mayor today announced a new ordinance which requires large commercial and multi-family property owners in Seattle to annually measure, or benchmark, energy use and provide the City with ratings to allow comparison across different buildings. Building owners will also be required to share energy usage and ratings with prospective buyers, tenants and lenders during the sale, lease or financing of properties.
The Building Advisor |
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December 14, 2009
Mayor Newsom of San Francisco announced new legislation aimed at improving the energy efficiency of existing buildings in San Francisco. The goal is to cut energy use by 50% in existing buildings by 2030. The Task Force created by the mayor boiled down its research into 7 key ways to achieve this goal. A few of them are: Idintify cost-effective savings in every commercial building, disclose energy performance information, and educate, train, mentor and market existing building efficiency.
For more information, check out the article.
Galley Eco Capital: Our Green Journey |
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October 5, 2009
President Obama signed an Executive Order that sets sustainability goals for Federal agencies and focuses on making improvements in their environmental, energy and economic performance. The Executive Order requires Federal agencies to set a 2020 greenhouse gas emissions reduction target within 90 days; increase energy efficiency; reduce fleet petroleum consumption; conserve water; reduce waste; support sustainable communities; and leverage Federal purchasing power to promote environmentally-responsible products and technologies.
The White House |
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Climate Change Disclosure for Investors |
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October 29, 2009
U.S.-traded companies may have to disclose their exposure to financial risks relating to climate change and emerging policies under a new U.S. Securities Exchange Commission (SEC) staff guidance, reports Nasdaq (via Dow Jones Newswires).
The Staff Legal Guidance said it’s changing how it analyzes companies’ “no-action” requests on shareholder proposals relating to environmental, financial or health risks, according to Nasdaq.
The decision, outlined in SEC Staff Legal Bulletin No. 14E (CF), reverses an SEC rule that prevented investors from directly asking companies about the impacts of climate change and other issues on their financial bottom lines, according to Ceres, a network of investors and environmental organizations that represent around $8 trillion in assets.
Environmental Leader News |
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Wal-Mart Responds to Consumer Sustainable Demands |
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October, 2009
Wal-Mart has granted $420,000 to World Resources Institute (WRI) to develop a Green Standards Guide to rate various eco-labels and decide on which ones they will recognize in the consumer market. This follows the July announcement that they are launching a new sustainability index that will grade various suppliers and products by asking fifteen general sustainability questions. This signals an intent to lead manufacturers to provide labels that will allow consumers to understand more clearly the sustainability of a product and inform future Wal-Mart purchasing decisions.
Environmental Leader News |
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Green Pathways Institute, Linking Curriculum to Green Careers |
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September, 2009
According to the UNEP, by the year 2020 the world's green economy will be worth roughly $3 trillion. The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act includes $50 billion for green jobs. Will our students have the knowledge and skills required to meet this need?
With the U.S. facing economic and environmental challenges, teachers are increasingly eager to find ways to give their students the keys to meaningful careers and lives of environmental stewardship. At the first-ever Pathways to the Future Teacher Institute, held at Cosumnes River College in Sacramento, educators and curriculum specialists joined professionals from green businesses to explore how school curricula can inspire students to embrace a sustainable future and green jobs.
Green Technology Magazine |
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Portola Valley Town Center, Goring & Straja Architects
Siegel & Strain Architects |
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April 16, 2009 - Washington, DC
The American Institute of Architects (AIA) and its Committee on the Environment (COTE) have selected the top ten examples of sustainable architecture and green design solutions that protect and enhance the environment. The 2009 AIA COTE Top Ten Green Projects were announced celebrating beautiful, efficient building designs. The program recognizes projects that make a positive contribution to their communities, improve comfort for building occupants and reduce environmental impacts through strategies such as reuse of existing structures, connection to transit systems, low-impact and regenerative site development, energy and water conservation, use of sustainable or renewable construction materials, and design that improves indoor air quality.
These winning entries will be displayed at the upcoming AIA national convention in San Francisco, April 30-May 2 at the Moscone Convention Center.
AIA COTE TOP TEN 2009 |
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2009 TOP TEN Green Product Earth Day Awards |
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April, 2009 - Green Building Pages Earth Day Awards
Raising the bar, rewarding transparency and product manufacturers' achievements in reducing the global environmental impacts of their products, and creating a more sustainable world, every Earth Day the Green Building Pages announces it's top ten products.
This year's lineup ranges from one-man-shops to international manufacturing. These product manufacturers have achieved exemplary performance against comprehensive Green Building Pages Benchmarking Sustainability evaluation criteria, in alignment with the ASTM-E2129 and the Sustainable Materials Rating Technology (SMaRT) building product consensus standard recognized by the U.S. Green Building Council.
