Become a Chapter Member & Get a Discounted Greenbuild Pass!

Greenbuild will be in San Francisco in just a few short weeks! 35,000 professionals and leaders from over 120 countries will be right in our backyard. Here’s your opportunity to save up to $450 to attend the conference. Become a Premium Chapter Member today and receive a discounted pass to Greenbuild 2012 as an added benefit to your membership.

Premium Chapter Membership Packages:

Limited availability until November 5, 2012, or while supplies last

• For $100, you will receive a one-year Chapter Membership and a one-day Expo Hall Only Pass to the 2012 Greenbuild International Conference and Expo ($150-$175 total value, depending on national member status).

• For $650, you will receive a one-year Chapter Membership and a three-day Full Conference & Expo Pass to the 2012 Greenbuild International Conference and Expo ($775-$1100 total value, depending on national member status).

Take advantage of this limited-time offer now!
Interested in our standard membership packages? Click here.

Become a member today to:

• Strengthen our voice on the most critical sustainability issues in our area
• Build meaningful relationships with passionate, forward-thinking leaders, and share and exchange knowledge of the green building industry
• Receive special discounts on events, workshops, products, and LEED education that will further professional development
• Volunteer with your local Branch to provide engagement and educational opportunities in your area
• Participate in sustainability advocacy efforts
• Get a discount on your registration to Greenbuild 2012, the world’s largest conference and expo on green building (Premium Membership Only)

Our success relies on the annual, paid membership of exceptional individuals like you. Take advantage of our Premium Chapter Membership offer and sign up today. If you have any questions about membership, please do not hesitate to contact us.

USGBC Issues Statement in Response to USA Today Piece

Related articles:

• USGBC's Oct. 24 Statement in Response to USA Today Article
• Fact Check with USGBC's Brendan Owens
• Myths vs. Facts on LEED

Statement from Rick Fedrizzi, President, CEO & Founding Chair

“By embracing free enterprise and using market-based approaches we have proven that a healthy environment and a strong economy can go hand and hand. The U.S. Green Building Council is moving the green building industry forward in a way that has never been seen before. Yes, green growth is fueling an entire industry and we are proud of that progress.

Through LEED and USGBC’s other programs, our members are driving the construction industry’s green transformation. LEED buildings save energy, water and precious resources, reduce waste and carbon emissions, create jobs, save money, drive innovation and provide healthier, more comfortable spaces to live, work and learn.

The building products, materials, systems and services that are developed in the marketplace and utilized in LEED buildings are successful because they are created with environmental stewardship goals in mind. We are encouraged when companies develop products and services that support better buildings and communities. If they succeed, we all succeed because the construction is greener and more sustainable.
“The adage ‘doing well by doing good’ is the foundation on which USGBC was built.

Members join USGBC to be part of the process, share what they know and collaborate with others to help us raise the bar and broaden our positive impact. We are proud that LEED reflects the collective expertise and design intelligence of the tens of thousands of environmental advocates and building industry professionals who have helped to create it.”

USGBC Statement in Response to USA Today News Article

Washington, DC – (Oct. 24, 2012) – The U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) issued a statement in response to the USA Today piece that ran today about the organization and its LEED green building program.

USGBC is a 501c3 non-profit organization that is dedicated to sustainable building design and construction. Its mission is to transform the way buildings and communities are designed, built and operated, enabling an environmentally and socially responsible, healthy, and prosperous environment that improves the quality of life.

“The LEED program has been built from the ground up by hundreds of thousands of volunteers and is the catalyst for fundamentally changing the way we think about designing, constructing and operating buildings in the United States and across the globe,” said Rick Fedrizzi, founding chair of the U.S. Green Building Council and the organization's current President and CEO. “Green buildings save energy, water and precious resources, reduce waste and carbon emissions, create jobs, save money, drive innovation and provide healthier, more comfortable spaces to live, work and learn.”

The LEED green building program has spurred explosive growth in energy-efficient buildings, which has supported almost eight million jobs across all 50 states and contributes $554 billion to the U.S. economy annually. Today, more than 9 billion square feet of building space is participating in LEED. While LEED has propelled transformation in the building market, it cannot be stagnant and must be constantly updated. The LEED program was built in a way that ensures it undergoes a rigorous cycle of continuous improvement and evolution. USGBC is currently in this process now and taking the next big step forward with the next version of LEED.

"SMART” Office Leasing Strategies are Inherently “GREEN”

By Benjamin Osgood, The Tenant Advocate

A good commercial real estate broker approaches each transaction with the goal of getting the best deal and terms possible for their client, while identifying a space that will maximize employee comfort and productivity. The broker also plays a key role in influencing how the new office is built out and constructed, as well as where the office is located.

Sustainable business practices just happen to exist within the intersection of all of these goals; and if they do not, they should.

There are many opportunities throughout a commercial lease transaction to save the client money, and many of them also have the added benefit of being more responsible decisions, environmentally. Here are a few examples of leasing strategies that easily align to accomplish both smart business and environmental goals:

THE LOCATION OF THE OFFICE

Having an office located within a high-density area makes a lot of business sense; it makes a company more accessible to a wider and deeper labor and customer pool, and associated car parking costs can be reduced by simply being connected to multiple mass transit options. The positive environmental impact of removing single-passenger cars from the road are many, and employees who bike or walk to the office are not only happier and healthier, but more productive while at work.

Giving preference to LEED Certified buildings is a great start to any office search, as the ownership has already taken the necessary steps to reduce energy, waste and water consumption, and increase indoor air quality.

