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The official newsletter of the U.S. Green Building Council - Central California Chapter

Inside the July 2007 issue:

Want to submit an article for the Green Builder? Click Here.

With the growing interest in membership in our chapter, we know that the green building movement is alive and well in Central California. If you have not yet signed up to be part of our chapter membership, take a minute to download the Member Application form located at www.usgbccc.org. Membership is currently free.

We would also like to welcome you to attend one of our membership meetings so that you might discover a little more about our chapter. Our current membership, which is made up of a broad cross section of the building industry, believes that it is time to design and build our buildings with long term sustainability in mind.

In the coming months, it is our intent to have a membership directory that will list members by name, company and industry. It is our hope that this will be a resource for anyone in the local area looking for “Green” products and services. We will only be listing USGBC-CC members so please take the time to fill out the application and email back to us to be included in the first USGBC Central California Green Builders Directory!

If you have any questions feel free to contact me directly.

Regards,
TJ Bell
Membership Chair
559-271-4625x1108

Developers can qualify for fee reductions & expedited processing

The City of Fresno’s Planning and Development Department is finalizing the draft checklists and handbook for Fresno Green. The incentive-based program was developed over the past year as a collaborative effort between City staff and the Central California USGBC chapter and incorporates credits found in both LEED as well as Build It Green’s GreenPointRated residential program. Fresno Green, however, is more holistic in its approach to the “greening of communities,” and includes additional credits for historic preservation and public art as well as points that are specifically tied to the Fresno 2025 General Plan.

There are three routes that one can take to become a branded Fresno Green project: 1) satisfy the requirements of one of the U.S. Green Building Council’s Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Programs; 2) qualify for Build It Green’s rating system for residential building; or 3) follow the Fresno Green checklists.

Incentives for certified Fresno Green projects include:
• 25% fee reductions of many planning fees
• 20% minor deviation from development standards, if needed
(25% if public art is incorporated into the project)
• Expedited processing through the “Green Team”
• Eligibility for a Fresno Green award and use of the Fresno Green brand for the project.

Requesting a deviation from development standards such as parking and set-backs can help achieve maximum development potential of a project site.
Although the program is still in pilot stage, several projects have already been evaluated through Fresno Green including the new Dickey Youth Center and the Unitarian Universalist Church. There is no application fee for the Fresno Green program.
For more information please call Karana Hattersley-Drayton (621-8520) or Strati Perros (621-8021)

Top 10 Green Projects

An American Institute of Architects committee that focuses on sustainable design released the 2007 selections for the top 10 green projects, which include a university research center, a U.S. Courthouse and a water purification facility.

www.greenbuildingnews.com

Energy Performance Requirements within LEED Green Building Rating System to Increase by 14% as Part of USGBC’s Climate Change Agenda

(Washington, DC) – June 26, 2007 – In a move that aligns with its deep commitment to solutions for climate change, the U.S. Green Building Council’s (USGBC) membership has overwhelmingly passed a vote for all LEED certified projects to achieve at least two “Optimize Energy Performance” points within LEED, which will improve the energy performance of all LEED certified green buildings by 14% for new construction and 7% for existing buildings.

Buildings are an important and often overlooked solution to climate change: they are responsible for nearly 40% of CO2 emissions in the U.S., due to energy use, water consumption and other operational issues. CO2, a greenhouse gas that is a major contributor to climate change, has increased 18% since 1990 due to the rise in energy consumption.

“Improving energy performance will immediately increase the LEED Green Building Rating System's impact in reducing building energy related greenhouse gas emissions,” said Tom Hicks, Vice President, LEED, U.S. Green Building Council.

Beginning today, all newly registered commercial LEED projects will be required to achieve the two “Optimize Energy Performance” points within LEED. The new requirement will reduce the environmental and economic impacts associated with excessive energy use and maximize energy performance of buildings through cost effective energy efficiency measures. To help projects achieve the new energy reduction requirements, a prescriptive compliance path is currently under development as an alternative to energy modeling. The two mandatory points will count towards a project's LEED certification.

Last November, USGBC’s Board of Directors passed an eight point agenda to address climate change and buildings.

“Each of the eight specific actions will have an immediate and measurable impact on C02 reduction,” said Rick Fedrizzi, President, CEO & Founding Chair. “When implemented in concert, they comprise a powerful leadership initiative that sets a high bar for the building industry.”

