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.

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.

Does anyone remember reading about the construction of the largest zero-energy office building in Golden, Colorado? Commissioned by the Department of Energy, this 222,000 square-foot research support facility is located on the National Renewable Energy Laboratory campus and is now complete!

This is the largest zero-energy office building in the United States, and it will hopefully serve as an example to other commercial developers. True to it's name, this building will create as much energy as it uses during the year. Estimates on energy efficiency peg it as consuming up to fifty percent less energy than buildings constructed to current commercial codes. How did they do it?

Yesterday I had the opportunity to attend a wonderful local event. Put on by the USGBC California Central Coast Chapter, or C4, it was an art show highlighting green building and design. I haven't heard of too many projects doing this, at least locally, and it seemed to fit very well with the Santa Barbara crowd.

Half of the works on display were finalists from our local entries submitted to the Natural Talent Design Competition. This is put on by the USGBC to challenge emerging professionals to come up with great sustainable designs. This year's topic is focused on the rebuilding of New Orleans, specifically within the Broadmoor neighborhood, and a few finalists picked from all over the US will be sent to Greenbuild to be showcased. The other half on display was a cube decorated on all sides with architectural renderings, drawings, and photographs of building and design from all over the world.

The American Society of Lanscape Architects (ASLA) announced recently that they would offer classes and workshops at their upcoming annual conference that are applicable towards LEED credential maintenance. For the first time ever the courses and workshops will grant LEED accredited professionals continuing education hours towards maintaining their accreditation. This is a wonderful step forward in terms of organizations coming together and providing for environmental professionals. When all these rating systems and organizations first started they were closed off in terms of their own standards, accreditation systems, etc.

Now that the ASLA is beginning to provide for LEED professionals at their annual conference, let's hope this act filters throughout the green building arena. Continuing education is so desperately needed at this time, to keep us current on issues and present answers to age-old problems with integrated solutions. I know being involved with my local USGBC chapter, we are currently trying to put together an education track for our members. Trying to institute programs that not only are educational, but apply to credential maintenance is a tough battle.

Recently I learned about a report by the U.S. Green Building Council detailing numerous programs the President can use to increase energy efficiency in commercial and multi-family buildings. According to the report, there are more than 30 existing federal programs the President can utilize to increase efficiency, without enacting any new legislation. The report is titled "Using Executive Authority to Achieve Greener Buildings: A Guide for Policymakers to Enhance Sustainability and Efficiency in Multifamily Housing and Commercial Buildings," and will hopefully serve as a roadmap towards greener buildings.

Some of the programs include integrating energy efficiency and sustainability criteria in competitive grants, improving performance standards applicable to federal buildings and leases, and SBA funding mechanisms for small businesses to invest in energy efficiency. I feel that the last item is very important, as I personally have spoken with small business owners that wish to increase the efficiency of their locations, but cannot afford to do so due to the debt they are already in with loans. By folding environmental performance measures into SBA funding we can ensure that these businesses can not only survive, but help reduce their footprint in the process.

Here's a good article about our exclusive project delivery method, Total Project Management.

http://www.hoffman.net/attachments/Total_Project_Management_Greener.pdf

Let me know your thoughts!
Pete

Since learning about the LEED (Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design) rating system, I knew it was a path I wanted to take. Since 1998, the US Green Building Council (USGBC) has been training and certifying professionals under the system  to promote green building standards. As I mentioned before in a previous blog post, I recently finished a course covering the core concepts of sustainable design. This allows me to undertake the test to become a LEED Green Associate.

You may not have heard about this specific credential but instead heard the words 'LEED AP.' The LEED AP, or Accredited Professional, is someone who has been involved in a LEED project and has considerable knowledge of green building and design principles. The Associate is an individual who has taken a class on green building principles, has been involved with a LEED project, or is employed in a sustainable field of work.