2011 USGBC-NE Flatwater Chapter Board of Directors

Do you want to make a difference, expand your professional network, and help advocate sustainable design on a local level?

Candidates for the Board are being sought who can bring the membership diversity, leadership qualities, and other qualifications needed to assure strong and dynamic local leadership. The full election process and requirements as described in the Elections Fact Sheet, are summarized below:

• Nominations will be accepted for two (2) board seats. You may nominate yourself or someone you think would be a good candidate.
• Candidates will be selected based on their expertise, potential contributions, leadership experience, diversity and continuity for the overall board as outlined in the criteria.
• Candidate biographies will be distributed to membership and posted online prior to final voting.
• Additional campaigning by the candidate and supporters is permitted as according to the guidelines developed by the election committee.
• Application Form and Board of Directors Commitment must be completed in their entirety and submitted to Sarah Gudeman at communications@usgbcne.org no later than COB Friday December 17, 2010.

To apply, download the necessary forms: Nomination Application and Board Commitment Form

If you wish to nominate someone, please respond to this address, communications@usgbcne.org.

We hope you will consider this exciting opportunity to help shape the Chapter's future and that of the green building industry in Nebraska.

Second Iteration of International Green Construction Code (IGCC Public Version 2.0)

The second iteration is now available for review and comment. Click here to read the code or Click here to comment. Comments made via this form are due by December 15. As in the comment period for Public Version 1.0, providing comments via this form does not guarantee inclusion of same in the AIA's formal comments to the ICC. Members of the AIA Codes and Standards Committee, other interested parties, and AIA staff will review submitted comments and will coordinate the official AIA response to the ICC's code development process.

UNO's Mammel Hall goes green

By Matthew Hansen WORLD-HERALD STAFF WRITER

The University of Nebraska at Omaha recently received word that Mammel Hall, the school's business college, will receive “gold” LEED certification.

LEED, formally known as Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design, is the predominant way eco-friendly U.S. buildings are recognized. Several Nebraska colleges and universities have LEED “silver” buildings, but Mammel Hall is the first to receive a “gold” rating. Read more from the Omaha World Herald...

Norfolk area chamber of commerce promotes going green

NORFOLK, Neb. (KTIV)--Its an organization that promotes going green but its one many in Siouxland haven't heard of.

The Green Council of the Norfolk Area Chamber formed about 18 months ago and already has over 100 members.

Their mission to raise awareness of going green in their community, and today the council made a stop at Nebraska Public Power's new facility.

The building was constructed using recycled building materials, the newest energy saving lighting and windows and even utilizes wind turbines and a solar power.

Besides touring green businesses like NPPD, Norfolk Chamber leaders say the council also holds other activities.

"We have a variety of speakers on wind, renewable energy, recycling just the different things that are here local in our surrounding communities that families can do." said Monica Rortherham

The group will also hold their 2nd annual Earth Day Expo coming up in April.
Norfolk's Green Council agreed that having NPPD's new LEED green facility in town is a great attribute to the community which sets an example for many to follow.

Select Van & Storage Wins 2010 Wastecap Nebraska Award for Waste Reduction, Recycling and Reuse

OMAHA, NE – Select Van and Storage, an agent for Mayflower, has announced that it is the winner of the 2010 Waste Reduction, Recycling and Reuse Award at the WasteCap Nebraska Sustainable Business Awards. The award was presented at an October 14 ceremony in Lincoln.

As a two-year member of WasteCap Nebraska, a non-profit environmental organization, Select Van and Storage had made significant strides toward protecting the environment with its day-to-day business practices. The agency uses new, efficient warehouse lights, and e-boxes, which are reusable plastic totes. Select Van and Storage consistently retreads its truck and trailer tires, and more than 300 of its trucks are equipped with at least one fuel-saving device. Each driver is also trained on fuel efficient driving to reduce emissions on topics such as- reducing speed, keeping tires properly inflated, having the appropriate tractor trailer gap, practicing progressive shifting and using idle alternatives.

Through its efforts, Select Van and Storage has been able to eliminate over 110,000 lbs. of cardboard waste from landfills and 710 metric tons of carbon emissions and save over 65,365 gallons of fuel. The driver training has also helped improve the company’s MPG average from 4.8 MPG in 2008, to 5.5 MPG in 2010.

Select Van and Storage has been a very active member of WasteCap Nebraska by hosting Green Team Round Tables, and serving a drop-off location for Compact Florescent Lights to sponsoring the WasteCap Annual Meeting. Select Van and Storage’s participation in the organization along with its environmentally friendly practices gained them this recognition.

About Mayflower
Mayflower is America’s most recognized and trusted moving company. Together with its sister company Mayflower Containers, Mayflower Transit offers a full range of moving services from full-service to do-it-yourself moving and storage. With headquarters in suburban St. Louis, Mayflower maintains a network of 300 affiliated agencies. For more information about Mayflower Transit and its services, visit: www.mayflower.com.

About WasteCap
WasteCap is a member based, non-profit, environmental organization, dedicated to assisting businesses develop and adopt green practices - that improve profitability. WasteCap helps business with simple issues like setting up recycling plans and green teams to high tech issues dealing with energy, water, and air issues.

Green Building Information Gateway

The Green Building Information Gateway (GBIG) is a novel information technology that provides an unprecedented view of the green building landscape and reveals trends, patterns and processes in green building practice. GBIG allows for the investigation and analysis of data about LEED-certified projects and the larger green building universe as a whole, and enables users to view green building in the context of other spatial and temporal factors.

The GBIG Illinois Pilot represents the first phase of development and a subset of functionality under development for the full portal. This initial pilot allows users to explore and learn about green building projects in Illinois, see the growth of LEED Certified projects over time, and compare selected projects to state averages by credit achievement and Carbon Index values.

Companion mobile apps for the iPhone and iPad are available as free downloads in the Apple Store (search for GBIG). The information displayed in this portal does not represent all projects in the region and may contain errors at this point in time. GBIG is a product of the U.S. Green Building Council Research Program. The project is designed and managed by Dr. Chris Pyke, Anthony Guma, and Mira Panek. For more information, contact gbiginfo@usgbc.org. Visit the site at http://gbig.org/

“emissions, the environment and economic development – compatible or not?”

The Platte Institute for Economic Research recognizes the importance of sustaining the environment and searching for renewable energy resources, but also protecting the productivity and profitability of businesses. The 2010 Carbon Emissions Summit focuses on long-term ideas and solutions that protect our natural resources, but also protect the liberties of businesses so they can continue to thrive.

Please join us for the Platte Institute’s 2010 Emissions Conference
Featured Luncheon Speaker-- David Brown, President of the Omaha Chamber of Commerce
Date: December 1, 2010
Location: Scott Conference Center
6450 Pine Street
Omaha, NE 68106
Time: Registration begins at 8:00am.

Individual Admission: $30 per person; lunch provided. Discounted Group Packages are available. Quick and Easy Registration must be completed online by November 24, 2010. More information is available online at http://emissionsplatte.eventbrite.com/

Looking for a Summer Intern?

via Rick Yoder, Director, P2ric.org

The Partners in Pollution Prevention (P3) Summer Intern Program is already gearing up for the summer of 2011. This summer we will be placing only 5 students in Nebraska businesses to assist with pollution prevention, source reduction, and other environmental projects. It is time to confirm the business assignments for next summer, so we can recruit the highest quality students with the skills to do the most good. Are you interested in a summer environmental intern this year?

Everything you need to register with us for a possible intern placement can be found on our Web site. (www.p3.unl.edu) You can send an email to shawkey2@unl.edu to let me know of your interest or submit a “Statement of Interest” form found on the website under the “for Businesses” tab.

After that the next step is to define the specific source reduction project(s) for the intern. Projects may vary, but should include an independent look by the intern at a product, a process, a piece of equipment, a specific area or location in your facility, an individual waste type, or a problem situation. We have found that students particularly shine when given the opportunity to study and recommend improvements in these kinds of situations. The forms for defining the project are also on the P3 Web site or just email your ideas to me.

A full time intern will work about 10 weeks at your facility, from May 31 through August 5, 2011. The contribution for the required matching fee is $4,000. If your project is smaller in scope, why not consider the part time no cost option. These projects take approximately 2-3 weeks.

By participating in P3 and having an engineering student work with you for the summer, you will receive valuable assistance to help you improve efficiencies, save money, reduce pollution and waste, and reduce your regulatory burden. Your organization is exactly what we are looking for to provide a valuable learning experience to the students.

