Hey, it’s Friday! Do you know what that means? It’s #ChapterChat on Twitter at 1pm Eastern Time! Don’t know what any of that means? Take a look at the following video for more information. Join the conversation!
In case you missed the announcement in late 2010, USGBC announced a new program called LEED Automation [read news release]. Part of LEED Automation led to the creation of the App Lab [read news release], which hopefully becomes the hub for a number of third-party applications that will streamline our interface with LEED submittals and information. Take a minute and check out the current apps in place on the USGBC App Lab page!
Recent article which discusses the Army’s position on LEED: http://www.buildinggreen.com/live/index.cfm/2012/2/2/Army-to-Congress-LEED-Doesnt-Cost-More
On Friday at 2pm Eastern Time, we invite you to join the USGBC #ChapterChat on Twitter! Take part in the conversation about sustainability, green buildings, Chapter events and activities, and network with like minded people. So join us in the discussion, we’ll see you there!
Today Jason Dunlop (Vice-Chair) and I attended the Montana Chapter’s Annual Summit. Educational sessions included Passive and Active Solar systems, Building Deconstruction for Reuse and Recycling, Innovate Additive Mixtures for Concrete applications, Building Information Modeling, and a LEED 2012 update. All sessions were informative and interesting and we are grateful that our Northern Rockies Coalition(NRC) partners in Montana put on this great regional event for us to attend. FYI they do it every year, so keep an eye out for next year. Additionally, we had an opportunity to meet yesterday for about an hour to discuss our recent NRC success with the Green Associate Study Group and when to roll the program out again in 2012. Excitement was abound as we continued discussing about expanding our NRC collaboration for more programs and education that will maximize our resources throughout Montana, Idaho, and Wyoming. As Jason would say the “MegaChapter” is in full effect and we always enjoy collaborating with our USGBC friends to help transform the built environment one sustainable brick at a time. Well, we are off the reception where Jason will present our NRC successes to the conference attendees. Then back to Jackson tomorrow morning. Signing out from Missoula, MT – Brendan Schulte, Chair USGBC Wyoming Chapter
The Greater Yellowstone Sustainability Workshop for Businesses will be holding a one-day workshop in Jackson on Feb 3rd from 9am to 1pm to educate businesses and other organizations on the principles of sustainability. It will explore why sustainability is important in a globally competitive economy and offer tools for reducing wasted resources, such as energy and materials. The modules will give participants tools they can take back to their organizations and immediately implement for improved efficiency and cost-savings.
For more information visit http://www.yellowstonebusiness.org/SustainabilityWorkshop/
Many thanks to the Jackson Hole Tourism and Travel Board (JHTTB) for awarding us a grant for our upcoming Biennial Meeting this fall! We look forward to working with JHTTB in maximizing these grant dollars to increase the attendance at our meeting, and put the wonderful Jackson Hole area on display during the event. Watch for more information on our Facebook page, Twitter feed, and this website.
The USGBC Montana Chapter will be holding their Annual Summit on Jan 26th-28th in Missoula, Montana. Brendan and I are going to be there, and will be updating Twitter, Facebook and our website with posts and photos of the events.
Montana has put together a great set of education session for Friday, which would be helpful if you’re working on getting your Credential Maintenance Program wrapped up .
Interested in attending the Summit? Check out www.usgbcmontana.org for more information! Or comment here and we’ll head you in the right direction.
The Emerging Professionals (EP) group in Laramie had a great turn out for Green Drinks on January 10th! If you’re interested in joining the group, contact ep@usgbcwyoming.org.
Our Board Member, Scott Isennock, who also currently serves as Secretary, was quoted recently in the Casper Journal article about the Green Outreach Project, run by the Casper College for Training and Development. For the entire article, click here:
Scott Isennock, a mechanical engineer with West Plains Engineering, Inc., attended the ground source heat pump installation workshop last November. This workshop was sanctioned by the International Ground Source Heat Pump Association and administered by North American Technician Excellence. The nationally recognized course normally costs at least $1,000 but the Green Outreach project offered it for $75, he said.
“I build HVAC [heating, ventilating and air conditioning] plumbing and fire protection systems for a living, so this course was right up my alley,” Isennock said. He said the training increased his technical knowledge of ground source heat pump system technology to harness the stored energy of the earth and transport it to the built environment. The course also counted as continuing education credits to maintain his professional engineer’s license.
Isennock also is a member of the Wyoming chapter of the U.S. Green Building Council which strives to promote education and awareness for green building and sustainable living. The USGBC partnered with the Green Outreach Project by presenting a six-session webinar series on the LEED Green Building Rating system at Casper College in partnership with the Green Outreach Project.
“We were honored to be able to present this series at a premiere educational facility in the heart of Wyoming,” he said.
