This, the fourth article in our series on green (sustainable) buildings focuses on the twin subjects of energy efficiency and water efficiency two fundamental areas of importance for green buildings. These are important not only because they reduce usage of and promote reuse of these precious resources, but because in so doing to minimize the building environmental impact. A well designed green building, can not only reduce its own environmental impact, but can improve a surrounding environment.
This five part article series on green buildings (also known as sustainable buildings) attempts to answer the following fundamental question: What is meant when someone says “green building” — what exactly are they talking about? In short a green building, is one that is designed, built, renovated, and operated in a resource-efficient manner and that minimizes its environmental impact. It promotes: Energy efficiency, material efficiency, water efficiency and healthful building environment. And generally the term implies that the structure addresses all four of these principle aspects in one manner or another.
The Lopez Community Land Trust (LCLT), a non-profit community-based organization is offering sustainable building internships for the Spring, Summer and Fall of 2009 in Lopez Island, WA. The sustainable internships will include construction with straw bale and natural plaster construction and a host of other tasks connected with completing the Common Ground neighborhood.
The Lost Valley Educational Center in Dexter, OR is offering a sustainable building and maintenance internship to assist the center transform it’s conventional building bbinfrastructure into more sustainable green buildings. This involves retrofitting our cabins, lodge, classrooms, and dormitories so that they are more energy efficient, healthful, and beautiful. We also do projects from the ground up; possibilities include installing solar hot-water panels, designing a bike shop, building a composting toilet.
The U.S. Green Building Council, a Washington, DC-based national nonprofit organization of over 18,000 corporate and organizational members from every sector of the building industry united to transform the building marketplace to sustainability, currently has an opening for an individual with an interest in learning about nonprofit fundraising and management to serve as intern with its Fund Development Department.
The intern will work closely with department staff to research prospective funders; draft proposals, reports, and department communications; assist in fundraising appeals; and support department administration. Training opportunities provided.
Southface Energy Institute is a non-profit organization that promotes sustainable homes, workplaces and communities through education, research, advocacy and technical assistance. Southface offers a limited number of internships to qualified applicants as training for the benefit of each intern. The internships are intended to provide meaningful and challenging learning in a fast-paced organizational environment. Academic credit is available when applicable to curriculum. The program accepts undergraduates, college graduates, or those who have an equivalent level of work and educational experience.
The Northeast Green Building Conference 2009, the leading Green building educational event in Upstate New York, takes place this Thursday and Friday, April 23-24, at the Clarion Hotel, 3 Watervliet Avenue Ext., Albany.
Science Magazine has a new article out on green science careers. Those who have studied physical science, medicine, engineering, or any life science will be uniquely qualified for many types of green jobs. The article cites numerous examples of how professionals in these career specialties can transfer their skills.
There may never be a better time to begin new building retrofits and investments in energy efficiency than the climate that prevails today. Commercial and residential buildings accounted for 39 percent of the total US energy consumption. Lowering these on-going expenditures can have such an impact on the bottom line for building operators and owners that this may represent one of the safest and most lucrative places to invest in. The green building sector offers many opportunities for retrofitting existing buildings to increase their energy efficiency lower their water usage or storm water runoff and so forth that present a whole slew of skilled labor and small business ideas for enterprising individuals and contractors willing to make the leap as well as largely untapped growth opportunities for larger corporations.
