USGBC - Missouri Gateway Chapter

Greenbuild Scholarships for Higher Ed Sector

admin — Wed, 16 May 2012 17:11:30 +0000

All-expense paid trips to the 2012 Greenbuild Conference and Expo will be awarded to students, faculty, staff and other stakeholders within the higher education sector. The Center for Green Schools and USGBC distribute scholarships to promote diversity and social equity within the green building industry and the green schools movement.

Benefits for 2012 scholarship awardees include:

All-expense paid trip to Greenbuild 2012 in San Francisco from Nov. 13-16
Meet and connect with high-level professionals in the green building industry
Network with other college and university representatives
Participate in special on-site programming at Greenbuild that will include complimentary breakfasts, speaker presentations and an honorary dinner
Receive training and support from USGBC staff and other green building professionals
Free access to LEED 101 and LEED 201 online courses
Earn continuing education hours to satisfy GBCI’s LEED professional credential maintenance requirements
Play an integral role in advancing social equity within the green schools movement

Students interested in Greenbuild scholarships should also consider applying for mentorship opportunities with USGBC Board members. Board members support students in pursuing studies and careers in fields related to sustainability by offering professional advice, networking opportunities and career building experiences.

Apply now for this great experience. The deadline to apply is August 10, 2012.

Best Practices in Green Purchasing on May 24 // Green Cleaning on May 23

admin — Tue, 15 May 2012 19:37:39 +0000

FREE WORKSHOPS FROM
A NATIONALLY-RECOGNIZED RESOURCE!

Best Practices in Green Purchasing Workshop
featuring the Responsible Purchasing Network

Thursday, May 24, 2012
8:30-12:30pm

Washington University, Steinberg Auditorium

hosted by St Louis Higher Education Sustainability Consortium
and sponsored by the Environmental Protection Agency

The Responsible Purchasing Network is hosting a FREE workshop at Washington University on May 24th! With support from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the St Louis Higher Education Sustainability Consortium is excited to welcome RPN Executive Director Alicia Culver for an in-depth look at how our institutions can put their purchasing dollars to better use.

This is a remarkable resource – coming specifically to our region through a unique opportunity made possible by EPA funding – not to be missed! This morning workshop is open to all those interested in influencing purchasing decisions, but an RSVP is required. Please contact Katy Mike Smaistrla to RSVP.

Green Cleaning Workshop

Wednesday, May 23
10:00 – 11:30am

Are you a user or vendor of cleaning products? Then you will find value in this special workshop opportunity. The City of St. Louis will host a free Green Cleaning workshop on Wednesday, May 23, 2012, from 10:00 to 11:30 am in the first floor conference room of City Hall West located at 1520 Market Street, St. Louis, MO. There is limited on-street parking, a parking garage at Scottrade Center. Union Station Metrolink.

This workshop will be conducted by Alicia Culver, Director of the Responsible Purchasing Network and co-author of Cleaning for Health: Products and Practices for a Safer Indoor Environment.

Workshop Description

Find out how workplace cleaning impacts indoor air and water quality, employee health, and purchasing costs. Participants will learn about certified “green” cleaning products that:

are safer for workers and the environment
are safer for workers and the environment
can save you money
perform as well – or better – than conventional cleaning products
can earn LEED “green” building credits
protect buyers again false or unsubstantiated environmental claims (“greenwashing”)

An overview of best practices for safely handling and diluting cleaning chemicals and disinfectants (including compliance with OSHA regulations and CDC guidelines) will also be provided. Custodial staff and product vendors are encouraged to attend.

DIY Sustainability

admin — Mon, 14 May 2012 19:51:31 +0000

Presented in partnership with St. Louis Earth Day and St. Louis Green.

Six local presenters will showcase their creative and inspiring DIY projects – sharing ideas for sustainable projects you can do at home to jumpstart your own personal green revolution. Presentations will be delivered Pecha Kucha style. Drawing its name from the Japanese term for the sound of “chit chat”, Pecha Kucha rests on a presentation format that is based on a simple idea: 20 images x 20 seconds. It’s a format that makes presentations concise, and keeps things moving at a rapid pace.

FEATURED PRESENTATIONS:
Hunter Beckham – SWT Design – Creative landscaping at home
Hector Caiazza – Monkey Do Productions – How to make an electric car
Josh Davis – The Green Finned Hippy – Aquaponics
Timothy Dolan – The Urban League – Weatherization
Jenny Murphy – Perennial – Creative reuse of trash in St. Louis
Richard Reilly – EarthWays Center – Remodeling a kitchen from unwanted furniture

WHEN: Tuesday, June 12, 2012
5:30 – 6:15 pm – Registration & Networking
6:15 – 7:30 pm – Formal Presentation

WHERE: Sheet Metal Workers Local 36, 2319 Chouteau, Suite 200, St. Louis, MO 63103 map

FEE: Free for all attendees!

