September 29, 2012

A quarter of all Americans walk through the doors of a school every day. Yet instead of walking into places of opportunity, millions enter buildings where the air they breathe is filled with toxins and mold, where classrooms are poorly lit and overcrowded, and where resources are limited and outdated. Too many of our children are learning in buildings that are compromising their health and ability to succeed.

Our kids deserve better. Where they learn matters.

Green Apple is an initiative of the Center for Green schools at USGBC to put all children in schools where they have clean and healthy air to breath, where energy and resources are conserved, and where they can be inspired to dream of a brighter future. We know how to create high performing schools that save hundreds of thousands of dollars and provide safer learning environments for our children. But we can’t do it alone.

The first annual Green Apple Day of Service took place on Sept. 29, 2012. For one day,  advocates from around the world, including students, teachers, parents, elected officials, organizations, companies and more, came together in support of healthy, sustainable schools by taking action in their communities.

The USGBC Midlands Branch met on Sept. 29th at Langford Elementary School in Blythewood, South Carolina.

Kids pulling up existing irrigation hose

Ben with irrigation hose

Anti idle sign with kids and teacher Allen

Installing drip irrigation

Anti idle sign posed with kids and teachers

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September 19, 2012 – USGBC hosted a tour of the new Whole Foods complex, which appears to be on track to transform an outdated retail corridor and to demonstrate best “green” practices as it does so. While the focus of the tour was on lighting and stormwater management, the group also got insights into how one retail decision can transform an entire neighborhood. 

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Midlands Branch is working with Habitat for Humanity and USC on their upcoming  “Green House on Greene St.”  The concept is to a build  LEED for Homes on Greene Street then transport the house to its final destination.  The Sustainability Institute  was gracious to take us on a tour of their award winning facility, touted as one of the greenest offices in the region, serving both as the headquarters of The Sustainability Institute’s Energy Conservation Corps program, as well as a public center for learning about cutting-edge, sustainable materials and technologies for energy efficiency. This residential facility showcase the designs and products from industry leading companies and local artisans in the Charleston area.

Pervious pavement showing depthRain barrel system with tubes in garden

Trex stair tred pervious pavement

Recycled glass countertop

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On May 2, 2012 the USGBC South Carolina Chapter held its third annual Green Schools Summit.  This year’s summit theme was Common Ground.  The concept of Common Ground was to host a bi-partisan event where both sides could come to the table to realize that a net zero school, like the one built in Kentucky, could also be built here in South Carolina.   The event was held on the USC Columbia Campus at the Thomas Cooper Library.  Sponsors for the event included the SC Energy Office, xpedx, Environment & Sustainability Program at USC and GEES.  Community partners for the event included; Senator Phil Leventis, AIA SC Chapter, Center for Green Schools, Green Steps, The Riley Institute at Furman, CEFPI, Edens and the Conservation Voters of South Carolina.

The Summit featured four tracks that were designed to showcase the success of the green schools and sustainable communities movement in SC and beyond.  The first session focused on the innovation in building and constructing the Thomas Cooper Library, Special Collections wing, followed by a presentation from Nate Allen, Green Schools Advocacy Lead and Matt Pearce, Campaign Specialist – US Green Building Council, focusing on South Carolina and national accomplishments in the field of Green Schools.  Senator Phil Leventis, who gave a personal perspective on green schools and why he is so invested in the SC Green Schools caucus, hosted the working lunch.  The first afternoon session was presented by xpedx on green cleaning solutions for your business and school.  The second afternoon session was presented by the SC Energy office and focused on energy savings.  The wrap up session focused on where do we go from here.  The sixty-one attendees have made a pledge to help host four separate events for the upcoming Green Apple Day of Service to be held on September 29th through out the state.  For more information or to help please contact Melissa Le Roy at 843-329-3131 or execdir@usgbcsc.org.

The Green Schools Common Ground Summit ended the day with a hands-on tour of the Special Collections wing of the Thomas Cooper Library before everyone headed to the reception that was held at Edens overlooking the State house and grounds.

