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Save the Date July 30 - Aug 2, 2008
Orange County Convention Center
Orlando, FL
Featuring education programs presented by the industry's leading experts, plus over 1,000 exhibits to keep you ahead of the competition.
GreenTrends is a great opportunity to showcase your green building products, services and resources to over 16,000 industry professionals - from residential to commercial builders and developers, to designers. For exhibitor information, contact Terri at 850-224-4316 or email trea@fhba.com
Again this year we are co-locating with the Southeast Building Conference.
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| Calendar
Upcoming Events of Interest
March 6, 2008
Ft. Myers, FL
"Planning for Future Sustainable Development"
What is next in sustainability with the emphasis on how various organizations are planning for the future. Vendors will also be on hand to
display related products. CEUs available. For more information:
Ken Buschle
(239) 275-0225
Residential Photovoltaic Systems - Pracitical Aspects
The A-Z of residential solar systems, plus marketing tips, financing options and incentive programs.
Contact: Caryn PH: 239-262-2696
clrasnick@bottomlineresource.com
Tallahassee, FL
FHBA Spring Conference
The Florida Home Builders Association annual legislative conference plays a key role in grassroots efforts for affecting legislative policy. Contact FHBA at 850-224-4316.
May 11-13, 2008
New Orleans, LA
NAHB Green Building Conference
Network with designers and suppliers, attend exceptional education sessions and develop the skills you need for profitable green building. For more information vist the NAHB Green Building Conference website.
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| FGBC Offices Move to Tallahassee
Please update your records to reflect FGBC's new mailing address and contact information.
Florida Green Building Coalition
6615 Mahan Dr. Suite 104, PMB 50
Tallahassee, FL 32308-1401
PH: 850-894-3422
FAX: 850-671-4897 | |
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Florida Panhandle Finally Sees Green
SKY in Calhoun County blends 'Smart Growth' with Green Building
 Located in rural northwest Florida, SKY will advocate compact development and preservation of open space. It will feature 624 new home sites, an equestrian complex, and miles of riding and hiking trails, public gardens and amenities, and over half the property will be set aside for agriculture and open space.
Through the 2006 Florida Energy Act funding for renewable energy technologies, SKY was awarded $1.8 million to study and develop strategies to successfully integrate renewable and sustainable energy technologies with quality-of-life and environmental goals.
SKY will implement green building standards developed by the Florida Green Building Coalition and the U.S. Green Building Council. |
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NAHB Unveils Green Building Program
Green Professional Designation Announced
On February 15, the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) launched their Green Building Program, which was devoid of the much anticipated new 'Standard' due to rigors of the ANSI certification process. So for now, it's back to the three-year-old 'Guidelines.'
The National Green Building Standard is based on the NAHB Model Green Home Building Guidelines, but enhanced to include residential remodeling, multifamily building, and lot and site development. It also reflects advancements in requirements in the International Residential Code and other changes that serve as indications of the dynamic nature of green building.
Like the Guidelines, the Standard requires builders to include features in seven categories: energy, water and resource efficiency; lot and site development; indoor environmental quality and homeowner education. It also adds the higher Emerald Level to the Bronze, Silver and Gold certification levels for the Guidelines.
Scheduled release date for the NAHB Green Building Standards is May 2008. [ more]
To offset the public relations setback of the Standards release, NAHB University of Housing developed a new Green Professional Designation, which was unveiled instead. Classwork leading to the designation provides a solid background in green building methods, as well as the tools to reach consumers. [ more] |
Eco-Friendly Patents Shared Online
'The Commons' provides solutions to environmental problems
The Eco-Patent Commons is an initiative to create a collection of patents on technology that directly or indirectly protects the environment. The patents will be pledged by companies and other intellectual property rights holders and made available to anyone free of charge. [ more] |
Best Practices Award Nominations Open
Annual Event Honors Sustainability Efforts
Sustainable Florida's Best Practices Awards recognize businesses, organizations and individuals whose work demonstrates that a healthy environment and a healthy economy are mutually supportive. Awards categories include Small and Large Business, Leadership, Non-Profit, Government, Business Partnership, and the Green Building Award. Nominations are due April 10.
Get the Best Practice Award Nomination Packet | |
USGBC Increases Grant to $2 Million
Abstract Submittals Accepted through March 6, 2008
The U.S. Green Building Council has doubled its funding commitment for green building research grants to be awarded in 2008 to a grand total of $2 million. Of the additional $1 million in grants, $500,000 has been allocated for K-12 school facility research related to occupant impacts. The Green Building Research Fund was created to spur research that will advance sustainable building practices and encourage market transformation. |
| NewsNotes
Bits and Pieces of Trivia
Florida Migration Tumbles During 2007, 35,301 people moved to Florida from another state, 134,798 fewer than in the previous year. That is the slowest rate of domestic migration into Florida since at least 1990, the year the Census Bureau began publishing annual estimates of migration between states.
Hamilton Sundstrand, in partnership with US Renewables Group, is working to commercialize a concentrated solar power system that uses molten salt for energy storage. The company said using molten salt, a mixture of sodium and potassium nitrate, instead of water or oil, allows the heat to be stored for use on cloudy days or at night.
Finding It Hard to Resist Buying a New Flat Panel TV?
According to an article in the Wall Street Journal, consumer electronics account for 11 to 13 percent of the average household electricity bill, but that is expected to rise to 18 percent by 2015. In general, LCD screens use less power than plasma sets, but a 42-inch plasma set can consume more electricity than a full-size refrigerator, even when the TV is used only a few hours a day.
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Suzanne B. Cook, CAE
Florida Green Building Coalition |
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