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.