Free Access to LEED 101

USGBC's popular online training LEED 101: Green Building Basics & LEED is a great introduction to green building and LEED for those new to the industry. And now, it's free for all member organizations! Be sure to make the most of this offer by sharing it with new employees, coworkers who aren't involved in your organization's green building work but could benefit from understanding the basics, and any other employee of your organization who needs an introduction to what green building is and the fundamentals of the LEED rating systems.

BD+C 252: LEED for New Construction Credit-by-Credit Review Webinar: Energy & Atmosphere

This session will be presented by Brian Hadfield of Alvine Engineering and Sarah Gudeman of Morrissey Engineering. Monday April 25th. 12-1:30pm Scott Conference Center (6450 Pine St. Omaha, NE) Check-in begins at 11:30 and lunch will be provided. RSVP to programs@usgbcne.org. Cost is $20 for members and $25 for non-members. This is the third in a 5-part webinar series on the BD+C rating system. This session explores the Energy & Atmosphere category in a credit-by-credit format, reviewing overall and individual intents and requirements of prerequisites and credits for the 2009 LEED BD+C rating system. The session will include a Q&A discussion following the presentation. Financial assistance is available for those who qualify, students (with valid ID) may attend at a discounted rate of $10. Cash or check only. Education accompanying the monthly meeting will count towards ERB-approved LEED Professional continuing education. This presentation is applicable for 1.5 AIA/CES and 1.5 GBCI LEED Specific CE Hours. Download the event flier here.

Remember to view the chapter events calendar and news feed for more information on upcoming meetings and chapter-hosted events. www.usgbcne.org

New tool provides multi-attribute, in-depth analysis of building products

via LEEDuser.com newsletter Brattleboro, Vermont - April 5, 2011 A dynamic new tool to help commercial buyers evaluate product content, certifications and other relevant data about building materials is now available through BuildingGreen. The tool, called Pharos, enables product specifiers, researchers and materials librarians to compare products within key builder categories against crucial health, environmental and energy benchmarks. Rated products receive a numerical score on a ten-point scale within each rating category. For ease of comparing individual products at a glance, scores are also color-coded. Pharos subscribers may use the system to examine the data directly in order to evaluate product attributes and chemical hazards. A Pharos user can also set filters based on scores or attributes, conduct searches and create product libraries that effectively let the user set their own priorities and preferences. For products outside the Pharos database, subscribers can use the Pharos Chemical and Material Library as a stand-alone tool to look up a chemical, polymer, metal, wood species or other material from any product and learn about any listed hazards for that material. The addition of Pharos strengthens BuildingGreen's position as the authoritative resource for the green building industry. "BuildingGreen has been a trusted source, on the leading edge of green product innovation for 20 years. Pharos adds a new level of in-depth exploration of the healthfulness and other aspects of these products," said Nadav Malin, President of BuildingGreen. Interested parties can learn more about Pharos here, or contact: Walter Pearce at walter@buildinggreen.com or 122 Birge Street, Brattleboro, VT 05301.

LEED AP+: Should You Opt In, and What To Do Once You Have

LEEDuser Webcast - Exclusively for LEEDuser Members

Tuesday, April 19th 3 p.m. ETIf you became a LEED Accredited Professional (LEED AP) in 2009 or earlier, an important date is looming. As of August 2011 (your exact date may vary), the window begins to close on your chance to opt in to the LEED AP + specialty credential program, unless you want to study for, pay for, and pass the new, more difficult exam.LEEDuser invites members to join Mara Baum, AIA, LEED AP BD+C of HOK in this webcast that will help you plan your path through the LEED Credential Maintenance Program (CMP), and answer your questions about it. Mara is the expert on the LEED CMP that other sustainability leaders turn to—and as an outsider to GBCI she gives frank advice on what professionals should do. For access to more webinars including members only webinars, $9.95 for access to the members only webinar + 1-month access to LEEDuser.com

Emissions of Greenhouse Gas Report Release

Total U.S. greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions were 6,576 million metric tons carbon diioxide equivalent (MMTCO2e) in 2009, a decrease of 5.8 percent from the 2008 level. Since 1990, GHG emissions have grown at an average annual rate of 0.4 percent.his report provides an annual inventory of anthropogenic (human-caused) greenhouse gases in the United States. See the full report at: http://www.eia.gov/environment/emissions/ghg_report/

Omaha Adds New Recyclable Items

Get Ready Omaha - we now recycle Juice Boxes and dozens of other aseptic and gable top containers! The Omaha Public Works Department is pleased to announce that gable-top and aseptic food cartons are now recyclable in Omaha's curbside and drop-off site recycling program. Gable-top cartons are containers that you will find in the refrigerated section of the grocery store and hold products such as milk, cream, fresh juice and egg substitutes. Aseptic cartons are containers that are shelf-stable, meaning they have a long shelf life and don't require refrigeration prior to opening, and hold products such as soup, broth, wine, soy milk, juice and milk. To learn more about carton food containers, click here for a FAQ. And don't forget to recycle all the other recyclables found throughout your house. Click here to go to Omaha's recycling page and review what you can recycle at http://www.omaharecycles.com/. Recycling. It's O! so Easy!

Solar-Updated Greenhouse Tour

Metropolitan Community College (MCC) will be commissioning a solar hot water system in the Horticulture Department's Fort Omaha Campus greenhouse on April 1, 2011. This is the first solar installation of its kind in the state and the first in any community college across the country. The purpose of the solar system is to assist with heating the greenhouse during the winter and to provide heat for bedding plant growing tables.The funding for the solar installation was provided by a grant from the Nebraska Energy Office.

The greenhouse was selected as a demonstration site because it provided multiple types of different heating uses and can show an energy cost savings. The technology of the solar demonstration system is readily transferable to greenhouses and hot houses across the state for bedding plants and vegetable crops, thereby impacting the economies of rural Nebraska.

Students will have access to the system for installation seminars as they disassemble and re-assemble various components of the system.The Nebraska Solar Energy Society will hold their bi-monthly meeting at the Fort Omaha Campus and provide a speaker at the buffet following the commissioning tour of the solar system. The Nebraska Solar Energy Society is a group supporting the expansion of solar technology with public education programs.For more information about the solar tour, contactMichael Shonka, Project Coordinator for Sustainable Energy Technology, at mshonka1@mccneb.edu or(402) 738-4536.

The solar tour of the greenhouse begins at 6 p.m. The tour is free. The buffet dinner follows at 7 p.m. The cost of the of the dinner is $15. RSVPs are requested at focuseg@cox.net or call Gary Boe (402) 321-2797.

Campus map link is below. Meet at Greenhouse, Bldg 27. Dinner at Bldg 21. http://www.mccneb.edu/campuslocations/maps/Fort%20Omaha%20Campus%20Map.pdf