On Wednesday, May 1, the USGBC South Carolina Chapter hosted an event to strategize pathways to bring political common ground on green schools to the Palmetto State. The event was held in Columbia at the LEED Gold Thomas Cooper Library at the University of South Carolina, and featured approximately 75 attendees.
Blog
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A Toast to LEED: Volume Program Brings Industry Leaders Together
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.Feature image:
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The 2012 Greenest School on Earth: Green School Bali
It’s been a very exciting few weeks at Green School Bali since the Center for Green School’s Rachel Gutter visited and presented us with the award as “2012 Greenest School on Earth.” There were close to 400 students, staff, parents and friends gathered in our beautiful open-air bamboo coliseum for an Earth Day assembly, and only a small handfu
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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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What Happened to Walking to School?
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?
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Southeastern Building Codes Welcome Greater Efficiency for Greater Savings
“Air conditioning saved the South.” I distinctly remember my high school American history teacher repeating this as we reviewed economic growth in the U.S. during the mid- to late twentieth century. Whether you believe that reduced perspiration leads to economic growth or that economic growth spurs the demand for comfortable, less humid spaces, evolving building practice has proven that we can build much more efficient buildings today if we have the right tools – and the Southeast is taking action.
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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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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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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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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.