FIRED Up for Greenbuild!

Special Announcement at Executive Road to Greenbuild Event, Remarks by Rick Fedrizzi and Dan Geiger 

By Ashleigh Talberth, Director, Special Projects, USGBC-NCC

On September 20th, the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) and USGBC- Northern California Chapter (USGBC-NCC) hosted a Road to Greenbuild Executive Lunch to fire up the region for the largest industry conference worldwide - Greenbuild International Conference and Expo - coming to San Francisco this Nov. 14 to 16.

The event kicked off with inspiring remarks by Dan Geiger, Executive Director, USGBC-NCC, followed by an especially creative presentation by Rick Fedrizzi, President, CEO and Founding Chairman. Over 150 regional executives and politicians attended the event including Ruth Cox, Regional Administrator, U.S. General Services Administration, Assemblymember Roger Dickinson, Elizabeth Echols, Regional Administrator, U.S. Small Business Administration, and Assemblymember Nancy Skinner.

Dan concluded his speech with a special milestone announcement – USGBC-NCC’s California Best Buildings Challenge(CBBC) more than doubled to 13 companies! The announcement brings in seven new partners since the launch, and puts the Challenge at over six million square feet of collective building space.

Executives from Bayer, Integral Group, Lockheed Martin, Method, Onyx Pharmaceuticals, Webcor Builders, and XL Construction joining existing Challenge participants Adobe, Genentech, Google, Prudential Real Estate Investors, SAP, and Zynga on stage for the announcement.

Inspired by the White House’s Better Buildings Challenge that seeks 20 percent energy reductions by 2020, participating companies of the CBBC commit to pursue 20 percent reductions in energy, water, and waste in their existing commercial buildings in just two years.

Top 10 @ Greenbuild 2012

By Monica Renner, Marketing & Communications Manager, USGBC-NCC

The world’s largest conference and expo dedicated to green building will be right in our backyard in just a few short weeks! There is so much happening at this year’s event, and you won’t want to miss out on any of the excitement. Here are the Top 10 events at Greenbuild 2012:

1. Greenbuild Celebration

Thursday, November 15
7:00-11:00pm

City Hall and the Bill Graham Civic Auditorium, two of San Francisco’s most beautiful and renowned buildings, will serve as the backdrop for a spectacular evening filled with an unforgettable energy! In bringing together colleagues, friends and the Grammy Award winning band, Train, this year’s Greenbuild Celebration will spark excitement and invigorate the green building community.

2. Opening Plenary

Wednesday, November 14
8:00-10:00am

The opening plenary will be anchored by "Morning Joe" co-hosts, Mika Brzezinski and Joe Scarborough. Mika and Joe will dissect what the November elections will mean for the environment, for green jobs and for innovation — there is no better time or place to take the pulse of the green economy. Mika and Joe will be joined by Twitter co-founder Biz Stone, Newark Mayor Cory Booker, Urban Revitalization Strategist Majora Carter, Environmentalist, Entrepreneur and Author Paul Hawken, Kohler Co. President and Chief Operating Officer David Kohler, former Governor of New York George Pataki, and Lieutenant Governor of California Gavin Newsom.

3. Happy Hour in the Hall: A Bay Area Bash

Wednesday, November 14
4:30-7:00 pm

Packed with 1,000 exhibitors showcasing the latest green building products and technologies, the Expo is one of Greenbuild’s biggest attractions year after year.  Happy Hour in the Hall will feature live local entertainment and all the great food and local beverages the Bay Area has to offer, right on the Expo floor.

4. 500 Mile Pavilion

Wednesday, November 14 – Friday, November 16
Booths still available!

Each year Greenbuild features a pavilion dedicated to the organizations that are located within 500 miles of Greenbuild. This year the 500 Mile Pavilion will feature companies and organizations that are located within 500 miles of San Francisco.

Greenbuild 2012 is bringing technology and sustainability together in the global green movement and the 500 Mile Pavilion is the ideal location to feature local innovation. The Pavilion will be located on the expo floor, providing an opportunity for local organizations to connect with leaders in and around the Silicon Valley and Bay Area and showcase their sustainability efforts. Be sure to stop by our Host Committee booth while you’re there!

Interested in exhibiting in the 500 Mile Pavilion? Learn more!

McKenzie Solar 30MW Power Plant

In August, the Capital Branch partnered with the Northern California Solar Energy Association to host a presentation and tour of the McKenzie Solar 30MW Power Plant near Galt. Representatives from the Contractor: Swinerton Renewable Energy, Civil Engineer: RBF Consulting, and Electrical Engineer: Rex Moore were on hand to lead event attendees through the design and construction of the array, highlighting critical decisions made by the team. When the panel installation is finished, a custom hydroseed blend will be spread to develop ground-cover to control erosion; sheep will be used to control the height of the grass. The solar array will be in operation for several decades and will be decommissioned, and the land returned to agricultural use at the end of the lease term.

Construction on the solar array began in early 2012 and is scheduled to be completed this fall. The array consists of 134,400 PV modules by Yingli mounted on 26,235 steel H-piles ranging from 4 foot to six foot in height. It is estimated that the project will product enough electricity to provide power for any one of the following: 15,000 average homes with central air, 750 fast food restaurants, 115 large retail stores, 95 grocery stores, 75 large home improvement stores, or 4 Sears Towers. It will reduce CO2 emissions by more than 3.9 million metric tons, equal to 160 million trees planted or 5 billion miles traveled by a SUV.