REGISTER: Click here to register online

QUESTIONS? Contact USGBC-Missouri Gateway staff at usgbc-mogateway@mobot.org or (314) 577-0225.

Thanks to our Program Sponsors!

Pizzo & Associates

Members in the News – Dan Andrews

admin — Wed, 02 May 2012 13:34:50 +0000

Sheet Metal Workers’ Local 36 held their ribbon cutting and dedication for their new headquarters and apprenticeship training program last Friday, April 27. The building is seeking LEED Platinum certification. The energy efficient, reused building features solar thermal and solar photovoltaic as well as a green roof, rain water collection and 18 geothermal wells. Additionally, the building serves as a learning lab for Local 36′s apprentices, where they can learn new and old green building strategies and technologies.

Dan Andrews, coordinator of Sheet Metal Workers’ Local 36 apprenticeship training program and USGBC-Missouri Gateway Chapter member, was featured both in a Post-Dispatch article on Friday, April 27 and in a Channel 5 news interview. Also featured in the Channel 5 interview was Crossroads College Prep School, a LEED Platinum building.

Staples Promotional Products Receives LEED Platinum Plaque!

admin — Wed, 02 May 2012 13:24:12 +0000

Congratulations to Staples Promotional Products in Overland, MO who received their LEED Platinum Plaque last Thursday, April 26! The Staples’ office is certified under the LEED for Commercial Interiors Rating System and is the 5th Platinum certification in the St. Louis area.

In the photo above, Bill Gossman, VP of Merchandising, Procurement and Logistics at Staples Promotional Products accepts their LEED Platinum Plaque from Emily Andrews, USGBC-Missouri Gateway Executive Director and Phil Hulse, Green Street Properties. The Page Business Center, where Staples is located, originally housed the Dorris Motor Car Company. The renovated building achieved LEED certification several years ago using the Core & Shell Rating System. Landis + Gyr, Staple’s neighbor in the building, achieved Gold certification under LEED for Commercial Interiors.

Members in the News – Rick Hunter & Jim Curran

admin — Wed, 02 May 2012 13:11:01 +0000

Recently, the St. Louis Cardinals added solar panels to Busch Stadium to further their ongoing commitment to green the game of baseball. The Cardinals partnered with Microgrid Energy, the Electrical Connection and Sachs Electric on the solar installation, which will produce about 32,000 kilowatt hours of solar energy per year.

Rick Hunter of Microgrid Energy and Jim Curran of St. Louis Electrical Connection – both USGBC-Missouri Gateway Chapter members – are quoted in an article about the new solar panels in the Creve Coeur Patch.

The two solar arrays at Busch Stadium are located on the roof of the ticket building on Clark Street and on a canopy in the left centerfield bleachers at the Ford Family Plaza. Learn more about the installation here.

The Cardinals celebrated the new solar panels with Solar Day at Busch Stadium on Sunday, April 29.

2012 Sustainability Institute for PK12 Educators

admin — Mon, 30 Apr 2012 18:20:36 +0000

Presented by USGBC-Missouri Gateway, Webster University, Missouri Botanical Garden, & St. Louis Zoo

Explore sustainability and what it means for PK-12 educators during this 3-day institute (with an optional preconference on June 25th for those new to sustainability.)

The assurance of a productive, safe, viable future is marked by the interconnectedness of the human and environmental systems. At this Institute we will define sustainability in an educational context, present examples of PK-12 schools and resources for sustainability, and provide working sessions for educators to plan for how they can bring sustainability into their classrooms and institutions.

Our ultimate goal is to give educators the tools to cultivate a new generation of young people with the awareness, responsibility, and ability to take action for a beautiful, prosperous future.

Learning Outcomes

Understand and prepare to practice the principles of sustainability in PK-12 schools
Recognize local resources that can support curriculum and changes for sustainability
Collaborate with others to achieve goals and partnerships in sustainability
Create a community of advocates for sustainable schools

WHEN
June 26 – 28, 2012, 8:00am-4:00pm
Optional Preconference on June 25

WHERE
Webster University’s East Academic Building, 545 Garden Ave., Webster Groves, MO 63119

FEE
The cost of the 3-day Institute is $150. Preconference is an additional $35 ($185 total for both). Includes breakfasts and lunches.

Campus housing is available for $40 per night.

GRADUATE CREDIT
The Institute may be taken for 3 credits of graduate university credit through Webster University for $450. Students new to Webster University will need to apply for a graduate program or for non-degree seeking status. The $50 application fee will be waived. To register for credit, please contact Lori Diefenbacher by phone at 314-246-8054 or by email at diefenlo@webster.edu.

REGISTER
Click here for more information and a link to online registration.

QUESTIONS?
Contact Lori Diefenbacher by phone at 314-246-8054 or by email at diefenlo@webster.edu.

