Document Actions
News
Jump to next storyLiving Future 2010 Unconference in Seattle
Living Future 2010 is a forum for leading minds in the green building movement to seek solutions to the most daunting global issues of our time. This year's program theme is "Building Hope: Revaluing Community." Meet with movement leaders and contribute to the unConference where out-of-the-ordinary learning formats provide innovative design strategies, cutting-edge technical information, and inspiration to achieve significant progress toward building living communities. Keynote speakers include James Howard Kunstler, Pliny Fisk, Jason McLennan, and John Francis. Special rates for groups and Cascadia members. Sponsorship opportunities and exhibitor space also available.
May 5 - 7, 2010
Seattle, WA
Learn more about Living Future!
PermalinkCascadia's Guide to the USGBC Forest Benchmark
WILL LEED RECOGNIZE THIS AS “EXEMPLARY” FORESTRY? Large-scale clear cuts and heavy rutting on SFI-certified lands in Nova Scotia, 2009 (Photo credit Jamie Simpson)
The third draft of the USGBC forest certification benchmark and associated documents are now available for public comment.
Click here to view Cascadia's Guidance Document on the USGBC Forest Benchmark.
Here's how to get involved:
1) If you are a representative of a USGBC member organization, we urge you to “opt in” to the consensus body that will eventually vote on this (DEADLINE MARCH 24). To do so, follow this link:
https://www.usgbc.org/Login.aspx?REFERRER=%2fDisplayPage.aspx%3fCMSPageID=2070
2) Pass this information on - encourage others to “opt in”
3) Review the guidance and suggested language in Cascadia's Guidance document
4) Submit comments to the USGBC (DEADLINE MARCH 14). To submit comments, follow this link:
http://www.usgbc.org/LEED/LEEDDrafts/RatingSystemVersions.aspx?CMSPageID=1458
Living Building Challenge Road Show Coming to a City Near You!
Living Building Challenge has swept North America. There are now more than sixty registered projects from coast to coast pursuing certification under this rigorous performance standard and interest continues to rise. In response to frequent requests for introductory presentations, we have decided to hit the road and create an opportunity to share the tenets of the program with advanced practitioners in the United States and Canada.
Jason McLennan is one of Seattle Magazine's 2009 Most Influential People!
Seattle Magazine's Most Influential People of the Year are an eclectic group—a guru of the mobile food scene, two guys with the Midas touch, a transportation visionary, and more. Dubbed the Green Giant, Jason McLennan made the list!
Tune-in to hear Jason McLennan, Cascadia's CEO, on Voice of America
Leading Conversations with Cheryl Esposito interviews Jason McLennan, Cascadia's CEO on being a leader in the industry.
Listen Now!
Office Space Available in Cascadia's Portland Office!
Prime office space available in shared office environment for environmentally/socially responsible organizations. Join Cascadia Region Green Building Council.
Portland, OR:
Click here to see the flyer for this space!
Located on the ground floor of the historic LEED Gold Ecotrust building, Portland's center for sustainability, Cascadia's Portland office offers a host of amenities. This mixed use building is on the Portland Streetcar line in Portland's Pearl District, and includes a conference center, two restaurants, a health center and a Patagonia retail store, and is walking distance from Train station, cafes, restaurants and public transit. All tenants have a focus on sustainability. All spaces come with desks, access to secure bike storage, showers and locker room, and access to copier, fax, scanner and postage meter. Learn more about the Ecotrust building at http://www.ecotrust.org/ncc/. Available spaces are as follows:
Only One Space Left!
1 open office desk - $350/mo.
For more information please contact Brandon Smith at the link below:
Changes coming to Canadian LEED AP system
There are significant changes coming to the LEEP AP program. This info page is intended to help answer commonly asked questions.
The LEED AP exams will be changing in January 2010, and there will be a new tiered system of LEED APs. The Green Building Certification Institute (GBCI) will be taking over the administration of the LEED AP system.
Individuals who want to take the current LEED exam and become a LEED AP before these changes take place should note the below deadlines, read these FAQ's (see 2nd item on the page) and note that the LEED NC and CI workshops offered in the fall will be your last chance to take these trainings.
- October 23rd, 2009. This will be the last date to book your LEED exam (either LEED NC or LEED CI). To do so, book your exam on the the CaGBC website.
- December 31st, 2009. This is the last date in which you can write the LEED Canada NC exam or the LEED Canada CI exam. On January 1st, 2010 these exams will no longer be available in Canada. Even if you are taking an exam before this deadline, it must be scheduled before October 23rd, as noted above.