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US Green Building Council, South Carolina Chapter and the Veterans Affairs have teamed up to develop Energy Efficient Homes for Heroes program.  This program identifies Veterans who are in need of lowering their homes energy cost.  Energy Efficient Homes for Heroes has been funded through grants from the US Green Building Council, Chapter Innovation Grant and Wells Fargo so all work and materials are provided with no cost to the resident.  We would like to extend a special thank you to Habitat for Humanity, Home Depot, Sustainability Institute, Efficiency First, EarthFare and TRANE for their time and contributions. US Green Building Council, South Carolina Chapter Energy Efficient Homes for Heroes is committed to saving resident’s money, improving the health and air quality of the home, and providing a lasting product that will have long term savings.  The South Carolina Chapter, with representatives from numerous educational, governmental and private industries, strives to uphold and disseminate the goals of the U.S. Green Building Council, while working on a local level to educate the citizens of South Carolina about the benefits of green building and sustainable communities.

On June 2, 2012 the Midlands Branch of the US Green Building Council South Carolina Chapter with a group of eight volunteers spent their Saturday afternoon weatherizing James Whites home of off Faraway Drive.   Mr. White was identified through the application process of the Energy Efficient Homes for Heroes program. Members of Efficiency First, LLC, a local home performance contractor, conducted a home energy audit prior to the volunteers coordinating and found several common household issues that were contributing to Mr. White’s high energy costs and comfort issues.  Mr. White’s issues included HVAC duct work that was leaking air, substantial drafts often referred to as “air leakage” in addition to low and often times missing insulation in both his crawlspace and attic.

Matt Ryan, a building technician for Efficiency First remarked, “Mr. White had a classic case of issues we see in existing homes that have high utility bills and poor comfort.  Ducts that were leaking and pulling air from a crawlspace, fallen insulation in the crawlspace, and attic fan that had no cover (which happened to be by the thermostat) in addition to very little attic insulation”.   He went on further by adding, “It’s always interesting to me how quickly some volunteers adapt to weatherization work as they begin to see the problems come to life.  It’s not glamorous work at times, but we’re talking about a group of volunteers that cut the leakage in the duct work by 30%, reduced air leakage by 10%, added and replaced missing insulation, and draft stopped the entire house in a day.  It was pretty cool to see a group volunteers who just came to work and had almost everything done by lunchtime.”  Mr. White’s appreciation was clearest as the group stood around to take a picture.  In a time when veterans affairs is such a hot topic in our country its great to know that something as simple as chipping in on a neighbor’s home can make a lasting impact on someone’s life.  Melissa Leroy, Executive Director of the USGBC SC, added “We are fortunate to have great sponsors that allow us to give back to our veterans who gave so much to secure our freedom.”  For more information about this program and how you can help, please call 843-329-3131 or email: execdir@usgbcsc.org.

Quick Facts about the White Residence:

-       Reduced leakage in ducts by 30%. Adding about a quarter of a ton of air back into the HVAC system

-       Complete maintenance check-up.

-       Added R-19 insulation to bring attic up to R-30

-       Material Costs less than $500.

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Lowcountry LEED GA Prep Course

Click Here To Register!

Dates:    Tuesday May 1st, noon – 1 pm
Thursday May 3rd, noon – 1 pm
Tuesday May 8th, noon – 1 pm
Thursday May 10th, noon – 1 pm

Webinar information will be provided to all registered attendees 24 hours prior to the start of the course.

Study for the LEED Green Associate Exam from the comfort of your own computer. Join us as we present a pre-recorded study session put together by Joel McKellar, formely of LS3P now with Green Building Services at Harvard University. The 4 hour session will be divided into one hour sessions and presented over two weeks – Tuesdays and Thursdays from 12:00 – 1:00 pm. This online pre-recorded webinar has been developed in order to help prepare listeners for the USGBC LEED Green Associate Exam.  The course will review all major aspects of the LEED rating system that test takers will be required to know in order to pass the exam.

Prep course attendees should understand that additional independent study may be necessary prior to sitting for the exam.

In order to verify attendance during the webinar, attendees will be asked polling questions after each of the four sessions to assure attendance.  A “non-answered” polling question will be seen as failure to complete the course so please make sure that you sit for the entire session and respond to each of the four brief polling emails.

Upon completion all successful attendees will receive a course completion certificate which may be used as a record to sit for the LEED GA course.

All questions concerning the course should be emailed to lowcountry@usgbcsc.org

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Ashley Hall Green Roof Tour

Join us for a tour of the vegetated roof at Ashley Hall, given by the designer and installer Michael Whitfield of Green Roof Outfitters.  The vegetated roof covers the LEED Silver Certified Library and Science Center building.  A presentation on vegetated roof systems will be given prior to the tour. For more information contact lowcountry@usgbcsc.org

This event is FREE

When:     Tuesday, April 24, 2012, 6pm-7pm

Where:    Ashley Hall (Library and Science Center)

172 Rutledge Avenue, Charleston, SC

Click Here To Register!

