While most people were sleeping at 3 a.m. on Nov. 6, three SyracuseCoE employees headed out on a road trip to Phoenix, AZ. The group--Kelly Anderson, Aimee Clinkhammer, and Carissa Matthews--traveled to attend the Greenbuild International Conference and Expo to exhibit on behalf of SyracuseCoE as well as New York's Creative Core. Exhibiting at a conference is typically a very unsustainable process. To lessen SyracuseCoE's carbon footprint, the design team created a booth entirely out of repurposed and/or sustainable materials, making it easier to pack one vehicle to transport the exhibit and the three employees to Phoenix. By forgoing shipping for the exhibit and air transportation for just these three employees, SyracuseCoE cut one tonne of carbon emissions. SyracuseCoE's environmental impact was also reduced by camping during the road trip; by eating locally and packing food from the Syracuse Co-op; and by minimizing the paper materials given away at Greenbuild. The trip--chronicled at greenbuildorbust.weebly.com--was made possible by a sponsorship from SyracuseCoE Gold Partner C&S Companies. SyracuseCoE's presence at Greenbuild was supported by SyracuseCoE Platinum Partner National Grid and the Metropolitan Development Association (MDA).

Additionally, MDA President and SyracuseCoE Board Member Rob Simpson addressed a Nov. 12 Greenbuild reception hosted by the MDA and SyracuseCoE. The reception honored USGBC President, CEO and Founding Chair Rick Fedrizzi--also a SyracuseCoE Board Member--introduced business leaders from around the country to the Creative Core, and helped SyracuseCoE Members make new connections in the field of clean and green technology.

SyracuseCoE indoor environmental quality, sustainable building, and green and clean tech experts have been in demand recently ...

• On Nov. 16, Dr. Andrea Ferro of SyracuseCoE Platinum Partner Clarkson University was interviewed by NPR Morning Edition's Joe Palca. Ferro, a recipient of a SyracuseCoE CARTI research grant, lent her knowledge of the subject of the hazards of household dust. To listen to the story or read the transcript, click here.
• On Nov. 15, Syracuse, NY Mayor-Elect Stephanie Miner announced her transition team, which includes a "Sustainability and the Environment" committee. Leading this group is Chris Beck of SyracuseCoE Member Synapse Partners, who will be assisted by, among others, Ed Bogucz of SyracuseCoE, Rachel May of SyracuseCoE Platinum Partners Syracuse University and SUNY-ESF, Neil Murphy of SUNY-ESF, and Josh Stack of SyracuseCoE Charter Member Northeast Green Building Consulting. To view the full list, click here.
  
• On Nov. 12, Kevin Stack of Northeast Green Building Consulting, a SyracuseCoE Board Member, participated in a Greenbuild 2009 Residential Building Summit session called "Cutting Edge Green Home Design: Learning from Natural Systems."
• In October and November SyracuseCoE Managing Director Mark Lichtenstein facilitated a national discussion on recycling at the Grass Roots Recycling Network meeting in Boston, MA; presented on materials reduction and reuse and waste management trends at the (Iowa) Governor's Task Force on Recycling in Des Moines, IA; was a keynote presenter on zero waste programs at a USGBC Caribbean Chapter conference in San Juan, PR; and was invited to assist Onondaga County Executive Joanie Mahoney with the county's sustainability programs.
  

Dr. Gregory L. Boyer, a professor in SyracuseCoE Platinum Partner SUNY-ESF's Department of Chemistry and Director of the Great Lakes Research Consortium, has been described as a "super scientist" by the Centers for Ocean Sciences Education Excellence (COSEE). Boyer has been the lead scientist for several COSEE Great Lakes workshops aboard vessels that conduct research on the Great Lakes. Boyer is a biochemist who was honored with the SUNY-ESF Exemplary Researcher Award in 2008-2009. A recipient of a SyracuseCoE CARTI research grant, Boyer has investigated algae blooms for more than three decades and was SUNY-ESF's principal investigator on a $3 million, five-year study to detect and respond to toxic algae blooms. To learn more, click here.

