NEWS

Green$ense 2007: Show Me the Money!
The Premier Conference on Green Building for the Mid-Atlantic & Ohio Valley Region Happens March 15 in Downtown Pittsburgh.
Do you think building green will break the bank? Come learn how nationally recognized green development experts challenge that notion and make the bottom-line finances of green work to their advantage.

Special Discount: For existing GBA members and those who join this month we are extending the discounted early registration fee through the end of February.

The conference includes green building tours and sessions such as "Wall Street Goes Green" and "How Green Building is Changing the Insurance Industry." Keynote addresses will be delivered by Susan Eastridge, chief executive officer of Concord Eastridge, the developer of Pittsburgh Cultural Trust’s "in-construction" $460 million RiverParc project; and Jim Hartzfeld, managing director, InterfaceRAISE, Interface Inc.

Full conference details and a registration form are available at www.gbapgh.org/Green$ense2007.asp. Call (412) 431-0709 with questions. The conference location is the Westin Convention Center Hotel.
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State Pledges $1M Toward Redevelopment
of Nabisco Site
Bakery Square, a major brownfield redevelopment in East Liberty, has received a $1 million grant from the state. Gov. Rendell released the Growing Greener II funds on February 9 to pay for the cleanup of the 495,000-square-foot former Nabisco plant. The Regional Industrial Development Corporation of Southwestern Pennsylvania will use the grant, along with $335,000 of its own funds, to remove asbestos, PCBs, lead-based paint and other hazardous materials from the site. Development plans for the 6.5-acre area call for 223,000 square feet of office space, 165,000 square feet of retail, and a 120-room hotel.

Funding for Bakery Square comes from the state's Industrial Sites Reuse Program, which finances remediation of industrial sites in order to spur redevelopment of blighted land. "We're not just cleaning up something from the past, we're building something that will go from lifeless to something dripping with life and activity," says Environmental Protection Secretary Kathleen McGinty.
Source.
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Car Sharing in Pittsburgh? How Progressive!
The Pittsburgh Downtown Partnership (PDP) is working with Flexcar to launch a car sharing program in Pittsburgh. The effort would utilize a network of vehicles placed throughout Downtown and Oakland that members can use for half an hour, an hour, a day, etc. Flexcar pays for gas, insurance, 24-hour assistance, 150 free miles per each trip, maintenance and reserved parking. AAA reports that owning a vehicle costs $8,000 per year; comparatively, the typical Flexcar annual cost is $520. In addition, studies show that one Flexcar vehicle takes 14 private vehicles off the road.

PDP is looking for Charter Members to pre-purchase 100 hours per month at a reduced rate of $8 per hour. A Charter Member is often a company that is looking for ways to show its corporate citizenship, support environmentally friendly practices, or one that has employees who commute via transit but sometimes need a car for a meeting outside downtown or to work late. In return, a Charter Member receives many benefits: all employees join for free and have access to over 30 vehicles in Downtown and Oakland. Contact Lucinda Beattie at the Pittsburgh Downtown Partnership, (412) 566-4190, to receive more information today! (Individual members must wait until the spring to join Flexcar in Pittsburgh.) More information is available at www.Flexcar.com or www.carsharing.net.
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March 2 - PA Energy Independence with Governor Rendell
Earlier this month, Governor Rendell unveiled an ambitious state budget packed with aggressive new policy proposals. On Friday, March 2, he is making his way to Pittsburgh to meet with members of the region's technology sector to discuss one of his most talked-about proposals: the Energy Independence Strategy.

Aimed at cutting consumer energy costs; reducing Pennsylvania's dependence on foreign fuels; and expanding the Commonwealth's alternative fuel, clean energy and conservation sectors, the package provides $500 million for clean energy economic development projects; $106 million for venture capital investments and the creation of a clean energy greenhouse; and $244 million for tax credits and rebates on energy-saving household appliances and technologies.

