November Newsletter from USGBC West Michigan

The Marketing and Communications Chair will lead the marketing and communication efforts. This member will be responsible for coordinating press releases, monitoring the website, and email communication for events and other USGBC West Michigan activities.

Please contact renae.hesselink@enichols.com for more details.

Quick Links to other articles of interest

Infographic: The Economics of Making Your House More Engergy Efficient

Whirlpool Corporation Named One of the Top 500 U.S. Companies in Newsweek's 2011 Green Rankings

USGBC West Michigan
PO Box 6332
Grand Rapids, MI 49516

T: 616.301.6688
E: admin@usgbcwm.org
www.usgbcwm.org

Mission:

To transform the way buildings and communities are designed, built and operated, in a way that improves the quality of life in West Michigan

Letter From the Chair

Please help me thank our outgoing board of director members: Nick Carlson, Jim McCarty, Brian Shultz, Scott Whisler and Steve Willobee. Serving on any board means a dedication of time and resources and all of these outgoing board members have been devoted to moving our mission forward. Thanks to all of you!

If you have not already voted you have a couple of days to cast your ballot. We have eight great candidates that are running for five positions on our board so please take a moment to cast your ballot for our Chapter leadership: https://www.usgbc.org/myUSGBC/Elections/ElectionList.aspx?CMSPageID=1463&CategoryID=1195&20

A few other quick mentions:

There has been some renewed interest in LEED for Neighborhood Development. If you are passionate about this, we want to hear from you. Other Chapters around the country are engaging with their larger community to explore the use of LEED ND.

If you are located in the northwest area of Michigan (Cadillac, Traverse City, Petoskey), we want to hear from you. There has been some interest in forming a branch in NW Michigan. Let us know if you are interested in hearing more or would like to help us plan a meeting for March/April 2012.

Green schools update: There has been a major focus on green schools for the past four years at both the national and local level. Our Chapter's Advocacy Team along with the Detroit Regional Chapter Advocacy Team has been working toward a Michigan Green School Caucus. If you have not spent time on the Center for Green Schools website and your work involves K-12 and Higher Education, please check out the website and all of the tools that are now available. http://www.centerforgreenschools.org/home.aspx. The green school movement has been not only about changing the built environment, it has been about engaging all stakeholders in the process and creating a community around these projects. The mission is to have green schools available to all within this generation.

Renae Hesselink, LEED AP, Chair
renae.hesselink@enichols.com

Membership

Welcome to all of our new and renewing members!

Jill Armstrong, A5 Inc.
Nicole Badgero, MAYOTTE Group Architects
Nick Carlson, Goodwill Industries
Sharon Darby, Cascade Engineering
Daniel Durkee, Fishbeck Thompson, Carr and Huber
Larry Dykhuis, Herman Miller, Inc.
Sheri Flahive, Corporate Cleaning, Inc.
Nate Gillette, Energy Finance Analytics
Perry Hausman, Tower Pinkster
Phil Hester, Steelcase, Inc.
Janice Kitchen, Fishbeck Thompson, Carr and Huber
David Kuiper, Herman Miller
Sarah Latta Rainero
Carl Manning, GMB Architecture and Engineering
Bradley Mead
Ryan Musch, Fishbeck, Thompson, Carr and Huber
Chuck Otto
Gary Postma
David Rinard, Steelcase, Inc.
John Rosenburg, Whirlpool
Beverly Rowell, CB Richard Ellis
David Shugars,
Linda Slater, Central Michigan University
Dan Snyder, Fishbeck, Thompson, Carr and Huber
Victor Tvedten, Energy Finance Analytics, LLC
Thomas VanDam, Tower Pinkster
Don White, Tower Pinkster
Mary Whittaker Duncan
Rick Wordell, Eckert Wordell

Our membership committee is looking for additional committee members. If you would like to be part of this committee please email, admin@usgbcwm.org.

Visit our web site, http://usgbcwm.org/membership

for more information about membership.

LEED and SERF Certification Round Table

LEED? SERF? Not sure which system is right for you? Interested in learning more about the two certification processes? Please join USGBC West Michigan and several other associations for a roundtable discussion with experts of both the LEED and SERF systems.

The roundtable will be held November 10 from 3:00 pm - 5:00 pm in Grand Rapids.

Click here for a registration form and more information

Click here to read article in MiBiz.

River Escape Home Tour

On November 10 come see an affordable home that was built to be 88% more en River House

ergy efficient than a standard new code built home.

This home is a zero-energy home that is projected to earn a Platinum rating under LEED for Homes. The home is also a finalist for Green Builder Magazines 2011 Home of the Year.

Review report and details of the River Escape Home.

Please RSVP at 616.957.LEED (5333) or at ehughes@imagedesignarch.com or cbsmary@gmail.com.

2011 Greenbuild Recap

Couldn't get the time off from work? Passport wasn't current? Forgot to put it on your calendar? Whatever your reason for not making it to Greenbuild, don't worry. The USGBC has provided links to videos and recaps of the three-day conference.

Click here for links to Greenbuild videos.

USGBC Emerging Professionals

An important aspect of starting and sustaining a movement is engaging and mentoring the next generation of activist. As the current regional leaders in the Green Building Movement advance in experience and age, it is important for those leaders to instill in new people the skill, knowledge, and perspective they have acquired in their years of leadership and activism. I am excited to say that the USGBC West Michigan chapter is renewing its commitment to do just that. Through the revitalization of this Emerging Professionals Committee, we hope to engage, inspire, harness and direct the passion of the new and emerging professionals among us in an attempt to shepherd them into the future USGBC West Michigan Chapter leadership roles. First, we need to seek those young people out and inspire them into participation in our region.

Are you a new professional who is looking for a way to engage with the growing regional sustainable community? This may be your calling. Are you a student who is looking for an inside scoop on the local sustainability leaders? This may be your chance. Our list of requirements is short. If you are passionate, and driven; sign up. It is that simple.

Please contact Matt VanSweden if you have any questions.

Ways to Get Involved

Lead an Interest Circle
Make a tax-deductable contribution to your Chapter.
Support the Chapter with your continuing membership, so that we can support you.
Send newsletter content to admin@usgbcwm.org. Articles welcome!

Contact admin@usgbcwm.org with articles for our monthly radio show. WGVU FM airs a 20-minute interview show the fourth Monday of each month titled Getting Green - Hosted by Shelly Irwin. It's an opportunity to educate and communicate all things green. We are looking for ideas, topics and potential guests.