SyracuseCoE Platinum Partner SUNY-ESF will offer "Green Buildings and Practices," a three-day seminar on USGBC LEED core principles for architects and engineers studying for LEED-Green Associate or LEED-Accredited Professional or anyone interested in green building. The three-day course runs from Nov. 30 to Dec. 1 in SUNY-ESF's Nifkin Lounge. Under new LEED rules developed in Spring 2009 a course in core principles enables candidates to register for the LEED-Green Associate exam. Attendance in this course also gives architects two CEUs. The instructor is green architecture pioneer Kristen Bacorn of Green Estate Consulting. For more information, click here.

He championed the meteorology program more than 40 years ago. Today his legendary name continues to guide one of SyracuseCoE Silver Partner SUNY Oswego's signature studies. A group of faculty, family, and friends gathered to dedicate a state-of-the-art weather station to Dr. Eugene Chermack on Nov. 9. Chermack taught at SUNY-Oswego from 1967 until 2000 and passed away in 2006. The lakeside station along Rudolph Road north of Seneca Hall was funded by a grant from the National Science Foundation. The station will directly sample lake-modified air to help with lake effect storm research. Installed on a 30-foot tower 30 feet from the shore, it can measure temperature at two meters and 10 meters above ground, measure humidity at both levels and wind direction and speed at 10 meters high, and gauge visibility in a storm. For the complete story, click here.

SyracuseCoE StartUp Partner Summerhill Biomass Systems is featured in the November 2009 edition of Biomass Magazine. Summerhill Biomass Systems has developed a system that can grind up almost any type of plant waste into a fine powder for conversion to heat. Summerhill has patents pending on its proprietary process and combustion physics. Combustion is up to 99.5% complete, says James McKnight, Summerhill president and chairman, with no smoke or odor. The user can control the temperature with a thermostat, a feature not readily found on wood pellet or other biomass systems. Feedstocks can include corn stalks, timber, and manure. The powder is similar in consistency to baking powder and burns as intensely as a gas in between five-one hundredths and one-tenth of a second. The company initially received a $75,000 grant from the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA) for feasibility studies and is looking for additional investors. For the complete story, click here.

Green 2010: Education & Workforce Development for the 21st Century will be hosted by the Cary Institute of Ecosystem Studies, Dec. 4 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. This is a regional conference on emerging businesses and jobs in the green sector and on education and training programs to support these industries. Green 2010 will be of interest to decision-makers in business, local government, building, real estate, education, planning, and community development. The program will include discussion of trends, green technologies, case studies, and networking opportunities. Sponsoring organizations include Hudson Valley Regional Council, the Environmental Finance Center at Syracuse University, Schein Media GreenBusiness+Careers, and S3 Consulting. Co-sponsors include Cary Institute of Ecosystem Studies, US Green Building Council NY Upstate Chapter, SyracuseCoE, Building Performance Contractors Association of NYS, Mid-Hudson Energy $mart Communities, Sustainable Hudson Valley, Hudson River Sloop Clearwater, Edible Hudson Valley, and Hudson Valley Smart Growth Alliance. For more information, click here.

Studio 210 at the Amos Building in Syracuse, NY has been awarded a Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design Gold certification from SyracuseCoE Charter Member the US Green Building Council. The Amos Building is a rehabbed historic building situated on what was once the Erie Canal. Clear Channel Communications installed Studio 210--home of The Amos Project--at the building in 900 square feet of leased space. This is the first project in Syracuse to receive a LEED-Gold rating. The Amos Project is a showcase for sustainable materials and green technology and promotes green and clean tech projects in the Syracuse area using interactive kiosks and multimedia displays. Studio 210 also contains a radio studio. Studio 210's green features include high-efficiency heating and cooling; advanced controls to bring in less outside air when the building is not in use and more air when it is occupied; and building materials with low volatile organic chemical content. The project was certified under the USGBC's Commercial Interiors rating system. For the complete story from the Syracuse Post-Standard, click here.