LEED Projects Surpass One Billion Square Feet

WASHINGTON—This month, the total footprint of commercial projects certified under the U.S. Green Building Council's (USGBC) LEED building certification program surpassed one billion ft2 (93 million m2). Another six billion ft2 (557 million m2) of projects around the world are registered and are seeking LEED certification. Since the LEED certification was introduced in 2000, more than 36,000 commercial projects and 38,000 single-family homes have participated in the program. Read more

Sustainable Buildings Are Smart Investments

CHICAGO—Sustainable buildings have greater investment potential than traditional buildings, according to a new survey by McGraw-Hill Construction. The Business Benefits of Green Buildings SmartMarket Report found that owners of sustainably managed buildings anticipate a 4% higher return on investment; 5% increases in building value and occupancy; 8% drops in operating costs; and 1% rise in rental income. Roughly 79% of owners surveyed believe that "green" features in their buildings help them attract and retain tenants. Read more

Next Update of LEED Open for Public Comment

WASHINGTON—The U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) opened the proposed update to the LEED green building rating system for its first public comment. The proposed update builds on LEED 2009. It includes the alignment and weighting of credits and further advances the "bookshelf" framework where credits are applied to specific building types. Also, the proposed update places increased emphasis on integrated process and building performance. The public comment period will close on Dec. 31.

Click here to learn more and to participate in the comment process.

Your Guide to the New Draft of LEED

This is an excerpt of a Feature from Environmental Building News, read more here.

While LEED 2009 has 49 credits and 9 prerequisites, the new LEED draft has 49 credits and 15 prerequisites. They are organized into 10 credit categories—up from 7 for LEED 2009. Structurally, the biggest changes are:

• The rating system begins with a new “Integrated Process” category
• a new Location and Transportation category collects location-related credits from LEED-NC with others from LEED for Neighborhood Developments; and
• at the end of the rating system, a new “Performance” category includes the commissioning credits (moved from Energy and Atmosphere) along with a handful of new measurement and reporting prerequisites and credits.

The new LT category consists mostly of credits from the old Sustainable Sites category that aren’t so much about the site itself as they are about where it’s located. It also includes a few new credits pulled from LEED for Neighborhood Development (LEED-ND).

Comment Period on LEED 2012 Opens Today

Today, Nov. 8, USGBC opens the first public comment period for the next update to the LEED rating system, which is expected to run through the end of 2010. The proposed update is a general update to the rating system, and the opportunity to comment is open to all interested USGBC stakeholders. The proposed updates will undergo at least two public comment periods and a member ballot vote, per LEED development requirements.

New hotel is eco-conscious

By Michaela Saunders, WORLD-HERALD STAFF WRITER

Staff members at Element Omaha literally have to lock the door to keep curious onlookers at bay.

Officially opening for guests on Thursday, Element is Midtown Crossing's newest addition, its only hotel and the first of its kind in the Midwest. It also is the nation's first hotel brand to require each of its properties to seek certification as environmentally sound.

The Omaha hotel is aiming for Silver level certification from the U.S. Green Building Council's Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) program, said manager Eric Rock.
Some eco-consicious efforts will be noticeable to guests, such as in-room recycling and the need to leave the room key in a wall-mounted slot in order to power overhead lighting. Take the key out when you leave, and the lights automatically turn off after one minute... Read more at Omaha.com.

USGBC National Board Elections - Nov 1st

University of Nebraska professor and USGBC NE Flatwater member Avery Schwer is a candidate for the 2011 National USGBC Board of Directors. The USGBC Board of Directors is responsible for articulating and upholding the vision, values, and mission of USGBC.

"Serving on the Board is a natural bridge to my passion for the future of our sustainable world," says Schwer. He has served on the USGBC NFC Board of Directors since 2007, and also participated in supporting sustainable design and green building at a local level through programs such as the ZNETH project, the Omaha Green Homes Tour, City of Omaha Green Building Auditing Program, Green Omaha Coalition, and Omaha Transition Community. Professor Schwer has developed and taught courses in sustainable construction and sustainable communities at the University of Nebraska. Prior to joining the university, he was an engineering manager in facility planning on General Electrics' corporate staff.

Voting opens Nov. 1, 2010: The USGBC Board of Directors election period will be open Nov. 1-Dec. 3, 2010. Voting is open to every person who has a site user account with USGBC under his/her organization's member number. Each vote cast under the same member number counts as a percentage of the single, aggregate vote allotted to each participating member organization.

Avery has been actively involved in our chapter as a member of the Board of Directors, USGBC Students local chapter liaison, and local proponent for sustainable design. He is up for election in the category of Green Building Educator. View his and other candidates profiles at usgbc.org.

Going green saves taxpayers greenbacks

Monday, October 25, 2010, Sen. Ben Nelson
Statistics show that Americans spend 90 percent of our time in buildings, which is why we're seeing a surge in the growth of green buildings, especially schools. U.S. school systems have 55 million students and 5 million faculty members. That's 20 percent of the population spending 6 hours or more each day in a school building.

Many of the older buildings have poor ventilation, heating, cooling and lighting systems.
Making our schools "green" will not only improve the lives and health of students and teachers but will help the environment and the taxpayer and the nation.

Read the rest of this article, which includes information about savings for taxpayers, the environment and the university at http://www.mccookgazette.com/story/1675442.html

Green School Summit Thank-You

Thanks to everyone that helped make the Green School Summit, this past weekend in Lincoln, a success! The effectiveness of this event is directly correlated to all the hard work and dedication of the volunteers involved. Also, a special thank-you to Senator Harr, his staff, and the University of Nebraska for their contributions. Please follow this link for a news story on the summit.

Green Depot Flagship Store - From Boho to Depot

Architectural Record tours the Green Depot flagship store--think Home Depot for the sustainability minded--in Manhattan. Colin Brice from local firm Mapos, shows off the LEED-Platinum interior housed in a quirky, landmarked building on the Bowery with a history as colorful as the neighborhood. http://www.greendepot.com

GBCI: Complete your Credential Maintenance at Greenbuild

The U.S. Green Building Council’s Greenbuild International Conference and Expo is ripe with education opportunities, making it the perfect place to take advantage of GBCI’s flexible CE hour requirements for maintaining your LEED credential.

With more than 100 concurrent education sessions included in your full-conference registration and a host of other targeted education summits, LEED and Education Provider workshops and other opportunities, Greenbuild is the place to grow your green building knowledge and earn your continuing education hours for your LEED credential.

Each of the following sessions, included in a full conference registration, will earn you 1.5 GBCI CE hours:
- 95 concurrent education sessions (session IDs beginning with RD, OR, GR, YL, BL or PL in the session catalog)
- 6 Master Series education sessions
- 16 Residential Summit sessions
- 15 off-site education sessions

In addition, you have the opportunity to purchase relevant packages that can give you access to the following sessions, all of which have been approved for GBCI CE hours:
- 20 green building tours
- 9 International Forum sessions
- 6 Affordable Housing Summit sessions

Earn 1.5 LEED-specific GBCI CE hours with eight concurrent education sessions (RD05, OR08, YL14, GR11, GR13, BL10, PL02 and PL10) and 12 special programs (OF01, OF03, OF15, SS01, SS02, SU07, SU10, SU22, SU24, SU29, SU31, SU33). View the full list with session details.

Before and after Greenbuild, USGBC will offer LEED workshops. All USGBC LEED workshops being held at Greenbuild are worth at least 7 GBCI CE hours, with the exception of LEED 101 and LEED 201. HOMES 401 and REGREEN 251 are worth 14 GBCI CE hours. All CE hours earned from USGBC LEED workshops are LEED-specific, except for REGREEN 251.

Education Provider workshops are all eligible for 4 GBCI CE hours.For more detail on sessions' eligibility, visit GBCI’s page on greenbuildexpo.org

Nearly Half of all Green Building Certifications will be for Existing Buildings by 2020

Green building certifications from programs such as Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) and the Building Research Establishment Environmental Assessment Method (BREEAM) are quickly becoming the standard for the construction industry in many countries. While green building certification programs are well-known for their importance in new construction projects, a recent report from Pike Research forecasts that by 2020, nearly half the total certified footprint – 25 billion square feet – will comprise certifications for existing buildings.

“As the new construction market has slowed during the global recession, green building certifications for existing buildings have become an increasing area of focus,” says research analyst Eric Bloom. “Green building has remained robust during the recession, and with evidence that real estate is picking up worldwide, green building is poised for even stronger growth in the next few years. In addition, while financing for energy efficient retrofits remains hard to come by in many regions, green building is being bolstered by its ability to differentiate a building in a tough real estate market.”

Bloom adds that although North America has been the clear leader in green building certification to date, Asia Pacific’s green building market is growing quickly, thanks to a number of popular certification programs in China and India. Certified space in the Asia Pacific region will grow over tenfold between 2010 and 2015, to over 5 billion square feet. Bloom forecasts that this number will exceed 13 billion square feet by 2020.

Pike Research notes that there are dozens of certification programs worldwide, but LEED is and will remain the single largest certification system, covering approximately 22 billion square feet around the world by 2020 and representing over 40% of all green-certified space.
Pike Research’s study, “Green Building Certification Programs”, analyzes the current market and regulatory conditions related to green building certification programs and provides forecasts for the growth of this industry. The report includes an in-depth examination of green building drivers, barriers, and likely shifts in the underlying construction market. It also features profiles of major industry players including commercial real estate companies, trade associations, and green building councils as well as detailed descriptions of dozens of green building certification programs in operation around the world. An Executive Summary of the report is available for free download on the firm’s website.

