Congratulations and Welcome to Our New Board Members

We are very pleased to welcome five new board members to USGBC Nebraska Flatwater Chapter's leadership team!

Aaron Wascher (Alvine Engineering)
Andrew McIntyre (Control Services, Inc.)
Lily Livingston (HDR Architecture, Inc.)
Mitchell Biggs (Hyatt Corporation)
Sarah Sawatzki (Olsson Associates)

These newly elected board members will join returning members Bryce Johnson (Davis Design) and Kim Riege (Army Corps of Engineering) to lead our Chapter into our 10th Anniversary Year and beyond.

We also want to extend thanks on behalf of the chapter and our members to the outgoing board members for your hard work over the past two years: 

Shervin Ansari (Kiewit Building Group) - Committee Liaison

Kay Carne (Verdis Group) - Treasurer

Tyler Mainquist (Thrivient Financial) - Nonprofit Coordinator

Tim Hemsath (University of Nebraska, Lincoln) - Regional Representative

Sarah Gudeman (Morrissey Engineering, Inc.) - Chair

Additional thanks to our committee chairs and members! All this happens because of you.

Lenora Isom (Leo A Daly) - Membership

Mike Kros (DLR) - Green Schools

Becky Webster (EQE) & Andrew Pullman (Control Services) - Communications

Lindsay Neeman (Metro Community College) - Programs & Education

Katie Johnston / Ramsbottom (DLR) - Emerging Professionals

Members, please save the date for our winter event on Wednesday 1/22, to thank our current and outgoing leaders and volunteers, welcome new ones, and recognize our chapter members and sponsors.  

LEEDv4: The future of green buildling is here

LEED v4 introduces a unified LEED experience for the entire world to share – one that offers flexibility for all green building projects, with new market sectors and global best practices built-in.    Impressive impacts. Increased thresholds in energy, water, waste and indoor environmental quality ensure that LEED v4 projects are driving the goals of green building farther than ever. The new Location and Transportation credit category tackles new territory, enabling LEED v4 buildings to advance sustainable communities and land use.    The future is health.  LEED v4 takes a serious, increased focus on human health that goes beyond any other building system on the planet. Every story about a green building is a story about people.    Materials matter. LEED v4 pushes forward a paradigm shift in how we think about materials. Life cycle assessment, environmental product declarations, and material ingredient reporting bring transparency to the manufacturing and decision-making process behind building materials. Using these mechanisms to make data-driven decisions is absolutely essential to building performance and human health.   Bringing it all together. The integrative design process is at the heart and soul of LEED v4, and guides project teams toward incorporating LEED v4’s new features into their projects from the very beginning. And, with an increased focus on building performance, LEED v4 takes a closer look at the very real impacts that LEED buildings are driving forward. You can only get that experience through LEED.     We’re listening. Your feedback has enabled us to create a more supportive, customer-centric experience for LEED users, including: Revamped LEED education to get you the knowledge you need, now Brand new reference guides available in both print and web based format with new videos and tutorials Updated LEED v4 exams that keep you current A completely revised, easy-to-use certification policy manual LEED Online with simplified LEED credit submittal requirements and process Greater access to project support and an enhanced user experience through customer account management, LEED Coach and Proven Provider programs …and more. Your valuable input will help us build out additional features to support your projects. All of these tools work with the LEED rating system to provide you a better customer experience. Period.   Get started with LEED v4 today »   Welcome to v4. LEED ON.

USGBC Nebraska Flatwater Chapter Survey

Please share your feedback on the Chapter in regards to membership and events so we can best meet your needs. We appreciate your comments and thoughts!

http://survey.constantcontact.com/survey/a07e8dce5xjhmwefjao/a0145ho7d1fnn/questions

USGBC NFC Monthly Lunch November 2013 - Green Buildings: Successfully Engage Occupants in Helping (Rather than Hurting) the Cause

Date: November 19, 2013

Time: 12:00p.m.-1:00p.m. (registration starts at 11:30am)

Location: Kiewit Plaza, Cloud Room, 3555 Farnam, Omaha, NE, 68131

Costs are $15 for individual NFC members, $25 for nonmembers, and $10 for students (lunch is included).  

Please register and pay on-line using this link:Register for NFC Nov Lunch - or RSVP to: programs@usgbcne.org and pay at the door using credit card, check or cash.  

