The following is a guest post by Harvey M. Bernstein, Vice President of Industry Insights & Alliances, McGraw-Hill Construction and John Mandyck, Chief Sustainability Officer for United Technologies Climate, Controls & Security
Two years ago, USGBC had the crazy idea of bringing together both sides of the grid – utilities and technology solution providers AND owners and managers of LEED registered and certified buildings – with the end goal of increasing participation in Demand Response and Smart Grid programs.
And now there’s one more voice to add to the conversation: that of the Federal Government.
I’m not an economist, but if I am trying to save money, I don’t stop depositing money into my savings account.
I’m not a CEO, but if I had a division of a business that was turning a profit with every dollar invested, I would probably look at ways to increase investment, not reduce it.
But the coming sequester will make arbitrary across-the-board cuts in government program budgets, including extremely successful programs that pay for themselves in energy efficiency and green building. That’s not a very effective way to reduce government spending.
In January 2013, the Metropolitan Government of Tokyo announced the results of the second year of reporting for its cap-and-trade program for commercial and industrial buildings.
National Green Week is a time to make students aware of important sustainability topics and get them excited to do their part to make a difference! What better way to drum up enthusiasm than with a fun and educational contest?
If you thought we had a lot to celebrate in 2012, just brace yourself for 2013. Green building advocates have already mobilized for policy action in South Carolina, Delaware, Montana, New Hampshire, Kentucky, Arkansas, Iowa and Colorado. I was fortunate enough to join the USGBC chapter-led advocacy efforts in Des Moines and Denver last week, and I think we’re on the verge of something big.
“From Outcome to Implementation” – That was the theme of the first universal session of the United Nations Environment Programme’s (UNEP) Governing Council and Global Ministerial Environment Forum (GC/GMEF), which convened on Monday . The agenda for the meeting, open to all 193 UN member states for the first time, sought to create a framework for the implementation of the Rio+20 “The Future We Want” outcome document.
“I remain fully committed to the goal I first stated in July of 2011, that we will make the District of Columbia the healthiest, greenest city in the nation…this is my promise to everyone.” – Washington, D.C. Mayor Vincent Gray, February 20, 2013
The following is a guest post by Alex Dodds, Online Communications Manager at Smart Growth America.
The biggest real estate investor in the United States isn’t Donald Trump, and it’s not a private equity firm.
Editor’s note: Browse the February issue of EDC, the official magazine for the LEED Professional – and preview the piece “LEED: More Than a Decade of High-Performing Buildings” by Brendan Owens below. Sign up today to get your free digital edition of EDC.