Pike Research is a market research and consulting firm that provides in-depth analysis of global clean technology markets. The company’s research methodology combines supply-side industry analysis, end-user primary research and demand assessment, and deep examination of technology trends to provide a comprehensive view of the Smart Energy, Clean Transportation, Clean Industry, and Building Efficiency sectors. For more information, visit www.pikeresearch.com or call +1.303.997.4619.

U.S. Green Building Council Launches the Center for Green Schools

Washington, D.C. (Sept. 30, 2010) – Today, the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) announces its newest initiative, The Center for Green Schools at USGBC. There are nearly 140,000 schools, colleges and universities in the United States; no one has ever counted the buildings, but thousands are barely built to code.

The Center for Green Schools is how USGBC is working toward the ambitious goal of ensuring everyone has the opportunity to attend a green school within this generation.
“At USGBC, we understand the profound impact green buildings have on our lives and the innovation they have poured into the marketplace, and we believe no other market speaks more powerfully to the benefits and potential of green buildings than our schools,” said Rick Fedrizzi, President, CEO and Founding Chair of USGBC. “The Center for Green Schools at USGBC is engaging educators in creating sustainable learning environments for their students and applying solid research to inform leadership – from school boards to college presidents – about the benefits of healthy, high-performing schools.” Read the Press Release here.

USGBC NFC Fall Member Appreciation Event

When: Saturday October 2nd, 1-5pm (after the 2010 Green Omaha Coalition's Green Homes Tour).
Where: UNO's Mammel Hall (67th Ave. & Pine St. Omaha, NE 68182)
Cost: Free for USGBC NFC Members, $10 donation for non-members. Donations will help sponsor local USGBC chapter operations, programs, scholarships, etc.
Schedule:
1:00-2:00pm - Live Music/Social Time (Building Tours at 1:15 and 1:30pm)
2:00-3:00pm - Panel discussion of the Mammel Hall project
3:00-4:00pm - Live Music/Social Time
5:00pm - Cocktails at Liv Lounge in Aksarben Village

We're thankful to have so many active, engaged USGBC members at the local level (that's you!) and as a thank-you to our members, the chapter is hosting our fall member appreciation event on Saturday October 2nd after the annual Green Homes Tour. We'll provide food, drinks, music and a informative panel on the Mammel Hall project to show our appreciation for our chapter members.

The member appreciation event will prominently feature UNO's first building designed to pursue LEED certification, Mammel Hall. The event will also include live music, networking and a panel of speakers to discuss building design.
Complementary appetizers and non-alcoholic beverages will be provided by Noodle Zoo. Cocktail hour to follow at Liv Lounge in Aksarben Village.

Panelists include Lou Pol, Dean of the Business College (UNO), George Killian, Manager of Planning and Architectural Services (UNO), Curt Witzenburg, Architect (Holland Basham Architects), Toby Samuelson, Electrical Engineer (Farris Engineering), Don Foster, Mechanical Engineer (Farris Engineering), and Andy Stine, General Contractor (Kiewit Construction).

Download the event flier here: http://usgbcne.org/downloads/Flyer_1010-MammelHall.pdf

Conversations Conference on Nebraska Environment and Sustainability

The Joslyn Institute for Sustainable Communities is partnering with four institutions of higher learning--Creighton University, the University of Nebraska at Lincoln, Central Community College and Western Nebraska Community College--across the state of Nebraska to raise the level of discourse on achieving sustainability for Nebraska. Each conference will focus on five critical resources: Water, Land, Food, Energy and Materials.

Helping initiate the conversation are five resource specialists:
Jim Goeke, Research Hydrologist and Professor with UNL Conservation and Survey Division, on Water.Sandra Scofield, Director of the Nebraska Rural Initiative, on Land.Jim Crandall, Associate Director of UNL's Nebraska Cooperative Development Center, on Food.Daniel Lawse, Sustainability Coordinator with Metropolitan Community College, on Energy.Debra Hansen, Architect with Davis Design, on Materials.

Online conversations start October 15, 2010. Register now and jump into the conversation - and bring a friend or colleague while you're at it!

Register online at http://www.nslw.org/conversations_registration.html

For additional details visit our website: www.nslw.org/conversations.html. Contact Katie Torpy at 402/933.0080 or ktorpy@sustainabledesign.org with any questions.

Funding is generously provided by the Nebraska Environmental Trust, the Nebraska Department of Environmental Quality, the Nebraska Investment Finance Authority and Lincoln Electric Systems.

Norfolk Operations Center Achieves LEED Gold

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Sep 30, 2010 via NPPD.com

Norfolk, Neb. – Nebraska Public Power District announced today that the District’s new Norfolk Operations Center has been awarded LEED® Gold certification, as established by the U.S. Green Building Council and verified by the Green Building Certification Institute. LEED is the nation’s preeminent program for the design, construction and operation of high-performance green buildings.

“This is an important milestone in the NOC project,” said NPPD’s Senior Project Manager Guy Evasco, who oversaw planning and construction of the facility. “From early on, NPPD’s Board of Directors made it clear that environmental stewardship was an important component of this project. By attaining LEED Gold certification, NPPD’s commitment to the environment is documented. We’re not only talking ‘green,’ we’re backing up our words with actions,” Evasco commented.

The Norfolk Operations Center achieved LEED Gold certification for energy use, lighting, water and material use, as well as incorporating a variety of other sustainable strategies. By using less energy and water, the NOC will save money, reduce greenhouse gas emissions and contribute to a healthier environment.

It was estimated by an engineer from HDR Engineering, Inc., the architectural and engineering firm contracted to assist with the NOC project, that because of LEED design, construction and operation, the NOC will, on average, see an energy savings of 34 percent over typical, non-green, building construction and operation practices.

NPPD’s new facility was built to consolidate four separate operations, materials storage and customer service locations in Norfolk. The NOC was constructed to replace outdated, aging buildings and to enhance operational efficiency and customer service.

Construction was completed, and the facility officially went live on Sept. 13, a month ahead of schedule and under budget. Highlights of the new facility include an educational, interactive kiosk in the lobby, as well as three demonstration wind turbines and a large solar photovoltaic system that will supply about 7 percent of the building’s electric energy needs. The landscaping, when complete, will feature native species of plants and grasses, and it will require very little water to thrive.

Sustainable living comes to UI

IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) — The University of Iowa is getting nearly $875,000 to create a sustainable living and learning community at a residence hall on the Iowa City campus.
U.S. Sen. Chuck Grassley announced the grant money Wednesday from the U.S. Department of Education. The money is to be used to pay for a pilot project Sustainability Living-Learning Community this fall at the Mayflower residence hall. The community will host up to 68 students.
According to the university website, students take the required course Introduction to Sustainability and have opportunities to “live green.” That includes working at a student garden and going on field trips.

Rhode Island is the First State to Adopt IGCC

Rhode Island is the first state to adopt the International Green Construction Code (IGCC). The Rhode Island Green Buildings Act identifies the IGCC as an equivalent standard in compliance with requirements that all public agency major facility projects be designed and constructed as green buildings. The Rules and Regulations to implement the Act take effect in October.

"It's very exciting to me as building code commissioner to see that we are the first," John P. Leyden, C.B.O., and Rhode Island State Building Code Commissioner said. "I think that we are very fortunate in being a smaller state in that we can move things along a little quicker than other states. We adopt the other I-Codes, and so it fits in nicely."

The IGCC applies to new and existing, traditional and high-performance commercial buildings. It includes ANSI/ASHRAE/USGBC/IES Standard 189.1 as an alternative compliance requirement.

You can read the whole press release here.

Need to maintain your industry credentials? Earn continuing education credit at Greenbuild

Every year, Greenbuild is ripe with education opportunities, and this year is no different. With more than 100 concurrent on-site and off-site education sessions included in your full-conference registration and a host of other targeted education summits, LEED and Education Provider workshops and other opportunities, Greenbuild is the place to grow your green building knowledge – and earn your continuing education credits for LEED and other industry credentials.

Earn 1.5 GBCI CE hours for your LEED Professional Credentials with the following sessions, all of which are included in a full conference registration:

• 95 concurrent education sessions (session IDs beginning with RD, OR, GR, YL, BL or PL in the session catalog).
• 6 Master Series education sessions
• 16 Residential Summit sessions
• 15 off-site education sessions
• 18 Specialty Update sessions (1 GBCI CE hour each)

Purchasing the relevant packages can also get you access to the following sessions, all of which have been approved for GBCI CE hours:

• 20 green building tours
• 9 International Forum sessions
• 6 Affordable Housing Summit sessions

Earn 1.5 LEED-specific GBCI CE hours with eight concurrent education sessions (RD05, OR08, YL14, GR11, GR13, BL10, PL02 and PL10) and 12 special programs (OF01, OF03, OF15, SS01, SS02, SU07, SU10, SU22, SU24, SU29, SU31, SU33).

