8:30am – 4:00pm, Maine Audubon

Sign up now!

Registration deadline is this Friday, October 15.

The Maine Chapter of the U.S. Green Building Council is pleased to offer this full-day LEED Green Associate Workshop. The workshop is designed to introduce participants to basic green building concepts and strategies in an effort to prepare them for the LEED Green Associate Exam and Credential. Throughout the program, participants will become familiar with the US Green Building Council, Green Building Certification Institute and will gain an understanding of the LEED rating system. A portion of the program will be dedicated to exam tips, sample questions and study advice. This workshop meets the eligibility requirement for the USGBC Green Associate credential.

Faculty: Gunnar Hubbard, LEED AP BD+C, LEED AP ID+C, Principal, Fore Solutions

To learn more and to register please visit the USGBC Maine Chapter website:

www.maineusgbc.org

The following five Vornado New York properties were recently awarded LEED EB certification:

150 East 58th Street: LEED Certified
330 Madison Avenue: LEED Certified
640 Fifth Avenue: LEED Certified
770 Broadway: LEED Silver
One Penn Plaza: LEED Certified

Vornado believes that sustainable building operations and maintenance is not only an environmental imperative, but good business. Their goal is to be a leader in sustainability by creating a corporate culture that integrates principles of environmental responsibility and sustainable growth into business practices, planning and relationships.

Vornado Realty Trust LEED Project Profile

Vornado’s Sustainabilty Programs and Initiatives

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

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.

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.

On the west coast, the MGM Mirage CityCenter project has recycled more than 130,000 tons of recyclable materials generated since its inception, with 95 percent of the material diverted from landfills, according to Evergreen Recycling, reports Recycling Today. This translates into a carbon offset of 17.7 million gallons of gasoline and 385,000 barrels of crude oil, according to the article. (The Environmental Leader, Dec 22, 2009)

One of the world’s most prestigious hotel brands makes its Las Vegas debut today when the 47-story Mandarin Oriental opens at the $8.5 billion CityCenter.

It’s the third building of this week’s phased opening at MGM Mirage’s Strip resort campus and sets the stage for the Dec. 16 launch of Aria, the 4,000-room hotel-casino centerpiece of CityCenter. (Dec 4, 2009, Las Vegas Sun)

CityCenter’s unveils Crystals retail district

Adding a slew of high-end retailers to the Las Vegas Strip, CityCenter’s Crystals retail and entertainment district opened on Thursday, marking the unveiling of the massive project’s second building.

Crystals opened at noon for a charity shopping event and at 5 p.m. to the public. The 500,000-square-foot retail and dining district has direct access from Las Vegas Boulevard and houses some of the most high-end brands in fashion. (Dec 3, 2009, Las Vegas Sun)