For more information:
2009 Green Building Pages Top Ten Earth Day Awards |
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SBIC 2008 Beyond Green Awards - Nationals Park |
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February 26 , 2009 - Washington, DC
The winners of the 2008 Beyond GreenTM High-Performance Building Awards presented their projects on Capitol Hill on February 26, 2009, as part of an educational briefing for lawmakers and the public. Through a series of presentations and a poster session, the winners addressed the challenges and opportunities for delivering better buildings. The briefing was held in conjunction with the High-Performance Buildings Congressional Caucus (HPBCC).
SBIC delivered the message to the more than 100 attendees from the House of Representatives, architectural firms, and many other organizations, that buildings that are energy efficient, safe, cost-effective, aesthetically pleasing, and very productive places to work and live, are possible now.
For more information:
Sustainable Buildings Industry Council |
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Green California Summit, Sacramento |
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March 17, 2009 - Los Angeles, CA
Green Technology magazine has awarded the Los Angeles Community College District (LACCD) its 2009 Green California Leadership Award for Green Building. The project cited by the magazine is the new Allied Health and Science Center at Los Angeles Valley College.
The award, given to LACCD officials at a ceremony in Sacramento, marks another significant honor the District has received for its $5.7 billion green building program, one of the nation's largest sustainable construction efforts.
The $49 million Allied Health and Science Center is a 100,000 square foot, three-story facility with an advanced laboratory, classrooms, and a rooftop solar farm with 300 power-generating panels. It also has a greenhouse, an animal habitat facility, a botanical research area, and four retention ponds included in the landscaping.
The project has achieved the U.S. Green Building Council's Gold LEED rating.
Green Building Pages Blog
Green California Summit
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Architecture 2030 |
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February 26, 2009
Edward Mazria was called before the United States Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources to give expert testimony on reducing energy consumption in buildings.
"The situation we find ourselves in today, with three major crises converging at the same time - foreign energy dependence, climate change, and a deep economic recession - is very different from anything we have ever experienced before." -Mazria
He states that to truely promote energy efficiency, business and industry need to look to innovate and deliver alternatives to the marketplace, while governments deliver market incentives, new building codes, and fund R&D and technology transfer through universities, research institutions and national laboratories.
He goes to discuss the success of the 2030 challenge and other green strategies.
Download Mazria's full Testimony - complete with charts and graphs
Architecture 2030
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Architecture 2030 |
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The Two-Year, Nine-Million-Jobs Investment Plan
President-elect Obama has committed to economic recovery, energy independence, carbon-neutral buildings by 2030 and an 80% reduction in US greenhouse gas emissions by 2050.
This powerful and comprehensive Plan benefits all Americans, no matter what income level or location in the country. The new demand for energy efficiency upgrades and infusion of capital will create over 9 million new jobs, including a new $1.77 trillion renovation market that will put the construction industry back to work immediately.
In addition, the $132 to 208 billion in consumer mortage and energy savings will provide much-needed disposable income to fuel economic growth. Also, the reductions in energy consumption, CO2 emissions, natural gas, and oil will put the country on the path to energy independence and signal our commitment to addressing climate change.
Architecture 2030
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U.S. Department of Energy |
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What do you get when you combine the nation's top scientists with 11 commercial property firms and more than $1 billion in federal funds?
The Zero-Net Energy Commercial Building Initiative (CBI), a Department of Energy (DOE) program that was launched this year to accelerate the development of cost-effective, zero-net engery buildings -- those that produce as much energy as they consume.
The program will examine new approaches to renewable energy, which can be difficult and costly for building owners to employ but is essential to net-zero energy buildings.
Commercial Buildings Initiative |
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Sustianable Buildings Industry Council |
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High-performance buildings are healthy and productive places to live and work, cost-effective to operate and maintain, and good for the environment.
At this educational briefing, the winners of SBIC's Beyond Green High-Performance Building Awards presented selected projects that describe challenges and opportunities.
The case studies, which represent a wide variety of building types from across the country, address the successful integration of sustainability and energy-efficiency with cost effectiveness, safety and security, accessibility, historic preservation, and aesthetics.
SBIC Beyond Green Awards |
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U.S. Conference of Mayors |
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The U.S. conference of Mayors adopted Resolution of Support for the Sustainable Investment Initiative of the Capital markets Partnership (CMP) at the June 2008, 76th annual meeting. CMP unanimously approved its Green Building Underwriting Standards.
The Sustainable Investment Initiative is facilitating both equity and debt investment opportunities in certified green buildings and sustainable products through these Underwriting Standards and green building financing with the Council of Development Financing Agencies.
The Initiative's concensus standards cover buildings and products across the global supply chain.