  1. The 50% CO2 reduction goal - All new commercial LEED projects are required to reduce CO2 emissions by 50% when compared to current emission levels.
  2. Increased energy reduction prerequisites in LEED – All LEED projects must achieve at least two energy and optimization credits.
  3. Implementation of a carbon dioxide offset program.
  4. Continuous process improvement incentives – All LEED for New construction and Core and Shell buildings that reach certification will automatically (at no cost) be registered for LEED for Existing Buildings.
  5. Pushing the envelop on performance - certification fees rebates for Platinum buildings.
  6. A Carbon neutral USGBC - By the end of 2007, USGBC as an organization will be 100% carbon neutral.
  7. Portfolio Performance Program - The long-term goal of this program is to recognize companies for high environmental performance across their portfolios.
  8. Carbon Reduction Education, and a Challenge to the Industry - USGBC will be launching an important new educational program designed specifically to help industry professionals gain the knowledge they need to apply design and construction practices that are energy efficient and have immediate and measurable impact on CO2 emissions. In addition – by 2010, there will be 100,000 LEED certified commercial buildings and one million certified homes. By 2020, there will be one million LEED certified commercial buildings and ten million certified homes.

To view the energy optimization section of LEED: http://www.usgbc.org/ShowFile.aspx?DocumentID=2303. For more information on USGBC or LEED visit www.usgbc.org.

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About the U.S. Green Building Council
USGBC is a nonprofit community of leaders working to transform the way buildings and communities are designed, built, and operated. USGBC envisions an environmentally responsible, healthy, and prosperous built environment that improves the quality of life. Founded in 1993, the Council now comprises more than 9,500 member organizations representing every sector of the building industry; a 90-person professional staff; and a network of over 70 local chapters, affiliates and organizing groups. USGBC offers a broad portfolio of LEED® green building products and services; professional education programs; and the industry's popular Greenbuild International Conference and Expo. Visit www.usgbc.org and www.greenbuildexpo.org to learn more.

04/26/2007
By SAMANTHA YOUNG / Associated Press
Courtesy of Jon Dougal, www.greenbuildingnews.com

California air regulators on Thursday approved the nation's most sweeping restriction on emissions of formaldehyde, a cancer-causing chemical found in kitchen cabinets, shelving, countertops and ready-to-assemble furniture.

The rule will require manufacturers to reduce by more than half a toxic chemical in manufactured wood. Experts say it is inhaled most frequently by new home buyers, home remodelers and workers who handle the chemically laden wood.

"There is no safe threshold for this carcinogen, and we know how to eliminate it," said Harry Demorest, president and chief executive of Columbia Forest Products, an Oregon-based manufacturer that began taking formaldehyde out of its plywood in 2002.

The standard, approved 8-0 by the California Air Resources Board, would be phased in starting in 2009 and would become the most stringent in the world by the time it is fully implemented in 2012. Other countries also are moving to tighten rules for formaldehyde use.

For some American cabinetmakers, manufacturers and others in the wood industry, the higher standard would force them to use more expensive wood glues and lead to longer processing times. That could affect profits and drive up prices for consumers, said dozens of witnesses who testified during Thursday's hearing.
Health advocates, meanwhile, complained that the state was not moving quickly enough and urged the board to implement its standard two years earlier because of the potential for severe health risks.

The proposed regulation would cut by nearly 60 percent the amount of formaldehyde emissions that seep into the air from the resin or glue most commonly used to bond plywood, particle board and medium-density fiberboard.

Whether those emissions are harmful to the general public were a key part of the discussion. State regulators and public health groups cited studies linking formaldehyde to throat cancer, workplace asthma and increased cases of asthma and allergies in children exposed at home.

In 2004, the International Agency for Research on Cancer linked the chemical to throat cancer. An analysis for the Air Resources Board estimated that formaldehyde exposure leads to an increase in cancer for those exposed as adults and during childhood.

The board listed the chemical as a toxic air contaminant with no known safe exposure level in 1992. Some experts questioned the credibility of the studies California was relying upon in drafting its proposal.

Dr. Gary Marsh, a biostatistics professor at Pittsburgh University, cautioned that formaldehyde's designation as a carcinogen was "premature" and was based on a small sample of workplace deaths.

Formaldehyde emissions are mostly unregulated in the United States, unlike Australia, Japan and some European countries, which have set some standards.
American manufacturers meet a voluntary standard set by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development that is described by California regulators as insufficient to protect public health.

The California rule would apply to all products sold, used or manufactured for sale in the state. It would require manufacturers to obtain third-party certification, maintain records and label all wood showing it complied with California law.

The regulation would close California markets to low-cost, chemically laden wood imported from Canada, China and other parts of Asia, according to the Air Resources Board.

