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