For further information please refer to these FAQ's, as well as the CaGBC Exam Handbook available on the CaGBC's website.
LEED DISCOUNTS
Individuals can now obtain significant discounts on their LEED exam, LEED books, or LEED workshops through the National Benefits Package. Usually these discounts are only available to corporate CaGBC members and their employees, but the National Benefits Package allows individuals to become members of the Canada Green Building Council, thereby giving them access to these significant discounts. For more information, please click here.LEED RESOURCES
LEED Flash Cards- For Canadians studying to take the exam before Dec. 31, 2009.
LEED Study Groups - Connect with others looking for study groups. Post your group, or post that you're looking for a study group.
Green Skyline '09
Green Skyline will showcase some of the most innovative and progressive green buildings throughout BC. Come learn how we can reduce our impact on the natural world enormously by changing the way we build and occupy buildings. You'll learn about green features and systems, the costs and benefits of building green, and how you can incorporate sustainable features into your home or project.
Choose which city you would like to tour!
Background:
As of July 2009, BC has 45 LEED certified buildings, which is more per capita than any other province in Canada. BC is leading in other ways as well. The provincial government has also committed BC to having its operations "carbon neutral" by 2010; having all new public buildings minimum LEED Gold or equivalent and achieving Greenhouse Gas reductions for the province of 33 per cent below 2007 levels by 2020. However, since last year's Green Skyline tours, Ontario has passed BC in terms of absolute numbers of projects, with 61 LEED projects, which certainly shows the need for greater public and industry understanding of the benefits of these buildings. This year's Vancouver tours are offered as either bike tours or walking tours.
Thank you to our Sponsors!
Bioregional Leader Level
Green Advocate Level
This years' tour is presented in partnership with the Gaining Ground Conference, happening October 20-22.
For more information: www.gaininggroundsummit.com
King County Green Building Grants Program Provides Assistance for LEED Projects
The King County Green Building Grants application period is open now through August 31, 2009. King County Green Building Grants provide up to $35,000 per project to assist projects targeting LEED Gold or Platinum certification.
Grants are awarded competitively to projects within King County, but outside Seattle city limits, for commercial, institutional and multi-family building projects that seek Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Gold or Platinum certification. Grant awards are up to $25,000 for LEED Gold and up to $35,000 for LEED Platinum. Priority consideration is given to non-profit organizations and to projects incorporating Low-Impact Development (LID) strategies.
Green Building Grants have been awarded to 12 projects since the program inception in 2006. Several local governments, businesses and organizations have received funding ranging from $20,000 to $25,000 per project and totaling $130,000. Among the grant recipients are the cities of Auburn, Kenmore and Shoreline, the Technology Access Foundation (TAF), Google, the YWCA of Seattle-King County, the Highline Historical Society, and CAC Real Estate Management.
The grants provide added incentive for organizations to increase the environmental performance in their buildings, which can provide long-term savings in the form of lower energy costs, healthier indoor environments, and lower water usage. Grants also helps offset premiums sometimes associated with green building, and encourage a wider range of business to build green projects.
Grant award projects serve as demonstrations of high performance, replicable green buildings for the region, and highlight those organizations that are making significant contributions to local communities, the local economy and the environment. For example, the City of Kenmore received a $25,000 grant for construction of a new City Hall, which will seek LEED-Gold certification.
"From the start of the City Hall project, the City Council has made sustainability a priority – not only for the long term environmental benefits and healthy workplace, but also as a statement about the community's values," said Nancy Ousley, Assistant City Manager with the City of Kenmore. “Maximizing the use of recycled-content materials and adding photovoltaic panels will further decrease the project’s environmental footprint.”
King County is a national leader among government agencies both for its commitment to sustainable design and operations in all capital projects, and for providing incentives to other agencies and the private sector. Green Building Grants are one aspect of a nationally recognized commitment to green building. King County has more green buildings than any other county in the United States, including 11 LEED registered buildings and 5 LEED certified buildings in the County portfolio.
Through the GreenTools program, King County provides technical assistance and training to public agencies and individual projects seeking LEED certification. The GreenTools Team can help project owners with technical assistance and training, grants, and resources to help find locally-produced, high quality sustainable building materials.
2009 King County Green Building Grants application materials are available at the GreenTools Web site, www.greentools.us, and will be accepted until August 31, 2009. For more information, contact Ric Cochrane at 206-263-6037 or ric.cochrane@kingcounty.gov.
Be a beta tester for the new Cascadia Communities Coalition Wiki!