  

Even the most sophisticated Building Management System can't control every move building occupants make. Humans are often very interesting and sometimes irrational creatures, and their activities often compete with the intended operational function of a building. But it doesn't have to always be a fight. There are, in fact, ways to meaningfully engage building occupants in making the built environment more energy efficient and sustainable. 

Craig Moody, Managing Principal and co-owner of Verdis Group, will share the best strategies by which to ensure building occupants are helping (rather than hurting) the cause. 

Please try to carpool

Green Homes Tour and Smart Energy Expo this Saturday and Sunday, November 9th and 10th

Green Homes Tour - The Green Homes Tour is Saturday, November 9th from 10:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m. Tour 6 homes in the greater Omaha region, from recently completed homes by Charles Thomas Homes and Dwell Omaha, to remodels by homeowners in Bellevue and downtown. A variety of new construction, energy-conserving remodels, and even projects under construction will be featured. This is a great opportunity to talk to on-site experts and pick up tips on how to green your own living environments.

 

Smart Energy Expo - Sunday, November 10th, 10:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m. Expert advice on building, buying or remodeling the most energy efficient home! See the latest in plumbing fixtures, pavers, insulation and weatherization systems, roofing, recycled glass countertops!

Watch demonstrations:

• Restoring old windows to make them energy efficient
• Blower door test - is your house leaky?
• Solar Pathfinder - determines year-round shade analysis
• Geothermal - the latest technology

SMART WAYS TO SAVE MONEY AND LIVE BETTER - Learn why sustainability is an essential part of Omaha's quality of life! Please contact Tam Webb at the Omaha World-Herald for more information: tam.webb@owh.com  

 

Please visit Green Omaha Coalition website for more information on both of these events.

USGBC NFC Townhall Meeting, TOMORROW, November 5th, 3:00-5:00 p.m

When: TOMORROW! Tuesday, November 5th 

Time: 3:00 p.m.- 5:00 p.m.

Where: Aksarben Cinema, 2110 S. 67th St., Omaha, NE  68106

Free Event Registration: RSVP for Townhall Meeting

This year, USGBC turned 20, and the Nebraska Flatwater Chapter is turning 10. Help us assess the focus and future of the organization with a Town Hall meeting, held in conjunction with the 2013 Reel to Real event (http://reeltorealomaha.com/). The purpose of this Town Hall is to talk with our local constituents, supporters, members and partners in order to help identify the issues, needs and opportunities in Nebraska specifically. Together, with chapters across the country, we can write the story for the next 20 years.

At the local level, we want to engage those in the building community who are aligned with the greater vision, but maybe who are not yet at the table. To think BIG, we need a diversity of voices. This is the INTEGRATIVE PROCESS at the community scale. As part of a unified community, we'll explore some BIG questions, capture them, analyze them and share the results through the USGBC network.

We hope you can participate in this live event. It's important that we bring a diversity of voices to this table. Contractors, Designers, Equipment Suppliers, Consultants, and other Stakeholders in the industry are all welcome. Please feel free to pass along to your members in Omaha. (Note that we hope to follow-up with a webinar version of this meeting to broaden our reach across the state).

As a thank-you for participating, FREE drinks and popcorn will be provided!

Thanks!

Sarah Gudeman, PE, CEM, LEED AP BD+C

Chapter Chair, USGBC Nebraska Flatwater Chapter

USGBC NFC Member & Volunteer of the Year 2013 Announced!

Congratulations to Mike Kros, the USGBC Nebraska Flatwater Chapter Member and Volunteer of the Year for 2013!

Mike has contributed to the chapter continuously for many years now. He has been the Chapter's dedicated Green Schools Chair for the past 4 years, and plans to continue on in that role for 2014 as well! He's planned summits, expos and incorporated the new National event, Green Apple Day of Service into his repetoire.

Though the voting was close amongst our nominees, Mike's ongoing efforts have been acknowledged and appreciated by Chapter Members and Leadership alike.

The award will be presented at our Winter Membership Appreciation event (date TBD). Keep an eye out for that and offer your congratulations to Mike in the meantime at: greenschools@usgbcne.org

Again, thanks to all of our volunteers, we couldn't operate without you!!! 

