Events and Educational Opportunities « USGBC

Archive for the ‘Events and Educational Opportunities’ Category

Launch of the Green Schools Quest

Beginning May 1st, USGBC-Missouri Gateway will challenge public and private schools within the Chapter’s territory (Missouri and Southern Illinois) to devise and implement, with the help of green mentors, the most creative, effective and no or low cost sustainable practices for their schools.

Goals

Participating schools will have the opportunity and flexibility to engage in projects fitting their schools’ unique needs and resources. It is a goal of this overall project for each school project to achieve multiple of the following impacts:

• Reduce carbon footprint

• Lower school operating & maintenance costs

• Conserve our natural resources

• Improve the learning & teaching environment

• Encourage students to think creatively about sustainability

• Promote environmental stewardship in our communities

• Increase facilities indoor air quality

• Energize sustainable curriculum in the school systems

• Encourage the school to be the community epicenter

• Create a generation of environmentally conscious adults

• Engage the business community and building industry to help the students green their schools

Recognition for Outstanding Achievement

• Cash awards for winning teams in each of the following categories: Elementary, Middle and High School

• Trophy for each winning team

• Presentation of checks and trophies at local school board meetings or assemblies

Program Schedule

May 1, 2013 – Official launch of the Green Schools Quest
August 1, 2013 - Deadline for mentors to apply
September 16, 2013 – Deadline for schools to apply
March 14, 2014 – Conclude the 2013-2014 Quest
April 14, 2014 – Winners announced
Mid-April-May, 2014 – Awards presented

Apply

Applications will be available beginning May 1.

Additional Resources

100+ Ways to Green Your School – Coming soon

Questions? Contact USGBC- MGC at usgbc-mogateway@mobot.org or (314) 577-0225.

Intro to International Green Construction Code – March 28

AIA-St. Louis, the local International Code Council Chapter and the St. Louis Council of Construction Consumers present:
An Introduction to the International Green Construction Code (IgCC)

WHEN: Thursday, March 28, 7:30 – 11:30 am

WHERE: Masonry Institute of St. Louis

COST: $10 for members of AIA, SLCCC, ICC or MABOI / $25 for non-members

For more information or to register, download the event flyer.

IgCC is the newest member of the International Construction Code family. It is the first model code to include sustainability measures for the entire construction project and its site — from design through construction and beyond. The new code is expected to make buildings more efficient, reduce waste, and have a positive impact on health, safety and community welfare. The International Code Council developed IgCC in partnership with AIA, ASTM International, ASHRAE, USGBC and the Illuminating Engineering Society (IES).

Green Buildings & Green Sites – March 15

Join the Engineers Club of St. Louis and USGBC-Missouri Gateway Chapter Speakers Bureau Volunteers for

Growing Green Buildings & Sites

A half-day how to improve building and site performance, featuring Marc Lopata, Paul Todd Merrill and Lois Sechrist from the USGBC-MO Gateway Speakers Bureau; Jason Peterein from MSD and Steven Ibendahl from the Heartlands Conservancy.

WHEN: Friday, March 15, 7 am – noon

WHERE: The Engineering Center at 4359 Lindell Blvd. (63108)

COST: $50 for Engineers Club or USGBC members; $75 for non-members.

RSVP: Contact Kurt Krispin at kurt.krispin@engineersclub.net Or call 314.533.9333

For more information, download the event flyer.

Active House Open House – March 9

Check out the Active House this Saturday, March 9 at an open house from 10 am – 2 pm. Active House USA, located at 215 Gray Avenue in Webster Groves, MO, takes a holistic approach to sustainable and environmentally conscious home construction and design.

The project uses Active House specifications developed by the Active House Alliance and is seeking certification under four programs: ENERGY STAR, EPA Indoor and Water Sense, Building America Builder’s Challenge, and the National Green Building Standard. In addition, during the first year of occupancy, the University of Missouri will be monitoring the home’s performance to help develop metrics for future Active Houses!

Learn more at www.activehouseusa.com.

Authenticity & Sustainability – February 2

Join Modern STL on Saturday, February 2nd for Authenticity + Sustainability: Making the Most of Your Mid-Century Modern Masterpiece. Local design and preservation professionals will present on how to retrofit your mid-20th century home to 21st century sustainability standards, and how to utilize available preservation programs to benefit from tax credits and designate your home as historic.

Speakers include:

Richard Reilly, LEED AP, Residential Energy Programs Manager, EarthWays Center
Neil Chace, Architect, SPACE Architects and Vice President, Modern-STL
Michael Allen, Director, Preservation Research Office and President, Modern STL
Lindsey Derrington, Architectural Historian, Preservation Research Office and Secretary, Modern STL

WHEN: Saturday, February 2nd, 10am-2pm

WHERE: SPACE Architects, 4168 Manchester, Saint Louis, 63110

COST: $10 for Modern STL members, $15 for non-members. Lunch included.

