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In 2004 I joined the U.S. Green Building Council and attended my first Greenbuild in Portland. Nine years later, I’m excited to return to the West Coast for Greenbuild 2012, being held in San Francisco from November 14-16.
Blog
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Hospitality Development Update: Moving Towards LEED
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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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School Sustainability Leaders Summit Kicks Off!
Yesterday, we kicked off our School Sustainability Leaders Summit, which brought in our two green schools fellows, along with other school district staff from across the country.
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Tokyo’s Urban Cap and Trade for Commercial Buildings Sees Huge Success in First Year of Operation
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Tens of thousands of delegates from diverse backgrounds and geographical regions convened in Rio to protect the future we want through sustainable development policy. While progress was made on the negotiating text, few are satisfied with the level of commitments and accountability from national governments. However, the news from Rio isn’t entirely bleak. Subnational governments are leap-frogging the unambitious goals of national governments to realize their own goals of urban sustainability.
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USGBC Members and Stakeholders Speak at the GSA Listening Session
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You know from grade school, college, and maybe even your Ph.D program that an A+ is no easy feat.
Federal agencies know that, too: GSA recently received an A+ on the OMB scorecard. The statistics speak for themselves.
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Ewa Makai Middle School Celebrates Green Ribbon Schools in Washington, D.C.
We’ve Got the Power – Bummmm…Bumpa…Bumm
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Cities Arrive in Force at Rio+20
I don’t know if that 1992 pop song “We Got the Power” was meant for cities. But it should have been. It certainly would have been apropos during Rio+20, where cities arrived in force.
Bumpa…Bumm
Recognized widely as the driving force behind many of the most significant actions taken to combat climate change, mayors from around the world came to Rio with a simple message: We’ve got the power.
Bumpa…Bumm
Existing Buildings = The 99%
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It’s hard to overstate the potential (and necessity) of greening our existing building stock. Buildings account for 73% of electricity consumption in the U.S. and 38% of CO2 emissions. Can you imagine the dent we can make with added efficiency in this sector – environmentally and economically? Plus, existing buildings are all around us. Chances are, you’re inside of a building (an existing one) as you read this blog entry – talk about an accessible opportunity.
Project Green Brings $5 Million to Sacramento Schools
One of the many reasons Sacramento City Unified School District (SCUSD) was selected as one of two districts to receive a Center for Green Schools UTC Fellow was the development of Project Green. The District needed support to develop, manage and implement the program, and I was brought on to help. During the Earth Day celebrations in April 2011, Superintendent Raymond announced Project Green with little more than a rough outline. The idea consisted of student-led audits, presenting recommendations to a blue-ribbon panel, and implementing the projects.
Where We Learn Matters… Add a Little Nature!
Over time, a recognizable pattern has developed in youth that has begun to alter their behavior, health and consciousness. Today, American children are spending more time indoors and less time engaging with nature compared to recent history. In author Richard Louv’s book, “Last Child in the Woods,” he presents a persuasive case for the importance of nature to a child’s physical and emotional well-being, while also describing youth’s disconnect today as a ‘nature-deficit disorder.’ Though not a disorder in the traditional sense, there are very real, measureable affects to be noted.