USGBC NFC Monthly Lunch October 2013 - Deep Energy Retrofits

Date: Tuesday, October 15, 2013 

Time: 12:00p.m.-1:00p.m. (registration starts at 11:30am)

Location: Kiewit Plaza, Cloud Room, 3555 Farnam, Omaha, NE, 68131

Costs are $15 for individual NFC members, $25 for nonmembers, and $10 for students (lunch is included). 

This session will be registered for 1 hour of GBCI and AIA CEU. 

Please register and pay on-line using this link: Register - or RSVP to programs@usgbcne.org and pay at the door using credit card, check, or cash.  

Instead of constructing new buildings, many real estate professionals see improving and repositioning existing buildings as an opportunity to create value for an organization.  How can these professionals maximize building investment and value beyond obvious and simple efficiency improvements with minimal added capital expenditure? By digging deeper with energy retrofits.

Join us for this webinar in which experts from the New Buildings Institute, Glenborough Properties, and Rocky Mountain Institute share real project data, strategies, lessons, business rationale and financial information uncovered in their research and buildings. Hear how investors and owner-occupants successfully implemented deep energy investments in existing buildings, while achieving big energy savings (up to 50 percent!) and increasing the value of their buildings. 

Please try to carpool!

USGBC Green Apple Day of Service 2013 - Nebraska

This year the USGBC NFC will join thousands of volunteers worldwide in the second annual Green Apple Day of Service.  The Green Apple Day of Service is an initiative from the Center for Green Schools at the U.S. Green Building Council that brings together advocates from around the world to promote green practices in their communities through service at local schools.
 

This year, the USGBC NFC is teaming up with Bryan High School in Omaha.  The Urban Agriculture and Natural Resources Career Academy at Bryan High School is taking the lead in kicking off recycling at the school. During an assembly scheduled to be the first week of October (date and time TBD -- see note below), a group of students are going to bring education and awareness to the Academy by giving a presentation explaining the benefits of recycling and their new recycling program. In the weeks following, other members of the Academy will then present to home room classes in order to spread awareness throughout the school. Bryan high School applied for a grant that will outfit the school with recycling bins. Volunteers at the event can help by hanging up signage around the school, and by labeling and distributing recycling bins throughout the school.    
 
Please come help the Urban Agriculture and Natural Resources Career Academy at Bryan High School by showing your support at the Recycling Kick-Off Event! We hope to see you there!
  
The Bryan HS project is only one of many Green Apple Day of Service projects happening in the state.  Follow the link below for more information for other opportunities to participate in Green Apple Day of Service events in Nebraska:  Nebraska Green Apple Day of Service Locations 

(please note the Bryan HS event date of October 1st posted on the Green Apple Day of Service website is only a place holder and the actually date/time will be determined and announced soon)  

Great news! LEED Professionals will earn one CE hour for each hour you volunteer, for up to 50% of total CE requirements when you participate in a Day of Service project!  

2014-15 Board of Directors Elections - Call for Nominees

Make a difference.

Expand your professional network.

Help advocate sustainable design locally. 

Candidates for your local USGBC chapter Board of Directors are being sought for the 2014-2015 board cycle. Candidates should bring the membership diversity, leadership qualities, and other qualifications needed to assure strong and dynamic local leadership for the US Green Building Council.

Nominations will be accepted for five (5) board seats this year, please review responsibilities listed in the Elections Fact Sheet.

Candidates will be selected based on their expertise, potential contributions, leadership experience, diversity and continuity for the overall board as outlined in the criteria.  

Applications must be received no later than Friday, November 1, 2013.

To apply, download and fill out the Nomination Application, then submit to 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.  

  

Best Regards,

USGBC NFC Elections Committee

2013 NE Green Building Industry Update

The Nebraska Green Building Industry
There are currently 45 organizations with headquarters in Nebraska that are members of USGBC. These
organizations, along with many other member organizations operating in the state, represent the diverse segments of Nebraska’s building industry. These organizations employ more than 371,000 people and gross more than $2 billion in annual revenue.

The Nebraska Flatwater Chapter of the U.S. Green Building Council functions as the premier forum for leadership, education, advocacy and resources, and provides events and networking opportunities for the green building industry and community at large.

There are also 902 LEED credentialed professionals in Nebraska, and the number is growing fast. These are individuals in various fields who hold this credential to allow them to compete and perform more effectively in the green building market.