Please RSVP to Nathan Wilber at wwilber2003@yahoo.com by January 31st – seating is limited!

Learn more at www.modern-stl.com.

Greening the Heartland Call for Proposals – Due February 8

Greening the Heartland will celebrate its 10-Year Anniversary in Chicago in 2013. The U.S. Green Building Council’s Midwest regional conference, Greening the Heartland 2013 will present four days of education and networking opportunities in cooperation with BUILDINGChicago on September 9 – 12.

The conference Advisory Committee is now accepting proposals for presenters and topics. All proposals must be submitted online by February 8, 2013. Learn more here.

This year’s conference aims to encourage robust discussion of how the Heartland’s building industry is evolving to embed resilience into its solutions for the built environment as focused in the topic following topic areas: Health & Environmental Quality, High Performance Buildings & Building Science, Design for Resilience, Green Technologies & Materials, Natural Capitalism, Sustainable Community & Campus, Process, and more.

Visit the conference website at www.greeningtheheartland.org.

New Category Added to EBie Awards!

The EBie Awards are a nationwide juried competition created by the Urban Green Council, USGBC New York . The awards celebrate people working in Existing Buildings, recognizing “unsung heroes” who have made great strides in improving environmental performance but whose accomplishments may otherwise go unheralded – not just building owners, but building operators, auditors, commissioning agents, lighting designers, plumbing engineers, and others. Unlike other awards, the EBies are based on measurable improvements in performance.

New this year is ann award for those people who work in multiple buildings: All Together Now, which recognizes the most improved portfolio across multiple sustainability categories, including water, waste management, stormwater, materials use, indoor environmental quality, and tenant engagement. Other categories include

The All-Arounder
Shine a Light on Me
The Reformed Drinker
The Smooth Operator
It Takes a Village
The Reformed Gas Guzzler
Verdant Brainiac

Deadline for submitting nominations is February 26, 2013. Learn more at www.EBies.org.

The Air We Breathe – November 2

Metro East Air & Health Forum – “The Air We Breathe”

This is a FREE, collaborative effort to highlight the impact of air pollution on health and to recognize municipalities that demonstrate their care for air quality through the 2012 CARE for AIR Awards. The keynote presenter is Mr. Peter M. Iwanowicz, the Assistant Vice President of the American Lung Association. Lunch will be provided.

WHEN: Friday, November 2, 2012, 9 am – 2 pm

WHERE: Metro East Park & Recreation Division Office in Collinsville, IL

The event is free, but registration is required by October 29, 2012. Please RSVP to ridefinders@mct.org or 800-874-7433.

For more information, see the event flyer here.

Sustainable Communities Conference – November 1-3

Washington University in St. Louis is hosting a three-day Sustainable Communities Conference November 1 – 3 featuring the following exciting speakers and events:

Thursday, November 1 – Keynote Lecture by Bill McKibben
McKibben is one of America’s best-known environmentalists, a bestselling author and the founder of 350.org, an international grassroots campaign that aims to mobilize a global climate movement.

Friday, November 2 – Land Lab Competition, featuring a talk by Ron Sims, the former Deputy Secretary of the US Department of Housing and Urban Development
This event will build on the public dialogue that began at the Open/Closed conferences and the Pruitt Igoe Now and GOOD Ideas for Cities competitions. Seeking innovative ideas for sustainability projects on St. Louis’s vacant lots, Land Lab Competition Teams are challenged to rethink the challenge of vacant lots into an asset that advances sustainability.

Saturday, November 3- Sustainable Citites Symposium, featuring Jason McLennan and Anna Lappe
Jason McLennan has played a pivotal role on the shape and direction of green buildings through the development of the Living Building Challenge and as CEO of the International Living Future Institute. Anna Lappe has co-authored or authored of three books and is the contributing author to nine others. For the last decade, she has been a key force in the growing international movement for sustainability and justice in the food chain.

For more information or to register for this FREE conference, visit http://sustainablecities.wustl.edu. Or download the event flyer.

Sustainable Disaster Recovery Conference – October 29-30

The Sustainable Disaster Recovery Conference, presented by Saint Louis University’s Center for Sustainability, Greensburg GreenTown, and GreenTown Joplin, aims to help cities faced by natural disasters to rebuild strong, livable communities by identifying ways to weave sustainability into the disaster recovery process, while increasing collaboration among all parties working toward this goal.

WHEN: Monday, October 29 and Tuesday, October 30

WHERE: Saint Louis University

Featured Speakers include Eric Cesal with Architecture for Humanity’s Haiti Rebuilding Center; Mike Smith, Sr. Vice President of AccuWeather Enterprise Solution; Daniel Wallach, Co-Founder & Executive Director of Greensburg GreenTown & GreenTown Joplin and Lynn Billman, Senior Energy Analyst at the National Renewable Energy Lab.

For more information or to register, please visit http://www.slu.edu/sustainability/sustainable-disaster-recovery-conference.