New Member Welcome Event

admin — Fri, 20 Apr 2012 16:04:02 +0000

A special New Member only event for members who have joined the Chapter within the last six months!

The U.S. Green Building Council - Missouri Gateway Chapter welcomes you to come socialize and get acquainted with USGBC-Missouri Gateway! Chapter officers, past and present, will be on hand to share the chapter’s history, highlight member benefits & opportunities, and answer questions. Attendees will have the opportunity to meet fellow new members while enjoying complimentary appetizers and drinks.

After new members have learned about the chapter, they will tour SWT Design and learn about the office’s sustainable design, construction and operation features. The SWT Design office building is comprised of a home built in 1895 with a new studio addition which showcases the adaptive reuse of a 1950’s block building. The two buildings are connected by a pedestrian bridge which allows stormwater to pass from the front of the property through a rain garden and into one of many percolation pits. The SWT Design campus was selected as a pilot project in the Sustainable Sites Initiative (SITES) and boasts various types of green roofs, rain gardens, pervious paving, native plant materials and other green building techniques.

What USGBC-Missouri Gateway New Member Welcome Event
When Wednesday, May 2, 2012, 4:30 – 6:00 pm
Where SWT Design, 7722 Big Bend Blvd., Webster Groves, MO 63119

Parking is available in the parking lot behind SWT and the building immediately to the left of SWT. Overflow parking is available in the parking lots of Flowerama and Grace Church which is located across Big Bend.

RSVP Click here to register online.

Thanks to our Event Host & Sponsor!

Questions? Contact USGBC-Missouri Gateway Chapter staff at hope.gribble@mobot.org or (314) 577-0225.

Growing Green Award 2012 Photos

admin — Fri, 13 Apr 2012 20:04:44 +0000

The USGBC-Missouri Gateway Chapter is proud to celebrate and recognize the individuals, groups and organizations actively transforming the built environment while sharing their knowledge of green building and sustainable practices. Congratulations to another amazing class of Growing Green Awardees who were honored at the 4th Annual Growing Green Awards Celebration on March 29. Check out photos from the evening here.

Congratulations on 2012 Growing Green Awardees:

Emerging Leader: Citi
Education: Russell Barton – Parkway North High School
Restoration: Cannon Design
Innovation: AEP River Operations
Operational Excellence: Tarlton
Community Champion: Urban League of Metropolitan St. Louis

See all the nominees and learn more about each winner in this presentation (PDF)!

From left to right: Russell Barton, Parkway North High School; Carl Karlen, Cannon Design; Randy Weller, Citi; Joe Brantley, AEP River Operations; Dirk Elsperman, Tarlton Corporation; Keith Jones & Tim Dolan, Urban League of Metropolitan St. Louis. Photo courtesy of Christina Bollinger.

Home Energy Efficiency – Free Workshop – April 14

admin — Thu, 12 Apr 2012 19:25:24 +0000

In this one-day course taught by Dan Chiras, Ph.D., author of Green Home Improvement and numerous other books on home energy and energy efficiency, participants will learn many ways they can slash their or a client’s home energy consumption, reducing energy bills and improving comfort of their homes. Students will view numerous energy-saving measures implemented at The Evergreen Institute. Students will develop a ten-point plan to implement at home with the goal of cutting energy bills by 25 to 50%.

Topics include:
• How and where energy is used in homes
• How to identify energy waste in homes (home energy audits)
• Areas where the most significant savings can be made for the least cost
• Economic and environmental benefits of energy conservation and energy efficiency
• Key strategies for slashing energy consumption
• Hiring a professional home energy auditor and energy retrofitter
• Financial incentives for efficiency measures.

Who Should Attend?

Individuals interested in entering the home energy efficiency field
Energy professionals interested in furthering their knowledge of home energy efficiency
Homeowners interested in cutting their energy use, saving money, and reducing their ecological footprint
Builders who want to increase their knowledge of residential energy efficiency
Architects interested in increasing their knowledge of home energy efficiency
Students of architecture and environmental studies interested in learning more about energy efficiency
Educators wishing to learn more about energy efficiency
Utility company employee who want to learn more about energy efficiency
Building department officials, real estate agents, bankers, and insurance agents interested in learning more about home energy efficiency
Green building consultants who want to broaden their knowledge

Instructor: Dan Chiras, Ph.D.

Dates: April 14, 2012 at Gexpro in Fenton, St. Louis, Missouri. They are located at 1620 Headland Drive.

Time: 9 am to 5:00 pm

Cost: Workshop free; however, attendees are required to purchase the book Green Home Improvement by Dan Chiras for $40

To Register: Click Here

Materials Required:
Notepad and Writing Instruments
Lunch and drinks
Calculator

Prerequisites:
None

Local Accommodations: click here

Directions: click here