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