U.S. Conference of Mayors |
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Project FROG unveiled at Greenbuild, Boston, Nov., 2008
FROG Zero -- The Classroom of the Future -- incorporates the ideal learning environment into the greenest, most sustainable commercial building solution available. Ever. The 1,280-sf smart building features 75 percent energy demand reduction, abundant natural light and glare control, superior air quality, fungible user technology, microclimate customization and advanced climate controls in an easy to configure package. Constructed of renewable or recyclable materials, the FROG Zero generates more energy within its footprint than is required to operate its systems.
More Information: www.projectfrog.com/gozero/frogzero
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Green Technology Magazine |
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A growing body of research shows that a poor school environment is detrimental to a children's health and learning. Chilrdren in the U.S. now spend approximately 90% of their time indoors - and a large portion of that at school.
American schools get very poor grades in environmental toxicity, indoor air quality, sustainable resource use, and nutrition. All of these are linked to soaring asthma and childhood obesity rates, exposure to carcinogens, and broader community environmental problems.
The Green Schools Initiative uses a comprehensive framework to define a "green" school, which focuses on four interrelated "pillars." Their four pillars encourage schools to: strive to be toxic free; use resources sustainability; create green school yards and healthy lunches; and teach stewardship.
Green Technology Magazine |
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Green Technology Magazine |
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Who would have thought that simple measures, such as turning off lights and equipment at night and on weekends, could save so much money?
In nine months, the District, which serves 21,000 students in 18 schools, shaved $145,000 off its electric bill. Normally, electricity costs the District just under $3 million per year, so this represents a savings of about 6.5 percent. According to Jeff Boone, energy resource manager at the Murrieta Valley Unified School District, they are only getting started with ferreting out the unnecessary watts.
A green team of teachers, custodial staff, administrators and students cary out the program. They create a plan for saving energy at the school level, teach about energy and create school-wide energy awareness campaigns. This awareness is expected to also impact students' homes and communities. Typically, schools participating in the Green Schools program save between 5 and 15 percent on electric costs.
Powerful Savings from Green Technology Magazine |
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Western Governors Association |
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November 20, 2008
The Western Governors Association (WGA) wrote a letter to President-elect Barack Obama urging him to quickly adopt and implement an energy plan that will provide affordable, clean energy and reduce greenhoue gas emissions, among other goals.
The letter states that "We must have the collective will and resolve to create and implement a long-term comprehensive energy policy despite short-term political and market fluctuations. The future of our nation depends upon it."
The WGA urged President-elect Obama to implement seven key policy initiatives within the first 100 days of his administration.
WGA call for Immediate Enery Plan |
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Build Green Schools |
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September 4, 2008 - Washington, DC
Today, the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) kicked off its "Fifty for Fifty" initiative working with state lawmakers in all 50 states to promote green school buildings. The Council's goal is for every state legislature in the nation to have its own caucus or working group of lawmakers advancing green schools for kids. Inspired by the sucessess of the Congressional Green Schools Caucus, the initiative will build on widespread participation in USGBC's LEED for schools program, which has over 1,000 green schools registered across the U.S.
The "Fifty for Fifty Initiative provides state legislatures with:
- Up-to-date information and developments in green building, including trends, cost benifit studies and incentives offered by localities to advance and promote green building
- Networking opportunities with like-minded legislators across the country
- Opportunities for partnerships with experts in their communities, from architects to engineers to contractors
- Opportunities to present best practices and successes in regional and national forums
USGBC Launches Nationwide Green Schools Effort |
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Photo provided by LACCD |
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November 7, 2008
With the passing of Measure J (for jobs) in the past election, LA Community College District (LACCD) added $3.5 billion to the bonds the school already had from previous years to bring the total budget up to $6.5 billion. The money will go towards 50 new buildings and modernizing hundreds of others up to LEED Platnum standards.
LACCD is the largest community college district in the nation, serving 226,000 students annually. The creation of these buildings brings purpose and mission together. Students learning about sustainable practices for their green job classes can touch and experience the very products that they may be working with later after they graduate.
Green Building Pages has joined this exciting effort. It will provide the evaluation system for the buyers and specifiers of the building materials used in these buildings. It is a unique site that is free to the public, comprehensive in its sustainable information, and rewards performance vs. advertising dollars.
More in greenbuildingproductsblog & LACCD BlipTV |
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Picture provided by GlobeSt.com |
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October 16, 2008 - Washington, DC
Mayor Manny Diaz of Miami and Mayor Greg Nickels of Seattle today announced the formation of the Mayor's Alliance for Green Schools, a coalition of mayors seeking to strategically harness the leadership and creativity of mayors accross the country to promote the benifits of green schools in their communities.
Developed in partnership with the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC), the alliance will work to accelerate implementation of programs supporting the 2007 U.S. Conference of Mayors (USCM) resolution calling for green schools for all children within a generation.