Leading by Example
Public policy can accelerate private sector uptake of practices and methods that yield wide-reaching benefits
of healthier, more efficient, lower-impact buildings. Government leadership can also be an effective driver. The State of Nebraska has taken important steps to support the state’s green building industry through authorizing legislation for local governments that promote and spur investment in green building. Locally, Nebraska municipal governments are working towards policy commitments that advance better building practices by rewarding leadership with LEED and reaping the benefits of green government buildings, such as saving tax-payer money. Leading by example, the State of Nebraska has 6 LEED registered and certified buildings owned or occupied by state government.

Communities throughout Nebraska are beginning to invest in schools that create a healthy environment that
is conducive to learning while saving energy, resources and money. Currently, there are 28 LEED registered and certified K-12 and Higher Education projects in Nebraska. To date, of the nation’s 20 largest school districts, 80 percent have committed to green school construction.

LEED Certified Buildings, Schools, Homes, and Neighborhoods
Nebraska ranks 44th in the nation with 127 commercial buildings that are LEED registered and certified, totaling more than 13 million square feet of LEED registered and certified green building space. Notably, Nebraska ranks 39th for registrations and certifications under the LEED for Schools and LEED for Existing Buildings: Operations and Maintenance rating systems. For green building stats, facts, analytics and more, visit the Nebraska page in the Green Building Information Gateway (www.GBIG.org).

Generally, homes designed, built and certified to LEED are more comfortable, durable and energy and water efficient. In total, Nebraska has 53 LEED registered and certified homes across the state. Saving energy, water and money through high-performing green buildings that are built above and beyond code is increasingly prevalent in Nebraska. Government leadership and policy initiatives can play an important role in making Nebraska an even more important state for businesses leading in the emerging green economy.

USGBC NFC Monthly Lunch September - Energy Modeling in Building Design

Date: September 17, 2013
Time: 12:00 p.m. - 1:00 p.m. (registration begins at 11:30 a.m.)
Place: Kiewit Plaza, Cloud Room, 3555 Farnam, Omaha, NE, 68131

Costs are $15 for individual NFC members, $25 for nonmembers, and $10 for students (lunch is included).

This session will be registered for 1 hour of GBCI and AIA CEU.
Please register and pay on-line using this link:   Register or RSVP to programs@usgbcne.org and pay at the door using credit card, check or cash.

The 2012 American Institute of Architect’s Guide to Integrating Energy Modeling in the Design Process expresses a critical professional need to more clearly understand and utilize energy modeling. Beyond the business benefits energy modeling provides practice, is the transformed potential of conceptual energy modeling to produce energy efficient architecture. Today this is accomplished using specific software often utilized by energy consultants. Building information modeling (BIM) could expand energy modeling use beyond these experts. BIM plays a critical role for assisting designers in making the best decisions about energy savings in building design.  It enables evaluation of energy considerations to occur early in conceptual design. BIM brings significant change to the architectural design process by introducing energy modeling early and thereby shortening the distance between evaluation and design. 

The presentation, given by Tim Hemsath, USGBC NFC Board of Directors Regional Representative, LEED AP, Associate Professor, College of Architecture, UNL, will highlight modeling energy in building design helping attendees understanding what building performance simulation is, the role of building energy modeling (BEM) in the design process, conceptual design decisions, sensitivity analysis and design optimization, and how BIM affords assisting designers to evaluate design decisions. Key decisions about when and what to simulate during design is important to understand to reduce energy consumption of buildings. Talk is relevant to  LEED v4 credit for Integrative process using energy modeling throughout the design development process

USGBC NFC Monthly Lunch August 2013 - LEED v4: Technical Overview

Date: August 20, 2013
Time: 12:00p.m.-1:00p.m. (registration starts at 11:30am)
Location: Kiewit Plaza, Cloud Room, 3555 Farnam, Omaha, NE, 68131

Costs are $15 for individual NFC members, $25 for nonmembers, and $10 for students (lunch is included). 

This session will be registered for 1 hour of GBCI
and AIA CEU. 

Please register and pay on-line using this link: Register for NFC Lunch. Or RSVP to programs@usgbcne.org and pay at the door using credit card, check or cash.
LEEDv4 was approved in June, are you prepared for the changes? We will take a first look at changes to credits, credentials and submissions to give LEED users an overview of the new rating system.

