Author: LEaD Blogger

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China has been identified as one of the top 10 countries for LEED, and global green building construction is doubling every three years. The Top 10 Provinces and Municipalities for LEED in Mainland China were recently identified as areas that have made significant strides in sustainable building design, construction and transformation over the last year.

To gain all the knowledge you need, focused on the content most relevant to green building in China, join us for Greenbuild China, taking place October 17–18, 2017, with two pre-conference workshops taking place on October 16. The educational program promises to deliver forward-looking information to help drive the market.

Greenbuild is known as the space for green building industry leaders to convene and shape the future of sustainable buildings and cities. China is a leader in green building, and at the inaugural Greenbuild China, you have the chance be a part of the conversation at the ground level.

Top sessions at Greenbuild China

This year’s program explores many topics, including those related to Smart Cities, materials and GRESB. After working with local experts in the field, the developers of the education program built three sessions with these topics in mind. The Greenbuild China program is split into three targeted tracks and offers something for everyone:

• “Your Building, Your Health”: Addresses human and environmental health in high-performance building design
• “Success Through Sustainability”: Explores application of green building concepts and its importance
• “Built to Perform”: Explores optimal building performance and design

View the full program.

Greenbuild China will also offer extensive education on USGBC’s newest version of LEED, LEED v4. Seven sessions have been granted LEED-specific CE credit, two sessions have been granted WELL-specific CE credit and an entire full-day workshop will be offered to give a deep dive into LEED v4.

Additionally, there is a half-day workshop on SITES, a green building certification system for sustainable land design and development. Attendees can earn up to six GBCI continuing education credit hours for attending the core program and an additional four or eight by attending one of the workshops.

Register for Greenbuild China

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India has been identified as one of the top 10 countries for LEED, and global green building construction is doubling every three years. Furthermore, India is one of 193 countries to adopt the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals and is pursuing these goals aggressively.

Now is the time to learn about innovative green building strategies, products and services, and the program for Greenbuild India will deliver this forward-looking information to help drive the market.

Top sessions at Greenbuild India

Because India has one of the fastest-growing economies, it is challenged with acting responsibly while providing employment to its population. “Bridging the Gap: Affordable Housing and Sustainable Communities” addresses this crossroad in the sustainability movement. In addition, pooling land for affordable housing is a major challenge. Attendees will learn about green affordable housing from the perspectives of stakeholders, sustainability advisors, tenants and the public. This topic directly correlates with the “Credit Linked Subsidy Scheme,” announced by Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi, which envisions housing for all by the year 2022.

Globally, there is a serious challenge in accessing clean water for all. 844 million people do not have clean water within a reasonable walking distance. “Water Security, a Necessity” will share water management initiatives at city scale in order to shift those management strategies at the project scale.

Lastly, many systems that are currently used in India cannot handle the volumes of waste generated by an increasing urban population. “Untapped Wealth: Waste as a Resource” will teach waste diversion tactics, best practices for project management and how these practices can lead to job opportunities in rural areas. In recent years, Shri Narenda Modi launched Swachh Bharat Mission in India, a campaign that aims to achieve the vision of a clean India by October 2019.

View the full program.

Discounted early bird registration pricing is in effect until September 8, so register for Greenbuild India today.

Register for Greenbuild India

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When it comes to water and the built environment, there’s a great to think about. Less than 1 percent of the Earth’s water can be considered useful for human consumption (the rest is saltwater or trapped in the polar ice caps) and of that, around 14 percent is used by buildings.

The Water Efficiency credit category in LEED v4 builds on the lessons learned from previous versions and expands upon the strategies to take into account indoor use, outdoor use, specialized uses and metering. It also measures all sources of water relative to a building, including cooling towers, appliances, fixtures, process water and irrigation. Using an “efficiency first” approach, projects are asked to first pursue water use reduction strategies and then to consider nonpotable and alternative sources of water.

Metering at the whole-building level is introduced as a prerequisite for new and existing buildings, ensuring that projects can monitor and control their water use to identify opportunities for water savings.

The LEED Building Design and Construction water efficiency credits and prerequisites include:

• Prerequisite: Outdoor water use reduction
• Prerequisite: Indoor water use reduction
• Prerequisite: Building-level water metering
• Credit (up to 2 points): Outdoor water use reduction
• Credit (up to 6 points): Indoor water use reduction
• Credit (up to 2 points): Cooling tower water use
• Credit (1 point): Water metering

The LEED Operations and Maintenance water efficiency credits and prerequisites include:

• Prerequisite: Indoor water use reduction
• Prerequisite: Building-level water metering
• Credit (up to 2 points): Outdoor water use reduction
• Credit (up to 5 points): Indoor water use reduction
• Credit (up to 3 points): Cooling tower water use
• Credit (up to 2 points): Water metering

To learn more about water strategies in LEED, join us at Greenbuild 2017 in Boston, India and China.

