Applications are due March 24, 2010 and scholarships will be announced before the April 15 Early Bird Registration deadline. For information about scholarship eligibility and requirements, please download the application as an MS Word or PDF.

Thanks to Grainger for making this scholarship possible!

Helene Mathis is recognized for her work on the Program Committee and Growing Green Awards Task Force.  Planning for the March 9th Urban Agriculture and Edible Landscapes program was a long process with multiple players and ever-changing goals.  As lead planner for this event, Helene has “guided this ship” quite admirably! In addition to the great job Helene has done on this program, she’s been a long-time and very hard working Program Committee member!  And she serves on the Growing Green Awards Task Force as well!

Thanks, Helene, for your commitment and hard work!

Previous Recognitions

February 2010
Vicki Woodside, CI Select, USGBC-STL Marketing Committee
Christy Cunningham-Saylor, Vertegy, USGBC-STL Program Committee and Education Task Force

Please send your suggestions with LEED SHOWCASE SUGGESTION in the subject line to Brendan Smith, from the USGBC-STL program committee!

California has recently adopted the nation’s first mandatory statewide green building standards code. The code known as CALGREEN will take effect on January 1, 2011. It is a regulatory code affecting state regulated buildings and structures, including residential and commercial buildings, such as hospitals and schools. The code includes such requirements as a 20% reduction in indoor and outdoor water usage, a 50% construction waste diversion from landfills, mandatory inspections of energy systems to ensure maximum efficiency and the use of low-emitting finish materials.

In order to determine which of the code provisions are applicable to a specific occupancy the following steps are recommended:

1. Establish type of occupancy.
2. Verify which state agency has authority.
3. Reference the code chapter that covers the established occupancy.
4. Consult the Matrix Adoption Table to identify the mandatory green building measures necessary to meet the minimum requirements.
5. Review the Voluntary Tier Measures and determine inclusion of those measures.
6. Complete the Application Checklist to identify which measures are required and which voluntary items have been implemented.
7. Documentation of conformance for applicable green building measures shall be provided to the enforcing agency for verification

According to a press release, California’s property owners will simply build per the state’s new CALGREEN Code and will in turn receive a no cost green certification. The certification will be known as CALGREEN Tier 1 or CALGREEN Tier 2. It is stated that this mandatory code will allow builders to build to a certifiable green standard without having to pay costly fees for third-party programs. The intention is for local and state building inspectors to verify these mandatory code provisions. Stating that verification of the green code will be a ‘simple transition’ for local building inspectors.

The reaction of several environmental groups and green builders are mixed regarding this issue. At the national level, USGBC has expressed concern over certain provisions of the new code, while supporting many of its measures. Groups such as the Sierra Club, the National Resources Defense Council and Global Green largely applaud the code’s mandatory rules as a minimum baseline standard. However, they take issue with its two-tier labeling system, saying it will be open to conflicting interpretations and unenforceable by local building inspectors. The director of USGBC’s Northern California Chapter says “The tiers cause confusion in the marketplace and the potential for builders to label their buildings green without substantiating their claims”. Elizabeth Echols goes on to say that many local officials who would be responsible for verifying builder claims do not have the technical expertise that LEED and other third-party verifiers provide.

It will be interesting to see how the implementation, enforcement and verification of this code develops as the draft is finalized and submitted for publication.

To view a draft copy of the code, click on the following link:

http://www.documents.dgs.ca.gov/bsc/documents/2010/Draft-2010-CALGreenCode.pdf

- Submitted by Barbara Anderson, a member of the USGBC-STL Advocacy Committee and an architect at AAIC.

The Living Building Challenge ROAD SHOW is coming to St. Louis on Wednesday, April 21! The ROAD SHOW is a full day workshop that will discuss restorative design and cover the key components of the Living Building Challenge certification process. St. Louis is home to the Tyson Living Learning Center, a project seeking certification under the Living Building Challenge!

USGBC-STL is selling raffle tickets for a chance to win one of two FREE SEATS at this workshop! Raffle tickets are $20 for one (1) and $40 for three (3). ROAD SHOW workshop registration is a $345 value and includes a one-year membership in the Living Building Challenge Community.

Tickets will be for sale at upcoming USGBC-STL events (March 9, March 31 and April 13) and Chapter committee meetings. Winners will be drawn and notified the week of April 5 two weeks before the ROAD SHOW.  at the close of the April 13 USGBC-STL Program, one week Winners need not be present to win.

If you would like to purchase a raffle ticket and cannot attend any of the above programs or events, contact Emily Andrews at usgbc-stl@mobot.org or (314) 577-0854.

Learn more about the April 21 ROAD SHOW.

Mark Winne will deliver the Summit’s keynote address. Mark served as the Executive Director of the Hartford Food System from 1979 – 2003, a nonprofit that works on food and hunger issues in Hartford, CT. He is the author of Closing the Food Gap and active in the Community Food Security Coalition’s policy work.

WHEN: Thursday, March 4, 8 am – 4:00 pm

WHERE: Saint Louis University, Allied Health Building

For more information or to register, visit the Healthy Youth Partnership Website.

If this event is up your alley, be sure to check out the Chapter’s March 9 program in partnership with the Sierra Club on Urban Agriculture and Edible Landscaping!

Urban agriculture presents opportunities to enhance community connectivity, decrease embodied energy in food, contribute to long-term solutions addressing urban decay, and increase the usefulness and interrelation between land and the community. USGBC-STL, in partnership with the Eastern Missouri Group of the Sierra Club, presents a program exploring how to integrate agriculture – passive and active – into our living, work, and educational spaces.   Mary Dewesse, Acorn Landscapes, will discuss opportunities and strategies for incorporating edible landscapes and permaculture principles into commercial development and city planning.  Gwenne Hayes-Stewart, Gateway Greening, will describe how to get community buy-in from grassroots and citizen-managed initiatives, and provide an overview of community gardens, food policy, land use, and the results of the Whitmire Study which examines the relationship between community gardens and their immediate neighborhood.  Dr. Millie Mattfeldt-Beman, Department of Nutrition and Dietetics at Saint Louis University, will present experiences on campus and in public schools developing gardens and teaching programs to improve nutrition, and discuss SLU’s participation in the Tree Campus USA program with emphasis on edible species.

Speakers
Mary Francois Deweese, Principal and Lead Project Landscape Architect, Acorn Landscape Architecture
Gwenne Hayes-Stewart, Executive Director of Gateway Greening
Mildred Mattfeldt-Beman PhD, RD, LD, Chair, Department of Nutrition and Dietetics at Saint Louis University
Moderated by Rhonda Schaper, Glorious Gardens.

When
Tuesday, March 9, 2010
5:30-6:15pm – Registration & Networking
6:15-7:30pm – Program

Where
AmerenUE
1901 Chouteau, St. Louis, MO 63103
map

Fee
Free to USGBC-STL members, Sierra Club members, and full-time students
$20 for non-members

RSVP
Online at Eventbrite
Questions? Contact USGBC-STL staff at (314) 577-0225

Thanks to our Program Sponsor!

Pi Restaurant

Panelists will also discuss other key initiatives and trends that are driving corporate sustainability programs. Panelists include Tony Calandro and Eric Olson. John Traeger will moderate.

WHEN: Friday, February 26, 7:30 am – 9:00 am

WHERE: RCGA’s Regional Collaboration Center, One Metropolitan Square, Suite 1300 (63102)

COST: Free

For more information, see the event flyer.