For more information, visit USGBC |
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CoStar Group Demand in Marketplace for Sustainability Creates Higher Occupancy Rates, Stronger Rents and Sale Prices in 'Green' Buildings |
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March 26, 2008 - CoStar Study Finds Energy Star, LEED Bldgs. Outperform Peers
A new study by CoStar Group has found that sustainable "green" buildings outperform their non-green peer assets in key areas such as occupancy, sale price and rental rates, sometimes by wide margins.
The results indicate a broader demand by property investors and tenants for buildings that have earned either LEED® certification or the Energy Star® label and strengthen the "business case" for green buildings, which proponents have increasingly cast as financially sound investments.
According to the CoStar study, LEED buildings command rent premiums of $11.33 per square foot over their non-LEED peers and have 4.1 percent higher occupancy. Rental rates in Energy Star buildings represent a $2.40 per square foot premium over comparable non-Energy Star buildings and have 3.6 percent higher occupancy.
USGBC In The News |
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NAHB Green Building Guidelines |
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ORLANDO, FL--The new National Green Building Standard will maintain the flexibility of green building practices while providing a common national benchmark for builders, remodelers and developers - another big step for the green building movement, said panelists at a news conference at the International Builder's Show.
The first and only true consensus-based standard for residential green building is in its final comment period and almost ready for prime time, according to the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB).
The National Green Building Standard is expected to be approved by the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) and published by NAHB and the International Code Council (ICC) early this spring, a panel of builders and those involved in the standards process told reporters. The ANSI process
ensures that the best technical reviews were used to create the standard.
NAHB Green Building Standards |
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www.climate.yale.edu/seeforyourself/index.php |
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YALE University - 2007
The average surface temperature of the world rose by about 1 degree Fahrenheit during the last century. The latest report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change predicts a further increase of 2 to 6 degrees in this century, even if greenhouse gas concentrations in the atmosphere are stabilized at twice the pre-industrial level. This warming would be accompanied by rising sea levels, more intense storms and droughts, heat waves, melting glaciers and other effects. , the potential cost of such policies to the American economy again becomes a critical issue.
Robert Repetto has developed a website where users can test various assumptions and scenarios for the effects of global warming.
See for yourself! |
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Benchmarking Sustainability 2007 Awards-RainTube
Photo Credit: Jacob Feldman |
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GREENBUILD, Chicago - November 7, 2007. Green Building Pages announced the Benchmarking Sustainability 2007 Building Product Awards recognizing products and manufacturers for achievements in minimizing global environmental impacts creating a more sustainable building industry and world.
Twenty building products were recognized in 7 product lifecycle award categories. GLI Systems RainTube received the highest Sustainable Product Award achieving 554/800 Benchmarking Sustainability credits, also receiving the first Gold Shade of Green designation.
View all Benchmarking Sustainability 2007 Product Awards
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U.S. Green Building Council Greenbuild 365 Website
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GREENBUILD, Chicago - November 2007. With record numbers in attendance and distinguished dignataries such as former President Bill Clinton and visionary Paul Hawkin addressing the green building industry, green is clearly mainstream. The USGBC officially launched its LEED for Homes certification program, announced its 'No Child Left Behind' support for the new Green Schools Caucus and unveiled its new website Greenbuild 365, making conference proceedings, including keynote speeches available to the public.
The Playbook, another website unveiled at Greenbuild, provides strategies, tips, and tools that cities and counties can use to take immediate action on climate change through green building, green neighborhoods, and sustainable infrastructure.
For more information visit: www.usgbc.org
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U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY, Washington, D.C. September, 2007. Estimating the carbon footprint of commercial buildings has just become easier. EPA's on-line energy rating system for commercial buildings has been updated to include greenhouse gas emission factors, enabling users to estimate the carbon footprint of their commercial buildings. The updated rating-system (Portfolio Manager) shows that ENERGY STAR buildings not only use 35% less energy than their typical counterparts but also contribute 35% less carbon dioxide emissions.
For more information:
• EPA Press Release
• More information on Portfolio Manager |
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U.S. Green Building Council
Photo Credit: U.S. Green Building Council |
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As of January 1, 2007, USGBC will fully rebate the certification fees for any project that earns LEED Platinum certification. The rebate currently applies to projects that certify using LEED for New Construction, LEED for Existing Buildings, LEED for Commercial Interiors or LEED for Core and Shell. Projects that certify under future versions of the LEED rating system (excluding pilot projects) will also be eligible.
LEED Platinum buildings are highly energy and resource efficient; provide superior indoor comfort for the building's occupants; and dramatically reduce CO2 emissions.
For more information on LEED rebates visit:
www.usgbc.org |
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Buying Into the Green Movement
Alex Williams
New York Times, July 1, 2007
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Some 35 million Americans regularly buy products that claim to be earth-friendly, according to one report, everything from organic beeswax lipstick from the west Zambian rain forest to Toyota Priuses. With baby steps, more and more shoppers browse among the 60,000 products available under Home Depot's new Eco Options program.
