COMMUNITY

Eco Sin Confessions

2016 May-June, COMMUNITY, LEED impact

[vc_row row_type="row" type="full_width" text_align="left" padding_top="25"][vc_column width="1/2"][vc_single_image image="18094" border_color="grey" img_link_target="_self" img_size="full"][vc_single_image image="22089" border_color="grey" img_link_target="_self" img_size="full"][vc_column_text] By Alexandra Pecci [/vc_column_text][vc_separator type="transparent" position="center" up="30"][vc_column_text] Holley Henderson dispels the notion that environmentalists have to be perfect to be effective. [/vc_column_text][vc_separator type="transparent" position="center" up="30"][vc_column_text] Holley Henderson might be a vegetarian, but do not ask her to pass on bacon, especially if it is cooked by her mom. “Regardless of your carbon footprint, my mom’s bacon and grits can convert any vegetarian,” she says with a laugh and a subtle Birmingham, Alabama, twang. “I mean that woman can seriously cook.” Being a bacon-eating vegetarian is not the only seemingly contradictory part of Henderson’s personality. Sure, she is a Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Fellow, an environmental building speaker and consultant, founder of the Atlanta-based H2 Ecodesign, and author of the book, Becoming a Green Building Professional. But she is the first to admit her own “eco sins.” “I love a very long and very hot shower,” she says. In the car, she likes to turn on the heat, including the seat warmer, and roll the windows down. [/vc_column_text][/vc_column][vc_column width="1/2"][vc_single_image image="22090" border_color="grey" img_link_target="_self" img_size="full"][vc_column_text css=".vc_custom_1462387654824{margin-bottom: 20px !important;}"] Holley Henderson, LEED Fellow. [/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width="1/1"][vc_column_text] She regularly confesses these sins for a reason: to dispel the idea that...

At the Table

2016 May-June, COMMUNITY

[vc_row row_type="row" type="full_width" text_align="left" padding_bottom="15"][vc_column width="1/2"][vc_column_text] At the Table [/vc_column_text][vc_separator type="transparent" position="center" up="30"][vc_column_text] USGBC-LA’s Green Janitor Program reaches beyond energy-saving strategies to empower its employees. By Kiley Jacques[/vc_column_text][vc_separator type="transparent" position="center" up="30"][vc_column_text]It started with an initial conversation back in 2010 that sought to answer the question, “What could be done to promote operations and maintenance practices that focus on green building performance?” Enter the U.S. Green Building Council–Los Angeles (USGBC-LA) chapter’s Vocational Green Class with Building Skills Partnership, which stemmed from the realization that janitors, supervisors, and operations managers have a significant effect on a building’s functionality.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][vc_column width="1/2"][vc_single_image image="22155" border_color="grey" img_link_target="_self" img_size="full"][vc_column_text]Classroom instruction is given onsite at their place of employment.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row row_type="row" type="full_width" text_align="left"][vc_column width="1/1"][vc_column_text]The development phase of the program was a long one. Determining what such a program should look like meant careful consideration of its participants and the curriculum necessary to provide results-driven, on-the-job training for employees responsible for the maintenance and operations of commercial buildings, Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certified or otherwise. “It took us a good amount of time to come up with our strategy,” says Dominique Hargreaves, executive director of USGBC-LA. “The core team has worked together for over five years to make this program come to fruition.”...

Teaching the Teachers

2016 March-April, COMMUNITY

[vc_row row_type="row" type="full_width" text_align="left"][vc_column width="2/3"][vc_separator type="transparent" position="center" up="30"][vc_column_text] Teaching the Teachers [/vc_column_text][vc_separator type="transparent" position="center" up="30"][vc_column_text] A Pittsburgh program is giving local schools the tools they need to sprout their own green revolutions. By Calvin Hennick[/vc_column_text][vc_separator type="transparent" position="center" up="30"][vc_column_text]Years ago, Jenna Cramer’s high school alma mater called her up looking for advice. Cramer had just recently begun working at the Pittsburgh-based Green Building Alliance, and her former high school was in the middle of a building project. School district officials wanted to pursue Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certification, but much of the design for the new building had already been completed, and the cost of going back and starting over proved to be prohibitive. Despite district leaders’ interest in building a green school, it did not happen. They had simply waited too long. For Cramer, the scenario felt familiar. “It was the repetitive story of always being called a little too late,” Cramer says. “One of the barriers we found is that schools were calling us after they had their design and building teams onboard, and the teams were not steering them in the direction of building green and healthy schools.” The architects often lacked experience with sustainable design, she says, and as a result...