We are happy to announce that Cascadia
Region Green Building Council is launching the beta version of its
Cascadia Communities Coalition wiki. This website allows municipal sustainability staff, state and
provincial sustainability policy advisors, social and environmental
sustainability policy advocates and educators, to share information
much more quickly and in a more compressed and focused way than email,
listserves or other modes of communication. We heard it from you! You
wanted a quicker, easier way to share information.
The Cascadia Communities Coalition Wiki
- Stay up to date with sustainable activities in the Cascadia region and beyond. For example, check out the pages for some of North America's most progressive cities: Vancouver, BC; Seattle, WA; Portland, OR; North Vancouver, BC; Chicago, Boston, San Francisco or New York.
- Find LEED Study Group in your area. These forums are now available on the Cascadia Communities Coalition wiki, making it easy for study groups to self-organize. If you are studying to become a LEED® AP and would like to study or network with others in your area (in the US or Canada) doing the same, please click here to find or organize a study group in your area.
- Compare information according to type, jurisdiction, or geographical location. So start by looking at pages like: Green Building or see Municipal Green Building Policy, International Green Building Policy, or the related areas of Affordable and Workforce Housing, Clean Tech, Climate and Energy Toolkits, Energy Case Studies or International Climate Policy.
- Be inspired! Edit pages, add new pages and content! If you decide to do more than edit existing content, then just read: "So you want to be a wiki author" first! If you run into any troubles, don't hesitate to email Karen and she can direct you to the answer asap.
- Browse subject categories according to your area of interest or specialization. Check out pages like: Local Food Systems, Arts and Culture, or Water and Stormwater. You will notice that some categories are almost completely empty, waiting for your knowledge and enthusiasm.
- Embed news stories, videos, pictures, documents, maps and links. Learn how, in "So you want to be a wiki author"
Please note that this is an apolitical space for sharing information. Also, expect your entries to be changed and edited: do not expect literary permanence as this is a collaboration.
How To Be A Beta Tester
- Go to: http://wiki.cascadiagbc.org and click “create an account”. This is a spam-protection feature, and will allow Cascadia staff, interns and volunteers to ensure that the wiki content remains neutral, professional, and appropriate.
- Next, try to edit or add content. Don’t be afraid - mistakes can be fixed.
- Contact us if you would like some training; Karen will gather a list of people interested in a webinar if it is of interest.
- Please fill out this survey. For those of you who don’t have time to do this after your initial survey of the wiki, we will be contacting you at the end of June to get your feedback.
Cascadia Releases Study on the Value of Green Building
New analysis helps explain the value of green commercial buildings
Click here to download the study
Report will help bridge the communication gap between green building and financial communities
(June 23, 2009) Portland, OR – Green building may be booming, especially in the Northwest, but the claims made for high-performance buildings have been slow to gain traction in the financial community. Appraisers, lenders, investors and brokers have found it difficult to confirm the value of high-performance green features and related savings. A new study of office buildings in Seattle, Portland and Vancouver, BC by the Cascadia Region Green Building Council, the Vancouver Valuation Accord and Cushman & Wakefield identifies how high-performance green features and systems can increase the value of commercial buildings. The report outlines how value was achieved and how sustainable attributes impact costs, savings, investment income, and capital value. It is a tool to help bridge the gap in understanding between the green building and financial communities.
The value proposition for each of the three buildings is as follows:
- 200 Market Place in Portland, OR (LEED-EB) – This property leads by example with its green retrofit. It has competitive rents and higher levels of occupancy than its non-green competitors. The building also has declining operating expenditures after certification.
- Alley24 East in Seattle, WA (LEED-CS) – This building had a comparatively quick absorption period, attracted and retained high quality tenants, achieved competitive rents, and now has higher-than-average levels of occupancy.
- Vancouver Centre in Vancouver, BC – This project achieved a 19% Return on Investment from undertaking an energy-efficient retrofit, as well as the potential for higher rates of return through the use of a different lease structure.
“This research makes much-needed progress in explaining how sustainable building attributes affect value,” says Brandon Smith, Chief Operating Officer of the Cascadia Region Green Building Council. “The design and construction communities will benefit from a better understanding of how value is determined and achieved by green strategies, so they can communicate more effectively with owners and developers. The financial sector will benefit from understanding how to increase asset value through more sustainable approaches.”
Click here to download the study
This investigative study is part of a larger northwest regional effort conducted by a coalition of nonprofit, private sector and local government organizations. There is an associated report on the residential sector that documents the superior market performance of third-party certified homes over non-green homes. That report is available on the Earth Advantage website.