Take this opportunity to interact with the governor as he meets with Pittsburgh Technology Council members (and non-members) to outline the full details of the Energy Independence Strategy.
To confirm your participation at this limited-seating event, please RSVP to Council Events at (412) 918-4229.
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Carnegie Mellon University Professor Appointed to World Council for Sustainable Development
Vivian Loftness, a professor in CMU's School of Architecture and Center for Building Performance & Diagnostics, has been appointed to the Assurance Group of the World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD). The Council is a coalition of 190 worldwide companies that share the impressive green goal of seeing the earth's buildings consume zero net energy. "It is certainly a real honor (to be appointed)," says Loftness, "because they've basically picked one individual from a number of nations . . . I'm hoping I can bring detail to the table and also recognize our region, while bringing the international wisdom, benchmarks and goals back. With Riverlife Task Force and Sustainable Pittsburgh and corporate leaders like PNC and the Heinz Foundation, Pittsburgh is impressive. It's great."
Source.
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USA Today: Mayors Unite on the "Green" Front
Pittsburgh, home to major companies and universities, is one of several cities repositioning itself as a center of "green" technology, tackling everything from research and development to manufacturing and marketing. "When I look at the green movement, I see a product, a market," says Pittsburgh City Councilman William Peduto. "We have the opportunity because of our hillsides, our topography and manufacturing base to take it to the next level … to produce the product."

States and cities recognize that there's money to be made in the green movement, and those still struggling to adjust to the downturn in manufacturing are joining the movement. Rick Fedrizzi of the U.S. Green Building Council doesn't argue any of the claims. "I applaud every city that says, 'We're the greenest,' " he says. "Every one of them should want to be the greenest and should want to outdo each other."
Read More
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USGBC's Life Cycle Assessment Group Produces First Set of Recommendations
The U.S. Green Building Council's Life Cycle Assessment working group has developed initial recommendations for incorporating Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) of building materials as part of the continuous improvement of the LEED building rating system. Recommendations include short- and long-term implementation strategies, as well as technical details regarding LCA methodology. LCA is a scientific practice that holistically evaluates the environmental impact of a product throughout its life cycle, from the extraction or harvesting of raw materials through to the processing, manufacture, installation, use, and ultimate disposal or recycling of them. In buildings, it can be used to compare the environmental benefits or detriments of options available to the design team. Source.
View the reports:
Working Group A (LCA Goal and Scope) report
Working Group B (LCA Methodology) report
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LEED for Neighborhood Development (ND) Pilot Launches!
LEED-ND Pilot Rating System Available for Download: The Pilot Version of the LEED for Neighborhood Development rating system is now posted on the LEED-ND webpage: www.usgbc.org/leed/nd. Also available is a document summarizing the committee’s responses to the public comments on the preliminary draft rating system that were solicited in the fall of 2005.

LEED for Neighborhood Development (ND) Call for Pilot Projects Now Open: With the posting of the rating system, the USGBC is ready to solicit projects interested in participating in the pilot program. For further instructions and additional details such as fees and participation requirements, visit www.usgbc.org/leed/nd. Up to 120 pilot projects will be selected and the deadline to apply is April 6th, 2007 at 5 p.m. PST. Projects in all stages of development—from pre-entitlement planning to complete construction—will be accepted.
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2007 Call for Entries - National Award for Smart Growth Achievement
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency recently announced that applications are currently being accepted for the sixth annual National Award for Smart Growth Achievement. This competition is open to public sector organizations that have used smart growth principles to improve communities environmentally, socially and economically.

This year, applications will be accepted in five categories:
· Overall Excellence in Smart Growth
· Built Projects
· Policies and Regulations
· Equitable Development
· Waterfront and Coastal Communities

Interested parties are encouraged to submit applications for smart growth policies, projects, or programs that have shown significant activity between April 3, 2002 and April 3, 2007. Applications are due April 3. For more details about the National Award for Smart Growth Achievement, including application forms for each category, visit: http://www.epa.gov/smartgrowth/awards.htm.
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UPCOMING GREEN BUILDING EVENTS

March 1 - Green Development Tour: Maya Design & REI LEED CI Award Ceremony
The SouthSide Works development on Pittsburgh's historic South Side is a first-class example of urban, master-planned , multi-use space on a brownfield site. Join us as we explore two green interior projects within SSW - the high-tech Maya Design offices and the REI retail store. At 4:30 pm, REI will be awarded its LEED-CI certification! Refreshments provided. Meet in the third floor lobby of SouthSide Works Building #2 (2730 Sydney St). Photo identification is required for security clearance.
Cost: $15 for GBA members; $20 for non-members.
[Register]
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March 29 - LEED® New Construction (NC)
and Major Renovations Technical Review
This workshop, created by the U.S. Green Building Council, is geared toward building owners, facility managers, design teams, and other building industry stakeholders who are interested in new construction and major renovation projects featuring high-performance green techniques in an economical and environmentally-sensitive package.
Instructors:

• Marcus Sheffer, 7group & Energy Opportunities, Inc.
• Marc Mondor, evolve EA

Cost: See USGBC Registration for pricing information.
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