Greenbuild 2009: Day One

Today is the first official day of Greenbuild 2009. Yesterday was check-in day, expo opening, and chapter events. Today begins the numerous education sessions and activities closing with Al Gore and Sheryl Crow. I expect a long, highly rewarding day.

A few updates to yesterday's comments. The closest Starbucks is actually in the West Building of the Convention Center. :-) Much closer than the location in the sports arena. No line either! Good to know.

The numbers are definitely beginning to swell so we shall see if the planning and coordination meets the needs. It is rumored that attendance is slightly down this year but that is probably to be expected.

The diversity of attendees is gratifying. No longer are we a ground concentrated with architects, engineers and contractors. We have far more policy makers and developers, government entities and financial people, and literally young and old from near and far which represents a goal that extends beyond green building.

In yesterday's chapter forum, the issue of social equity was discussed quite often and really brought to light the need to pursue diversity from all perspectives. I met with the Emerging Green Builders national committee and was very impressed with their passion. They are such wonderful champions of social equity and will inspire us to embrace the knowledge and experience of numerous backgrounds.

The forum closed with Scott Horst, Senior VP of LEED for USGBC, who presented a very inspirational speech on the 'purpose' of USGBC and finding the 'purpose' beyond the organization. He reminded us that the organization, USGBC, is a vehicle to promote a greater message of environmental stewardship and market transformation. Future generations will not remember US Green Building Council, but they will remember what we did to change the planet.

So, with that, I am inspired to jump into the education sessions and learn how we can continue to transform our market and change the planet. Nothing like BHAGs to start your day.

Make it a "green" day!

Welcome to Green Build 2009

Here we are again at Green Build! This year, we're in warm, sunny Phoenix, AZ. Quite a change of pace from the last two years of the bitter cold in Chicago and Boston. I'm not sure how I feel about it. Coming from the swampy heat of Jacksonville, FL, the cold at Green Build is often a welcome change of pace.

I expect in the evening hours, we'll appreciate the brisk of 50F instead of the bite of 20F.

So, a few updates from Day One. The Convention Center is accessible, well-marked, and extremely well organized. Looking back on the dismal days of the Chicago conference, I'm actually grateful for the organizational nightmare that was that convention. It's as if the convention organizers are determined to excel each year beyond our expectations so that the memories of Chicago are blurred by the satisfaction of subsequent years.

They're doing a fine job.

A few things to know (if you are reading this before you arrive):

First, the closest Starbucks is in the United Airlines Center (the sports arena) across from the Hard Rock Cafe. Exit the Convention Center, take a left. Go to the light, take a right. It's in the bottom floor. Can't miss it. Hey, it was important to me.

Second, the light rail system is very nice and easy to navigate. Keep in mind, though, it is not a complex route; therefore it doesn't take you many places. Basically, your options are anything on South Central. If you want to go there, great. If not, take the rail to the closest point on Central and then foot it the rest of the way.

Third, registration is on the lower level. Come in to the North Building and take the escalators downstairs. Not that you'll be hurting to find a "green shirt" to guide you in the right direction. They're eager (nearly aggressive) to assist. If you have already printed out your bar code, registration will take you about 6 seconds. I checked in Monday evening and the entire process from getting on the escalator to receiving my messenger bag was 3 minutes. Granted, it was Monday night and the crowds had not arrived yet. But, still... That's not too bad. Be prepared with your Photo ID and it will progress even faster. I highly encourage you to print out that bar code.

The overall dress code is getting far more casual this year. Many people in tshirts and jeans. A few in business suits and ties are looking disappointed. I'd bet they're going to change at lunch time.

The expo is, again, HUGE. It's in an L-shape so it doesn't appear as overwhelming, but don't be fooled. It is. Plan some time to cover it completely.

The bookstore is AWESOME! Lots of good titles, lots of good merchandise. They were setting it up when I arrived and a quick scan was impressive. Keep an eye out for this cool kids book called "Me and Green". :-) Much better take-home gift for your kids than a Green Build T-shirt that they probably will only wear to do yard work. Pick up the book and transform the next generation.

There's a number of restaurants within walking distance and a small food court in the convention center. I anticipate the food court will be inundated at lunch so it might not hurt to consider venturing out.

That's it for now. More updates to come as we venture forth and hit the education sessions.

Have a "green" day!

Mayor's Environmental Advisory Committee

Did you know...

The City of Jacksonville's Mayor, John Peyton, regularly meets with members of various environmental groups to discuss the needs of the North Florida region in terms of land use, stewardship, smart growth, conservation, green building, and overall sustainability?

I was pleased to learn that this is the case after receiving an invitation from the Mayor's office to participate on behalf of the US Green Building Council's North Florida Chapter. As many of you know, I serve as the current Vice Chair of the chapter, was chair of the Public Advocacy Committee and briefly served as Regional Representative to the Florida/Carribean Council. Needless to say, my passion for green building was tied closely to legislation and municipal ordinances. After nearly two years of committed focus on assisting with the Sustainable Building Ordinance, I am pleased to say it passed and Jacksonville is now among many other cities embracing green building and offering incentives to those pursuing a third-party certification.

Go Jacksonville!