Such choices are rendered fashionable as celebrities worried about global warming appear on the cover of Vanity Fair's "green issue," and pop stars like Kelly Clarkson and Lenny Kravitz prepare to be headline acts on July 7 at the Live Earth concerts at sites around the world.
Consumers have embraced living green, and for the most part the mainstream green movement has embraced green consumerism. But even at this moment of high visibility and impact for environmental activists, a splinter wing of the movement has begun to critique what is sometimes calls "light greens."
Read the full New York Times article |
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Database of State Incentives for Renewable Energy |
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Are you aware of the Database of State Incentives for Renewable Energy (DSIRE) website? This is a great resource describing federal, state, and local incentives applying to commercial, utility and residential categories. Check to make sure you are taking advantage of all of the incentives available to you and increase your energy efficiency!
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A Greener and Healthier Future for California Schools
Ariel Dekovic
Green Technology Magazine |
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Created in 1999 in response to skyrocketing energy rates and rolling blackouts, the Collaborative for High Performance Schools has since expanded beyond energy efficiency to address an array of issues that make up healthy and environmentally conscious school environments. Involving a diverse group of 150 government agencies, utility companies, school districts, non-profit organizations and private companies, as well as seven other states, in 2002, CHPS published the CHPS Criteria, establishing the nation's first building rating program created to specifically facilitate the design of school learning environments that are healthy, comfortable, energy, resource and water efficient, safe, secure, adaptable, and easy to operate and maintain.
CHPS has a six volume Best Practices Manual that supports the CHPS Criteria as well as a recently introduced new third-party verification program, called CHPS Verified, which adds project management and an independent review to the process.
These days, convincing school boards and facilities managers of the benefits of green schools is not hard. In his "Greening America's Schools" report, Greg Katz found that although the average cost premium was about per square foot, the total energy cost savings from a green school as compared with a conventional school ranged from $7 to $9 per square foot.
Read the full Green Technology article |
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Davis Langdon, July 2007
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The Cost of Green Revisited examines the recent developments in the cost of incorporating sustainable design features into projects, building upon the 2004 report "Costing Green: A Comprehensive Cost Database and Budget Methodology." This paper looks at a larger sampling of buildings and building types, using the USGBC's LEED rating system as a parameter for determining level of sustainable design. The study shows that there is no significant difference in average costs of green buildings as compared to non-green buildings.
View full report: (0.5 MB PDF) |
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Time Magazine, June 14, 2007
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The New Action Heroes - TIME Magazine
Mayors of more than 30 of world's largest cities pledge "to enlist their 250 million constituents in the fight against global warming." "Cities can't wait any longer for national governments to act," New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg announced, highlighting his plan to cut New York's carbon emissions 30% by 2030. Meanwhile on the other coast, Governor Schwarzenegger, leading California's 36.5 million people, has signed the first U.S. cap on greenhouse gases, leading the nation in enacting fuel efficiency standards for automobiles.
To read entire article go to:
www.time.com
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U.S. Green Building Council
Photo Credit: U.S. Green Building Council |
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The U.S. Green Building Council is will announce the selection of 120 participants for the pilot program of the LEED for Neighborhood Developments (LEED-ND) rating system from 370 applications received. LEED-ND was created through collaboration between USGBC, the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC), and the Congress for the New Urbanism (CNU). A final rating system is expected to be launched in 2009, after the conclusion of the pilot program in 2008.
For more information on LEED-ND please visit:
(www.usgbc.org/leed/nd)
(www.nrdc.org/smartgrowth)
(www.cnu.org/initiatives) |
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iiSBE Sustainable Building Challenge for 2007-2008 |
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(USGBC, May 7, 2007) - Call for Expressions of Interest closes on September 15, 2007! "The Sustainable Building Challenge is a process that forms an integral part of the Sixth World Sustainable Building Conference (SB08), which is to be held in Melbourne Australia in September 2008 (www.sb08melbourne.org). The SB08 conference will include oral presentatons and display space for assessed case studies, in addition to normal technical paper presentations. The SBC08Challenge will enhance the development of an international co-operative process to compare existing performance assessment tools, guide the development of new ones, and promote innovative sustainable builing design concepts and techniques."
To read the full announcement please visit: (www.usgbc.org/ShowFile.aspx?DocumentID=2686) |
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(Building.com, May 4, 2007) - Wachovia and Bank of America's Charlotte banks are seeking green building status for new construction projects and are greening existing buildings to gain certification as environmentally freindly. "While companies and building managers say they are striving to do the right thing for the environment, they also see business advantages, such as energy savings and improved employee productivity."