Before and after Greenbuild, USGBC will offer LEED workshops, which you can register to take advantage of while you're in Chicago. All USGBC LEED workshops being held at Greenbuild are worth at least 7 GBCI CE hours, with the exception of LEED 101 and LEED 201. HOMES 401 and REGREEN 251 are worth 14 GBCI CE hours. All CE hours earned from USGBC LEED workshops are LEED-specific, except for REGREEN 251.

LEED 101 and LEED 201 satisfy eligibility requirements for those planning to seek the LEED Green Associate credential. Education Provider workshops are all eligible for 4 GBCI CE hours.

Over 110 Greenbuild education sessions have been approved for at least 1.5 AIA HSW Learning Units. AIA HSW LUs are also available for Master Series education sessions, off-site education sessions, International Forum sessions, salons and more.

Earn 1.5 LA CES credit hours for over 100 of our sessions (the majority of which qualify for HSW credit). Greenbuild 2010 qualifies for BOMI International Continuing Professional Development (CPD) credit for RPA, FMA, and/or SMA graduates. CoreNet Global MCR designees will earn 16 continuing professional development (CPD) credits towards the renewal requirement for attending all three days of Greenbuild 2010. USGBC is a registered education program provider for the Interior Design Continuing Education Council (IDCEC). USGBC is currently applying to IDCEC for credit hour approval. Information regarding approval of those credit hours will be posted on the Greenbuild website by mid-October. USGBC is a registered education program provider for the Construction Specifications Institute (CSI). USGBC is currently applying to CSI for approval. Information regarding approval of those credit hours will be posted on the Greenbuild website by mid-October.

For more detail on sessions' CEU eligibility, visit www.greenbuildexpo.org/CEU.

Upcoming USGBC LEED Workshop in Omaha

Host: The Nebraska Flatwater Chapter
Topic: BD+C 251: Understanding Building Design + Construction LEED Rating Systems
Date: Thursday, September 30th, 2010
Time: 8am - 5:30pm
Location: National Park Service Building, (601 Riverfront Drive, Omaha, NE 68102-4226)
Download the event flier here: http://usgbcne.org/downloads/Flyer_1009-Workshop251.pdf

This official national USGBC-presented workshop introduces the credit intents, key elements, main requirements, and reference standards of the Green Building Design and Construction (BD+C) LEED rating systems. Workshop participants will gain a solid understanding of the core concepts and strategies of the following LEED rating systems: New Construction & Major Renovations (NC); Core & Shell (CS); and Schools ‐ supporting successful green construction projects.

This workshop addresses the needs of key stakeholders in new construction or major renovationprojects, including but not limited to architects, engineers, construction professionals, contractors,landscape architects, product manufacturers, and decision makers within the real estate, investment,and legal sectors who want to better understand specifics of the BD+C rating systems.

Learning Objectives: Recognize the unique aspects of the BD+C rating system family, and differences between each rating system (NC, CS, and Schools) within this rating family. • Identify the minimum program requirements for the BD+C rating systems. • Describe the goal, intent, and requirements of BD+C prerequisites and key credits. • Identify synergies between BD+C credits.• Plan for key considerations and requirements for the LEED certification process.

For more detailed course information and to register visit https://www.usgbc.org/CourseCatalog/coursedetail.aspx?ID=90003947

For all registration and workshop inquiries, contact LEEDeducation@usgbc.org or 1-800-795-1747.

Environment Omaha Final Draft

The final draft of the Environment Omaha document, a new environmental vision for the city, is now available online for review and comment at http://www.environmentomaha.com/

Green Homes Tour Pictures

Check out pictures of some of the homes included in this years Green Home Tour: http://www.greenomahacoalition.org/councils/design-and-construction/green-home-tour-2010/the-homes/.

New NPPD operations center opens in Norfolk, NE

NORFOLK, Neb. (KTIV) -- Under construction for the last year-and-a-half, a building with a lot of "power" opens in northeast Nebraska.

The land where the new NPPD operations center sits was actually acquired 17 years ago and has been in the works for 25 years. It's now it's become a reality. The 78,000 square foot, 20-million dollar facility combines all the staff and resources that used to be spread out in four buildings. Ron Ashe, NPPD CEO, said "with this new facility, the NPPD Board of Directors have made it clear that they recognize the value of Norfolk and Northeast Nebraska to our operations. They have provided the leadership to make this building the state-of-the-art interface between NPPD and the public that we serve."

The new operations center is NPPD's only "Green" facility. This LEED Gold facility touts high efficiency heating and cooling, recycled building materials, landscaping that requires little watering or fertilizer and specialized water runoff plans. There are also educational benefits to the campus with three wind turbines and the world's largest solar tracking system, known as a photovoltaic array. A product that is manufactured in Columbus, Nebraska. Gunter Harz, Sun Carrier Inc., said, "This array produces approximately 45 kilowatts and provides about ten percent of the energy needed for NPPD." Read the whole story at ktiv.com.

Where Are the World’s Greenest Buildings? Green Building Consultant Wants to Know

Researching his latest book, “The World’s Greenest Buildings,” sustainability consultant Jerry Yudelson, author of a dozen green building books, is turning to the design community to research the “best in class” performance of successful green buildings worldwide. Project participants can immediately access an online survey.

Yudelson and his co-author, Professor Ulf Meyer (currently teaching at the University of Nebraska), are asking for submissions of top-rated green projects (such as LEED® Platinum in the U.S.) worldwide that are willing to release at least a year’s worth of documented energy and water use. Projects must be at least 5,000 square meters (or 50,000 square feet) in floor area and have been completed no later than the beginning of 2004.

Read the whole article here, and fill out the survey to submit your project here.

Green Classes at Iowa Western Community College

Iowa Western Community will be providing free 1 1/2 to 2 hour classes on how to live more sustainably in daily life. These classes are for anyone who wants to take steps toward going green!

To register, please email mmancuso@iwcc.edu or call (712) 325-3448.

How to Live Green!
When: Thursday, October 7th from 3:00-5:00pmWhere: Iowa Western Community College, Council Bluffs (2700 College Rd.)

This class will give a general overview on how to live in a healthier and more environmentally friendly way. Topics will include purchasing eco-friendly products, better food choices, water conservation techniques, energy efficiency and practices to make your home and life more sustainable.

How to do a Home Energy Audit
When: Thursday, October 21st from 3:00-5:00pm
Where: Iowa Western Community College, Council Bluffs (2700 College Rd.)

Learn how to conduct a basic home energy audit before another cold long winter arrives. In this class, a qualified instructor will teach you how to perform an energy audit on your home. You will learn how to evaluate ways to improve energy efficiency, increase energy savings, lower heating costs and help the environment in the process. Improving the energy efficiency of a home can help lower greenhouse gases, the main cause for climate change.

Ground Breaking for YouthBuild Omaha's LEED-Certified Home

When: Tuesday, September 28th at 10:00am

Where: 2201 Fowler Ave.

YouthBuild Omaha, a local partnership between Goodwill Industries and Habitat for Humanity, will host a Ground Breaking event for a new high-efficiency, green home. The project is among the first LEED-certified homes in the Omaha area, and the first designed specifically for low-income families. The house will become a real-life learning laboratory for YouthBuild Omaha students, all of whom previously dropped out of high school. While building the house with trainers from Goodwill and Habitat, the students will gain new skills, learn about energy efficiency and sustainable design, and when not on the construction site, attend academic courses leading to a GED or high school diploma.

Habitat and Goodwill want to make the current plan into a replicable model for affordable green construction in Omaha. The current home is slated for completion in the spring of 2011, when YouthBuild Omaha students will then begin a study of the home's cost savings for the new homeowners.

YouthBuild Omaha and the LEED project are funded in part by the US Department of Labor. The architecture firm HDR has also been a critical partner in designing the home. Other partners include: Peter Kiewit Foundation, Wal-Mart and Lincoln Financial Foundation.

Greening Midwest Communities Conference

The USGBC St. Louis Regional Chapter is sponsoring an upcoming Greening Midwest Communities conference which will take place October 19-21st and focus on residential green building with strong stormwater management focus.

The early bird registration deadline for this conference at the Capitol Plaza Hotel in Jefferson City, MO has been extended to this Friday, September 24.

For a low, low price of $125, you'll have access to 16 education sessions over 2 days as well as a tour of a deep energy rehab of a 1903 home! An excellent line of of speakers (including several Chapter members!) will cover the many aspects of community development and energy-efficient "green" home building and remodeling.