The presentation, given by USGBC NFC board member Shervin Ansari, will give a broad look at some of the changes and additions to LEED v4 including technical improvements, new categories, and the transition from LEED 2009 to LEED v4.


Please try to carpool

The Future of Omaha's Office of Sustainable Development

The City’s Recommended Budget for 2014 - Planning Department is not recommending funding for the Office of Sustainable Development be included as part of the City’s General Fund for next year. This means the Office of Sustainable Development, also known as ECO-Omaha, will close after December 31, 2013.

The primary purpose of the ECO-Omaha office is to help strategically implement the Environment Element for the city, to implement strategic and shovel-ready energy projects within the City and creating tools to track and monitor energy use and greenhouse gas emissions within the City’s facilities and operations, as well as for the community at large. As a result of these projects, the City realized a 16% drop in energy use between 2009 and 2012, as well as a 13% drop in municipal greenhouse gas emissions.

ECO-Omaha staff continue to hold a future vision for Omaha and have worked hard over the past four years to nurture the types of change that are needed for Omaha to develop sustainably.

The Public Hearing on the City’s Recommended Budget for 2014 is scheduled for Tuesday, August 13, at 7:00 pm in the City’s Legislative Chambers.

As a partner organization, USGBC Nebraska Flatwater Chapter (USGBC NFC) would support the continuation of the ECO-Omaha office, and the paid staff position of Sustainability Coordinator for the city of Omaha. Other cities, even amongst hiring freezes and job cuts, have hired Sustainability Coordinators as these positions typically pay for themselves through the initiatives they oversee to save energy, water and other resources. Sustainability initiatives can save taxpayer money, and the continuation of a paid position helps nonprofit organizations without staff, like USGBC NFC, further our mission through partnerships with local companies and individuals. 

NFC Scholarship to Greenbuild 2013 Available!

Exciting news, the USGBC NFC board has approved a $1,200 scholarship for one chapter member to attend Greenbuild, November 20th - 22nd, 2013 in Philadelphia!

If you or someone you know someone would be interested in applying, please follow the link below for more information and to apply (chapter leaders are eligible as well). Early Registration ends September 9th: NFC Greenbuild Scholarship Application

If you are interested in serving on the Selection Committee, please let Bryce Johnson know at vicechair@usgbcne.org

The conference features three days of inspiring speakers, invaluable networking opportunities, industry showcases, LEED workshops and tours off the host city’s green buildings.Visit http://greenbuildexpo.org/home.aspx for more info.

2013 Greening the Heartland/Building Chicago Sept 9-11, Registration Discount Codes

Dates: September 9-10, 2013, co-located with BuildingChicago September 10-12, 2013

Location: Holiday Inn Mart Plaza, 350 W Mart Center Dr, Chicago, IL (312) 836-5000

Registration opened April 15th. The website for information and registration is:   

http://greeningtheheartland.squarespace.com/  

Please note that you may be eligible to register at a discounted rate by using one of the following codes:  USGBC, NONPROF and GOVT

USGBC NFC call for content for Greening the Heartland 2013! We are seeking input on 2012/2013 Nebraska Sustainability Efforts: Do you have a project, team, group or other success story from the past year you'd like to share with the greater Greening the Heartland community? GTH will be taking place this fall in Chicago and currently has over 100 registrations. As a regional Green Building conference, each chapter is asked to submit content that makes us unique as a USGBC Chapter and a state. If you have ideas for submissions, please contact Sarah Gudeman at chair@usgbcne.org. 

These submissions can be successful implementation of any idea, technology or experience related to our chapter's mission to "serve as a catalyst for change in the state of Nebraska by promoting green building practices, technologies, policies and standards through partnerships with other organizations."

Room and Ride Share Discussion on Linkedin: 

GTH Room and Ride Share 

Conference Theme - Resilience: In this tenth anniversary of Greening the Heartland (GTH), the U.S. Green Building Council's Midwest regional conference, we want to encourage robust discussion of how the Heartland's building industry is evolving to embed resilience into its solutions for the built environment as focused in the topic following topic areas: Health & Environmental Quality, High Performance Buildings & Building Science, Design for Resilience, Green Technologies & Materials, Natural Capitalism, Sustainable Community & Campus, Process, and more. The GTH track will be extended to run through the BUILDINGChicago conference offering added opportunities for sharing green building best practices and continuing education for LEED Accredited Professionals. 