To read the full article please visit: (www.buildings.com/Articles/detail2.asp?ArticleID=101267) |
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Healthy Building Network,
Photo Credit: The State Journal-Register |
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(March 23, 2007) - the federal Chemical Safety Board (CSB) found vinyl chloride killed 5 workers for a Formosa Plastics PVC factory in Illiopolis, Illinois. Workers were killed by an explosion set by a discharge of the substance on April 23, 2004. Healthy Building News points out the significance of the findings due to the recent release of the "USGBC Technical Science Advisory Committee determined that the PVC was one of the most unhealthy building materials..."
To read the full article please visit: (www.healthybuilding.net/news) |
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New York Times, March 14, 2007
Photo Credit: Chris Pilaro |
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Communities Uniting for Climate Action Now!
Let April 14th, 2007 be an inspiration for you and your community to call for action on climate change. Bill McKibben invites communities to join his nationwide movement to "reshape the future" by cutting carbon 80% by 2050. (www.stepitup2007.org)
Visit the Step It Up website and join an action or start your own call for action. The Step It Up Headquarters documents actions nationwide stating the same quote "Step it up, Congress! Cut Carbon 80% by 2050."
Visit the website www.stepitup2007.org for more information. |
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Photo credit: Peter Aaron / Esto Photographics |
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The American Institute of Architects (AIA) and its Committee on the Environment (COTE) have selected the top ten examples of sustainable architecture and green design solutions that protect and enhance the environment. The projects will be honored on May 3rd at the AIA 2007 National Convention and Design Exposition in San Antonio.
For more information: AIA/COTE |
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California Green Building Initiative (Executive Order S-20-04) creates goals for reducing energy consumption |
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California Adopts LCCA Model for Green Products
"The Governor's Green Building Initiative (Executive Order S-20-04) requires that the state of California implement all cost effective energy conservation measures (ECM) as identified to achieve the goal of reducing energy consumption 20 percent by the year 2015."
For more information:
www.green.ca.gov/LCCA/default.htm
For more information on measures for greening the golden state, attend the upcoming Green California Summit, March 13 & 14, 2007. "The Green California Summit and Exposition was created to support efforts made by state and local government to implement to implement effective and innovative services, products and solutions." |
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NAHB & ICC announce collaboration for green building standards |
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NAHB & ICC Opens Application Process for Consensus Committee Membership
ORLANDO, FL. (February 7, 2007) - In order to advance the Green Home Building Guidelines voluntary program set forth by the NAHB, the NAHB & ICC groups announced a joint collaboration to standardize green building practices. A Consensus Committee is forming for further development of these guidelines into the ANSI green building standards.
Applications for consideration are due by March 10, 2007. Please visit the NAHB website www.nahbrc.org/GBStandard |
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Ecological literacy must become a central tenet of design education. |
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2010 Imperative offers actions for public and private sectors
People from all over the world logged into the 2010 Imperative Web-cast on Friday, February 20, 2007. Susan Szenasy, Dr. James Hansen, Edward Mazria, Chris Luebkeman spoke addressed the urgency to take action on global warming.
To listen to the archived web-cast:
www.2010imperative.org/webcast.html
For more information on the 2010 Imperative and 2030 Challenge, read the interview with Edward Mazria, AIA, founder of the Architecture 2030: Edward Mazria, AIA |
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GBI becomes first to develop LCA for public |
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GBI makes LCA software available to public
PORTLAND, OR.(February 27, 2007) - "Last month, the Green Building Initiative (GBI) became the first organization in North America to develop a Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) tool for integrating the evaluation of building assemblies in green building rating systems. Today, GBI is announcing its intention to grant permission to its consulting team to offer a generic version, free of charge, to the entire sustainable construction community." Green Building Initiative Press Release
For more information:
www.thegbi.org/gbi/news_022607_LCATool.asp |
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The USGBC, in response to the current global climate change urgency, developed a Climate Change Action Plan to reduce the organizations negative contribution. The plan incorporates eight strategies to focus their impact on the environment. By the end of 2007 the USGBC, as an organization, will be carbon neutral. The USGBC hosted Greenbuild Expo and Conference just completed it's fifth year of carbon neutrality.
"Eliminating the built environment's negative contribtuion to climate change is not just a strategic priority; it's our collective responsibility to generations to come...urgent action is required." USGBC Press Release, December 1, 2006
For more information please visit the USGBC press release: http://www.usgbc.org/News/ |
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Side by side comparisons of sea ice from 1979
and 2003. Arctic perennial sea ice has been decreasing
at a rate of 9% per decade. NASA |
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In an open
letter to the architecture, planning and building
community Edward Mazria AIA, a Santa Fe architect,
warns about the effects of global warming and proposes
meeting a number of targets in order to prevent
a disaster.
