On another note, MGM Resorts has won the Green Key designation for the efficiency and sustainability of its operations at 12 resorts including ARIA and Vdara at CityCenter. Green Key is an international eco label for tourism facilities. (Environmental Leader)

We’re into those hot days of summer–really hot–with temperatures predicted in the mid- to upper-90s, even in [New England]. In this column [GreenBuildingAdvisor.com provides] some simple tips for keeping (reasonably) cool in hot weather or, if you use air conditioning, operating that air conditioning equipment most efficiently.

The purpose of the adjustments is to ensure accurate ratings for very large buildings, and for buildings with extremely high densities of computers and cash registers (which should now be listed in the Data Center space type in Portfolio Manager). Part of the changes in Energy Star include a cap on the office and retail square footage when assigning points based on energy performance. The result is that the Energy Star ratings for virtually all large office buildings without a significant data center are lower than they were prior to the June 7, 2010 adjustments. Project teams that accurately adjust inputs to reflect all data center and computer spaces in the Data Center space type in Portfolio Manager will see better results.

Energy Star Press Release

Portland, MAINE. Crescent Heights, a building that provides housing for medical students, was constructed by Portland-based Developers Collaborative and is targeted to achieve a LEED Platinum certification under the LEED for Homes Midrise Pilot Program. It uses 37% less energy and 30% less water than a typical housing building.

“The location itself is a wonderful green feature of the building,” said Jay Waterman, a LEED consultant and senior project manager at Fore Solutions. Residents can walk the nearby hospital and area businesses. “You can have the most ‘green’ building in the world, but if you have to drive 45 miles to get there, you are putting a lot of pollution into the environment.”

(MaineBusiness.com)

To download the original report and read a few perspectives on the issues, see below:

Download the original report: LEED Certification: Where Energy Efficiency Collides with Human Health

A few perspectives:

The Daily Climate

BuildingGreen

Healthy Building News

When: June 10, 5:30- 7:00 PM
Where: Slainte Wine Bar, 20 Preble Street, Portland, ME 04010, 207.828.0900

Speaker Panel
– Dana Fischer, Purist Energy
– Vamshi Gooje, Fore Solutions
– J.D. Lloyd, Investment Engineering

For more information visit the USGBC website.

Portland—with its vibrant arts and cultural scene, top-notch restaurants, easy access to pristine natural landscapes, and overall high quality of life—is well-poised to become a live-work destination for creative entrepreneurs.

Portland’s [Maine] creative economy is an incredibly diverse collection of people doing a dizzying array of things at a very high level. They can do all of these things (and often more than one) because Portland is such a compact and hospitable place. The growing, interconnected communities that populate our cafés, music halls, art galleries, restaurants, farmers markets and technology parks are filled with unique individuals developing original ideas and unusual talents. Live here for a while and you will meet a bunch of them, but at LiveWorkPortland, we want you to meet them all. To start out we have have picked a half dozen couples and individuals who we think represent some of the range and reach of Portland’s creative community.
LiveWork Portland website.

USGBC and China GBC sign MOU. (March 2010)

On March 29-31, Gunnar Hubbard, Principal of Fore Solutions, participated in Sixth International Building Energy Efficiency and Green Building Symposium in Beijing, China. This conference was the sixth annual conference sponsored by China’s Ministry of Housing and Urban-Rural Development (MoHURD).

This year marked a significant milestone between the United States Green Building Council (USGBC) and the China Green Building Council (CGBC). The organizations signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) agreeing to work together to advance green building opportunities and reduce carbon emissions, including joint research and educational programs around green building. Gunnar was present for the signing of the MOU. Additionally, Gunnar was privileged to be included in discussions between the CGBC and the USGBC related to China’s Three-Star green building rating system and the LEED rating system.

This was Gunnar’s 8th trip to China in the last 4 years to teach green building classes and to pursue project related opportunities. Gunnar also had meetings in Hong Kong and Shanghai.

Learn more about the USGBC and China.

Press Release

Project Information

Fore Solutions assists people with the construction of green projects, and much of its business surrounds meeting LEED standards. Ideally, Hubbard says, Fore Solutions gets involved early on, refining the goals for a project. Other times, the company is hired by the architect or design firm, or the contractor later in the process. The goal, Hubbard says, is to “help clients build buildings that make sense environmentally, make for a better work environment, and make sense financially.”

More and more, companies want to do just that, and are willing to spend extra time and money during the design process—with Hubbard’s assurance that they’ll get a return on that investment in energy savings, maintenance, and even worker productivity.

Read the entire article.