Speakers & topics include:
Steve Apfelbaum, Applied Ecological Services, Inc.
Michelle Desiderio, National Association of Home Builders Research Center
Phil Fingerhut, Builder Partnerships - Chapter Member!
Mike Mueller, St. Louis Carpenters District Council, Building & Construction Trades Council - Chapter Member!
Tom Schultz, Manager Utilization Engineering, Laclede Gas Co. - Chapter Member!
Don Thieman, Sales and Marketing Manager for Quick Supply Co. and A.S.P. Enterprises - Chapter Member!
Ruth Wallace, Missouri Department of Natural Resources Municipal Stormwater Program

For more information or to register, visit http://muconf.missouri.edu/gmcc/index.html

Habitat for Humanity & Goodwill Industries Join Forces to Build Affordable LEED-Certified Home

On 9/28/10 at 10:00 a.m., YouthBuild Omaha, a local partnership between Goodwill Industries and Habitat for Humanity, will host a Ground Breaking event for a new high-efficiency, green home. The project, located at 2201 Fowler Ave. in North Omaha, is among the first LEED-certified homes in the Omaha area, and the first designed specifically for low-income families.

More than a house, the project will become a real-life learning laboratory for YouthBuild Omaha students, all of whom previously dropped out of high school. While building the house with trainers from Goodwill and Habitat, the students will gain new skills, learn about energy efficiency and sustainable design, and when not on the construction site, attend academic courses leading to a GED or high school diploma.

“In YouthBuild Omaha, we learn by doing,” said Chad Garvis, the program coordinator. “We learn to work by working. We learn math by measuring angles and cutting plywood. And now we’ll learn responsibility by building a home that uses fewer materials, generates less waste, and saves energy. This LEED project epitomizes what YouthBuild Omaha is all about.”

This is the first LEED home built by Habitat and Goodwill, and leaders of the two organizations want to make the current plan into a replicable model for affordable green construction in Omaha. The current home is slated for completion in the spring of 2011, when YouthBuild Omaha students will then begin a study of the home’s cost savings for the new homeowners.

YouthBuild Omaha and the LEED project are funded in part by the US Department of Labor. The architecture firm HDR has also been a critical partner in designing the home. Other partners include: Peter Kiewit Foundation, Wal-Mart and Lincoln Financial Foundation.

Habitat Omaha homeowners are required to complete 350 hours of Sweat Equity before purchasing their homes through 25 or 30-year no-interest mortgages. Through Habitat Omaha, almost 350 families have realized the dream of homeownership and are ending the cycle of poverty for their children. In 2010, Habitat Omaha will build or renovate 26 homes.

“We’re excited to collaborate with Goodwill Industries on our first LEED project.” says Dan Brewer, Habitat Omaha’s construction manager. “It raises Habitat Omaha to the next level with energy efficiency while giving area youth experience in green building.”

Report Provides State-by-State Data on Renewable Energy Deployment

WASHINGTON—The American Council on Renewable Energy (ACORE) has released a report that compiles state-by-state data on renewable energy developments, resource potentials, and financial, market, and policy information. According to this report, California leads the United States in renewable energy deployment. Louisiana ranks lowest among the states in grid-connected renewable power sources. Click here to access the interactive online map of renewable energy deployment data.

Growth in Green Building Expected to Drive Use of BIM

NEW YORK—The growth of the green building market is expected to drive adoption of building information modeling (BIM) software. According to a new report by McGraw-Hill Construction, only 17% of practitioners are currently using BIM in more than 50% of their green building projects. However, nearly 80% of survey respondents who aren't currently using BIM on green building projects expect to do so within three years. Read more

UNL to lead green-building research team

By KEVIN ABOUREZK / Lincoln Journal Star
The University of Nebraska-Lincoln will lead one of 15 teams of researchers charged by the federal government with improving the energy efficiency of millions of American homes.
The U.S. Department of Energy chose UNL to lead one of its 15 Building America teams.
"Energy security is essential for our future as a nation to become independent from other countries," said Prem S. Paul, UNL vice chancellor for research and economic development. "We also need to develop new sources of renewable energy. No single solution will solve this problem." Read more at the link above.

Drive for green homes hits area

via Omaha World Herald, By Jeffrey Robb WORLD-HERALD STAFF WRITER

The drive for energy efficiency is hitting home in Omaha, Lincoln and around the Midlands.

Spurred by a desire to go green and save money on their utility bills, owners of existing homes and people building new houses are upgrading their homes' energy efficiency. Insulation is in, along with Energy Star appliances and higher-rated furnaces.

Now two major federally funded initiatives are giving local efforts a boost.
Wednesday, a partnership led by the University of Nebraska-Lincoln researchers announced that it would team with Hearthstone Homes and other Omaha and Lincoln home builders to engineer practical but high-impact energy upgrades. The research initiative could be worth $2.5 million per year over the next 4½ years.

By early 2011, the Cities of Omaha and Lincoln plan to start rolling out a $10 million program to retrofit 3,200 homes in the two cities with new insulation, furnaces, appliances or even shade trees. In Omaha, the program will start by targeting a zone between 16th and 36th Streets, from Leavenworth to Lake Streets.Also in Omaha, a Green Neighborhood Council is operating. The Environment Omaha initiative, led by the City of Omaha and Omaha By Design, is looking at proposing building regulations to drop the energy use on new and existing homes. Read more at omaha.com.

Fundraiser for Omaha Green Home Tour

You’re invited to a Green Get-Together on Monday, Sept. 13 from 5 to 9 p.m. at Loft610 (Midtown Crossing: 220 South 31st Avenue #3107 in Omaha).

It’s a fundraiser for Omaha's 2010 Green Home Tour: buy 3 tickets for $5 or 7 tickets for $10, and redeem the tickets for custom-made martinis, wine or premium beer that night at Loft610, which has generously pledged to donate proceeds to the Green Home Tour. Enjoy an evening out for a good cause with the Green Omaha Coalition and partners. For more information about this event, contact Loft610 at (402) 885-6800.

Social Equity – USGBC Members Give Back

When USGBC member and Greenbuild Gold Sponsor Davis Construction realized their sponsorship afforded them more complimentary Greenbuild passes than they needed, they had an idea: Why not give them back?So with the innovation and ingenuity typical of the USGBC member community, they contacted USGBC with a proposal: They donated their unused passes to be given out through the Greenbuild Scholarship Program for low-income attendees. It's an idea that worked so well, we wanted to share it with you – in case you're a Greenbuild sponsor and want to do the same, or in case it inspires you to propose an idea of your own. You can contact USGBC Membership Director Troy Adkins if you do.

USGBC Expands Data Collection from LEED Buildings

August 25, 2010
By Peter Yost and Allyson Wendt - This article originally appeared on BuildingGreen.com

The U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) has begun collecting energy- and water-use data from LEED-certified buildings, and is promising preliminary performance reports for building owners participating in its Building Performance Partnership (BPP) by November 2010.

In 2009 USGBC announced that buildings certified under LEED 2009 would be required share energy- and water-use data (see “New USGBC Initiative Targets Building Performance”). There has been much debate in recent years about whether LEED-certified buildings actually perform as well as their LEED designation suggests they should. BPP should bring a big expansion in the amount of data available, leading to richer and more reliable analysis in the future. “[BPP] is the foundation of USGBC’s commitment to a meaningful demonstration of the value of building and operating green,” says Scot Horst, senior vice president of LEED for USGBC. Brendan Owens, P.E., vice president for LEED technical development, adds that BPP is intended to help underachieving projects identify and fix performance problems. Read the whole article at this link.

LEED Study Group Forming (Omaha and Lincoln)

This group will focus on the BD+C rating system, and the chapter will provide study materials for interested participants. Meeting times will be dependant on participants' schedules. This study group is being facilitated by Brian Meyers of Davis Design and Sarah Gudeman of Morrissey Engineering, Inc. The group will plan our meeting locations to accommodate both Omaha and Lincoln participants.

Email brian.meyers@davisdesign.com if you're interested in participating. Professionals pursuing LEED AP and LEED GA credentials, or anyone wanting to gain a better understanding of the LEED rating system will benefit from this study group.

September Tour of Green Buildings to Showcase Region’s National Leadership in Sustainable, Energy-Efficient LEED Buildings

Contact: Renae Hesselink, LEED AP, Chair, U.S. Green Building Council West Michigan Chapter, renae.hesselink@enichols.com, (231) 799-2120. http://www.usgbcwm.org/green-buildings-of-west-michigan

Grand Rapids, MI – August 11, 2010 – The U.S. Green Building Council West Michigan (USGBC-WM) Chapter today announced that it will host tours of 40 commercial and residential LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certified buildings located in and around the Grand Rapids area on Friday and Saturday, September 10th and 11th. The tours will coincide with Future Cities: Climate Strategies for Sustainable Communities, a conference hosted by a5 Inc. and Seven Generations Ahead on Friday, September 10th at Grand Valley State University’s Eberhard Center on the downtown Grand Rapids campus.