"We are in a race against time. Global warming,
caused by a man-made blanket of greenhouse gasses
(mainly carbon dioxide) that surrounds the earth
and traps in heat, is well underway and if allowed
to intensify over the coming years will seriously
threaten our planet" (Edward Mazria AIA).
Specially created Architecture
2030 "web site will report on the activities
and progress in the building sector around the
globe and critical information will be updated
regularly" (AIArchitect). |
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President Bush
Photo Credit: White House photo by Eric Draper |
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Executive Order 13423.
President Bush signed an executive order on January 24th that mandates an increased use of energy efficiency and renewable fuels throughout the federal government. Executive Order 13423 calls for federal agencies to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions by cutting their energy intensity 30 percent, relative to their energy use in 2003, by 2015.(Executive Order 13423)
Visit the U.S. Department of Energy Daily News Archives for more information: (January 31, 2007) |
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The Seattle Audubon Society and the Natural Resources Council of Maine have demanded the Sustainable Forestry Board revoke SFI certification from two companies until they comply with standards.
For more information see
Washington Post Article by Blaine Harden
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The requests mark the first time that mainstream environmental groups have publicly attempted to turn the forest industry's green certification process against big timber companies by insisting that they be suspended from the program, the Sustainable Forestry Initiative (SFI), said William H. Banzhaf, president of the forestry board, which oversees certification.
Green labeling is a major marketing tool in the timber industry. It allows companies to reach a bigger marketplace while assuring increasingly sophisticated consumers that their purchases are not harming the environment. The competing certification regimes are usually referred to by initialisms -- SFI and FSC -- that can be easily confused. Unlike the industry-created SFI program, FSC rules allow virtually no cutting of old-growth forests, nor do they allow operators to log off a diverse stand of trees and replace it with a plantation forest dominated by a single species, which is often done to enhance the commercial value of forestland. Home Depot, Ikea and Williams-Sonoma are among the major retailers that have announced their preference for FSC-certified lumber or paper. The U.S. Green Building Council, which oversees green standards for construction in the District and Montgomery County, among other places, credits only builders that use FSC lumber. |
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Missouri Department of Natural Resources
Lewis and Clark State Office Building
BNIM Architects
Photo Credit: Mike Sinclair |
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"Environmental
Design + Construction magazine’s Fourth Annual
Excellence in Design Awards recognize commercial
spaces and offices, institutional facilities, government
buildings, multi-use residential buildings and single-family
residential homes that clearly demonstrate a commitment
to green building and sustainable design."
(ED+C).
Read ED+C's
cover story |
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"Harmful
buildup of toxic chemicals in humans is a real and
growing problem. A 2003 CDC study found an average
of 91 (of 116 tested) toxic chemicals in the human
body, and recent research points to the overlooked
danger and adverse health effects that can result
from combined chemicals that are otherwise considered
to have low toxicity. Read what simple steps you
can take to help detox your projects" (Stefani
Hines).
Green Builder
Magazine October 2006 p. 16-17. |
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"The
United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE)
and the UN's Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO)
recently published this year's Annual Market Review,
2005-2006. The publication provides general statistical
information on forest product markets and related
policies in Europe, North America and the Commonwealth
of Independent States. It also includes interesting
information on FSC certification. These are the
highlights:
FSC is the world's fastest growing forest certification
scheme. Over the last year it increased by one
third. In comparison, PEFC grew by 5% over the
same period of time. In real numbers this equals
a growth of 20 million hectares for FSC and 10
million hectares for PEFC" (FSC News).
FSC
News
Forest
Products Annual Market Review |
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The BigHorn Home Improvement Center,
Silverthorne, Colo.
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"U.S.
Department of Energy (DOE) Secretary Samuel W. Bodman
today announced more than $13 million to fund new
research in solar technologies. This funding, part
of President Bush's $148 million Solar America Initiative,
will support the development of more efficient solar
panels, known as photovoltaic devices" (energy.gov/news/4354.htm)
For more information, visit: energy.gov/news/4354.htm
"The BigHorn Center is one of the nation's
first commercial buildings to integrate extensive
high-performance design into a retail space. It
is expected to reduce energy costs by 62% compared
to similar conventionally designed retail buildings"
(www.nrel.gov).
Read more about BigHorn
Center. |
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"Green
building, one of the most significant developments
in new home construction in the past three decades,
is nothing less than a quiet revolution in the way
that new homes and communities are planned and constructed"
(NAHB).
NAHB's publication Building
Greener: Building Better: The Quiet Revolution is available for download as PDF (Acrobat Reader
required). |
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The Royal Institute of British Architects - USA
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Life in the Balance
The Royal Institute of British Architects - USA
announces a new international competition ‘Building
A Sustainable World: Life in the Balance.’
