San Francisco’s largest public housing site, Sunnydale, is on its way to becoming a thriving, green and vibrant mixed-income community. Recently, its master plan received conditional approval at the LEED Gold level, one of three major checkpoints on th…
Posts from November 2011
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Local Officials Gather to Find Common Ground on Green Schools
Yesterday, state legislators, key decision makers and USGBC chapter members from across the South and Midwest convened at Richardsville Elementary School in Kentucky, the nation’s first net-zero energy school, for a “Common Ground” event to discuss the success of the green schools movement in the region and the best practices that can be applied to their own communities.
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Dispatches from Durban: Climate Talks Can Impact Green Building Worldwide
This is the first in a series of blog entries covering the United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP-17) taking place Nov. 28-Dec. 9, 2011, in Durban, South Africa.
Yes…domestic politics do have consequences and we all need to understand the implications of our own important national policy challenges. But no…it is not possible to ignore the larger global issues that are not discussed rationally in the narrow context of our domestic political debates.
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November 2011 Green Schools Committee Digest
While many of us are turning the focus of our free time towards holiday preparation, sale-scouting and travel planning, USGBC’s volunteers continue to be hard at work on behalf of green schools. To learn more about the recent happenings of Green Schools Committees from coast-to-coast, be sure to check out this video from this summer’s Green Schools Committee Symposium.
USGBC Launches App Lab
New applications to support the LEED certification process through the LEED Automation Program
Washington, DC – (Nov. 22, 2011) –The U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) has launched its online App Lab as part of its LEED Automation Program. The lab launched with eight applications, developed by LEED Automation Partners, and is designed for use with Internet browsers, tablets, smartphones and other devices.
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Q&A with Co-chair of the House High-Performance Building Caucus, Rep. Carnahan
Congressman Russ Carnahan of Missouri is a long-time supporter of green building initiatives, and the co-chair of the House High-Performance Building Caucus. Rep. Carnahan recently introduced a new bill, the High-Performance Federal Buildings Act. We …
LEED and Forest Protection: Thank You for Your Important Input
This week, ForestEthics and others reached out to USGBC to express their views on an important issue: How LEED plays a role in forest protection. I want to thank these organizations and individuals for expressing their passionate views. Since the begin…
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Campaign Spotlight: Home Grown Initiatives Make Green Building a Win–Win
USGBC’s 79 volunteer-based chapters are consistently finding new and exciting ways to elevate green building practices and programs. Today, I’ll spotlight two chapters, whose creative and proactive advocacy initiatives advance the green building conve…
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Who Cares About Better Buildings? A Diverse Group of Companies Answer, “We Do!”
As a movement, we knew we had come a long way when President Obama announced the Better Buildings Initiative in February, establishing the goal of slashing energy consumption in commercial buildings 20 percent by 2020. Groups like USGBC, the Natural Re…
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From Red to Blue, States Across the Country Adopt the Green Ribbon Schools Program
Just weeks after the Department of Education released the framework for the Green Ribbon Schools award, 22 states have announced their participation in this voluntary program. From Pennsylvania to California, red to blue, states are realizing the Green…