Obama and the USGBC!

January 29, 2009
USGBC to Obama Administration:
Yes We Will.
Nation’s Green Building Leader Promotes Green Jobs as the Cornerstone to Reviving and Restoring America’s Economy
In his first full week as president, President Barack Obama is moving swiftly and boldly with the full support of the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) to chart a new course for our struggling economy – a path that invests in our buildings, from our homes to our schools, and that creates millions of new green-collar jobs and saves Americans billions in energy.

Expanding on its 16 years of work to transform our nation’s buildings and communities, USGBC is engaging closely with the Obama administration to demonstrate that immediate and long-term investments in green building and in the green economy are the down payment needed to restore America’s economic leadership.


From the East Room of the White House on Wednesday morning, President Barack Obama urges support and swift passage of an economic recovery package “so that we can climb our way out of this crisis.”


Whether meeting directly with the administration on its economic recovery plan, providing strategic advice to senior energy and environmental officials on transforming the country’s built environment, or presenting bold new ideas on expanding the green economy, USGBC is advancing green building as a central plank to rebuilding a healthy and sustained economy while putting Americans back to work.


Rick Fedrizzi, President, CEO and Founding Chairman of the U.S. Green Building Council, and Valerie Jarrett, a White House senior adviser, after President Barack Obama’s speech Wednesday in support of his economic recovery plan.


“Our member companies across the country provide examples of success to an administration that is seeking new answers and a new direction,” said Rick Fedrizzi, USGBC President, CEO and Founding Chairman. “USGBC will continue to deliver innovative and deliberative plans of action that will simultaneously create millions of green-collar jobs, reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and advance proven opportunities to deliver greener, more energy-efficient buildings.”

Read Rick's public policy ideas in Roll Call »

USGBC is actively monitoring and informing deliberations about the economic recovery package urged by President Obama and now under development in Congress. Even with passage in the House yesterday, the specifics of the plan are not yet final—and are currently the subject of debate and negotiation in both the House and Senate. Nevertheless, the following elements of the packages proposed by both chambers hold particular promise for green building and represent an important recognition of the transformative potential of existing buildings:
Green Schools: The House and Senate economic recovery plans currently provide multiple billions of dollars for modernization of K-12 and higher education facilities, with preferences or requirements for green improvement projects.
Green Federal Buildings: Both the House and Senate plans currently include several billion dollars for the General Services Administration’s Federal Buildings Fund, with green or energy efficiency requirements for funded facility projects.
Weatherization Assistance Program: Both plans would provide multiple billions of dollars for and expand the reach of the Department of Energy’s Weatherization Assistance Program, which provides weatherization services to help improve the energy efficiency of homes and enable lower energy bills for low-income families.
Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grants: The House and Senate plans currently provide multiple billions of dollars for block grant funds for states, localities, and tribes for energy efficiency projects.
Public Housing: Both packages currently provide several billion dollars for the Public Housing Capital Fund to support improvements to public housing developments, including authority or priority for energy efficiency incentives and projects.
Green Job Training: Both plans would provide billions of dollars for job training programs, with a preference or requirement that portions of such funds be used to prepare workers for jobs in the energy efficiency and renewable energy sectors.
USGBC will continue to support the new administration, working to ensure the final passage of an economic recovery package that taps the full potential of green building to advance the new green economy of the future. Dear Green Builders,

The Obama Administration’s economic recovery plan includes many important provisions for green building, green schools, and energy efficiency for existing buildings that will be of great importance to our community. This investment in our nation’s built environment will not only stimulate renewed activity, it will bear further fruit measured in energy savings, cost savings, and new green jobs.

You – as organizational leaders in the green building movement, and as individual professionals – will be needed to make sure that the tremendous potential of the “green strings” attached to billions of dollars in federal investments fulfill their promise. The professional capacity of our community that has been built around new construction will need to be refocused on our existing buildings so that initiatives like the Obama Administration’s commitment to retrofit 75% of all federal buildings will serve as an exceptional business case and build momentum to drive the market forward. As McKinsey & Co. has documented, there is more than $160 billion of cost-saving potential in our existing building stock. Your commitment to help fulfill the vision of a sustainable built environment will help make it a reality.

Our team here in Washington will continue to keep you updated on the latest developments related to green building. To get engaged and get involved, please connect with your local Chapter. We will be working through our local network throughout the year through focused educational programming and advocacy.

With gratitude,


Michelle Moore
Senior Vice President, Policy & Public Affairs

PlanetReuse @ 360 Architects Today!

A big thanks to everyone who helped set up our lunch and learn event at 360 architects today. We really enjoyed everyone's thoughts and comments and it was great to get such an overwhelmingly positive response!

I've noticed the more events, lectures and lunch and learns I attend the quicker I'm getting at picking out the groups who are like minded in sustainability efforts and this group was off the charts in terms of responsiveness, interaction and great input!

Thanks to everyone who attended and we hope to be back soon!

Rocket Surgery

Here we are almost a full year into the PlanetReuse effort, and have things changed...

Beginning with a concept for online brokering that evolved into our current state of meeting great people and connecting them with the materials they need and using the internet to leverage these connections that actually works. Not bad.

