As a huge shipping giant, FedEx knows perhaps more than others the need for green construction and energy efficient operations. The company itself has made a commitment to follow green construction standards, and go for LEED certification on new building projects. 

Just recently, FedEx global headquarters in Memphis, Tennessee achieved LEED Gold certification. Built in 2000, the facility itself included water and energy-conservation measures, but it was not until 2008 that the company decided to pursue LEED certification. S.D. Keppler and Company consulted with FedEx and provided environmental standards assistance.

The New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA) recently announced a cash incentive program to increase the development and certification of green buildings within the state. This goes along with continued strong interest in sustainable home building within the economic downturn.

Dubbed the Green Residential Building Program, it offers incentives to owners of particular new or renovated residential or residential mixed-use buildings that include in their design methods to lower energy costs, reduce waste and water use, and improve indoor air quality.

Today marks the start of the panel portion of NewNoise Santa Barbara, a music conference and festival here in town. What brings us here today is a panel discussing the role of sustainability in music, and how musicians are putting in the effort to reduce their impact on the road. Topics covered so far have focused on the use of the internet to bring people together. Whether that means joining non-profits with musicians, or allowing musicians to broadcast directly to their audience over the computer. The panel is ongoing, and I will be updating this blog with specific details. We're streaming the discussion live through the link below, so join in to learn all about it!

Live stream link: http://bit.ly/avvima

Yesterday's election is notable for many reasons, but one in particular for us in California was the defeat of Proposition 23. If you don't know what Prop 23 was all about, it is important to have some idea. This ballot initiative was sponsored by out-of-state oil companies seeking to suspend the state's landmark climate law enacted in 2006, AB 32, and would only bring it back if unemployment levels reached 5.5 percent, effectively killing it. Assembly Bill 32 called for the state to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions to 1990 levels by 2020, and provided a framework for how to reach that goal. Of course, this meant that the energy Californians receive must transition to cleaner sources, to the dismay of the oil companies.

Results came in from the election, and show that voters rejected Prop 23 wholeheartedly. According to figures, over 93% of precincts reported, and over 61% voted against the measure. This is great news for those of us living in this state, as the clean tech industries we support can continue to provide us with technology and building materials that will take us toward better energy sources. We can't wait to see what this will mean in the years ahead of us for the building industry. One thing we do know however is that it will strengthen the building codes and standards such as CalGREEN and LEED being used today.

The Green Building Expo Online Event Series continued yesterday with a multi-hour event focused on Remodels and Retrofits. The event was a big success and started off with a round table discussion answering attendee questions live on everything from home performance tips to tax incentives for energy efficient construction. From there the event moved towards an individual presentation by Jean Carroon on sustainable preservation. It's amazing to think that our current building stock accounts for around 40% of total energy use and carbon emissions in this country.

Following Jean's presentation was a talk tailored towards home performance, and Lucas Johnson shared words of wisdom on the necessity for a home performance assessment. More states are making these necessary before a home or building is sold, but there is a lot of work left to do in this arena. Audience participation yesterday was very high, and I found myself running out of time posting questions to Jean. It seems that there is a large number of professionals out there interested in or already involved in the reuse market that are seeking guidance.

Lately I have been reading more and more in the news about an upturn in starts and building activity. It's nice to see something positive, especially in an industry that's been hit pretty hard this past year and half. According to a recent statement by Eric Belsky, Managing Director of the Joint Center for Housing Studies at Harvard University, we should see a healthy rise in home improvement activity this fall and into 2011.

The Environmental Protection Agency recently named five cities that are the first to participate in the Greening America's Capitals program and receive free assistance from the government. This program will stress turning the capitals into models of sustainable design, and institute measures to modernize their facilities.

The state capitals chosen are Boston, Jefferson City, Mo., Hartford, Conn., Charleston, W. Va., and Little Rock, Ark. The program itself launched this summer and is listed under the Partnership for Sustainable Communities initiative. The EPA is working in partnership with the Department of Housing and Urban Development and the Department of Transportation.

Yesterday, Green Building Pro and Green Building Expo hosted the Green and Sustainable Schools online event. The half-day event consisted of a panel discussion on green schools, followed by three webcasts. Several hundred people were in attendance live and took part in the first of a series of online events within the virtual environment.

I was particularly impressed by the subject matter experts, who spoke on a variety of topics including daylighting, facilities management, school retrofits, and the costs & benefits of going green in education. The audience was very enthusiastic and a seemingly endless list of questions poured through for the speakers. A major part of the event was the fact that AIA members and LEED APs could earn Continuing Education credits by attending the sessions.

In these hard economic times, it's good to hear positive news about young men and women participating in green job training. One school highlighted recently in the news is Sierra College in Rocklin, CA. Officials there applied for a grant through the Center for Applied Competitive Technologies, and are now offering a course for California Conservation Corps members out of Auburn, CA.

This course, titled Technical Education in Energy Efficiency and Construction, will prepare students in topics such as weatherization, energy efficiency, and alternative energy. With the grant Sierra College put together this 128 hour course that will gain students entry-level employment in the Energy Efficiency Construction Industry. The hope is that this course will serve as a model for the rest of the state, and that job opportunities will be filled across the same area. According to a recent study, the Sacramento Region of the state is expected to have the highest rate of green job growth through 2012, introducing as many as 3,530 jobs!

We're working hard as ever to get the Online Event Series off to a great start this month. Green and Sustainable Schools is the name of the game and we've gathered some amazing speakers to shed light on this hot topic. Schools more than ever need to take a look at their operations and take note of where to improve things like indoor air quality and energy efficiency.

With that in mind, this month we have gathered a group of thought leaders to answer the toughest questions from attendees. What is the typical ROI of green building and design measures included in school construction? How can the use of daylighting impact my school's electricity bill? Is there any way for our existing buildings to be more sustainable and efficient?