Chapter Chair's May 2013 Note

Lacey Willard, Esq --- CBRE, Inc.---- USGBC FGC Chapter Chair

In April, the World celebrated Earth Day. And our members here in the Florida Gulf Coast Chapter of the US Green Building Council contributed to the celebrations in our own ways. Our Executive Director Colleen Mackin visited a sole repair shop to renew a pair of shoes; I enjoyed organic yogurt in the heart of the Myakka Branch, renewing bonds with visiting family members; our Chapter board member Sandra Ballestra gathered her team to distribute plants to their building’s tenants to renew growth; and our Myakka River Branch Chair Tony Stefan convened with branch board members Dale Lewis and Phil Peters to host a USGBC booth at Oscar Scherer State Park’s Earth Day party, renewing our brand in Myakka.

 And the celebrating continues! It’s Volunteer Appreciation Week at USGBC, when we recognize the wonderful volunteers who have made invaluable contributions to the green building movement. In 2012 alone, over 530,000 volunteer hours were given across the USGBC community. Read more about our nationwide efforts to build extraordinary volunteerism here. Or, contribute to your community, your family, and of course your bottom line by becoming an extraordinary volunteer right here in our Chapter.
•  Author and article for local to nationwide publication;
• Reach out to our Chapter or Branch Board of Directors for opportunities to offer education to our members;
  Participate in our partnership program as we Celebrate 10 Years of Sustainability in the Gulf Coast of Florida; and
• Attend the many events we have set for May, including: the May 2nd Emerging Professionals networking event, the May 5th SUSTAINABLE SHINDIG, the May 15th Bus Tour, the May 17th 4th Annual Premiere Healthcare Event - Reality of Reform: Innovation in Re-Invention, and our several webinar and workshop offerings



Real Life Lessons from 200 LEED Projects: How to Avoid Common and Uncommon MistakesWednesday, May 22 ---  6:30 pm - 8:30 pm
Tampa Bay Trane - 902 S Himes Ave Tampa FL


The LEED process can be daunting for professionals working on LEED projects. This presentation focuses on the lesson learned from actual LEED practitioners who work on LEED every day. You will learn tips on how to avoid the common mistakes when documenting a project and gain insight into maximizing your effectiveness when working on a LEED project.
Learning Objectives
  • Understand how to implement LEED on a project in the most cost effective manner
  • Learn what areas are special emphasis for GBCI reviewers
  • Understand how to effectively respond to GBCI comments
  • Learn what common mistakes are in a LEED submittal and how to avoid them
Given by USGBC Faculty -- Rob Hink - The Spinakker Group

CLICK HERE TO REGISTER



LEED Green Associate (GA) Exam Prep - In a nutshell ...

Completion of this class will help you prepare to take the Green Associate Exam.   

Description:  There are many Green Associate Exam Prep courses taught in Florida, but very few are being taught by USGBC LEED Faculty who are fully accredited and trained to offer this type of education.  This full-day course offers an overview of the LEED framework; concepts of integrated design; and policies and procedures for working within the LEED program.  Attendees will learn of the resources available to help prepare for the exam (including sample tests), and gain an understanding of sustainable design strategies in the built environment for site management, water use, energy use, resource management, and indoor environmental quality.

May 22nd  at Trane's Tampa Bay office, from 8:30am until 5pm.  Light lunch provided.  USGBC Florida Gulf Coast Member course registration cost is $150.  Non-member cost is $200.  

To Join the Chapter ... and save registration monies on this and other USGBC workshops, as well as support our nonprofit organization's efforts to make a green difference in Florida Gulf Coast , click here

CLICK HERE TO REGISTER







Smarter Data Better Buildings -- Discover USGBC's new Green Building Information Gateway - GBIG

The Green Building Information Gateway, coined GBIG, is a web-based tool that provides a transparent view of places, projects, collections and credits, detailing the actions and activities of LEED building owners and project teams over time. Learn more »

GBIG seeks to use maps, analytics and data-driven insights to reveal trends and processes, and to ultimately create value and competitive advantage for high performing green building projects around the world.

Tip: LEED Activity Charts

Discover LEED activity through charts and graphs that visualize data about LEED projects and professionals on GBIG Place pages. Here’s how:

  • Scroll to the bottom of the Overview page, below the timeline
  • Select from five different charts
  • Take the charts with you: export as images files or PDFs
Example: view charts for the state of Massachusetts
Tip: How to see a map view of collections or places

You can choose between a list view and a map view of Activities on GBIG Place and Collection pages. When viewing the Activities tab, look for the switch on the top right of the page to toggle between table and map. The map view presents an interactive map where you can zoom and turn on street or satellite imagery layers. See this example of a map view for the Data Centers collection »


New Content: DC Benchmarking
Earlier this year Washington, D.C.'s Department of the Environment (DDOE) released energy benchmarking results for more than 200 D.C. government managed buildings. Benchmarking data covers four years worth of energy use and carbon emissions data from city managed facilities including schools, fire stations and public office buildings among others. Learn more about the District’s benchmarking program and view a map of D.C. benchmarking results.


Featured Building: Bullitt Center
Often billing itself as the greenest office building in the world , Seattle’s Bullitt Center  officially opened it’s doors at a ribbon cutting ceremony last month. In addition to pursuing Living Building Challenge certification, the Bullitt Center was recently named an FSC Design & Build Award Winner, with the building using 100% FSC certified wood.


Research Spotlight: NAS report recommending government pursue LEED Silver
In the National Academies of Science study released in February 2013, an expert panel of the National Research Council evaluated the energy efficiency and sustainability standards used by the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD). This 230-page report contained NAS findings and recommendations that synthesized the state-of-the-art knowledge on green building rating systems such as LEED regarding: 1) costs and benefits, 2) return on investment, and 3) long-term payback of design standards related to sustainable buildings.  

The National Academy of Science’s top recommendation was to reconfirm the DoD’s use of LEED for new buildings or major renovations. To directly support their primary recommendation, the NRC states: “The preponderance of available evidence indicates that green building certification systems and their referenced building standards offer frameworks for reducing energy and water use in buildings, compared to design approaches and practices used for conventional buildings.”





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Upcoming events

22 May 2013 6:30 PM • Tampa Bay Trane - 902 S Himes Ave Tampa FL

WORKSHOPS

22 May 2013 8:30 AM • Tampa Bay Trane - 902 N. Himes Ave, Tampa, FL
22 May 2013 6:30 PM • Tampa Bay Trane - 902 S Himes Ave Tampa FL

Webinars below are provided
Thanks to our Sponsors



WEBINARS

21 May 2013 12:00 PM • St Petersburg College EPI Center - Room 1-324 -- 13805 58th St. N. in Largo, FL
22 May 2013 6:00 PM • Charlotte County - Building Services Conference Room - 18400 Murdock Circle - Port Charlotte FL 33948
04 Jun 2013 8:30 AM • Tampa Bay Trane - 902 N. Himes Avenue, Tampa, FL 33609



 
 

Thanks to our Chapter Sponsors

     

FLORIDA GULF COAST CHAPTER - P.O. Box 23603, Tampa, FL 33623-3603

Colleen Mackin Executive Director colleen@usgbc-fgc.org - Phone 727-372-3814

501(c)3 non-profit organization- a portion of your donation maybe tax deductible - please consult your accountant for further details

 No endorsement by USGBC or the FGCC of the U. S. Green Building Council is conferred simply by inclusion of any links, articles or event listing in this website.

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