Eco by Example

2016 January-February, COMMUNITY

Three-Part Solution

2015 November-December, COMMUNITY

[vc_row row_type="row" type="full_width" text_align="center"][vc_column width="1/1"][vc_separator type="transparent" position="center" up="30"][vc_column_text] Three-Part Solution [/vc_column_text][vc_separator type="transparent" position="center" up="30"][vc_column_text] A food bank, plus a demonstration garden, plus an outdoor classroom equals a recipe for feeding the capital’s hungry. By Kiley Jacques[/vc_column_text][vc_separator type="transparent" position="center" up="30"][vc_video link="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oMJnjdK-__w"][vc_column_text css=".vc_custom_1449802533161{margin-top: 14px !important;}"]The flexible, multipurpose studio—an “Urban Food Studio”—will provide the CAFB with an all-season space for gardening, cooking education classes, and workshops.[/vc_column_text][vc_separator type="transparent" position="center" up="30"][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row row_type="row" type="full_width" text_align="left"][vc_column width="1/1"][vc_column_text]There’s a misconception about hunger in D.C.—one that suggests it’s only the homeless who use food banks. “It’s an expensive city,” notes Susie Westrup, LEED AP BD+C, manager, Paladino and Company as well as Greenbuild 2015 Legacy Project co-chair. “There are [approximately] 700,000 people in D.C. who don’t know where their next meal is coming from.” The fact is many working lower- and middle-class families visit food banks for supplemental groceries to make ends meet. One of those food banks is the Capital Area Food Bank (CAFB), with headquarters in Northeast D.C. This year alone, CAFB distributed 42 million pounds of food (the equivalent of 35 million meals) to 540,3002 people living in D.C. and six surrounding communities. Through direct service and a network of more than 500 partner agencies, CAFB feeds the hungry—though its mission goes far...

Walk of Life

2015 November-December, COMMUNITY, LEED impact

[vc_row][vc_column width="1/2"][vc_separator type="transparent" position="center" up="30"][vc_single_image image="18094" border_color="grey" img_link_target="_self" img_size="full"][vc_single_image image="20995" border_color="grey" img_link_target="_self" img_size="full"][vc_separator type="transparent" position="center" up="30"][vc_column_text] By Kiley Jacques [/vc_column_text][vc_separator type="transparent" position="center" up="30"][vc_column_text] Eco-conscious real estate developer EYA builds homes for the betterment of all. [/vc_column_text][/vc_column][vc_column width="1/2"][vc_separator type="transparent" position="center" up="30"][vc_single_image image="21008" border_color="grey" img_link_target="_self" img_size="full"][vc_column_text]Right: Brian Jackson, at the EYA office in Bethesda, Maryland. Photo by Ryan Smith[/vc_column_text][vc_separator type="transparent" position="center" up="30"][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row row_type="row" type="full_width" text_align="left" padding_bottom="25"][vc_column width="1/1"][vc_column_text] Washington, D.C.–based EYA, a 23-year-old preeminent real estate development and building firm, brings Washingtonians “life within walking distance.” Twice named “America’s Best Builder,” EYA has succeeded in settling homeowners closer to shopping, dining, and business districts in innovative urban neighborhoods characterized by walkability, thoughtfully planned spaces, and timeless architecture. At its inception, according to senior vice president Brian (A.J.) Jackson, EYA was responding to “an increased demand for opportunities to live closer in and closer to amenities.” They saw an opportunity. “That was not something large national builders were set up to provide.” With a focus on urban infill, EYA’s projects tend to be smaller and more complicated, and typically require significant development efforts, as their sites are often quite challenging. “We believed that through better design we could increase the density and really transform the townhouse product from a price-point product into...

Food Factor

2015 September-October, COMMUNITY

[vc_row row_type="row" type="full_width" text_align="left"][vc_column width="1/2"][vc_separator type="transparent" position="center" up="30"][vc_column_text] Food Factor [/vc_column_text][vc_separator type="transparent" position="center" up="30"][vc_column_text] The University of the District of Columbia’s new business-incubator kitchen is instrumental to the success of its Urban Food Hub solution. By Kiley Jacques[/vc_column_text][vc_separator type="transparent" position="center" up="30"][vc_column_text]Located in the nation’s capital, the University of the District of Columbia’s (UDC) new business-incubator kitchen will soon be a highly visible model for changing the way people think about food security in urban areas. The result of a $280,000 award from the second annual Sustainable DC Innovation Challenge, the new kitchen—intended as a space for food and nutrition education as well as job-skills and entrepreneurship training—is projected to be fully operational in November 2015. As one component of a larger Urban Food Hub model, the kitchen will serve lower-income residents looking for a leasable space from which to launch their own businesses. William Hare, UDC’s Associate Dean of Land Grant Programs, lists the Food Hub’s four components: food production, which includes field crops, hydroponic systems, and aquaponic systems; food preparation, which he describes as “taking the product and adding value to it”; food distribution; and food waste management. All are integral to UDC’s holistic vision for a food-secure city. The ultimate goal being to...