First Prize $10,000. Main Sponsor Autodesk, Special
prize for best use of Autodesk BIM software although
entries may use any appropriate medium including
freehand and collage.
read more about RIBA-USA
Competition
Call For Concept Proposals:
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GREENGUARD
Environmental Institute (GEI) announced that its
Children & Schools certification has been officially
recognized in the CHPS
Best Practices Manual Volume III as criteria
for low-emitting materials (EQ2.2). "The CHPS
EQ2.2 criteria addresses the following types of
products: all flooring, adhesives, sealants, and
concrete sealants; carpet; resilient flooring; wood
flooring; paints; thermal insulation; gypsum board;
acoustical ceilings and wall panels; cabinetry;
desk and chairs; and composite wood products"
(greengurad.org
news release).
GEENGUARD
The Collaborative
for High Performance Schools |
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Solar Tube House
photo: James Morris |
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The
Green House: New Directions in Sustainable Architecture
and Design
An Exhibition at the National Building Museum
May 20, 2006–June 3, 2007
"Stacked three floors high on a small wooded
lot, the Solar Tube has special glazing that allows
warm sunlight to enter while deflecting damaging
UV rays. The house’s central core of reinforced
concrete absorbs and stores the sun’s warmth,
keeping the temperature of the living spaces within
a comfortable range (aia.org/aiarchitect)."
For more building green examples visit the exhibition
website: "Green
House" Exhibition |
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2006
Top Ten: Alberici Corporate Headquarters,
Overland, MO
Photo Credit: Debbie Franke |
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"In
celebration of Earth Day 2006, April 22, the AIA
and its Committee on the Environment announced their
selection of the top 10 examples of green design
that protects and enhances the environment."
(aia.org/aiarchitect).
For the list and full description of 2006 Top Ten
Green Projects visit the AIA COTE website at: aiatopten.org/hpb/ |
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The
AIA Chicago Young Architect's Forum announced
winners for its reThink/reDesign/reCycle, a two-phase
juried competition that saught proposals for an
ecologically intelligent, urban recycling receptacle.
http://www.aiachicago.org/redesign/ |
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Second Place: re Constructing Cardboard Comfort:
Joseph Lyman, Cal Poly - San Luis Obispo |
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The American Institute of Architecture Students (AIAS) announced the winners of the 2006 corrugated
cardboard chair design competition. This event was
sponsored by the International Corrugated Packaging
Foundation (ICPF).
"The program is intended to challenge students,
working individually or in teams, to explore a variety
of issues related to the use of corrugated cardboard
(a non-traditional building material) in design
and construction (aias.org)."
For the list and images of winning designs visit
the AIAS website at: aias.org/chairaffair |
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(PDF,
1.3MB)
During
the first Holcim Forum, held in
Zurich, Switzerland this last July, over 100 prominent
engineers, business leaders, and architects responded
to "What does sustainable construction mean
to you?" Find
out what they said. |
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Green Remodeling:
Changing the World One Room at a Time
David Johnston and Kim Master
"David
Johnston was named one of the top 50 remodelers
in the U.S. in 1990. He developed the first green
remodeling program in the U.S. and is creating a
national green certification program for the National
Association of the Remodeling Industry. Kim
Master is a green building consultant. Both are
from Boulder, Colorado." (amazon.com)
amazon.com listing |
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So why would anyone want to build green?
The article examines reasons and provides explanations for 46 benefits for building green.
Read the article |
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www.buildinggreen.com |
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A resource
for anyone "advocating for school buildings that
are cost-effective, sustainable, and "healthy and
productive" for students, teachers, and staff" (SBIC).
Read more about high-performance schools. |
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Learn more about the economics of building green in this article by Gil Friend.
Read the article |
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More green news at:
GreenerBuildings.com |
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The National Association of Home Builders (NAHB), the one of the nation’s largest and most powerful building industry trade organization, unveiled their new NAHB Model Green Home Building Guidelines at its International Builders’ Show (IBS) in Orlando Florida. A new organization, the Green Building Initiative (GBI), was also created to help implement the guidelines in markets across the country.
With more than 220,000 members nationwide, and over 95,000 in attendance in Orlando, this represents about 80% of the more than 1.84 million new housing units projected for 2005. Ray Tonjes, a home builder from Austin, Texas and chair of NAHB’s Green Building Subcommittee, stated that “NAHB’s Model Green Home Building Guidelines are a milestone in our efforts to provide safe, decent, affordable housing for all Americans and to help conserve our environment” and “are revolutionary because they will help all builders, not just niche builders, construct more energy-efficient, environmentally sensitive new homes in different price ranges and climate conditions.”
NAHB’s Model Green Home Building Guidelines are available online at www.nahb.org/gbg |
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© 2002 Green Building
Pages. All rights reserved. |
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