It also is expected to affect the U.S.-based, wood-products industry. Some manufacturers warned that the California rule could put them out of business.
"All this leads to additional costs," said Wade Gregory, president of SierraPine Ltd., which is based in the Sacramento suburb of Roseville and is one of two particle board manufacturers in California. "These costs would have to be passed on to our customers or we simply go out of business."

by Jeremy Elton Jacquot, Los Angeles on 06.3.07
Business & Politics
Courtesy of Jon Dougal, www.greenbuildingnews.com

While it may be difficult to ascertain exactly who or what prompted this massive shift in public perception, whether it was Al Gore's An Inconvenient Truth, the increasing amount of coverage surrounding melting ice and rising seas or a combination thereof, one thing is clear: more Americans than ever are concerned about the threat of global warming. Indeed, the number of Americans who cited climate change as the world's biggest environmental problem more than doubled from 2006 to 2007 (16% to 33%) according to polls taken by The Washington Post, Time, ABC and Stanford University.

There had previously been some concerns among scientists and members of the world community over the United States' perceived insouciance over the issue of global warming, a view that was bolstered by a recent poll showing American citizens lagging other countries in their perception of the danger posed by anthropogenic global warming.

Polling data from 16 surveys was compiled over the past year by the Environmental and Energy Study Institute, a research group, and analyzed at a recent public briefing by Jon Krosnick, a professor of communication, political science, and psychology at Stanford University. Some of the findings were striking in the clear shift in public perception they reflected.

Some highlights include:

Several polls find that approximately half or more Americans believe global warming is happening.
- 76% of Americans think the effects of global warming are apparent now. —Center for American Progress, April 2007
- 82% believe global warming exists, an increase of 5 points since 2005. —Fox News/Opinion Dynamics Corp., February 2007
- 49% believe global warming is having a serious impact now, up 14 points since 2001. —CBS News/New York Times, April 2007
- 94% of Americans say they’re willing to make changes in their lives to help the environment in general; 80% say they would make changes even if it means some personal inconvenience. 67% say they would keep their home warmer in the summer or cooler in the winter. —Washington Post/Time/ABC/Stanford University, April 2007

- 52% want global warming to be a high priority for government leaders. —CBS News/New York Times, April 2007

Full poll results and a video presentation of EESI's briefing can be found at the research group's website.

Percentage of US citizens who believe in Global warming, 2-2007…………………82%
Percentage of US citizens who believe in Global heating in 10/2005……………. 77%
Percentage of people in US who believe GH is caused by human interaction…… 41%
Per Percentage of people in US who believe GH is caused
by human interaction & natural causes……………………………………… 38%
Fox news 2-3-2007

Sustainable Agriculture
Sales of organic products in 2006…………………………………………………. $14.6bln
Increase over 2005……………………………………………………………………... 17%
Sales of Organic foods (within organic products segment)………………………. $13.8bln
Percent growth of organic foods……………………………………………………… 16%
Leading agricultural Region for organic foods…………………. Fresno County California
Increase in organic acreage from 1999 to 2005……………….. from 6,804 to 13,229 acres
Production value of that acreage in organic crops…………………………… $25mln

Regional Sales Manager, Central California
SunPower | www.sunpowercorp.com.

Position will be the primary point of sales contact for Value Added Resellers (VARs) in Central California. The Regional Sales Manager will work closely with marketing, customer service, logistics, IT and finance to ensure a best in class customer experience. The Regional Sales Manager will also drive VAR training, solicit feedback on products and services, collect market intelligence and drive product improvements.

If you are interested in being part of our family, please email your resume along with your cover letter and salary requirements to: joe@joesearch.com

Regional Sales Manager – Northern West Coast
Schuco USA L.P. | www.schuco-usa.com

This position provides the successful candidate with the opportunity to build out the worldwide most important and fastest growing territory for solar related products. This manager will be able to offer a very broad range of highly engineered, yet competitively priced PV and solar thermal products. The wide range of Schuco’s product portfolio, combined with a strong financial platform will provide candidates excellent sales opportunities, a high visibility within the industry and very good opportunities for personal and professional growth.
Tilman Bender, tilman.bender@thbender.com

LEED for Homes – Program Administrator
In preparation for the full roll-out of the LEED for Homes Program, Davis Energy Group, the USGBC approved LEED for Homes Pilot Program Provider in California and Nevada, is recruiting a Program Administrator. Desired experience includes:

Program management including daily activities and vision for program expansion
Supervision management of program staff, representatives and raters
Presentation skills - promotion to interested organizations and builders
Green building knowledge

Please submit cover letter, resume to leed@davisenergy.com