“The Grand Rapids metropolitan area ranks first nationally in the number of LEED buildings per capita, and fifth overall,” explained USGBC-WM Chapter Chair Renae Hesselink, LEED AP. “We’ve earned the right to call ourselves a national center of green building, but more importantly we’re positioning our region as a trendsetter, a leader in innovation, and home to experts in the design and manufacture of energy-efficient, sustainable buildings and materials.”

The Green Buildings of West Michigan Tour will provide its participants with a close-up look at a diverse portfolio of LEED-certified building stock spanning a variety of market segments including office, manufacturing, small project, health care, education, residential, hospitality and non-profit. The buildings are also featured in Green Buildings of West Michigan, a book published by the USGBC West Michigan Chapter to commemorate the tour. Information regarding availability and pricing is available at www.usgbcwm.org/green-buildings-book.

Primary tour transportation will be based near the Grand Valley State University Eberhard Center in downtown Grand Rapids, where tours begin at 10:00 a.m. on Friday, September 10th and Saturday, September 11th. Registration is required. In addition to the shuttle services provided, some tours will incorporate public transportation and walking. The tour includes visits to Aquinas College, the David D. Hunting YMCA, the Grand Rapids Art Museum and the Hyatt Place Grand Rapids South, in addition to LEED buildings owned by office furniture industry leaders Haworth, Herman Miller and Steelcase.

“Based on the initial response, we expect hundreds of industry professionals, students and those just curious about the green building movement to join us on the tours,” Hesselink said. “They’re coming from throughout the Midwest to ‘kick the tires’, ask questions, and consider how they might advance the art and science of green building in their own communities. We’re excited to see the growing interest and happy to share the lessons learned by the many green building pioneers that call West Michigan home.”

Tour registration and details are available at www.usgbcwm.org/green-buildings-of-west-michigan. LEED APs with specialty and LEED green associates can earn GBCI Credential Maintenance Program Credit.

The corresponding Future Cities: Climate Strategies for Sustainable Communities conference will feature keynote addresses from Mayor George Heartwell of Grand Rapids, Mayor Dave Bing of Detroit and Director Rebecca Humphries of the Michigan Department of Natural Resources and Environment. The full program, along with registration information, is available via the GreenTown web site at www.greentownconference.com

Follow the Green Buildings of West Michigan Tour on Facebook.

DOE 'Innovation Hub' to Develop New Energy-Efficient Building Designs

PHILADELPHIA—DOE is creating the Energy-Efficient Building Systems Design Energy Innovation Hub to develop technologies that make buildings more energy efficient. The hub team of researchers from academia, two national laboratories, and the private sector will receive up to $122 million over the next five years to develop models that are applicable to retrofits and new construction. The hub will be located at the Philadelphia Navy Yard Clean Energy campus. Its more than 200 buildings and its independent electric microgrid will be used as a "virtual municipality." Read more

Americans Harbor Misconceptions About How To Save Energy

NEW YORK—Many Americans believe they can conserve energy by taking relatively inconsequential steps, such as turning off lights, while ignoring more impactful measures, according to a new survey. Only 2%–3% of respondents to the online survey by Columbia University cited major energy-saving steps, such as purchasing energy-efficient cars and appliances, and weatherizing homes, as being important in reducing energy consumption. Nearly 20% of respondents cited turning off lights as the best approach to conserving energy. For a sample of 15 activities, respondents underestimated energy use and savings by a factor of 2.8 on average, with small overestimates for low-energy activities and large underestimates for high-energy activities. Read more

New and Nifty from ENERGY STAR

Employee Education Toolkit
This off-the-shelf resource provides everything you need to host a brown bag session to educate employees about energy use, its impact on the environment, and what they can do to help. With this toolkit, you can: use the ready-made PowerPoint presentation and speaker notes to deliver a fun, interactive 60-minute training session for employees and co-workers; customize an HTML e-mail template and flyer to advertise the brown bag session; and order free posters, tip cards, and checklists from EPA to display in your break room or hand out to employees to remind them of everyday steps they can take to reduce energy use. Find the new all-in-one employee education toolkit at energystar.gov/work

ENERGY STAR @ work – Tour a Manufacturing Plant!
EPA is pleased to unveil a new companion tool to the ENERGY STAR @ work animated office cubicle – an animated manufacturing plant. Similar to the animated cubicle, this version of ENERGY STAR @ work is an animated image of a small to medium size manufacturing plant with interactive tips and links to valuable information employees can use on a daily basis—from lighting to shutdown procedures. Manufacturing in the U.S. accounts for about one-third of greenhouse gas emissions and the workplace offers a unique opportunity to make a significant impact in the fight against climate change. Tour the new animated manufacturing plant at energystar.gov/work

Metro Community College Green Living Workshops

MCC, in partnership with the Green Omaha Coalition, is happy to offer Green Living Workshops as a regular part of MCC's Continuing Education. Learn how to save money, improve your family's health and be good to the environment with Green Living Workshops at MCC. These workshops will include current, practical information on topics such as food, water, energy, transportation, 'stuff' (solid waste and recycling), economics, gardening and yards.

These workshops will be held at alternating locations in order to improve accessibility throughout the year. For more information, contact Daniel Lawse, Coordinator of Sustainable Practices, at (402) 738-4564 or djlawse@mccneb.edu. To Register: Call 457-5231, give the course number of the course you want, or go online at www.mccneb.edu/ce.

More detailed information on all these events is on the USGBC NFC Events Calendar (http://usgbcne.org/?Get_Involved:Events_Calendar).

9/07/10 - Intro to Living Green-Living Well
9/22/10 - Car-Free Omaha
9/14/10 - Food Preservation / Storage
10/05/10 - How to Compost
10/19/10 - Home Energy: Conduct your own Home Energy Audit
10/26/10 - Introduction to Permaculture

Project Owners: Participate in Building Performance Partnership

USGBC's Building Performance Partnership (BPP) seeks to establish a comprehensive data-collection and analysis infrastructure that is capable of capturing feedback from all LEED-certified projects that will help guide the ongoing development of the LEED rating systems.

The first phase of the data-collection effort has begun, and we're asking owners of all LEED projects– regardless of what version or rating system you used – to participate. In addition to helping improve the way LEED promotes the ongoing performance of buildings, you will also receive information about how your project is performing to help you fill any gaps that may exist. Learn more at www.usgbc.org/bpp

LEED for Healthcare: Public Comment and Consensus Body Opt-in

The LEED for Healthcare green building rating system was developed to meet the unique needs of the healthcare market. It is imperative that the spaces used to both provide preventative care to maintain health and provide treatment to those who are sick are facilities that support the health and well-being of staff and patients.

As with all LEED rating systems, LEED for Healthcare's success is driven by the USGBC member community and the input of stakeholders from throughout the industry.The healthcare market has an opportunity to demonstrate leadership by designing, constructing and operating facilities that have less of an environmental impact and the best indoor environmental quality possible. The need for quality healthcare spaces will only increase with an aging population as evidenced by the increase in not just healthcare facilities but green healthcare facilities in recent years.

The third public comment period for LEED for Healthcare is now open.The changes made to the rating system since the last public comment period can now be viewed, and comments on the changes may be submitted through 5 p.m. PT Sept. 5. USGBC will only accept comments on the revised credits.

Green Buildings of West Michigan Tour

From our friends at the the U.S. Green Building Council West Michigan Chapter.

With over 120 LEED certified buildings in West Michigan, and that number continues to grow, we have the perfect opportunity to prove the benefits and showcase green building design as a region. Grand Rapids is a leader, fourth in the nation with LEED certified buildings, and yet we find very few of those building owners sharing their story in an organized way to attract tours and visitors and as an economic development tool for our region.

We are assisting those building owners to pull their case studies together, measuring the results of their green building choices, and to organize tours of these buildings to highlight the features. The diversity in the types of buildings that have been certified will provide a tour in each of the following market segments: office, manufacturing, small project, health care, education, homes, hospitality, and non-profit.

Tours will be September 10th & 11th 2010 for the building tour event sponsored by the USGBC West Michigan Chapter.
Cost of Tours (lunch included):
Friday Only - $60.00; register by August 15th and cost is $50.00
Saturday Only - $60.00; register by August 15th and cost is $50.00
Both Friday and Saturday - $100.00; register by August 15th and cost is $90.00
Add breakfast (a joint breakfast with Greentown participants/keynote address by Mayor George Heartwell) an additional $20.00
Students (must show valid student ID at registration)- $25.00 per tour per day

Visit http://www.usgbcwm.org/green-buildings-of-west-michigan for more information on the buildings that will be featured on the tour and to register. Discounted registrations available until August 15th!

Creighton Boosting Sustainability Efforts Across Campus

Creighton University will harness Nebraska's sunshine and wind this spring as the University begins assembling a large array of solar panels and wind turbines at various locations across campus. When completed, the solar array will be the largest in the state.