 GTH2013 will include a large exhibitor area, interactive displays, and special networking events. The exhibit hall will be open during the BUILDINGChicago conference the evening of September 10, 2013 and close the evening of September 11, 2013.

USGBC NFC Summer Member Appreciation Event

When: Thursday, July 25th, 2013
Time: 3:30pm - 6:30pm
What: Tour of OPS Davis Middle School (132nd & State Streets, Omaha, NE 68142)
Followed by:  Social at: Salt 88 (Eagle Run Square, 3623 N. 129th St. Omaha, NE 68164)

Cost: Free for members, $10 donation for non-members. Food and Drink provided by the chapter.

Please RSVP to: programs@usgbcne.org or on-line at this link:        http://events.r20.constantcontact.com/register/event?llr=574npkcab&oeidk=a07e7qm4zq51a26f7ab

USGBC Nebraska Flatwater Chapter takes this opportunity to thank our local chapter members and sponsors with an education tour and happy hour event.

3:30 - 4:30pm - We will kick off the evening with a tour of the newly constructed Alfonzo W. Davis Middle School located at 132nd and State Street in Omaha Nebraska. The school facility is rich in technology and state of the art architectural design. There are two green roofs at the school for students and staff to incorporate in student learning activities. OPS Davis is pursuing LEED certification and when awarded will be the first LEED certified middle school in the region.

For the tour, please park in the main parking lot on the South side of the building and meet at the main building entrance. Please follow this link to view OPS Davis MS July Access details

After the tour, join us for a networking social at Salt 88 (Eagle Run Square, 3623 N 129th St, Omaha, NE, 68164) from 4:30pm - 6:30pm. Food and Drinks will be provided by the chapter. . 

We hope to see you there!

USGBC NFC/Colorado Green Associate Exam Prep Class

Thinking of becoming a LEED Green Associate or need a refresher course?  Our local chapter is partnering with the Colorado USGBC chapter to host a live/online USGBC Green Associate exam prep class.  

Event Date:   8/13, 8/15, 8/20, 8/22, 8/27, 8/29 

Event Time (each date):  6:00pm - 8:00pm

Costs for the course are $275 for Colorado and Nebraska members, $250 for students, $260 for EP members, and $300 for Non-members.

Cost includes:

-12 hours of professional live instruction and exam preparation-Live online!

-Recorded Sessions in case you can't make a class

-90 Day access to Exam Simulator with 700 Test Questions

-8 hour LEED Green Associate Audio Book (MP3 format)

-Supplementary References with online access
-Free upgrade to any LEED AP specialty Exam Simulator
-Discounted Green Associate Study Guide for LEED Core Concepts and Strategies book
-Printable Flash cards

Go to usgbccolorado.org to register.  If you are a Nebraska Flatwater member use our discount code of "N3braska" for discounted registration.

US Green Building Council Colorado’s LEED Green Associate exam prep training is hosted live - online so you can stop making excuses and start preparing in a flexible and interactive virtual classroom environment.

100% of those surveyed said they would recommend the course to a friend. At a value you can’t beat, we are sure you will find the course and its online format to be just what you were looking for.

USGBC NFC Lunch Meeting - LEED EQ3.2 Indoor Environmental Air Quality Testing

Date: July 16, 2013
Time: 12:00 p.m. - 1:00 p.m. (registration starts at 11:30 a.m.)
Location: Kiewit Plaza, Cloud Room, 3555 Farnam, Omaha, NE 68131

Costs are $15 for individual NFC members, $25 for nonmembers, and $10 for students (lunch is included).

This session will be registered for 1 hour of GBCI and AIA CEU.

You may register on-line at this link:
http://events.constantcontact.com/register/event?llr=574npkcab&oeidk=a07e7rhd1inb96f0d89. You may pay on-line using the link above via PayPal, or you may RSVP to programs@usgbcne.org and pay at the door using credit card, check or cash.

