Association News
USGBC selects official education provider
Bloomington Ind. – The U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) has selected the Ashkin Group as an official Educational Provider. It is the first time the USGBC has selected a member of the cleaning industry as an official Education Provider.
The Ashkin Group was acknowledged for its half-day program entitled “Solving the Green Cleaning Puzzle.” The material and interactive activities enable participants to gain a more thorough knowledge of Green cleaning in both practice and application.
The Education Provider Program (EPP) facilitates access to high quality professional development courses in order to further enrich the knowledge and understanding of Green building theory, techniques, and trends for building professionals.
Each course in the Education Provider Program is reviewed by third-party-trained reviewers and meets the criteria and guidelines established by the USGBC Professional Development Committee. Many of these courses also satisfy continuing education requirements of other professional organizations. For more information, see www.usgbc.org/DisplayPage.aspx?CMSPageID=97&
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Building green jobs
WASHINGTON, D.C. – The United Steelworkers (USW), the Sierra Club, the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC), and the Blue Green Alliance, a partnership of the USW and Sierra Club, have launched a national Green Jobs for America campaign. The campaign will encourage a serious commitment to clean, renewable energy to make us more energy independent, help us end our dangerous dependence on fossil fuels, and create more than 820,000 new green jobs nationwide.
The Green Jobs for America campaign will demonstrate that investing in clean, renewable energy is the best way to fight global warming, bring skyrocketing energy costs back under control, create new, good-paying jobs and put us back on the path toward economic growth and prosperity. In addition to encouraging the right investments from the private sector, the campaign will also focus on the kinds of policies that are needed to fight global warming, expand clean energy production and reform unfair trade agreements.
The public education campaign will take place in New York, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Wisconsin, Minnesota, Indiana, Missouri, Virginia, Tennessee, Florida, Oregon, and Nebraska. The campaign will run through September 15, 2008. For more information, see www.sierraclub.org
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Seeking green jobs
WASHINGTON, D.C. – The U.S. Green Buildings Council (USGBC) now offers an online career center for searching and posting green jobs. This searchable job listing site has jobs from across the industry.
Companies looking for qualified applicants can post openings while job seekers can search current postings and also store resumes for viewing by prospective employers. Prices for companies to post job openings are very competitive compared to other career sites and uploading resumes for job seekers is free. For more information, see careercenter.usgbc.org/
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How to encourage sustainability
WASHINGTON, D.C. — State and local governments use a variety of incentive-based techniques to encourage green building practices. A report by the American Institute of Architects (AIA) evaluates the different types of incentive programs and pinpoints the most attractive:
- Tax incentives – temporarily reduced taxes for specific levels of green measures and certification. Local example, city tax exemption, Cincinnati, Ohio. A 100% tax exemption for LEED certified buildings, not to exceed $500,000 over 15 years for new buildings and over 10 years for renovations, is offered by the city. If the building receives LEED Platinum certification, there is no maximum exemption.
- Density / floor area ratio bonuses – implement height bonuses, floor area/ration bonuses, reductions in landscaping requirements and inclusion of green roof space as landscaping/open space in return for achieving levels of green building ratings. Local example, green building incentive program, Arlington, Virginia. This incentive awards commercial projects and private developments that earn LEED certification additional density between .15 and .35 FAR and/or additional height of up to three stories (the higher the certification level, the greater the density awarded). Certification does not guarantee additional density – projects are analyzed on a case-by-case basis. The Master Certificate of Occupancy is awarded when the building is certified.
- Expedited permitting – streamline the permitting process for building, plan and site permits on projects that achieve a certain level of sustainability. Local example, Chicago Green Permit Program. This program reduces the permitting process for developers and owners who build green to less than 30 business days and, in some cases, less than 15 days. The length is determined by the number of green building elements, the LEED certification level, and the project complexity.
The report makes additional recommendations, including:
- Hire trained professionals in multiple departments who are knowledgeable about sustainable design and green rating systems to ensure expedited permitting and zone fee reductions can be executed.
- Conduct public education campaigns to better inform the public and building owners on the environmental, economic and public health benefits of green buildings.
- Target a wide spectrum of builders, developers, owners and operators with a mix of mutually beneficial incentive options.
- Develop grant and loan programs to address needs of smaller businesses.
- Seek federal support for green building through grant programs, district tax credits and small business loans.
For more information, see www.aia.org/
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USGBC selects official education provider
Bloomington Ind. – The U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) has selected the Ashkin Group as an official Educational Provider. It is the first time the USGBC has selected a member of the cleaning industry as an official Education Provider.
The Ashkin Group was acknowledged for its half-day program entitled “Solving the Green Cleaning Puzzle.” The material and interactive activities enable participants to gain a more thorough knowledge of Green cleaning in both practice and application.
The Education Provider Program (EPP) facilitates access to high quality professional development courses in order to further enrich the knowledge and understanding of Green building theory, techniques, and trends for building professionals.
Each course in the Education Provider Program is reviewed by third-party-trained reviewers and meets the criteria and guidelines established by the USGBC Professional Development Committee. Many of these courses also satisfy continuing education requirements of other professional organizations. For more information, see www.usgbc.org/DisplayPage.aspx?CMSPageID=97&
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EPA guide help businesses confront climate challenge
WASHINGTON, D.C. – The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is releasing a new resource, A Business Guide to U.S. EPA Climate Partnership Programs, for businesses committed to addressing the risks and opportunities associated with climate change.
The guide features profiles on 35 EPA climate-change related partnership programs, as well as a table to enable companies to look up programs most appropriate for their industry and business objectives. Each program profile defines the environmental value delivered by the program and the business case for participating, such as cost savings, operational efficiency, reduced business risk, new or expanded markets, enhanced reputation, and brand protection.
For copies of the guide, visit: www.epa.gov/partners
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USGBC relaunches web site
WASHINGTON, D.C. – The U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) has re-launched its popular Greenbuild365 Web site. Visitors will find increased educational offerings, podcasts and expanded resources, along with year-round access to plenaries and master speaker presentations from USGBC’s Annual Greenbuild Conference & Expo - the industry’s largest gathering of representatives from all sectors of the green building movement
Greenbuild365.org highlights include:
- Course Catalog: Third-party-reviewed green building courses featuring USGBC's core LEED offerings, as well as courses approved by the Education Provider Program that extend beyond the LEED green building certification program.
- Green Bytes: Free, brief "bytes" of green building education consisting of case studies, best practices and information delivered in the form of short videos, podcasts, and articles.
- Greenbuild Conference & Expo Media Library: Videos of Greenbuild keynote speakers – live during Greenbuild and later archived.
For more information, see www.usgbc.org
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APPA issues sustainability publications
ALEXANDRIA, Va. – APPA, the association promoting leadership in educational facilities, recently published two books on environmental sustainability and green practices. This is a hot topic, as administrators on college and university campuses earnestly seek to reduce their campuses' carbon footprint and enhance environmental stewardship in effective and financially efficient ways.
The anthology, The Green Campus: Meeting the Challenge of Environmental Sustainability, explores the meaning of genuine environmental sustainability—in global and localterms—while profiling excellent campus environmental programs. Editor Walter Simpson—a 25-year veteran of green campus advocacy—includes essays from top campus environment leaders and advocates, addressing various opportunities for campus greening and offering guidance and inspiration to those who promote sustainability within institutions of higher education. For more information, see www.magnetmail.net
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