NEWS

Become a GBA Member…..Join Now!
Through GBA’s strategic efforts to make Western Pennsylvania the “Green Capital of the World,” our lives, communities and economy will be enriched. By becoming a member of GBA, you can not only support this goal, but reinforce your commitment to healthy, high-performing places.

With 80% of the organization's education events still remaining for 2006, you can take advantage of discounted MEMBER-ONLY rates when registering. In addition to receiving monthly E-Updates and a quarterly educational journal, you can attend a green vision lecture, green building tours, and half/full day workshops. Members are invited to participate in GBA's Green Dragon racing team at the Pittsburgh Dragon Boat Festival and a year-end networking event! Come aboard! Join today!
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"Greening of Historic Properties" Survey
Pittsburgh History & Landmarks Foundation and the Green Building Alliance will host a National Summit on the “Greening of Historic Properties” on October 30, 2006, at the Senator John Heinz Pittsburgh Regional History Center. This event will bring together experts from the disciplines of green building and historic preservation to identify and discuss issues associated with the greening of historic properties. Practical solutions will be drafted that can be used for future guidelines.

Your help is needed to ensure the success of this Summit. In preparation for it, we would like you to please complete the following short survey, which should take just 10 minutes. Responses will be used to target key discussion issues during the event and your input would be greatly appreciated. To participate in the survey, click here.
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Seven PA School Districts Going 'Green' with Help of Grants
Pennsylvania Governor Edward G. Rendell announced that school districts in Allegheny, Montgomery, Perry, Philadelphia, Westmoreland, Erie and Delaware counties will be able to plan cost-efficient and environmentally-friendly school construction projects with the help of state grants totaling $200,000. The green schools planning grants will help defray costs critical to a high-performance building, but not typically included in a building's design fee. Participating schools must achieve at least a Silver rating under the U.S. Green Building Council's LEED system.
Click for more information.
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Engineering Sustainability 2007: Call for Papers
The University of Pittsburgh's Mascaro Sustainability Initiative announced a first call for papers for Engineering Sustainability 2007: Innovations that Span Boundaries, April 15-18, 2007. The conference, which will take place in Pittsburgh, aims to bring together scientists and engineers from academia, government, industry, and non profits to share the results of cutting-edge research directed at creating a more sustainable built environment. More information can be found here.
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Pittsburgh-Area Company Reports Saving $800,000 in Energy Costs.
Centria, a company based in Moon Township has received the Governor's Award for Environmental Excellence for saving $800,000 in energy costs at its Ambridge plant. By installing a new oven system that features state-of-the-art heat exchangers to rapidly dry painted steel coils made it possible to capture emissions of volatile organic compounds produced by drying paint and pump them into an incinerator to produce fuel. More information here.
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Visit the New USGBC Website
In addition to giving their website a new look, the U.S. Green Building Council has added features and made the pages easier to navigate. Visit www.usgbc.org to check it out!
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BuildingGreen to Assist McGraw Hill with New Magazine
BuildingGreen, Inc. has announced an agreement with McGraw Hill Construction to provide editorial guidance and articles for an upcoming magazine called GreenSource. The new periodical will serve as the member publication for the U.S. Green Building Council. McGraw Hill plans to release the first issue at The American Institute of Architects’ 2006 convention in Los Angeles next month, and the second at USGBC’s Greenbuild conference in November.
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Online Forms and Templates for LEED Version 2.2 Now Available!
The USGBC recently announced that project teams using LEED for New Construction Version 2.2 will soon be able to submit their applications for certification via LEED Online. When the site is live, project administrators can visit leedonline.usgbc.org to download new, easy-to-use PDF templates. These forms can be completed offline and then uploaded along with supporting documents such as construction drawings and site plans for certification review. For more information about the streamlined documentation and certification process, visit the website or e-mail leedinfo@usgbc.org.
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Study: Sustainable Design Can Be Achieved Without Excess Costs
Those considering sustainable building projects often face uncertainty about the “cost of green building.” This study examines the elements necessary to obtain LEED certification and then provides an overview of associated green practices and costs. Ultimately, the report concludes that many projects incorporate green practices within their initial budget or with only minimal supplemental funding. The study is available here.
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June 8 - Construction Junction Presents: Used Building Material Market Study
The Institute for Local Self-Reliance (ILSR) in Washington D.C., in partnership with Penn State's Hamer Center for Community Design Assistance, has been conducting market development research to assess barriers and opportunities for reusing recovered residential building materials in Southeastern Pennsylvania. During this presentation, Construction Junction, Western Pennsylvania's largest retail warehouse for used and surplus building materials, will provide examples of the operation's successes and challenges in both securing a consistent supply of recovered building materials and marketing those materials to homeowners, architects and contractors. If interested in attending, click here for more information.
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June 15 - LEED ver 2.2 New Construction Technical Review
This intensive, full-day workshop delivers an in-depth review of the technical requirements of the latest LEED Rating System for New Construction version 2.2, along with the tools and information needed to incorporate green building practices into projects. Case studies of successful strategies for earning LEED credits and achieving project certifications will be presented. Each course within the technical review workshop series is highly recommended for those preparing for the LEED Professional Accreditation Exam. Click here to register.
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June 16 - Green Building Tour: CMU Collaborative Innovation Center
The four-story, 260,600-square-foot Collaborative Innovation Center (Co-Lab) designed by dggp Architecture features large open spaces that provide tenants with one of the most energy-efficient, cost-effective, healthy, flexible and adaptable work environments in existence. The Co-Lab, which accommodates over 400 employees, utilizes green design principles--some developed at Carnegie Mellon's Center for Building Performance and Diagnostics--and building materials that will ensure sustainability and maximize employee productivity. Click here to register.
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July 19 - Alliance Building Breakfast: Green Building Products: Positioning Southwestern Pennsylvania as the U.S. Manufacturing Center
Recently, GBA released a report entitled "Green Building Products: Positioning Southwestern Pennsylvania as the U.S. Manufacturing Center," which documents the rapidly expanding market for green building products and the region's unique opportunity to realize economic growth from this market shift. Join us on July 19th to hear more about this exciting report! Register here.
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July 26 - GBA Presents: Commissioning LEED-NC Projects
Gain knowledge of the building commissioning process as required by LEED; the benefits, costs and resources available to projects through LEED; and the commissioning agent's role as it applies to a project's design strategies and LEED certification documentation. The Commissioning LEED for New Construction (LEED-NC) Projects Module presented by the U.S. Green Building Council will increase your understanding in each of these areas. For more information or to register, view this flyer.
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