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A Clear Vision for the 2030 Challenge: Focus on Zero Energy

CLICK HERE TO REGISTER FOR THIS FREE PROGRAM!

WHO: Scott Kelly, AIA, LEED AP |BD+C|ID+C|ND|O+M , Principal-in-Charge

Re:Vision Architecture

www.reVisionArch.com

WHEN: Wednesday, April 4, 2012

6:00pm-7: 0 0pm

( After the presentation, join us for drinks and apps at Taco Boy! )

WHERE: Charleston County Public Library (Auditorium)

68 Calhoun Street, Charleston, SC  29401

Continuing Education

AIA ( 1) LU|HSW|SD credit (approved)

GBCI (1) CE Hour (pending)

This event is FREE.  ( Registration is not required, but it is appreciated! )

WHAT: Presentation Summary -

Philadelphia-based architect Scott Kelly, principal of Re:Vision Architecture, will outline a path that architects and other industry professionals will need to take in order to reach the ambitious energy reduction goals set by the AIA for 2030.  He will discuss the history of codes and the effects they have had on the building profession and how more stringent future codes will impact the industry moving forward.

The presentation will address designing for a site’s “carrying capacity” including implementing passive and active energy and water conservation strategies, how to design high performance buildings that lighten the load on mechanical systems, and how to apply historical knowledge of environmental design strategies. Also being discussed is how the design of an efficient building envelope in both new and existing buildings can have a significant impact on energy performance in the southern climate.

Presenter:

Scott D. Kelly , Principal-In-Charge, AIA, LEED AP BD+C|ID+C|ND|O+M

Scott is co-founder and Principal of Re:Vision Architecture, a “deep green” architecture and sustainability consulting practice with offices in Philadelphia, PA and Berkeley, CA.  Beginning his career with historic preservation and adaptive re-use projects, Scott became interested in the building elements and methods that cause buildings to endure and be more sustainable.  Although Scott was an early adopter of the US Green Building Council’s LEED benchmarking system, he continues to push the envelope of green building through “living building” and “zero -energy” projects.  In addition to practicing and teaching green architecture, Scott also consults to design firms, developers, building owners and manufacturers who are interested in green design charrettes, sustainable design, and green building rating systems such as LEED. For his advocacy and design work, Scott was awarded the Philadelphia AIA’s prestigious Young Architect Award, and his firm has received numerous awards, including the Cascadia Green Building Council Living Building Challenge Award, the Northeast Sustainable Energy Association’s Zero-Net Energy Award and Awards of Excellence from the Society of American Registered Architects.  Scott is a frequent presenter at the regional and national level.

Re:Vision Architecture was recently featured in Grid Magazine!  (Read the full story here) < http://issuu.com/redflagmedia/docs/grid_2011.11/1 >

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The Lowcountry is having its second monthly Webinar Wednesday, a new monthly program type and time we are now offering. These are hour long online webinars that are the perfect way to gain quick GBCI credits on your lunch break! CLICK HERE TO REGISTER!!

Topic: The Evolution of LEED: Insights into Rating System Updates – Performance

Description: Featuring LEED Technical Advisory Group (TAG) and Committee members, this webinar highlights planned changes and updates to the performance-related credits in LEED 2012, which is scheduled to launch in November 2012.  Specifically, the webinar addresses the changes to credits related to energy performance, commissioning, and water use.  Upon completion of this webinar, attendees will be prepared to integrate these updates into their professional practice.

When: Wednesday, March 21st, 2012 from 12:00 – 1:00 PM

Where: Attend online anywhere through GoToMeeting – sign in details will be sent following registration.

Cost: $10 for members; $2o for non-members.

RSVP: Attendance is limited to 15, so register now.

CEU Credit: Earn 1.5 CEU Credits. GBCI# and AIA# must be included at registration in order to receive CEU credit.  Visit gbci.org to find your GBCI Number, under My Credentials.  All CEU credit is now reported by USGBC-South Carolina Chapter, self reporting is no longer required.

Please Note: The webinar software requires the latest version of Java, so check your system early to make sure you have it.  Also, please “join the meeting” early because it takes a couple of minutes to download.

Testimonial: from our first Webinar Wednesday, held February 22, 2012 -

Contact lowcountry@usgbcsc.org to be added to our email list, and be on the lookout for your emailed invitation to this event!

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