Contact:
Brandon Smith, Cascadia Region Green Building Council
Email / 503-758-8562
Trim Tab, Spring 2009
Cascadia is delighted to present our second issue of Trim Tab, which contains the same provocative content and includes even more!
Explore the unique, transformational design of Miller | Hull’s Discovery Center. Learn the benefits of centering with aikido expert Thomas Crum. Ponder the implications of high-density development in Transformational Thought. This issue also takes a look at the Living Building Challenge Financial Study and how to find your leadership potential. We’ve also added a cartoon--The Green Wash.
In this Issue:
- Transformational Design: Discovery Center at South Lake Union
- Transformational People: Thomas Crum
- Transformational Thought: Density and Sustainability--A Radical Perspective
- Features: The Bottom Line on Living Buildings; Leadership: Scarce Resource or Vast Reservoir?
- New sections and more!
Read Trim Tab now!
Jason McLennan is setting the pace to create the greenest building ever
The Seattle Times featured Cascadia's CEO Jason McLennan and the Living Building Challenge in a recent article.
Launch of International Living Building Institute
The idea of a Living Building, a high-performance building that produces its own power and cleans and reuses all of its water, is gaining momentum around the world. In an effort to oversee the global development of Living Buildings, the International Living Building Institute (ILBI) has been established.
Growing Green Collar Jobs in BC
Jessica Woolliams was a featured contributor to the April/May 2009 edition of The Trowel. Her article can be found online here.
Growing green Collar Jobs through expansion of the green building cluster in british columbia
BC Context
British Columbia is known as a leader in green building across Canada, with the most LEED projects per capita and a wealth of pioneers in the green building movement. It joins the Pacific Northwest in being the regional place of true green leadership with strongest American programming and resources coming from Seattle and Portland. The premier’s recent decision to adopt LEED Gold for all government buildings and to set rigorous standards for carbon neutrality further strengthens this perception and reality. The February 2007 Throne Speech announced the development of new green requirements in the BC Building Code, that support the province’s commitment to reduce greenhouse gases. The Ministry of Community Services announcement indicated that once Bill 27 (Local Government Green Communities Statutes Amendment Act, 2008) comes into force, local governments will be required to include greenhouse gas emission targets, policies, and actions in their Official Community Plans. As of January 14, 151 local governments have signed on to the BC Climate Action Charter, committing to carbon neutral municipal operations by 2012.
Despite all this good news, it is Cascadia’s belief that BC’s building and construction industry is actually poised to lose significant ground compared with its key competitors in Ontario, Washington, Oregon, and California unless key policy decisions are made at all levels. BC is already losing ground to Ontario in terms of the number of LEED projects and LEED accredited professionals, and is on course to become less competitive in the emerging green economy if changes aren’t made soon.
It’s the Capacity, Stupid
Though BC has more certified projects per capita, the chart below indicates Ontario has more in total for the first time since the launch of LEED in Canada. Compared with Oregon, Washington, and California, however, the situation is more serious. Even before the Obama administration injected significant funding into the green building and renewable energy industries, the cities of Portland and Seattle far outstripped what is happening in Vancouver, Victoria, or any Western Canadian community. If unchecked, future development will see more American companies outcompeting BC companies, and a ‘brain-drain’ of our existing provincial expertise as they leave for more opportunities south of the border.
The problem is that on large projects or when an expert is required, we often bring in expertise from the US, since our neighbors are ready for green collar jobs. Are we? Since 2000 when the Green Buildings BC program—Canada’s first green building program—was developed, the core challenge identified has been capacity. Still in 2009, there simply are not enough trained professionals in the areas of design, governance, builders, developers, and real estate professionals.
Education
The good news is that the building sector is poised to lead the green collar sector, and to be a critical part of government solutions to both economic stimulus and carbon reductions. Green building efforts throughout the region have shown it’s possible to construct buildings that use anywhere between 40 and 60% less energy than a conventional structure within the economic parameters of a typical project provided that a knowledgeable team is in place coupled with an integrated design process and a knowledgeable construction crew and operations team. This starts to explain why, according to a 2008 report by the Commission for Environmental Cooperation, endorsed by the UN, green building is the fastest and cheapest way to lower North America’s contribution to global climate change. From Cascadia’s perspective, education is a key part of the solution. Here are a few ways to get involved:
Call for Submissions for Green Skyline Tours
Do you live or work in a building that should be on our annual tour of green buildings? Or is there a building or a block, a park, or a shed that is exemplary for its environmental or social sustainability for which you could provide a tour? This year we are accepting submissions for tours in the Vancouver area, Victoria area, Okanagan, and Kootenay-Rockies.