Finish Line

2015 September-October, COMMUNITY

[vc_row][vc_column width="1/3"][vc_separator type="transparent" position="center" up="30"][vc_single_image image="18094" border_color="grey" img_link_target="_self" img_size="full"][vc_single_image image="20513" border_color="grey" img_link_target="_self" img_size="full"][vc_column_text] By Kiley Jacques [/vc_column_text][vc_separator type="transparent" position="center" up="30"][vc_column_text] Pending LEED Gold-certification, the Whitney Museum capitalizes on its new, unique location. [/vc_column_text][/vc_column][vc_column width="2/3"][vc_separator type="transparent" position="center" up="30"][vc_single_image image="20516" border_color="grey" img_link_target="_self" img_size="full"][vc_column_text]Photography By Nic Lehoux[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row row_type="row" type="full_width" text_align="left" padding_bottom="25"][vc_column width="1/1"][vc_column_text] It was clear that the High Line was to be the major point of our attention and the Hudson River, of course. The project needed to relate to both,” says Renzo Piano Building Workshop (RPBW) partner Elisabetta Trezzani, who was involved from the very beginning when New York City’s new Whitney Museum was but a concept being discussed at its former Madison Avenue location. The museum’s move downtown is a “return to its roots in the Village,” since at its opening in 1931, the Whitney stood on West 8th Street. Its second reincarnation, in 1954, saw it grow to 65,000 square feet on Madison Avenue and 75th Street. Ultimately, however, the Marcel Breuer-designed building could accommodate only 10 percent of the museum’s permanent collection, which led to yet another relocation. Now, situated at the southernmost entrance of the High Line, it is a strong visual and physical tie to the urban landscape. “One of the main points was...

Gateway to Sustainability – video test

Posted at 18:52h in 2015 July-August, COMMUNITY

[vc_row row_type="row" type="full_width" text_align="left"][vc_column width="1/2"][vc_separator type="transparent" position="center" up="30"][vc_column_text] Gateway to Sustainability [/vc_column_text][vc_separator type="transparent" position="center" up="30"][vc_column_text] A St. Louis community has faith-based response to climate change. By Jeff Harder[/vc_column_text][vc_separator type="transparent" position="center" up="30"][vc_column_text]The U.S. Green Building Council’s (USGBC) Missouri Gateway chapter and Missouri Interfaith Power and Light are both based in St. Louis, and the common ground doesn’t stop there. A national organization with chapters all across the country, Interfaith Power and Light (IPL) advances energy conservation, energy efficiency, and renewable energy in congregations and religious communities as a faith-based response to climate change. “The congregations that support Missouri IPL have a specific interest in reducing their carbon footprint and their buildings’ energy use,” says Emily Andrews, executive director of the Missouri Gateway chapter. Last year, thanks to a USGBC Impact Grant, the Missouri chapters partnered to provide energy audits for 10 congregations around St. Louis.[/vc_column_text][vc_separator type="transparent" position="center" up="10"][vc_column_text] [/vc_column_text][vc_separator type="transparent" position="center" up="10"][/vc_column][vc_column width="1/2"][vc_separator type="transparent" position="center" up="30"][vc_single_image image="20248" border_color="grey" img_link_target="_self" img_size="full"][vc_separator type="transparent" position="center" up="10"][vc_column_text]Missouri Interfaith Power and Light has environmental stewardship in their ministry’s mission. Photo: Kari R. Frey, FREYtography. [/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row css=".vc_custom_1424119896533{margin-top: 25px !important;}" row_type="row" type="full_width" text_align="left" padding_top="15"][vc_column width="1/1"][vc_column_text] // // ]]> “That energy audit was a good starting point. Then the thought became: ‘We have this energy audit—what’s next?...

Gateway to Sustainability

2015 July-August, COMMUNITY

[vc_row row_type="row" type="full_width" text_align="left"][vc_column width="1/2"][vc_separator type="transparent" position="center" up="30"][vc_column_text] Gateway to Sustainability [/vc_column_text][vc_separator type="transparent" position="center" up="30"][vc_column_text] A St. Louis community has faith-based response to climate change. By Jeff Harder[/vc_column_text][vc_separator type="transparent" position="center" up="30"][vc_column_text]The U.S. Green Building Council’s (USGBC) Missouri Gateway chapter and Missouri Interfaith Power and Light are both based in St. Louis, and the common ground doesn’t stop there. A national organization with chapters all across the country, Interfaith Power and Light (IPL) advances energy conservation, energy efficiency, and renewable energy in congregations and religious communities as a faith-based response to climate change. “The congregations that support Missouri IPL have a specific interest in reducing their carbon footprint and their buildings’ energy use,” says Emily Andrews, executive director of the Missouri Gateway chapter. Last year, thanks to a USGBC Impact Grant, the Missouri chapters partnered to provide energy audits for 10 congregations around St. Louis.[/vc_column_text][vc_separator type="transparent" position="center" up="10"][vc_column_text] [/vc_column_text][vc_separator type="transparent" position="center" up="10"][/vc_column][vc_column width="1/2"][vc_separator type="transparent" position="center" up="30"][vc_single_image image="20248" border_color="grey" img_link_target="_self" img_size="full"][vc_separator type="transparent" position="center" up="10"][vc_column_text]Missouri Interfaith Power and Light has environmental stewardship in their ministry’s mission. Photo: Kari R. Frey, FREYtography. [/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row css=".vc_custom_1424119896533{margin-top: 25px !important;}" row_type="row" type="full_width" text_align="left" padding_top="15"][vc_column width="1/1"][vc_column_text] // // ]]> “That energy audit was a good starting point. Then the thought became: ‘We have this energy audit—what’s next?...

This Issue

features

LEED impact categories

departments