As you can imagine, I was thrilled to receive the invite to participate.

Among those organizations represented:

• US Green Building Council North Florida
• The Jacksonville Arboretum
• Greenscape
• St. Johns Riverkeeper
• North Florida Land Trust
• The Trust for Public Land
• The River Alliance
• Sustainable Jacksonville
• Sierra Club
• Timucuan Preserve
• The Public Trust
• Museum of Science and History

The format was a round table discussion with Mayor Peyton leading the conversation which addressed the master plan for the Riverwalk, the Stormwater Fee program, stimulus money, Reality Check, and the City's commitment to conservation measures on an administrative level. Derek Igou, COJ's Sustainability Officer, and Vince Siebold with the Environmental Quality Division, were also on hand to offer insight.

The bottom line is there's a lot of great things happening in the City yet we still have far to go.

As was stated at the meeting, with so little in the way of budget and available money, the best thing we can do right now is plan for a sustainable future. What should the plan look like for when the cash is flowing again? How do we plan for smart growth and low impact development before development ramps up again?

What do we need to do right NOW to ensure future development is executed responsibly?

The Mayor's Environmental Advisory Committee is meeting again in July to continue this conversation and keep up the momentum.

So, what do we need the City to know and what what we can provide for them so that they can execute our plan for environmental stewardship, smart growth and green building?

Let's start talking!

Ellen

Breaking News: Jacksonville's Sustainable Building Ordinance

It's passed!

The Ordinance was voted on this evening at the City Council meeting and I have it on good authority that it was approved!

*applause*

Thanks to all the hard working people that have dedicated so much time, expertise, passion, and knowledge to this cause.

We also commend the City of Jacksonville, their City Council, and the COJ leadership that had the vision to see how important sustainability is to Jacksonville.

Now, it's time to spread the word about how this ordinance can benefit developers and those considering LEED certification.

THIS is the carrot we've all been hoping for.... This is the incentive we've needed to assist our clients in making the right, green decision on their building projects.

Remember: fast-track permitting is a good thing. Time is money. Saving time means saving money. Help your clients save money by saving time and achieve the added benefit of saving the planet.

It's a good day in J-ville!

Jacksonville Sustainable Building Ordinance

After over a year of hard work by dedicated members of Jacksonville's Environmental Protection Board, the Environmental Quality Division of the COJ, the US Green Building Council of North Florida, and many, many more concerned citizens of our City....

The Sustainable Building Ordinance will be voted on tomorrow, Tuesday, April 14th, by the City Council!

Join us at 5pm for the City Council Meeting and support the City's sustainable efforts.

For more information, www.coj.net

GreenBuild Update

What a difference a year makes.

No lines. Well, no unreasonable or infuriating lines.

Check in was uneventful (therefore brilliant)!

There hasn't been any seating issues.... yet. (The breakout sessions begin this afternoon.)

The expo is huge and roomy.

And the opening plenary was inspirational.

Archbishop Desmond Tutu. Wow. Just wow. He is the type of person that reminds you that simplicity is genius. That we cannot get bogged down in the weeds of doing right. That tinkering with the process and logistics of social responsibility should not be the focus. That simply making the decision to change is enough. Yesterday, I may not have believed that. Today, I think I do.

And, like all people of greatness, he ended with one simple action - help. Help change the world. Just help. That's simple, right?

I swear, I really believe it is.

So that was our action item from the most reverend Archbishop. And I pass that along to you. Please help. Find your passion, whatever it is and help make the change.

OK, to change gears for a brief moment. I would be remiss if I painted the rosiest picture of Greenbuild so I will mention a few little details that have caused some frustration.

Dear USGBC Planning Committee: If you're going to start a whisper campaign of LEED 2009 changes and LEED v.3 and what's going to happen, and how it's going to change, and when it will all come together, can you PLEASE not schedule an 8-hour course for $500 called "LEED 2009 Technical Review"? One might think, at a session such as that, you would be releasing all the super-secret-squirrell information on what is happening with LEED 2009. Wouldn't you?

We did.

Let's just say that it wasn't. So, you have to imagine that the room was full of people a little disgruntled over the misperception.

Now, the good news from that bit is that they are doing a specialty update session to cover both LEED v.3 and GBCI's plan for the AP exam. Which is great. And, I'll be there.

But it would have been REALLLLLY nice to know this before we came to Boston (and saved the $500 on the LEED 2009 Technical Review).

So, on the whole, good. With little bits of 'eh'. I'm optimistic about the remainder of the week.

Stay tuned!

GreenBuild 2008

We're off to Boston, MA!

This week, Mary, Catherine, and I will be in Boston for the USGBC Greenbuild International Conference and Expo to gather up as much green building information as we can possibly stuff into three minds.

As always, Sustainabuild will keep you up to date on what's going on, what good info there is, what innovations, updates, announcements there are, and we will make sure to pass it along to you, our faithful readers.

We expect to learn more about the LEED v.3 (or LEED 2009) updates. We plan on learning the fate of the LEED AP exam. We will be scouring the expo floor for innovations in materials and technology to enhance our green building efforts. We will hear about USGBC's Strategic Plan for the next 5 years and where the organization's focus will be.

Keep an eye out throughout the week for updates!