LEED Blogger

Category: Industry

  • The EBies: Honoring Great Work in Buildings Gone Green

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    Urban Green Council's EBie Awards recognize excellence in existing buildings. Ph
    Slideshow images: 
    Photo credit: Urban Green Council
    Photo credit: Urban Green Council
    Photo credit: Urban Green Council

    Urban Green Council, the New York City chapter of USGBC, held the first-ever EBie Awards on June 28th at the Hard Rock Café Theater. Though this marks the first public showcase for the EBies, the project reflects concepts and ideas that have been discussed for years by NYC leaders in sustainability. The basic idea is this: We need to recognize and encourage the people who are making amazing improvements to existing buildings (hence “EB”ies).

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  • The Value of Green Labels in the California Housing Market

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    Photo credit: Zeck Butler Architects
    Slideshow images: 

    When shopping for a new car, one of the most prominent features on display is the miles-per-gallon (MPG) usage of the vehicle. There is an EnergyGuide label for dishwashers, clothes washers and other appliances, and an Energy Star label for the most efficient appliances. But when buying a home, there is usually no information on its energy efficiency — which is strange, considering the substantial impact that monthly expenditures on electricity, gas and water have on disposable income.

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  • A Renewed Commitment to Buildings and their Social Benefits

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    As the dust settles from Rio+20, I finally have a moment to reflect upon the outcomes of the historic Earth Summit Conference. The non-committal nature of the Rio text was a surprise to no one, yet the identification of buildings as an important strategy for the development of sustainable cities and urban infrastructure was still a “win” for the green building movement. Energy efficiency was also recognized as a strategy for combating climate change within both the developed and developing world.

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  • The Scoundrel’s Handbook

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    The Scoundrel's Handbook on Huff Post Green

    It was Samuel Johnson who said that patriotism is the last refuge of the scoundrel. He talked a lot about false patriots, those who “appeal to the rabble, circulate pointless petitions, and who allow their passions to confound the distinctions between right and wrong.” He never said if he had anyone particular in mind, but I sure do. A lot of people in Washington, D.C. have become quite adept in using the Scoundrel’s Handbook to advance their narrow view of the world.

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  • Hospitality Development Update: Moving Towards LEED

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    Courtyard Marriott in Portland, Ore.

    Green construction starts have increased by 50% in the past two years, and now represent 25% of all new construction today, according to a study by McGraw Hill. Green and sustainable construction initially had a slow start for the hospitality industry, but now seem to be gaining momentum. Today, there are 141 LEED-certified hotels and nearly 1,200 more that are registered with the intent to certify upon completion.

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  • Green Homes Continue to Grow Across the U.S

    LEED for Homes surpasses 20,000 certified home milestone

    Washington, DC – (June 13, 2012) – The U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) today announced that more than 20,000 homes across the U.S. have earned certification through the LEED for Homes program. LEED for Homes is a national voluntary certification system that provides guidance and verification that homes are designed and built to be energy- and resource-efficient and healthy for occupants.

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  • U.S. Green Building Council, United Nations Environment Programme and World Business Council for Sustainable Development Release Report on the Role of Cities in the Green Economy

    Report Highlights Key Messages to Leaders at Rio+20 Conference

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  • A Toast to LEED: Volume Program Brings Industry Leaders Together

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    USGBC's Rick Fedrizzi and Scot Horst raise a toast to LEED Volume participants
    What happens when Kohl’s Department Stores, Wells Fargo, and Subway Restaurants walk in to a room? At the USGBC offices, it means a great conversation on green building is about to ensue – among some of the foremost business leaders in sustainability. Last month, we were thrilled to welcome participants in our LEED Volume Program to USGBC’s Washington, DC headquarters for full-day orientation seminars to kick-off their journey in scaling up with LEED.

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  • “Inexhaustible” Inspiration: Thomas Knittel Talks Biomimicry

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    Biomimicry expert, Thomas Knittel

    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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  • Introducing 12,000: A Milestone for LEED

    Authored by: 
    Ashley Katz
    Published on: 
    28 Mar 2012
    Feature image: 
    Source: Bernard Freeman, Division of Engineering Chief for the SW Region USFWS

    Twelve years after the first LEED certifications in 2000, today we announced the 12,000th commercial project has been certified (!). Without a doubt, this calls for celebration: If you’ve worked on one of these 12,000 LEED-certified projects, we invite you to join the conga line forming around our headquarters in Washington, DC (please call ahead, though). Thank you for tipping the green building scales to 12,000 – and thank you for your commitment to building better, healthier, greener buildings.

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