The alternative energy project will be part of a new degree program for students studying technology and applied science in the College of Arts and Sciences. They will have research opportunities to assist with the building of the solar array, which will be located in a University parking lot.

Students in the atmospheric sciences program will be able to track the efficiency of the panels through a weather station, using computerized weather models developed by the students. The collective analysis, along with a Web-cam presentation and a dashboard showing "right-now" production, will all be visible on a dedicated Web site and on digital displays found in the Hixson-Lied Science Building.

For more information, visit Creighton University's News Center.

Take the Downtown Improvement District Survey

The Omaha Downtown Improvement District (DID) was created to develop and carry out downtown improvement programs funded by an assessment on downtown properties. On behalf of the DID board, this survey seeks your opinions about existing programs and ideas to help define the priorities for the future of Downtown Omaha. Click here to take the survey and submit your opinions. One lucky respondent will win a $100 gift certificate to the downtown restaurant or shop of their choice!

Environment Omaha: Creating a More Sustainable City

When: Wednesday, August 4th at 5:30pm, Where: Slowdown (729 N. 14th St.)

Do you have an idea about how to make Omaha a greener community? Attend an educational happy hour with Environment Omaha and other young professionals. Environment Omaha, a partnership of the City of Omaha and Omaha by Design, is a new policy development initiative that’s creating a comprehensive environmental section for the city’s master plan. There will be a presentation to give an overview of the initiative, its economic impact and highlights from five major areas: the natural environment, urban form and transportation, building construction, resource conservation and community health. This event is open to the public and free to attend.

Presenters:Rick Cunningham, director, City of Omaha Planning DepartmentConnie Spellman, director, Omaha by DesignMike McMeekin, president, Lamp, Rynearson & Associates (co-chair, Environment Omaha)

For more information, visit www.environmentomaha.com or call 554-4010.The Greater Omaha Chamber is also hosting an Environment Omaha educational event on Wednesday, August 11th at 3:30pm at the Chamber’s downtown office located at 1301 Harney St. Space is limited, so please contact Tim Stuart to register: tstuart@omahachamber.org.

Alternative Transportation Survey

The City of Omaha Planning Department is organizing a community-wide effort dedicated to making Douglas County a healthier and more active place to live. Currently a team of 20 organizations have come together under the Communities Putting Prevention to Work grant with the task to address the state of alternative forms of transportation in Omaha.Please help by filling out a short survey and sharing your opinions about cycling and walking in Omaha. Your input will contribute to a foundation of knowledge that will help the community work towards an even better city for everyone! https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/bikewalkomaha

Crews tear down restaurant to build new Chamber building

NORFOLK, Neb. (KTIV) - A building that has been part of Downtown Norfolk Nebraska since 1972 was torn down to make way for the new Chamber of Commerce and Visitor's Center.
The building, at 7th and Norfolk Avenue, started as a Kentucky Fried Chicken. About ten years ago it was converted into a deli sandwich restaurant.

When construction is complete... the new one-stop-shop for business and economic development will house seven organizations.

Chamber leaders say it will also be one of only three LEED certified green Chamber buildings in the country.

Ground is expected to be broken in September. Dennis Houston, Norfolk Chamber President, says "And we will look at construction through the fall and winter months, and our goal at this point is still to move-in in that summer 2011 time frame."

Chamber leaders also announced today they've reached 85% of their capital campaign goal of $2-million.

U.S. Senate Shelves Climate Change Bill

WASHINGTON—U.S. Senate legislation designed to reduce greenhouse gas emissions has been shelved because supporters were unable to get enough votes to pass the measure. A less expansive energy bill, without climate change action, is expected to be introduced later this year. The legislation, called the Clean Energy Jobs and Oil Accountability Act, is aimed at increasing the use of "green" energy and encouraging energy efficiency.Read more

Green Design and Construction Council Meeting

When: Monday, August 2nd from 11:00am-1:00pm

Where: Peter Kiewit (3921 Mason St.) Omaha, NE

Green Omaha Coalition's Green Design and Construction Council (GDCC) meets the first Monday of every month. Become involved and learn more about the GDCC by participating in these monthly meetings!

Highlights from the LEED-EBOM 2009 addenda

via BuildingGreen.com, Posted July 27, 2010 12:07 AM by Tristan Roberts:
The U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) has now released several sets of LEED addenda for LEED-EBOM 2009—corrections and changes to the rating system since its official release. The earliest of these start in November 2009, and the latest batch came out in July 2010.

Following is a summary of the more useful LEED-EBOM addenda to date. Most of the rest is less critical to project teams unless you need clarification on things like understanding that "includesincludes" on page 23 of the Reference Guide really means "includes."

Go to BuildingGreen.com for the summary, which includes tidbits like:

• WEp1 no longer includes janitor sinks.
• EP for MRc8. You can earn Exemplary Performance under MRc8: Solid Waste Management—Durable Goods.
• Pilot credits. A third path has been added to IOc1: Innovation in Operations.

EERE Building Technologies Program Links

The Commercial Building Initiative (CBI) aims to significantly improve the energy efficiency of new and existing commercial buildings. To achieve this goal, CBI researches technologies, strategies, and tools to improve energy savings over current building codes. CBI also engages commercial building owners and operators from a variety of industry sectors to help demonstrate, monitor, and move these technologies from the laboratory to the marketplace.

The High Performance Buildings Database is research sponsored by the U.S. Department of Energy that seeks to improve building performance measuring methods by collecting data on various factors that affect a building's performance, such as energy, materials, and land use. The database collects information from buildings around the world, ranging from homes and commercial interiors to large buildings and even whole campuses and neighborhoods.

The Zero Energy Buildings Database features profiles of commercial buildings that produce as much energy as they use over the course of a year. This database highlights projects from across the country and provides ideas that can be applied to any new building. The Zero Energy Buildings Database is part of the High Performance Buildings Database.

New LEED Platinum certified building in Omaha

by Nate Maniktala, M.E. Group Principal / Vice-President

M.E. GROUP’s Omaha Office earns LEED® 2009 Platinum Certification. The project becomes one of the few in the Nation to achieve this rating in the new more stringent LEED 2009 (v3) Rating System. The M.E. GROUP office was designed to achieve a 49% reduction in energy use beyond the ASHRAE 90.1‐2007 baseline.

After one year of operation, with the implementation of a measurement and verification plan the building has performed better than modeled, achieving a 50% reduction in actual energy use as compared to the standard. Other features include: an integrated daylighting system, geo-exchange system, thermally optimized envelope, energy recovery, photovoltaic array, and 42% water use reduction as compared to the more stringent LEED 2009 standard. Performance of the solar array can be tracked online at www.megroupsolar.com.

GBCI Request for Qualifications

GBCI is seeking qualified applicant teams for contracted certification review services to start next year. RFQ responses must be submitted no later than 5:00 pm PT, August 20, 2010. View the RFP here.

TD Ameritrade project pursues Platinum LEED certification

By Steve Jordon, WORLD-HERALD STAFF WRITER

Two years ago TD Ameritrade asked a developer to construct an office building in the Old Mill area that the company would lease as its headquarters.

But the developer went out of business, and the financial turmoil that began in late 2008 unsettled the marketplace and altered the plan. Instead, TD Ameritrade will own the headquarters, paying the $130 million price tag out of its cash flow.

In fact, the Omaha-based company has been making enough profit every three months to pay for the building, free and clear.

“We've got a lot of cash,” said President and CEO Fred Tomczyk. “We've just grown so much. To create a campus in Omaha made the most long-term sense. This is the final piece. It's going to change the visual landscape of west-central Omaha.” Read More at Omaha.com.

LEED-Related Fee Informational Links Compiled

If that's not an exciting title, I don't know what is, but yesterday, Real Life LEED posted this: Every LEED Certification/Accreditation Fee In One Place. It includes links for both exam and building certification fee structures. Definitely convenient... check it out.

NetApp Scores First-Ever Energy Star Label for Data Centers

By GreenerComputing Staff
Published July 19, 2010

RESEARCH TRIANGLE PARK, NC — The new Energy Star for Data Centers certification has started off with a bang, with the first facility to earn the label earning 99 out of 100 possible points for its certification.

NetApp's RTP data center, which opened in 2009, far surpassed the needed score of 75 points to earn the EPA's Energy Star rating for data centers, which opened for business in early June.
The facility, which is used primarily for research into storage efficiency and cloud computing services, incorporates a number of green solutions to data center energy efficiency. The data center runs at an average temperature of 74 degrees Fahrenheit and it uses outside are cooling for two-thirds of the year, both of which allow the company to dramatically cut down on cooling costs.

NetApp also built the facility to use less energy in distributing cooling. Rather than using raised-floor systems to fan cool air up into servers, the data center uses overhead air distribution to let the cooling system drop cold air into racks.