Canadian LEED Flash Cards
Now Available These flashcards test your knowledge on all portions of the Canadian LEED reference guide covered by the exam. Study tips also included. LEED for Homes Launched The new LEED for Homes Rating System, which promotes the design and construction of high-performance green homes, is now launched in Canada.
Ms. Woolliams has been working to mainstream sustainable buildings through advancing critical policy, programs, and training with municipalities and other institutions for almost a decade. Jessica comes to Cascadia from Light House Sustainable Building Centre, where she was a founding director, and she brings extensive green building consulting experience in both the public and non-profit realms. As a consultant, Jessica helped establish Green Buildings BC, Canada’s first green building program in 2000. Jessica has published both academically and professionally and has lectured at Harvard, BCIT, SFU, and UBC.
City of Vancouver/ Clark County Code Study
City of Vancouver/ Clark County Code Study
Cascadia is working with the City of Vancouver, WA, and Clark County, WA, to identify and address code and regulatory barriers to the Living Building Challenge for sustainable, affordable, residential development. The Code Study identified 6 green residential projects built or under development in the region that were assessed against Cascadia’s Living Building Challenge criteria. A detailed review of the case study projects against the city and county’s land use, development, and building codes was performed to highlight the potential obstacles projects may encounter. This project is funded through the Washington State Department of Community Trade & Economic Development.
Click Here to download the study!
Living Building Financial Study Released!
A subsequent endeavor to the widely distributed ‘Packard Sustainability Matrix’, published by the David and Lucile Packard Foundation in 1999, the purpose of Cascadia’s Financial Study is to investigate the economic obstacles to creating Living Buildings, and determine how these vary based on building type and location. Using an RFP process, Cascadia contracted with a multi-disciplinary team, including SERA Architects, Gerding/Edlen Development, Skanska Construction, Interface Engineering, and New Buildings Institute.
Click Here do download the Executive Summary, Matrix, and for more information!
Living Building Challenge on NPR
Houston NPR station KUHF mentioned the Living Building Challenge in a recent news segment.
Click Here to download the segment.
Cascadia CEO Jason F. McLennan on Living Shelter Radio Show
In the world of green building, the time for baby steps is past and the time for bold, monumental change is upon us. Jason is the driving force behind some of the most highly inspirational tools for facilitating this change, and in this interview discusses their beautiful simplicity and accessibility. Click Here to listen.
Portland Habitat for Humanity home completed--LEED Platinum anticipated!
The winning design of Cascadia's 2007 Natural Talent Design Competition has come to life! The project, designed by David Posada and Scott Mooney, was chosen by Habitat for Humanity Portland/Metro East for their site at 602 NE Webster St. in the Alberta District. The resulting building, which was completed this month, is duplex (a four-bedroom and a two-bedroom) that is expected to earn a LEED for Homes Platinum rating.
A team of sponsors were instrumental in making the project possible, including Walsh Construction and Bank of America.
On March 31, 2009, an official opening ceremony and press conference took place to commemorate this important milestone for Habitat for Humanity, Cascadia, and the whole affordable housing community in Portland.
According to the U.S. Green Building Council, there are only 14 housing projects in the entire state of Oregon with a gold or platinum rating—and none of those fall under the category of “affordable housing.”
Some of the features of the homes on NE Webster include:
● FSC Certified framing lumber from local sources.
● Standing seam metal roofing from Taylor roofing.
● Faswall, a wood-chip Insulated Concrete Form (ICF) locally produced with recycled wood fiber is used in the low walls of both homes.
● American Clay interior plaster produced from local clay by local craftsmen.
● Yolo Colorhouse provided locally produced, organically based paint product.
● SIPs panels and standing seam metal roof manufactured in Oregon.
● Marvin Integrity Fiberglass windows and patio doors.
● Owens-Corning Blown-in fiberglass insulation and rigid foam insulation.
● Fly-ash in concrete.
● Concrete from demolition re-used for landscape pavers.
● Decks constructed from reclaimed discarded wood.
● Paperstone countertops in one unit, Urea-Formaldehyde free laminate counters in the other.
● Urea-formaldehyde free composite woods and cabinets.
● Marmoleum floors in kitchen, bath, and utility areas.
● 100% wool carpets with 100% jute backing in sleeping areas.
Read the article in The Oregonian
