The Top 20 Green Building Trends for 2011

The Top 20 Green Building Trends for 2011

A list of top green building trends for 2011 is provided by Green building consultant, Jerry Yudelson and Tom Breunig, director of marketing, of Earth Advantage Institute.

The Green Building Adoption Rate is Slow, Find Out The Practical Reasons Why

The Green Building Adoption Rate is Slow, Find Out The Practical Reasons Why

Despite all the headlines, and a bit of hype, in the world of commercial real estate, the number of green buildings is relatively very small and not growing at a significant rate. Only 2% of all new building construction projects receive LEED certification. Lets look at reasons why building sustainability is stalling and what can be done.

Green MBA Success: Meet Nancy Shaw, Social Responsibility Manager, Blue Shield of California

Green MBA Success: Meet Nancy Shaw, Social Responsibility Manager, Blue Shield of California

Meet Nancy Shaw, Social Responsibility Manager for Blue Shield of California. She currently serves on the Advisory Council of Business Council on Climate Change and was recently a speaker at the Women in Green Forum. She also recently served on the Executive Committee of 2009 Hazon Sustainable Food Conference.

Prior to transitioning to a career is corporate social responsibility, Nancy had a successful career in marketing and the non-profit sector. In the roll of Grants & Program Manager for the Evelyn & Walter Haas, Jr. Fund, Nancy analyzed grant proposals that led to nearly $9 million in funding. As Nonprofit Director for Craigslist, she managed Strategic planning, board development and fundraising, as well as produced venture events connecting nonprofits with potential funders. Before going into the non-profit sector, she was a marketing strategy analyst for both HBO and RR Donnelley. She also directed Fortune 500 companies market research studies for Wetfeet. Read about how Nancy changed her career path to a green one with an MBA in sustainability.

Integrated Project Delivery Management Practices: A Growing Trend in the Construction Industry

Integrated Project Delivery Management Practices: A Growing Trend in the Construction Industry

Developers and facilities owners nationwide are spearheading the Integrated Project Delivery (IPD) movement in the design and construction management industry. Due to long-term ownership and aggressive goals of high performing buildings at lower costs toward energy and potable water expenditures, an increasing number of building owners are constantly seeking new avenues to streamline risk and opportunities associated with standard contractual relationships such as Construction Manager-At Risk, Owner-Architect Agreement (AIA-B141), and Owner-Contractor Agreement (AIA-A101).

Green Building and The Coming Renaissance of Electrical Contracting

Green Building and The Coming Renaissance of Electrical Contracting

In the coming years, electrical contractors will transition into “energy contractors” to support the fast-growing green construction market. There has been a revival of interest in the electrical trade as home owners and corporations adopt alternative methods (e.g. solar, wind, etc) to power buildings. What’s driving this? Federal incentives, lower material costs and savings from reduced energy spending.

Green MBA Success: Meet Adam D. Granz, Energy Efficiency Program Manager at Willdan Energy Solutions

Green MBA Success: Meet Adam D. Granz, Energy Efficiency Program Manager at Willdan Energy Solutions

Meet Adam D Granz. Before getting into energy efficiency, Adam D. Ganz worked in real estate. He is a former real estate broker, property Manager and escrow officer. In this capacity, he represented clients in the buying, selling, and leasing of commercial and residential property, managed over 2 million square feet of commercial and residential property and conducted residential sales transactions and refinances totaling over $55 Million for 80 clients. Since getting his MBA, Adam has taken on the role of Energy Efficiency Program Manager at Willdan Energy Solutions. Read about how he changed his career path to a green one with an MBA in sustainability. Don’t forget to check out our entire Green MBA series.

Green Building is for Conservatives: A Financial Case

Green Building is for Conservatives: A Financial Case

Our buildings are central to our lives, and we put a tremendous amount of our wealth and skills into making them. The modern green building movement is a highly tuned, intensive, and measured approach to building that values efficiency, health and durability.The success of the United States Green Building Council (USGBC) has not been based on their radical agenda but on the practical results of the types of building they have helped shape. The improvement in productivity in LEED commercial buildings alone can pay for the entire building. These large projects have demonstrated the value gained by investing in green building principles

Return on Investment for Green / LEED Projects

Return on Investment for Green / LEED Projects

Green buildings provide long-term savings and solid returns on investments. they also command much more than similar non-LEED buildings due to the economic benefits they offer. Soon Class A office buildings that do not attain LEED certification will see their property value decline as LEED becomes the de facto benchmark in measuring quality in construction.

An English Major Finds a Career in Green-Building

An English Major Finds a Career in Green-Building

Michael Favicchio tell Tony Brown story on how he transitioned a new university graduate with a degree in English to a green building project manager at Chapman Construction in Newton, MA.