Many communities are opening up their zoning codes to identify and remove barriers, and adopting language that will encourage greener building and greener living outcomes. You wouldn’t be surprised to hear that Portland, Oregon has been greening its z…
Author: LEaD Blogger
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Green Schools Around the World – AASA Trip Recap from the Dominican Republic
On Nov. 29, 2011, I began a week-long trip to Constanza, La Vega in the Dominican Republic. I am the project director of the Healthy School Environments project at the American Association of School Administrators (AASA) and was invited to partici…
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USGBC Explains Who’s Who at COP17 for Green Building and Climate Change
When our delegation of green building council representatives arrived in Durban for the COP 17 climate conference, we hoped we had what it took to help change the world. The diverse group seemed to possess that peculiar mixture of naiveté, enthusiasm and focused passion that can distinguish successful from merely aspiring troublemakers. Through participation and attendance at a variety of different events I was, as usual, impressed with the astounding effort on the part of various individuals and organizations to bring to scale energy efficiency and green building solutions.
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Seattle 2030 District: The NEXT Big Thing in Green Building
The green building movement has made great strides in recent years, but it’s not enough. In order to put up a good fight against ever-increasing environmental and economic pressures, we need a united front of the public and private sector, and to approach issues at the city — or district — scale.
District sustainability currently experiences the same limited level of awareness that individual green buildings did a decade ago, when the U.S. Green Building Council announced its first 12 LEED Certified projects, of which there are now over 11,000.
LEED Professionals: Don’t let your credential expire; remember to renew every two years
You know the hard work and dedication of time it took to earn your LEED Professional ial. It’s important to remember that there is also a renewal process every two years. Renewing your LEED credential renews your sense of personal accomplishment as w…
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Governor’s Action Defies Logic and Economics
Last Friday, I went to work just like any other day at my firm, Fore Solutions, here in Portland, Maine. I fired up my computer, but instead of the normal updates on projects and industry newsletters, I was greeted with eye-popping subject lines. “Main…
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Q&A: Rep. Ron Kind on Healthy Kids Outdoors Act
Representative Ron Kind (WI), alongside Senator Mark Udall (CO), recently introduced the Healthy Kids Outdoors Act. This bill would authorize the Secretary of the Interior to carry out programs and activities that connect Americans, especially children…
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Higher Education Green Schools: An Intern’s Perspective
After an invaluable six month run with the U.S. Green Building Council as an intern, it was time to publish my final podcast. Though I’d produced podcasts with USGBC before, this was the first time I was able to use my unique position as a University of Florida student. Having spent three months at USGBC’s headquarters in Washington D.C., the time had come to head back to school in Florida and continue the internship via telecommute.
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A Year of Chapter Advocacy Efforts: Part One
Despite the long list of challenges that governments face today – the down-economy, which drives budget constraints, which drives partisan politics, which drives gridlock, which fails to deliver basic government services, which can impact the economy… – our green building conversation continues to resonate with diverse audiences. In August, USGBC released a report detailing some of the conversations that took place in 2011 and how these conversations translated into real world policy impact.
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Good COP, Bad COP
Cross-posted from GreenSource’s The Green Source: A Blog of Sustainable Building
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