TOP NEWS AND OTHER GREEN EVENTS

Integrated Design and LEED Documentation
"The key to savings for large-scale developers and campus-style facilities managers"

Are you skeptical about how to make green buildings work for your organization? Is your building project process a sequential, relay-race model that tosses the project plans over the cubicle wall as it moves from architect to specifier to contractor? Find out how to change that for the better--and for your bottom line.

Unlike the process by which most buildings are designed today, integrated design is distinguishable from traditional design by its use of a collaborative, multidisciplinary project team. Dozens of successful projects now demonstrate that integrated design is perhaps the only effective approach for creating comprehensive green buildings on a reasonable budget. All too often, however, in spite of the best intentions of owners and designers, such a process falls apart or is done incompletely. There are also concerns, especially among those who do not have much experience, that integrated design takes much more time than its traditional counterpart and is, therefore, more expensive. So what does it take to make it work? And does it have to cost more?

Find out how to leverage Integrated Design to save money and build green. Join GBA for a half-day morning workshop July 12th at the David L. Lawrence Convention Center in downtown Pittsburgh. U.S. Green Building Council faculty will share insights on the certification process, including conducting charrettes, estimating costs and preparing documentation.

For more information on this event, visit here.
Register
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Cool Down on June 1: Cool Space Awards Party!
Last chance for the 2007 Cool Space Awards Party, which is being held from 7 - 10 p.m. on Friday, June 1. The event spotlights all ten Cool Space Award winners, those who are leading the Pittsburgh region's revitalization in innovative spaces. This year's venue is The Meter Room, a warehouse-turned-studio, gallery and performance space created by John Ross. It is located in Pittsburgh's Sheraden neighborhood. For ticket information, go to www.coolspacelocator.com or call (412) 683-5790 x24.
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Building Green TV Show Airs on PBS
Building Green TV recently announced that its new weekly television series is set to air on PBS affiliate stations across the country starting June 5, 2007. The programs are focused on creating beautiful homes and buildings in harmony with the environment. A video-intensive companion website, BuildingGreenTV.com, will offer viewers additional information.

To find PBS station listings and air dates for the show, visit BuildingGreenTV.com.
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Cradle to Cradle Recognized in LEED
Products earning Cradle to Cradle (C2C) certification are now recognized in the LEED Rating System following an April 2007 ruling by the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC). The new administrative credit interpretation allows projects to earn a LEED credit if at least 2.5% of the building's materials, by cost, are C2C-certified. The stated purpose of the ruling, which was posted on USGBC's website, is to stimulate the development of environmentally-focused product evaluation and certification tools for use by building professionals. C2C is a multifaceted program run by McDonough Braungart Design Chemistry (MBDC).
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U.S. Green Building Council Proposes Two "Optimize Energy" Points for LEED Certification
In accordance with direction from its Board of Directors and LEED Steering Committee to immediately increase LEED's impact in reducing building energy-related greenhouse gas emissions, the U.S. Green Building Council proposes to update all balloted commercial LEED rating systems with the following change:

All LEED projects are required to achieve two Optimize Energy Performance points. The two-point additional requirement goes into effect for every project registering two weeks after the date of USGBC member approval. Pending that approval, this requirement will go into effect on June 26th, 2007. The two mandatory points will count towards the project's LEED certification.

In accordance with the USGBC Balloting Policy, the ballot period will be open for 30 days, from Monday, May 14th through Tuesday, June 12th, 2007 at 5 PM EDT. To vote, please visit here.
More information here.
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U.S. Environment-Friendly Building Booms
A boom in environmentally friendly building is kicking off in the U.S. amid falling prices for "green" construction and strong demand for sustainable places to live and work. The total value of new buildings seeking a LEED rating rose 50% to $15 billion last year, while, in 2007, one billion square feet--or six percent of all new construction--will be aiming for environmental ratings. (That is up from one percent five years ago.)

In New York, for example, which is the country's top location for office space, every one of the 50+ projects currently being developed in Lower Manhattan and valued above $25 million, is being built along environmental guidelines.
Read More.
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Mayday 23: World Population Becomes More Urban Than Rural
According to scientists at North Carolina State University and the University of Georgia, for the first time in human history, on this past May 23, 2007, the earth's population became more urban than rural. Working with United Nations estimates that predict the world will be 51.3 percent urban by 2010, researchers projected the May 23, 2007, transition day based on the average daily rural and urban population increases from 2005 to 2010.

With so much attention given to transportation, many people are surprised to learn that buildings are the single largest contributor to global warming. In the United States, buildings are responsible for almost half (48 percent) of all greenhouse gas emissions annually. This is an especially significant fact because buildings can have a very long life span. They account for 68 percent of electricity consumption in the country, the vast majority of which is produced from nonrenewable, fossil fuel resources. Electricity use worldwide is also increasing dramatically.
Learn more about May 23, 2007.
Learn more about green building.
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UPCOMING GBA EVENTS