 Though we bid farewell to a long trusted source of regional green building news, Cascadia is excited to announce the launch of Trim Tab, our new quarterly online e-magazine! Beginning in January 2009, you will be privy to even deeper and more provocative coverage of the green building movement.
Oft cited by the futurist Buckminster Fuller as a metaphor of leadership and empowerment, a trim tab is a small lever acting upon a large lever to create change out of all proportion to its size. Trim Tab intends to mirror this metaphor, featuring only the most pertinent and forward-thinking projects, people, ideas and issues from our region and across the globe. Advertising opportunities are available! Contact Sarah Costello for more information.
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Greenbuild 2008
On November 18-21 close to 30,000 people descended on Boston for the annual Greenbuild International Conference and Expo. This year's program opened with an inspirational keynote address by Nobel Peace Prize Winner and Archibishop Emeritus Desmond Tutu. Throughout the two and a half day conference, attendees were treated to valuable networking opportunities, a world class Trade Show, high caliber sessions, and the exciting launch of LEED 2009 The closing keynote address featured a lively panel discussion with a duo of world-renowned science writers E.O. Wilson and Janine Benyus, who addressed the relationship between the natural sciences and sustainable building. Greenbuild 2008 was truly a success !
And mark your calendars, Greenbuild 2009 will be held in Phoenix, November 11-13, with the theme of Main Street Green: Connect the Conversation. USGBC is now accepting proposals for Greenbuild 2009. Deadline to submit is 5:00pm, Friday, January 16th.
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Be featured in one of the most prestigious trade shows in the industry! As a vetted trade show, the Red List Ready Trade Show will showcase only product manufacturers and service providers that are as forward thinking and earnest about sustainability as unconference attendees. Reserve your position in this select group of exhibitors today. Visit the Trade Show web page and fill out a Product Manufacturer Survey or Trade Show questionnaire.
Congratulations to Myer Harrell, Dan Albert, Brian Geller and Christopher Dukehart of the Seattle Emerging Green Builders, who took home first place in USGBC's Natural Talent Design Competition at Greenbuild last month for their design Eco-laboratory! Using Living Building Challenge standards, they designed an urban, high-rise, multi-use residence for a site in Seattle’s Belltown neighborhood to create a self-sustaining, diverse community. Cascadia is proud of our bioregion's young talent! Click here to learn more about their design.
 Since the launch of Living Building Leader earlier this year, a number of esteemed experts have completed presentations. The following are among the sessions that are now available for viewing: Navigating the Codes David Eisenberg, Co-founder and Director of DCAT; Understanding Carbon Offsets with Anja Kollmuss, Staff Scientist at Stockholm Environment Institute; Comfort, Productivity + Delight with Vivian Loftness, University Professor at Carnegie Mellon and Judith Heerwagen, PhD J.H. Heerwagen & Associates, Inc.; and continued Energy sessions with Mark Frankel, Technical Director of New Buildings Institute.
We also have a riveting session line-up for 2009, including:·
Responsible Industry with Alexander von Bismarck, Executive Director of the Environmental Investigation Agency
Towards Zero Waste with Brad Guy, President of the Building Materials Reuse Association
Human Factors with James Wise, Sustainability Shepherd and Adjunct Professor of Environmental Sciences at Washington State University.
Visit the Living Building Leader site as we continue to shape the 2009 schedule and post sessions throughout December!
 Cascadia has officially endorsed the 2030 Challenge, the global initiative setting targets for all new buildings and major renovations to reduce their fossil-fuel GHG-emitting consumption by 50% by 2010, incrementally increasing the reduction for new buildings to carbon neutral by 2030. We also call upon you to encourage your firm or organization to do the same. Visit www.architecture2030.org to learn more about the 2030 Challenge and adopt the initiative for yourself, your firm, and our future.
As Living Building Challenge projects seek ways to move beyond current best practices for green building, obstacles are often encountered during the regulatory, review and permitting process. Cascadia has been working with the City of Vancouver, WA, and Clark County, WA to release a findings report on barriers to the LBC for sustainable, affordable, residential development. The report serves as a model for other municipalities in identifying the types of hurdles that may exist for LBC projects.
More information and download the report
In 2009 Cascadia will be providing trainings across the state of Oregon on green building and the building codes. These trainings will provide public agency staff and private sector participants with the opportunity to learn about and discuss the challenges and solutions that innovative green building projects may encounter during the regulatory process. Classes will be offered in Salem and Medford in March and in Washington County and Hood River in September 2009.
More Information and registration
Karen Parusel, British Columbia Assistant Director
 Karen joined Cascadia in August of 2008 where she continues a 10-year career focused on community-based change and sustainability. Prior to joining us, Karen was a Program Coordinator at the Vancouver Foundation where she, in addition to helping fund projects throughout BC, chaired the organization’s Sustainability Committee. She currently volunteers as a Board Member and a Coordinator for the Vancouver Public Space Network, an organization that focuses on improving the public realm through urban design, community gardens, cycling infrastructure, and more. Karen has a Bachelor’s degree in Sociology and a Certificate in Community Economic Development, and she is thrilled to bring her passion for sustainability to Cascadia. In her spare time, you'll find Karen at the local rink or riding her bike around the streets of Vancouver.
USGBC is inviting the public to comment on the LEED for Neighborhood Development Rating System, which integrates the principles of smart growth, new urbanism and green building into the first national system for neighborhood design. The program is a collaborative effort between USGBC, the Congress for the New Urbanism, and the Natural Resources Defense Council. Any member of the public may submit comments. The public comment period will be open through January 5, 2009 at 11:59 PST.
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Certified Projects |
Registered Projects |
LEED APs* |
|
AK |
4 |
48 |
102 |
|
BC |
38 |
299 |
850 |
|
WA |
117 |
702 |
2883 |
|
OR |
104 |
415 |
1410 |
*LEED AP Stats as of 08/07/08
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Energy Trust wants to help Oregon rural small businesses and agricultural producers apply for USDA Rural Energy for America (REAP) grants for solar energy systems. The nonprofit will provide information about its grant-writing assistance at free information sessions in Bend/Redmond, Medford/White City, Pendleton and Corvallis/Lebanon. Participants interested in proceeding with an application may then register for grant-writing workshops and review sessions, facilitated by experienced grant-writing consultants.
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Beginning January 6, architect, and speaker Terry K. Phelan of Living Shelter Design Architects will host an internet radio show - The Living Shelter Café. Broadcasting live online Tuesday mornings at 9:00 PST, the show will feature luminary guests and a live listener call-in segment. Discussions will mainly focus on smaller-scale residential applications of deeply sustainable building and design methods and materials, including the Living Building Challenge and the Pharos project. For more information, including guest and sponsor opportunities, please drop Terry a line at livingsheltercafe@live.com.
The Portland metropolitan area is expanding. This growth increases pressure on water quality and fish and wildlife habitat. How can our region achieve a balance between development and conservation? What are the best ways to improve ecological functions within our growing urban areas? How can existing neighborhoods increase the presence of nature? The Metro Council is seeking creative answers to these questions through the Nature in Neighborhoods capital grants program. Pre-applications due January 7, 2009
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