This presentation, presented by  Environmental Quality Experts owner, Sarah Poursharafeddin, MBA, LEED-AP and IAQ contractor, Becky Webster, CIE. will discuss what it takes to achieve LEED EQ3.2. and review the requirements for both the Flush Out and IAQ Testing options as outlined under credit EQ3.2 in the LEED Reference Guide. The presentation will cover the challenges and benefits to both Flush Out as well as IAQ Testing and will provide accounts from LEED projects in the Midwest that have achieved this credit, as well as non-LEED projects whose owners saw the benefit in following this aspect of the LEED Reference Guide.

Please try to carpool

Two U.S. Cities Enact New Benchmarking Mandates

The cities of Minneapolis, Minn. and Boston, Mass. have taken big steps aimed at reducing their greenhouse gas emissions through energy benchmarking!

In Minneapolis, Ordinance 47.190, enacted in February, requires public and private commercial buildings to track energy and water consumption using EPA's ENERGY STAR Portfolio Manager tool.

Boston's Building Energy Reporting and Disclosure Ordinance, enacted in May, requires large commercial and residential buildings to use Portfolio Manager to disclose annual energy use, water use, and greenhouse gas emissions.

Other states and cities with benchmarking ordinances include New York City, Boston, Philadelphia, the District of Columbia, Minneapolis, Austin, San Francisco, Seattle, California, and Washington.

Check out EPA's national collection of government policies and voluntary programs leveraging EPA's ENERGY STAR Portfolio to learn more.

USGBC NFC Monthly Lunch June 2013 - Energy Audit Procedures, Findings and Implementation

Date:        Tuesday, 6/18//2013

Time:        12:00p.m. - 1:00p.m. (check in begins at 11:30am)

Location:   Kiewit Plaza-Cloud room, 3555 Farnam, Omaha NE

Costs: $15 for individual NFC members, $25 for nonmembers, and $10 for students (lunch is included)

This session will be registered for 1 hour of GBCI and AIA CEU.  

Please register and pay online via PayPal at this link: USGBC NFC June Monthly Lunch Registration. Or, you may RSVP by emailing programs@usgbcne.org and pay at the door using a credit card, check or cash. stem or at the door using cash, check, or credit card.

Call them assessments, evaluations or audits, we can all agree that energy performance in existing buildings is the future of sustainable design and operation. Buildings in this country consume around 40% of total energy, and while new construction codes, standards and voluntary certification programs are helping improve that, a large quantity of existing building stock has plenty of room for improvement.

This presentation will be given by Sarah Gudeman, PE, CEM, LEED AP BD+C of Morrissey Engineering Inc. and will discuss the typical steps for performing energy audits, some typical findings, discuss which buildings are the best candidates for these studies, and the differences between audits and retro-commissioning. The importance of creating a usable deliverable data system for the owner will be discussed as well.

Please try to carpool!   

WasteCap NE - July Construction and Demolition Workshop

Date: July 11, 2013

Time: 8:30 a.m. - 4:30 p.m.

Where: Kiewit, 3555 Farnam Street,Omaha, NE, 68131

Map and Directions

WasteCap Nebraska, in cooperation with WasteCap Resource Solutions of Wisconsin, is sponsoring a one-day training course for Construction and Demolition Waste Recycling on Thursday July 11th in Omaha.  This course is sponsored by the Kiewit Corporation and the U.S Green Building Council Nebraska Flatwater Chapter.  Participants are eligible to receive a three-year accreditation in Construction Waste Recycling for this professional development course. Additionally, participants are now approved for 7.5 Learning Units for architecture professionals through AIA!

Cost:

• $285 - WasetCap NE Corporate Member
• $325 - WasteCap NE Individual and Associate Member
• $325 - Non-member early-bird rate - register by June 11  (hurry to take advantage of this discounted rate!)      
• $475 - Regular Non-Member rate - registration after June 11

(note: all fees incur a 3% surcharge)

The training includes specifications and contract language, identification of target materials, writing a C&D Waste Management plan, site logistics, monitoring, documentation and more.  WasteCap Resource Solutions has provided on-site construction waste recycling plans and monitoring for more than $3 billion worth of construction projects for builders, developers and owners, diverting of over 385,000 tons of debris from America's landfills.

You may register at this link: http://www.wastecapne.org/calendar/event-registration/?regevent_action=register&event_id=104

For more information, contact Carrie Hakenkamp at Chakenkamp@wastecapne.org or 402-436-2384 x1000.