The draft of the LEED 2012 rating system has been released. There is currently a public comment period that will end on December 31, 2010 at 11:59 PM Eastern Time.

Respondents are encouraged to submit comments on individual credits and include recommendations for resolving any identified concerns. Recommendations could include ways to improve the practicality of the criteria for a specific credit, or ways to clarify the language of a specific requirement.

Some of the biggest changes are new categories - Integrated Process, Location and Transportation, and Performance. 

If you are a member or active volunteer, please RSVP on our website. If you are not currently a member but have been thinking about joining, this is the time to do so. You can join online after you create a user account with our site. Click here to become a Member!

Appetizers and drinks will be served.

When: December 7th 5:30 PM - 8:30PM
Award ceremony starts at 6:30pm
Location: Westin Boston Waterfront Hotel, Sauciety Restaurant & American Grill, 425 Summer Street, Boston


December BLUG:
Using FSC Wood
Products to Achieve
MRc7 Credit

The debate within the Green building community on the "exclusivity" of FSC certification and
MR credits has come to a tipping point. Jack Mackin of Sterritt Lumber Co will speak about the latest updates on the proposed benchmark changes that are out for consensus vote and best practices for achieving MRc7 credit for your LEED project.

When: December 8th
6:00 - 7:00 pm
Location: Boston Society
of Architects/AIA
The Architects Building,
3rd floor conference
room, 52 Broad Street, Boston
Cost: FREE
RSVP: Marie Nolan, Education Committee

Pizza and refreshments will be provided.

This month's newsletter brings you information on Greenbuild and Build Boston, along with news from Chapter Committees, updates from USGBC national, and upcoming Chapter Events. 
 

Join the Massachusetts Chapter of the US Green Building Council on November 30, 2010 from 7AM to 1PM at National Grid Headquarters in Waltham for an in-depth discussion and hands-on exercises related to LEED procedural and documentation requirements for Materials & Resources credits and Indoor Air Quality credits.  Active participation in group exercises and discussions will maximize your understanding of these two, often complex and challenging, LEED credit categories and help streamline your role in the integrated design and construction of high performance green buildings.  This workshop is being sponsored by the Associated General Contractors of Massachusetts (AGC), Associated Builders & Contractors of Massachusetts (ABC) and the Associated Subcontractors of Massachusetts (ASM).

 

There will be more than 250 exhibitors highlighting the lastest technologies and building and construction materials.  Whether you are a contractor, engineer, specifier, or architect, you will find what you are looking for.

NEW! INNOVATION PAVILION
Build Boston is excited to introduce the first annual Innovation Pavilion - a venue for new and innovative products to join the established event. Products showcased in this new feature area have been in the marketplace for less than three years.

PECHA KUCHA
Pecha Kucha delivers a presentation format based on a simple idea: 20 images x 20 seconds. It's a format that makes presentations concise, and keeps ideas moving at an exciting pace.

Members of the Board of Directors and the Regional and Statewide Outreach Committee (RaSOC) of USGBC MA have recently met with two groups of Chapter members living and working in the Worcester and Amherst areas. The visits were arranged to provide an opportunity to explore approaches to strengthen the relationship of the Chapter to groups outside of the greater Boston area. The discussions covered ideas for creating localized educational and networking opportunities and other means to attract and support members in all areas of the state. Over the past year these two Branch Interest Groups (BIGs) have been working with RaSOC to define steps towards the goal of establishing local branches of the USGBC Massachusetts Chapter and anticipate establishing branch status in 2011.

RaSOC is looking for opportunities to meet with Chapter members in other parts of the Commonwealth, including the North and South Shore communities, the Cape and Islands, to explore similar goals of providing networking, activities and support for local sustainable design communities. Individuals interested in exploring the formation of a group in their area are encouraged to contact Mark Webster, Chair of the Chapter's Regional and Statewide Outreach Committee or any Chapter Board Member.

Alex Wilson, founder of BuildingGreen, has been chosen to receive the 2010 Hanley Award for Vision and Leadership in Sustainable Housing. As USGBC President and CEO, Rick Fedrizzi says, "Wilson was paying attention to how the built environment affects people and the planet 30 years ago." The award will be presented to Alex at Greenbuild in Chicago. Mr. Wilson is also featured in a video - The Round Table Talks - that will be shown at the Greenbuild Film Festival.

Wilson founded Environmental Building News in 1992 as the first publication in North America devoted to green building. Now in its 19th year, EBN has never taken advertising, a fact relished by its thousands of subscribers who appreciate its unbiased and independent thinking. Wilson has set a standard that the rest of the green building movement has worked to live up to - putting true environmental benefit, supported by data, over marketing and hype. BuildingGreen supports the USGBC MA Chapter with discounts on publications for Chapter members.

USGBC's Greenbuild 2010 International Conference and Expo marks the 9th consecutive year that attendees can help 'green their travel' by purchasing emissions offsets. The expo houses more than 1,000 vendors. If you were a vendor flying from Boston with a sack of wares weighing about as much as you, there would be around 2,000 lbs - close to a ton! - of CO2 freshly flung across the friendly skies, out to Chicago and back to where you started from. Relax, you can feel good about all the spruce trees that might be planted in honor of your attendance at Greenbuild, but is there any way to avoid the need for offsets to begin with?  One option, rent from Greenvans.
Running on vegetable oil after warming up on biodiesel, Greenvans' comfortable 7, 12 and 15 passenger vans boast a range of 2,000 miles, good for a Boston-Chicago roundtrip, pulling a trailer that stores your luggage and expo gear in one compartment, and a vegetable oil reserve tank and refueling system in the other. Just pull over to a safe spot, fuel up the van with the hose and nozzle from the trailer, button it up and get back on the road. Greenvans is Boston-based and has been making happy customers out of touring bands since 2008. Less the screaming fans, their model fits well for a green business vendor on the conference and expo circuit. Their pricing will make you happy too. And don't worry about 'greening your travel', running on vegetable oil is carbon-neutral already!

Topic: Credential Maintenance Q & A
When: December 7, 2010; 12:15 PM - 12:45 PM
Presenters: Marta Alstadt, of Atelier Ten and Arnold Kee, Continuing Education Manager of GBCI. Marta will present her "Road Map to Credential Maintenance" and Arnold will answer your questions about the Credential Maintenance Program (CMP).