We are going through a rebranding effort lately, fixing some things on the site, tweaking the logo and exploring how we can communicate our service better. So recently after talking with a marketing firm we were asked how did we come up with our current business model. I think my answer surprised them but I said, "We shut up." And we did, we quit pretending to know all of the answers and think we could solve everything and listened to our user base. We didn't hear problems (as cheesy as it sounds), instead we used those "problems" to define our services and made them into a successful business.

I think I read this in a book from half-price books (yes even the books we buy are reused) that unless you're providing a service that makes people's lives or jobs easier you don't have a business.

Some other companies I think should shut up:

Ford, Chevy, GM - your current cars suck, this is evident because people aren't buying them. Go back to your roots and be inventive, if Henry Ford would have explored electric motors in 1891 as opposed to gasoline we'd be in a different situation. People want electric. I want electric, my wife wants electric, my friends want electric...make it happen.

Our government officials - I volunteer when I can, however I think it should be required for any elected official.

I remember a conversation coaching an inner city youth basketball league last year. And one of the 11 year olds, was talking about where he and his mom lived and the fact they had to move because the building was being torn down. I asked him if he had tried to do anything about it. He replied, (as 11 year olds who have it all figured out do) "What like invite the mayor over?! Man that dude would get lost coming over to this side..."

Good point. I suggest mandatory community service, what a great way to hear and learn about your constituents issues first hand.

CNN Money Channel - Yep. What a depressing bunch of individuals. Of course I don't expect the mainstream media to realize the exciting undercurrent of young inventors and entrepreneurs who have fantastic and sustainable ideas and concepts when their 401(k)s are face planting.

Fact is, we are all linked. Air pollution in Beijing effects air quality in Los Angeles, the water quality in Minneapolis directly effects the water quality in New Orleans.... I'm just throwing it out there but if they wanted to find ways to invest, you have a whole slew of burgeoning businesses to be a part of.

Just some thoughts.

Brad.

LEED- Some are missing the point by passing on credits

“We usually cannot use enough reclaimed material to meet the LEED MR3.1 credit 5% level not to mention the 10% in 3.2, so we don’t usually reuse materials on projects. We go for other credits to reach the LEED certification level our Owner wants, but usually pass over the reuse credits. It’s not worth the time and hassle.” These are quotes from a conversation I had last week with a LEED consultant and it frustrates me. The USGBC’s assembly of a rating system in LEED to raise the bar is outstanding, but it bothers me that it is too often-times simply a checklist and not a design framework/mindset.

My question on whether or not you hit the 5% level is - why does the percentage and whether you get a credit matter?? If you reach 4.5%, haven’t you accomplished something for your Owner, even though you “missed getting that credit”? The environmental impact of landfill diversion, not to mention cost savings in reusing materials (especially with projects on the chopping blocks due to budget cut-backs) should drive you to this decision to reuse materials, but so should your drive to lead with sustainable design. It is good for the environment and good for the Owner's budget - regardless of the points achieved.

LEED provides a great framework to assure that design teams have thought about each possible sustainable component, but we all need to understand and push beyond the “cheapest point checklist” and “if we won't get the point, we won’t try”. A lot of firms that have been doing it for years understand this. With the Living Building Challenge raising the bar even higher and industry shifts to change some of the mindsets of the rating systems of sustainability, these will be welcomed changes.

Nathan

PlanetReuse featured in the New York Times!

Thanks to Allison Arieff and her great article which outlines a dilemma for suburbia and a great new opportunity for material reuse as part of the solution. You can read her article here.

It really starts to ask the question how can we change the plight of suburbia and at the same time be sustainable in the way it's handled. Feel free to let us know what you think as well and if homes, big box retailers and strip centers should embrace sustainable deconstruction strategies or embrace other solutions.

How Green is done and New Green is now.

Green is over.

Yep. I said it. Green is an idea that somehow what you are doing is radically and fundamentally different than the norm. The simple truth is that what began with an idea, has become widely taught and to some extent has gained a foothold of acceptance in the world (though a lot of work remains). This is all due largely in part to visionaries, who were dedicated and passionate about this planet and believed that we could all make it better.

So how is green gone?

Green is now becoming a way of life. A means of living better on a day to day basis, by doing the right thing for the planet and ultimately ourselves. In the design world, green is shifting into an exciting era of beyond green. Beyond the initial notion of how sustainability is different and instead are replacing it with just good practice. Green is moving into an era of invention that I like to call "New Green."

Instead of designing and constructing buildings that meet certain criteria, let's fundamentally shift green into a new era of radical thought and innovation. Can a building be a battery? Can it produce more energy than it consumes? Can a building treat wastewater regardless of its use? Can a building grow enough food for its occupants? Can a building produce more O2 and act as a means of carbon offsetting? Can we build completely from reclaimed materials and deconstruct for future reuse?

There is a new green. The opportunities are limitless and I believe such a strong foundation has been laid for our generation, that with drive a little bit of creativity we can in fact take green to "New Green."

-Brad

PlanetReuse in New York February 1-4

The PlanetReuse guys will be in New York February 1-4 and meeting with a number of architects and designers. Feel free to drop the guys a note if you'd like to meet up and are in the area.

816-298-7947
info@planetreuse.com

PlanetReuse welcomes Brad Hardin full time

Good news!

Brad Hardin is PlanetReuse's newest full time associate and will be working with architecture firms and design companies all over the US and abroad to assist in helping them reach their sustainability goals.

Please feel free to contact Brad at bhardin@planetreuse.com to find out how PlanetReuse can work with design teams or just to say hi.