In Boston, don’t miss the events below:

Course: Understanding Water and LEED: From Rainwater to Metering and Everything in Between

Fri., November 10, 8–9 a.m.

This session will present an overview of resources, strategies and tips for successful credit achievement. Attendees will hear from USGBC and GBCI experts about how water is addressed in LEED today and what’s on the horizon for future development.

Summit: WaterBuild—The Water Summit at Greenbuild

Tues., November 7, 9 a.m.–5:30 p.m.

At WaterBuild 2017, some of the brightest minds in the fields of resilient and sustainable community planning, water cycle management, risk mitigation and green building will come together to connect and explore what lies ahead at the nexus of water and building.

Register for Greenbuild Boston

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Parksmart and sustainable mobility will be front and center at this year’s Greenbuild International Conference and Expo. Don’t miss out! Join us in Boston from November 8 to 10 for renowned speakers, engaging sessions, an interactive exhibit hall and invaluable networking.

Be sure to check out all of the offerings related to Parksmart at this year’s conference:

• Visit the GBCI booth and Certification Work Zone on the expo floor. Subject matter experts will be on hand throughout the conference for technical help. Get all of your questions about Parksmart and the Parksmart Advisor professional certification program answered, or get help with registering a project.
• Parksmart Advisor Training (Mon., November 6): Parksmart Advisors lead clients through the Parksmart certification process for sustainable parking structures. This training provides the education required to earn this valuable professional certificate and offers a deep dive into the specific management, programmatic, technological and structural elements of Parksmart.
• Parksmart: An Introductory Workshop for Certifying Parking Structures (Tues., November 7): The workshop will introduce attendees to the complex relationships among parking, transportation and sustainability, and provide a comprehensive understanding of the intent, sections and selected measures of the Parksmart program.
• Mobility Drives Smart Cities: Parking Industry Data (Thurs., November 9): Parking can be an economic driver, catalyst for development and an essential piece of the mobility equation. This interactive session will delve into the triple-bottom-line impact of planning for parking appropriately, as well as how technology is driving (and disrupting) demand and supply.
• From Today’s Parking to Tomorrow’s Sustainable Mobility (Fri., November 10): A revolution in technologies in both the parking and transportation industries offers the opportunity to steer and accelerate the adoption of sustainable mobility. Over the next 20 years, investors, tenants, regulators and consumers will drive parking asset owners and managers to embrace the hardware and software necessary to achieve high-performance parking facilities. This will help us track progress toward creating more mobility for more people, using less resources. Presenters will share their experience as owners, consultants and advocates on how Parksmart removes barriers and exploits transformational opportunities.
• Park Above and Park Below (Fri., November 10): This walking tour invites attendees to explore the nexus of urban green space development and transportation design. Learn about the Garage at Post Office Square, a 1,400-space parking garage, which was among the first projects to earn GBCI’s Parksmart certification. Attendees will also discuss how innovative green space development can provide opportunities to engage communities, support public events and art installations and enable an active lifestyle.

Register for Greenbuild Boston

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Greenbuild is the world’s largest conference and expo dedicated to green building. It is the go-to place for the industry to convene and shape the future of the green building and sustainability movement.

This year, SITES and sustainable landscape design will be featured throughout the conference. Join us in Boston from November 8 to 10 for renowned speakers, engaging sessions, an interactive exhibit hall and valuable networking.

Visit the GBCI booth and Certification Work Zone on the expo floor. Subject matter experts will be on hand throughout the conference for technical help. Get all of your questions about the SITES rating system and SITES AP credential answered, or get help with registering a project.

Also, you can learn more about the synergies between SITES and LEED and how any LEED v4 project can now automatically earn all of the points in the Sustainable SITES credit category in LEED when they achieve SITES v2 Gold certification or higher.

SITES workshops and sessions in Boston

• Exploring the SITES v2 Rating System for Sustainable Land Design and Development (Mon., November 6): Explore the SITES v2 Rating System and make the case for pursuing SITES v2 certification using real-world project examples.
• High-Performing Sites and the Soils Beneath Them (Wed., November 8): Review the complexity of soil ecosystems as well as share experiences of designing landscapes—particularly in urban or degraded contexts. This session will frame the importance of soil in green infrastructure, urban landscapes, resiliency and the SITES rating system.
• SITES v2 Materials Credits: From Specification to Reuse (Thurs., November 9): Examine the SITES v2 materials and resource credits that support the entire life cycle of a project, from materials specification to use, maintenance, deconstruction and reuse.
• Integrating LEED ND and SITES into Your Design Approach (Fri., November 10): This session will share a design framework based on the LEED v4 for Neighborhood Development and SITES v2 rating systems that can become a working tool for your design approach to better integrated solutions, more sustainable design and higher-performing outcomes.