All told, the green design of the data center has a significant impact on NetApp's carbon footprint, as well as its customers': The energy efficiency of the facility saves more than 95,000 tons of CO2 emissions every year.

The RTP data center has also been used as a showcase for other companies and organizations looking to incorporate green technologies inito their data centers. NetApp says that 500 groups have toured the facility since it opened.

Though the Energy Star for data centers certification is newly launched, two members of the Environmental Defense Fund's Climate Corps program last week laid out three ways to improve the rating, including a way to incorporate a data center's location into its overall Energy Star score and the need for the EPA to work with utilities around the country to encourage incentives for data center efficiency. Read more: http://www.greenbiz.com/news/2010/07/19/netapp-scores-first-ever-energy-star-label-data-centers#ixzz0uRkgndr9

"What Does It Mean to Build Green?" Talk

When: Saturday, September 18th from 7:30am-6:30pmWhere: Red Oak, IA
The Red Oak Historic Preservation Commission, the State Historical Society of Iowa and other groups have planned a very special weekend of events. This field trip is being offered by Metropolitan Community College and includes a day of history, education, exploring an historic district, a train depot museum, wine tasting and more! Keynote speaker, Steve Thomas, Emmy award winning TV host of television's most popular home improvement series, This Old House, will give a short, informative talk on "What Does It Mean To Build Green?" Steve has also hosted Renovation Nation with Planet Green and hosted and co-produced the Save Our History series on the History Channel.

Please bring $19 cash for breakfast snack, lunch, the Thomas talk and the Montgomery Co. Museum. The tour will leave at 7:30am from Metro's Sarpy Co. location at 9110 Giles Rd and will return at about 6:30pm to the same location.

Course: Vintage Red Oak Iowa (TRVL_228N)
Cost: $69

To register by phone, call 402-457-5231 or 800-228-9553.

www.lplan2040.org Launched

Submission Deadline: July 29th

LPlan 2040 is a virtual town hall that invites anyone interested in making Lincoln a better place to live, play and work to submit their ideas. This Web site is powered by MindMixer, a new platform that empowers the public to generate ideas, help others evolve their ideas and ultimately vote and prioritize the best ideas. Participants can submit as many ideas as they like and encourage others to support or build on their ideas. The top ideas as selected by the community will be considered for potential implementation. Pending available funding, the goal is to implement one citizen-inspired project in Lincoln within the next calendar year.

Five different community interest areas will be presented one at a time.Beautiful Places is the first community interest area up for consideration. Users can submit ideas about how to make Lincoln and Lancaster County a beautiful place from July 15 to July 29. The voting period for these ideas is from July 30 to August 6.

For more information or to submit an idea, visit www.lplan2040.org.

USGBC Students and Emerging Professionals (formerly EGB’s)

The following is a quick summary update of the Emerging Professionals and USGBC Students designations. To reiterate from my earlier post, all student groups will be managed directly by USGBC National not individual chapters (such as USGBC Nebraska Flatwater). The student group must become a formal recognized group with USGBC national in order to use USGBC resources and logos.

Our chapter will continue to interact with the local UNL and UNO USGBC student groups and involve them, but is no longer responsible for management and administration of these groups.

Our chapter does not currently have an Emerging Professionals committee, but plans to in the future. If you or someone you know would be interested in helping develop this committee, contact chair@usgbcne.org.

Keim renovation on track to LEED rating

Jul 15th, 2010 By admin Category: Campus News, July 15

The Big Red Green Team in the Institute of Agriculture and Natural Resources is getting greener.

The renovation of Keim Hall is on track to receive LEED certification from the U.S. Green Building Council. UNL’s Department of Agronomy and Horticulture and colleagues in grassland studies, Nebraska Forest Service and the USDA will move into the renovated hall this month.
LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) was developed by the U.S. Green Building Council to provide a framework for identifying and implementing practical, measurable “green buildings.”

The Keim Hall renovation is expected to earn a silver or gold LEED rating. The LEED rating system offers three levels of green building – silver, gold and platinum.

The LEED designation means the building is designed and built “to improve energy savings, water efficiency, sustainability, improved indoor environmental quality, and stewardship of resources and sensitivity to their impacts,” said Barry Shull, IANR facilities director.

Read on at the Scarlet website.

www.passthepotatoes.com

TODAY Environment Omaha launches www.passthepotatoes.com, a virtual town hall event that invites anyone interested in Omaha to submit ideas for improving the sustainability of the city. It’s powered by MindMixer, a new web platform that allows the public to generate ideas, help others evolve their ideas and ultimately vote and prioritize the best ideas. Ideas will be sought in each of the five Environment Omaha content areas.

Users can submit as many ideas as they like and encourage others to support or build on their ideas. The content areas will be presented one at a time. A panel of local experts convened by Omaha by Design and the city will review the top ideas generated in each content area for potential implementation. Pending available funding, the goal is to be able to implement one citizen-inspired project in Omaha within the next calendar year.

The Natural Environment will be the first content area up for consideration. Users can submit ideas on how to preserve and enhance Omaha’s natural environment from July 15 to July 29. The voting period for this content area will run from July 30 to Aug. 6.

Please consider submitting an idea or two, and please pass this opportunity along to your colleagues, family and friends. (You must be age 14 to submit an idea.)

Flushing Out the Culprit

By Martin S. Harris, Jr.

The following story is true. However, the names have been left out to protect the innocent—and the guilty.

What’s a designer to do when he designs by the book, so to speak, and something fails to work as it should? That was the question posed to me a half-dozen years ago by an architect who had earlier completed a modest addition for a small rural elementary school. Working under state regulations requiring, among other things, low-flow water closets, he had dutifully incorporated a pair of these items in the plans, showing a fairly long (70-foot) branch sewer line connection to carry wastes back to the main sewer line serving the original building. What was the branch line slope? The standard 1/8-inch per foot that the National Standard Plumbing Code requires for 4-inch sanitary waste lines.

Trouble was, the line was plugging up. The architect first found out about it when he received a certified mail nasty-gram from the school board’s lawyers, documenting a six-item chronology of stoppages over the previous year and a half, with related plumber call-charges. The school board was demanding $6,000 as compensation for “poor design.” At that point, this is what we knew for sure:

1. The water closet branch line had been designed and installed with code-compliant slope-to-drain.

2. Stoppages were relatively infrequent, suggesting a cause other than a design or installation deficiency or a subsequent problem such as pipe crushing or settlement.

3. Low-flow toilets, which had just been made a requirement by the state environmental regulators, were beginning to get a lot of bad press for a number of functionality problems including the failure of downstream waste lines to clear after flushing.

4. A professional engineer had advised the architect to use a 4-inch line (3-inch would have been code-permitted) and to keep the slope to code minimum (1/8-inch per foot) to enhance the scouring effect of each flush.

Read more at PMEngineer.com.

The War Over Waterless Urinals

LOS ANGELES—The commercialization of waterless urinals did not flow easily, and detractors tried to flush the concept, according to an article in Wired magazine. Around 1999, James Krug had the idea to make waterless urinals profitable by selling replaceable liquid sealant cartridges that eliminate the need for water in order to trap sewer gases. A plumbing union advocacy group cited public health concerns to oppose waterless urinals. Krug's company and plumbers challenged each other before local code authorities in a city-by-city war that went on for years. Read more

OPPD Home Energy Efficiency Workshop

When: Monday, August 9th from 5:30-7:00pmWhere: Neighborhood Center (115 S. 49th Ave.)

OPPD is offering a series of workshops to help you manage your energy costs and protect your home equipment and internal electrical lines. The next workshop in this series is: Home Energy Audits for Existing Homes & ENERGY STAR for New HomesRenee Jacobsen will present on how a professional Home Energy Audit can help determine the most cost-effective, energy-efficient improvements to make in existing homes. Local certified Energy Raters will be on hand during the training session. If you are planning to build a new home, this workshop will also cover the benefits of purchasing and owning an ENERGY STAR certified home. ENERGY STAR homes are at least 15%more energy efficient than homes built to the current codes.For questions regarding the workshops, contact Renee Jacobsen at 636-3541 or email rmjacobsen@oppd.com.

Job Openings for the New Omaha/Lincoln Retrofit Ramp-Up Program

Application Deadline: July 22nd

Two new job opportunities have been posted to the City of Omaha’s Human Resources Web site. These two full-time, unclassified positions are funded through the Department of Energy’s Retrofit Ramp-up grant, awarded to the City of Omaha, in partnership with the City of Lincoln.

City Planner (aka Retrofit Ramp-Up Program Coordinator) This position will be responsible for assisting the city’s Sustainability Coordinator in administering the Omaha/Lincoln Retrofit Ramp-up Program.

GIS Analyst (aka Retrofit Ramp-Up GIS/Data Coordinator) This position will be responsible for developing and overseeing the development of database tools, specifically public visualization tools and program coordination tools using GIS. The work will support implementation of the Omaha/Lincoln Retrofit Ramp-up Program.