“We’re looking for more experience.”
  

Those five gut-wrenching words are the bane of every entry-level professional seeking gainful employment. It’s the classic chicken-and-egg scenario that all young graduates face -- how does one gain experience without an opportunity to gain said experience? 

 The LEED project experience prerequisite for the LEED AP with Specialty exams can present the same dilemma for aspiring green builders. Meeting this crucial experience...

This past May marked a very significant event for the students and staff at Clover Park Technical College (CPTC) in Lakewood, WA. The college's Zero Energy House opened, and was visited by a special guest, Governor Jay Inslee, who remarked, “for every one of these houses, there will be ten more built in the market.” This is an exciting project because it not only produces more energy than it uses, but it also serves as a classroom for the students of the Sustainable...

Join us in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania from Nov. 20-22 for USGBC's 2013 Greenbuild International Conference and Expo. Register today! Greenbuild is the world's largest conference and expo dedicated to green building. Thousands of building professionals from all over the world come together at Greenbuild for three days of outstanding education sessions, renowned speakers, a vast expo floor, green building tours, special seminars and networking events. We are Greenbuild Nation. P.S. I’d love...

Washington, D.C. — (June 5, 2013) — In an effort to accelerate sustainable development around the world, the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC), creators of the LEED green building program, announced today — World Environment Day — a new campaign offering free LEED certification to the first projects to certify in the 114 countries where LEED has yet to take root. Coined “LEED Earth,” this campaign aims to bring LEED certification and thereby better-...

“We Rep, We Serve, We Lead.” This was the theme of this year’s YouthBuild USA Conference of Young Leaders. I was lucky to represent USGBC at this event that included 115 student leaders chosen from 60+ local YouthBuild programs across the country. Before I arrived, the delegates participated in a series of workshops, discussion forums, and other activities. Their goal was to unleash the positivity around what it means to represent, serve, and lead for themselves as...

This month, David Matiella was recognized as one of USGBC's Above and Beyond Volunteers. He joins a dedicated group of volunteer leaders whose contributions have led to outstanding achievements in the green building movement. David has been a powerhouse-volunteer this year. When the Texas legislature came to Austin for its legislative session (held only every two years), he managed the Advocacy Committees for both his chapter and the state. He lead bi-weekly advocacy calls, facilitated...

Late last week, the White House Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ) and the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) released their annual agency sustainability scorecards. These scorecards track how federal agencies are doing in complying with the requirements of Executive Order 13415, which set goals to show reductions on metrics like energy, water and waste in the agencies' operations. The agencies get red, yellow or green to show how they are faring. So what’s new this year? Well, the...

This article is part of a series that USGBC is using to give the LEED community a first look at the tools and resources we’ve developed to support those using LEED. Continuous improvement is a concept that goes beyond the technical requirements. We also apply it to the program as a whole. In the case of the LEED Online forms that teams use to document compliance with LEED credits, this meant streamlining, simplifying and clarifying. Our work paid off, and resulted in fewer forms overall and a...

Las Vegas should stick with its energy code, Las Vegas Sun. The president of the USGBC Nevada Chapter and the executive director of the American Institute of Architects Nevada explain why rolling back the city’s energy codes for buildings constructed before 2009 is a bad idea. Chemical Companies Seek to Limit Federal Green Building, Bloomberg News. The chemical industry is intent on shutting down the federal government’s use of LEED, despite its proven ability to save taxpayers...

This year, the Chapter Steering Committee (CSC) said goodbye to four long-serving members: Kathy Zarsky, Paul Poirier, Amy Wortman and Alessandra Carreon. The CSC is an integrated group of chapter community leaders who provide USGBC with relevant expertise, stakeholder perspectives, market intelligence, best practices and vision. The CSC works towards our collective vision by strengthening and empowering USGBC’s chapter community. “Chapter issues are about growing their communities, keeping...

“It is not true that people stop pursuing dreams because they grow old, they grow old because they stop pursuing dreams." Gabriel Garcia Marquez (1927- present, Colombian/global literary phenomenon/Nobel Prize winner) When I began to prepare last month for my speech at the Colombia Green Building Council’s Urban Sustainability in Action conference, I realized that I was pretty ignorant about Colombia. I knew that the author of “One Hundred Years of Solitude” and the...

This is a transformational time for the U.S. Green Building Council as we celebrate USGBC’s 20th anniversary and the anticipated launch of LEED v4. Take part in shaping USGBC’s strategic direction and nominate yourself for the 2014 Board of Directors. Learn more. The self-nomination period will be open from July 1-30, 2013. Hear from members of our board to learn more about being on the USGBC Board of Directors. There are six open seats on the Board to fill by member election. The...