Congratulations to the Green Team that participated in the Dragon Boat Festival! Finishing 1st place in their heat, the Green Team, sponsored by the Green Building Alliance, surprised onlookers and paddlers alike with their stellar performance on September 17. For more information, visit here; for photos, visit here.

GBA & IFMA present "Greening of Facilities Management": Although the Pittsburgh region is a leader in the design and construction of green buildings, what can be done to ensure the high performance of these structures over their lifetimes? How can money and resources be saved while maintaining a healthy, productive indoor environment for occupants?  Join experts in a panel discussion on the greening of facilities management through housekeeping, integrated pest management and waste disposal reduction. Panelists include M. Jo Donatelli, Karin Watson, Michael Stepaniak, Bill Todaro. For more information or to register online, please visit http://www.ifma-pgh.org/eventView.asp?e=83

2005 NESEA Green Buildings Open House: The 2005 Green Building Open House, part of the American Solar Energy Society's National Solar Tour, offers a unique opportunity for the public to see first-hand how clean energy and green building practices can be put to work. Homeowners and facility managers will be on site to describe their green building or wind turbines and answer questions.

New Pittsburgh Small House Group Started: This group works towards encouraging small, smart and affordable housing development in Pittsburgh. Members of community development corporations are especially encouraged to participate.

5th International Conference for Enhanced Building Operations (ICEBO 2005): The Energy Systems Laboratory of the Texas A&M University System, along with the Center for Building Performance & Diagnostics at Carnegie Mellon University, invite you to attend this upcoming conference. It will be held at the University Center on the Carnegie Mellon Campus from October 11-13. The conference's goal is to bring together an outstanding group of international presenters and professionals who strive to improve existing building operations and comfort. For more information, please visit http://icebo.tamu.edu/.

Pennsylvania Green Tax Credit Bill Introduced: Representative Chris Ross (R-Chester) has introduced House Bill 1964, the "Alternative Energy Investment Bill." This piece of legislature would provide up to $15 million per year of Renewable Energy Investment Tax Credits to allow qualified Pennsylvania businesses to offset as much as 15 percent of their capital equipment investments in these emerging technologies. The Bill would create tax credits for businesses that manufacture, distribute, design, operate or maintain alternative or renewable energy products and equipment; manufacture, distribute, design, operate or maintain alternative fuel projects; and manufacture alternative fueled vehicles.

Sustainable Energy Fund Helps Turn Production Waste into Renewable Energy: The Sustainable Energy Fund of Central PA's mission is to help people save money and energy while improving the environment. One such example is their recent work with Kountry Kraft, Inc., a custom cabinetry manufacturer in Newmanstown, Pa. With SEF's funding and consultation, the company is now ready to capitalize on the benefits of its newly installed, energy-saving biomass combustion unit. This unit will convert waste wood (wood scraps and sawdust) to steam heat for the heating of Kountry Kraft's offices and manufacturing plant. More information can be found at http://www.sustainableenergyfund.org/.

LEED-EB Certification Fee Waivers: Through a grant from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the U.S. Green Building Council is offering a unique opportunity for qualifying LEED-NC certified buildings to waive up to $2,000 of LEED-EB certification fees. Certifying a LEED-NC project as LEED-EB demonstrates an organization's ongoing commitment to being one of the foremost sustainability leaders in the building industry. It also ensures that the sustainable potential of the building–-as recognized through LEED-NC certification-–is performing at a high level. For more details and to find out if your project qualifies, please click here or e-mail apusey@usgbc.org.

Raffle for Free Greenbuild Attendance - a $575 Value! In support of the proposal to retire the 2004 Greening the Heartland debt, the USGBC Heartland Region is raffling off two Greenbuild 2005 conference passes to lucky winners. At a cost of $30 per raffle ticket, the first $12,000 in proceeds will go towards the GTH '04 debt. Raffle ticket sales are limited to 500 and can be purchased by clicking here.

Preliminary Draft of the LEED-ND Rating System Available for Comment: The LEED for Neighborhood Development Core Committee, on behalf of a partnership between the USGBC, the Congress for New Urbanism (CNU), and the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC), is seeking comment on the preliminary pilot draft of the LEED-ND Rating System. This comment period will be open for 45 days, from September 13 until October 27, 2005 . While primarily set up to solicit opinions from members of the LEED-ND Corresponding Committee, others interested in making comments on the draft are welcome to do so as well. For further instructions on how to download this preliminary document and submit comments, go to the LEED-ND webpage at www.usgbc.org/leed/nd.

USGBC Seeks Consultants: The USGBC is seeking consultants to summarize comments received during the LEED-ND preliminary comment period and to support the development of the LEED-ND Pilot Rating System and LEED-ND pilot program materials. More details may be found in “RFP LEED-ND Rating System Development Support”  online at www.usgbc.org/News/usgbcnews.asp?CMSPageID=157& . The deadline for proposals is 5 p.m. EST, Wednesday, October 5th.

House Approves Energy Bill; Includes Incentives for Energy-Efficient Buildings: The House approved an energy plan that sends billions of dollars in tax breaks and subsidies to energy companies. The bill, approved 275-156, is the product of a conference agreement between the House and Senate versions of the bill. It will provide $14.5 billion in energy tax breaks, much of it to traditional energy companies, as well as money to promote renewable energy sources, new energy technologies, and measures to revitalize the nuclear power industry. To read the conference report on the Energy Policy Act of 2005, visit the U.S. Senate Committee on Energy and National Resources website, or click on the above link.

The Green Building Alliance's E-Update is provided as a free, monthly news brief service of sustainable development activity in the Greater Pittsburgh region.  The information contained in the E-Update is drawn from the organization, related groups and reliable news source.  Accuracy of information is based on its original source and news coverage does not imply endorsement by the Green Building Alliance.

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