Green Building in the Region

Congratulations to Gary Goodson: Please join us in congratulating Gary Goodson on his new position as Associate Director for the Core Community Office for Resource Efficiency, with offices in Aspen and Carbondale, Colorado. While Gary will be greatly missed as a part of the GBA team, we are truly excited that he has found a new opportunity that will allow him to pursue his broader sustainability interests within the non-profit arena (surrounded by the sunny slopes of Colorado rather than those of the South Side!). Our thanks are extended to Gary for his 6-½ years of service with GBA and his previous three years with Conservation Consultants, Inc.

Building Solutions Summit - Save the Date!: Smart building owners and developers around the country are constructing and operating environmentally responsible buildings which equate to improved performance and multiple bottom-line benefits. The Green Building Alliance's second annual Building Solutions Summit is targeted towards those building owners, developers, facility managers, brokers and financiers who seek to gain a competitive advantage from high-performance, green building strategies. This half-day, multi-session summit features first-class business and development leaders who will reveal proven strategies and techniques that produce better performance of buildings and healthier, more satisfied occupants. April 7, 2005 Visit www.gbapgh.org/Summit2005.asp for details.

PRC Waste Assistance to Businesses and Institutions: The Pennsylvania Resources Council (PRC) currently has funding for its WasteCap program to conduct free waste assessments at small- to mid-sized businesses and institutions throughout Allegheny County. PRC’s assessments consist of an on-site interview and facility walk-through to identify waste streams and operating procedures. PRC assessors then generate a report including findings, recommendations, and available resources to help businesses implement voluntary recycling, waste minimization, and environmentally-preferable purchasing programs. Fee-for-service work and ongoing support are also available. Call (412) 431-4449 ext. 213 for more information.

Green Homes in PA: The construction of 14 homes in Penn Township will tread softly on the environment and reduce heating and cooling costs for their future homeowners. The preponderance of “green building” features will make this affordable housing development a first in Pennsylvania according to Jack Berger, a special assistant for project development at the Redevelopment Authority of Cumberland County. He said the project was four years in the making and is geared for low and moderate income occupancy. Read about it here.

Fall Issue of GBA's Cornerstone Available Online: This issue features a case study on the DEP California Office Building, a Green Spotlight on the Cost and Value of LEED, an article on Helping to Prevent Flooding: A Rational Method for Brownfield Development, and an update on GBA's Public Policy program. Read it online!

Cool Space Awards: Cool Space Locator presents the first ever Cool Space Awards to celebrate Southwestern Pennsylvania's unique urban spaces. The mission of the Cool Space Awards program is to celebrate and highlight the cool spaces in our midst. CSL's long-term goal is to create excitement about cool spaces that will encourage adaptive reuse of urban locations. Highlights of the program include a panel of judges whose participants have contributed significantly to the economic and physical transformation of our communities, as well as an "April Cools Day" party on Friday, April 1st, where winning spaces will be awarded and photographic layouts of those spaces displayed. Nominations are due by February 17, 2005. For further details, see www.coolspacelocator.com

Events

New LEED Workshop in Pittsburgh: "Applying LEED-NC (New Construction) in Practice" (formerly LEED Advanced Workshop) will be presented in Pittsburgh on Wednesday, February 2. Understanding LEED® is an important step towards reducing environmental impacts and achieving superior economic performance. Architects, engineers, facility managers and building owners who master LEED concepts and processes become knowledgeable practitioners and consumers of green design and construction. This course, offered by the U.S. Green Building Council, is an intensive, one-day technical overview of the LEED-NC Green Building Rating System. It will take place locally from 8:30 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. at the David L. Lawrence Convention Center, 1000 Fort Duquesne Blvd., Pittsburgh, PA. View the nationwide LEED Training Calendar online.

Building Envelope Design to Meet ASHRAE Standard 90.1 and 2003 IECC. This workshop, presented by the Construction Specification Institute (CSI) Pittsburgh Chapter and AIA Pittsburgh, is worth three AIA/CES HSW Learning Units to attendees. It will be held Thursday, January 20 from 8 a.m.– 12 p.m. at the Engineers Society of Western Pennsylvania. The RSVP deadline is January 17th, or January 14th to receive a discounted rate! To register, please contact CSI Pittsburgh, c/o Scott Dorfield, AIA at (412) 209-2882 or sdorfield@astorino.com.

The Green Light Pittsburgh 2005 Conference brings the electrical and lighting industries together under one roof to see the best in related sustainable products and services. This event, which includes extensive educational programming workshops, a vast exhibition floor and ample networking prospects, will give attendees unrivaled opportunities to learn about the latest innovations, exchange ideas and develop new business relationships. Tuesday, March 29, www.electricleague.com.

News from Abroad

LEED Comment Period Open to the Public: The U.S. Green Building Council is now soliciting comments on the first draft of the LEED for New Construction Rating System (LEED-NC), Version 2.2. Anyone can comment on this draft after registering a site user profile on the USGBC website. That organization will respond to all remarks and post comments and replies on their website. If changes are made to the draft after this first comment period, a second public comment period will be held. The resulting draft will go before the USGBC membership for balloting, with the official public release of the rating system expected by fall of 2005. If you would like to participate in this process, click here for more information. The first public comment period will run through Tuesday, February 1 at 5 p.m. PST.

The Green Building Alliance is a nonprofit organization that integrates environmentally responsible -- and high performance --design, construction and operating practices into the Greater Pittsburgh market. As a result, GBA will increase the human health, economic, environmental, and social value of new and existing development.
64 S. 14th St., Pittsburgh, PA 15203, 412-431-0709, www.gbapgh.org