As we celebrate National Bike or Walk to School Day today, it is important to recognize how our culture has changed transportation behaviors. In 1969, riding your bike or walking to school was commonplace, and nearly 50 percent of kids chose that mode of transportation. By 2009, that number dropped to just 13 percent. What is causing kids and their families to opt for a four-wheeled ride rather than a walkable route? How can we help reverse this pattern to protect our environment and promote healthy behaviors?
Author: LEaD Blogger
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“Inexhaustible” Inspiration: Thomas Knittel Talks Biomimicry
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A building shaped like a butterfly. A skyscraper modeled after self-cooling termite mounds. A structure in arid climate inspired by a desert snail. Biomimicry, the application of nature’s principles to solve problems, is an emerging influence in modern day green building and other design and technology.
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Community Green: USGBC’s Commitment to Community Colleges
Community colleges serve as the centers of educational opportunity, collectively providing millions of individuals – regardless of their wealth, cultural background or experience – an accessible place where they can gain the skills and knowledge necessary to become successful professionals.
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USGBC Loves Teachers
In honor of National Teacher Day, we asked some of our staff members to tell us who their favorite teachers are. What did we learn? That a lot of our staff members have moms who are teachers! Read below to see who some of our best teachers are, and what they did to inspire us.
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Harvard Achieves a Record 75 LEED Certifications
Harvard University recently achieved an important green building milestone: our 75th LEED certification, representing over 2.4 million square feet of our campus in LEED New Construction, Commercial Interiors, Existing Buildings: Operations and Maintenance and Homes systems.
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My New Appreciation for Polar Bears
Those of you who have seen me speak recently know that I have had some pretty disparaging things to say about polar bears. Not because I have anything against polar bears (though I did visit a school in Alaska once where they had to put up a big fence to keep the bears from eating students), but because I don’t believe that polar bears are deserving of being the icon for sustainability, or even climate change.
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Green Hotel Case Study: The Shore Hotel Santa Monica
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It doesn’t take a luxurious property (or budget) to build in sustainability, the Shore Hotel Santa Monica is a strong example of how luxury and green building can work hand in hand in the hospitality industry. I’ve profiled elements of the Shore Hotel, Santa Monica’s newest boutique hotel to combine LEED with luxury.
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Chapter Spotlight: Charlotte’s Eco Learning Lab
Late last year, South Mecklenburg High School in Charlotte, NC built an “Eco Learning Lab,” an outdoor classroom for students, instructors and green building professionals. The laboratory provides a forum for students to strengthen their educational experience and opens a dialog with green building professionals that can assist in career exploration. The hope is that the Eco Learning Lab can be replicated at other high schools in North Carolina.