Windspire Vertical Wind Turbine

This years’ 2009 GreenBuild International Conference and Expo drew more than 27,000 architects, developers, and builders & innovators.

1,800 exhibitors showcased their wares, including sustainable materials such as recycled wood flooring; energy and water efficiency products including rainwater harvesting systems and vertical wind turbines, all for building greener, healthier homes, office buildings, schools and healthcare facilities. …read more of GreenBuild’s Top 5 Building Products for Commercial Buildings and Interiors here

Tournesal Siteworks Interior Greenwall System

This years’ 2009 GreenBuild International Conference and Expo drew more than 27,000 architects, developers, and builders & innovators.

1,800 exhibitors showcased their wares, including sustainable materials such as recycled wood flooring; energy and water efficiency products including rainwater harvesting systems and vertical wind turbines, all for building greener, healthier homes, office buildings, schools and healthcare facilities.

From them, we’ve selected our Top 5 Green Products for Retail and Business Interiors (incorporated into LEED AP BD&C or ID&C) …read more of GreenBuild’s Top 5 Building Products for Retail and Business Interiors here

Photo Credit: Jacob Elliot/Project Frog

TOP 5 Green Building Products for SCHOOLS (incorporated into LEED BD&C)

This years’ 2009 GreenBuild International Conference and Expo drew more than 27,000 architects, developers, and builders & innovators.  1,800 exhibitors showcased their wares, including sustainable materials such as recycled wood flooring; energy and water efficiency products including rainwater harvesting systems and vertical wind turbines, all for building greener, healthier homes, office buildings, schools and healthcare facilities.

From them, we’ve selected our Top 5 Green Building Product for Schools.

1.  Project Frog’s smart buildings are a gorgeous alternative to the mundane modular classroom trailer that seems to be creeping across America as a result of overcrowding in schools. If a child is going to be confined to a modular classroom, I want mine in this one! www.projectfrog.com …read more of GreenBuild’s Top 5 Building Products for Schools here

It’s a far cry from a “tree huggers convention” that began in 2002 in Austin, Texas with only 4000 people in attendance. This years’ 2009 GreenBuild International Conference and Expo drew more than 27,000 architects, developers, builders & innovators, making it clear that a movement is well underway.

Rick Fedrizzi, CEO and a founder of the organization that started it, the United States Green Building Council, or USGBC, spoke to a packed house at Chase Field in Phoenix, Arizona last week. “GreenBuild is about the families who must weigh their power bill against their grocery bill; workers who labor in buildings that take a toll on their bodies and spirits; and it’s about kids who spend their entire childhoods in toxic classrooms,” he said. ”We have the power to make choices that will fundamentally change the environment and people’s lives for the better.”

GreenBuild’s keynote speaker this year, Vice President and climate change activist Al Gore, reiterated Fedrizzi’s sentiment and encouraged all Greenbuilders to stay on track and be proud of their efforts that will undoubtedly be felt by the next generation.

The 2009 GreenBuild event included educational seminars, product showcases and a forum for leaders in energy efficiency, sustainable technologies and climate change to network and share ideas. …read more of Top 5 Green Building Products for Homes at GreenBuild 2009 here

I have gotten some feedback regarding the last LEED Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design article I wrote on certain certified projects and I decided to break down the different forms of the systems and how the numbers apply.

This system is an internationally recognized volunteer certification process that offers concise, measurable, and repeatable framework for identifying, implementing and maintaining practical green building design, construction, site development operations, material and resource selection, and maintenance solutions and procedures that measure; energy savings, water efficiency, CO2 emissions reduction, improved indoor environmental air quality, stewardship of resources and sensitivity to their impacts.

The best way to start with a project is to hook up with the elite in the industry for LEED certification by contacting LEED Accredited Professionals (LEED APs) or going to The Green Building Certification Institute (GBCI) where the LEED AP program is taught. They also administer LEED certification for all commercial and institutional projects registered under any LEED Rating System. …read more of LEED: A Simple List of Options and How it Works here