SITES at Greenbuild China

Can’t make it? We’ll also be at this year’s inaugural Greenbuild China. Register for the conference to attend our SITES workshop on October 16, and be among the first in China to be able to speak to the value of SITES, understand the central rating system components and themes, identify the important steps for pursuing SITES certification and set a framework to start studying for the new SITES AP exam.

Register for Greenbuild Boston

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The first annual Greenbuild India International Conference & Expo, will be taking place November 2–5, 2017, in Mumbai. Greenbuild India offers a forum for the green building community to unite, change lives, revolutionize business and address pressing issues, such as air quality, human health, energy use and global climate change.

The green building industry event of the year will feature inspiring keynotes, invaluable networking, an interactive expo hall and engaging continuing education sessions. The 2017 education program sets a high standard for green building education offerings and promises to deliver forward-looking information to help advance the green building marketplace.

The education development process

Greenbuild India follows the standard rigorous Greenbuild education development process for its education program selection. The Greenbuild India Call for Proposals was open from December to February to collect session proposals from green building industry stakeholders. Once closed, volunteer reviewers reviewed each proposal at least seven times based on a set of six pre-determined criteria to create an average score for each proposal. The top 75 percent of proposals advanced to the next round of review, where our Program Working Group met in Mumbai to identify priority topics and vote on the merits of the remaining proposals.

What Greenbuild India education offers

The rigorous review process resulted in a strong program, focused on the content most relevant to the green building industry in India. The Greenbuild India program is split into three tracks and offers something for everyone:

• Designing for Health and Performance – addresses human health and the environment in the context of high-performance building design
• Building Blocks of Green – sessions cover essential topics including water, waste, lighting and more
• Creating the Sustainable City – explores application of green building concepts on a city-scale

Greenbuild India will also offer extensive education on USGBC’s newest version of LEED—LEED v4. Four sessions have been granted LEED v4 specific CE credit and an entire full-day workshop will be offered to dive into LEED v4. A full-day workshop on EDGE, a green building certification system for new residential and commercial buildings in emerging market countries will also be offered. An attendee can earn up to 10.5 GBCI continuing education credit hours for attending the core program, and an additional eight for attending a workshop.

Why attend?

Greenbuild has become known as the place for the green building industry leaders to convene, and shape the future of sustainable buildings and cities. Founded in 2002, Greenbuild started in the U.S. and brings together every year industry leaders, experts and frontline professionals dedicated to sustainable building. Additionally, India has been identified as one of the top ten countries for LEED, and global green building construction is doubling every three years.

Greenbuild India is where you can learn about current research and best practices to elevate your business; connect with sustainability experts; and see innovative technologies and products firsthand.

Register for Greenbuild India

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All over the world, promoting wellness is a priority for employers, builders and city planners alike. Building green using LEED, and other GBCI-administered rating systems such as SITES, enables us all to live, learn, work and play in environments that enhance human health both indoors and outdoors.
LEED has an entire credit category in the rating system for the indoor environment: Indoor Environmental Quality (EQ), which includes prerequisites and credits for design and construction projects, interiors, homes and existing buildings. When it comes to residential, LEED-certified multifamily and single-family homes are designed to deliver a healthier and safer place for residents by providing cleaner indoor air. As of early 2017, more than 112,000 residential units have earned LEED certification. Also, teams are focusing on designing neighborhoods that are more walkable, green and community-promoting, with tools like LEED for Neighborhood Development.
Energy-efficient buildings also help reduce pollution and improve outdoor air quality in major industrialized areas, making LEED a critical tool in reducing smog. Cities are embracing the power of green building to mitigate the effects of climate change and make air healthier and fresher for their citizens.
For office buildings, a healthy indoor environment with clean air and access to daylight makes a big impact on employee engagement. Studies show that LEED-certified buildings demonstrate increased recruitment and retention rates, as well as increased productivity benefits for employers. As global green construction continues to double every three years, the driving factors include not just client demand and environmental regulation, but an increased awareness of the health benefits to occupants.
Learn more about applying sustainable building strategies to human health with this session being held at all three Greenbuild events:
Performance-based IAQ evaluation in LEED v4—a pilot
Greenbuild China: Tues., October 17, 3:15–4:15 p.m.
Greenbuild India: Fri., November 3, 3:30–5 p.m
Greenbuild Boston: Fri., November 10, 8–9 a.m.
In 2016, USGBC tasked a working group with exploring state-of-the-art approaches to evaluating and monitoring the air in our indoor spaces. The group’s work is now complete and available for use in a new LEED pilot credit. Participants will learn about the pilot credit requirements and how to apply it to their LEED projects, as well as participate in a discussion with two experts from the working group, both offering a unique perspective on evaluating indoor air in China.
Register for Greenbuild