Pittsburgh achieved Milestone Five for monitoring and verifying the results of its efforts to reduce GHG emissions. (Greater Pittsburgh Chamber of Commerce)

ICLEI-Local Governments for Sustainability  USA honored 20 cities and counties that have achieved significant milestones in reducing their greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions during a Milestone Awards ceremony at its Local Action Summit, held in September in Washington, D.C. (See list of winners below.)

Through ICLEI USA’s proven Five Milestone process, hundreds of local governments and communities large and small take concrete steps to measure their GHG emissions, set realistic emissions reduction goals, develop hands-on climate action plans, and implement those plans in a measurable way that will yield results.

“The Milestone Awards recognize the great work of cities, towns and counties that are actively engaged in reducing greenhouse gas emissions and want a better quality of life for their residents,” said Mayor Patrick Hays, City of North Little Rock, AR, and President of the Board of Directors, ICLEI USA.  “Each step of our Five Milestone process is critically important to ensuring local success and achieving measurable reductions.”

Since 1993, ICLEI USA has held 130 Five Milestone recognition events for local governments.  Since then, more than 300 local governments have received recognition for their various Milestone accomplishments. Over the past year, the pace of Milestone attainment has accelerated, with 52 local governments completing one or more.

“It’s incredibly rewarding to see so many cities, towns and counties actively engaged in our Five Milestone process and being recognized for their accomplishments,” said Martin Chávez, Executive Director, ICLEI USA and three-term Mayor of Albuquerque, NM. “Through the success of the Five Milestone process, local governments are on track to reduce GHG emissions by 1.36 billion metric tons by 2020—the equivalent of taking 25 million passenger vehicles offs the road for 10 years—an incredible achievement being led by our local governments.”

The following ICLEI USA local government members were recognized with a Milestone Award:

• MilestoneOne: Conduct a baseline greenhouse gas emissions inventory and forecast. Iowa City, IA

• Fairbanks, AK
• North Miami, FL
• Richmond, VA

Milestone Two: Adopt emissions reduction goals

• Alexandria, VA
• Charlottesville, VA

Milestone Three: Develop a local climate action plan for how to reach the goals.

• Chevy Chase, MD
• Eugene, OR
• Loudoun County, VA
• Las Vegas, NV
• New Haven, CT
• Park City, UT
• Queen Anne’s County, MD
• Tacoma, WA

Milestone Four: Implement policies and measures from the climate action plan.

• Bellingham, WA
• Township of Hamilton, NJ
• Stamford, CT

Milestone Five: Monitor and verify results in reducing GHG emissions.

• Austin, TX
• Pittsburgh, PA
• Seattle, WA

For more information on ICLEI USA’s Five Milestone process, visit  http://www.icleiusa.org/action-center/getting-started/iclei2019s-five-milestones-for-climate-protection

For more information on these awards and ICLEI USA’s Local Action Summit, visit http://www.icleiusa.org/main-page/news-events/iclei-local-action-summit-2010

About ICLEI-Local Governments for Sustainability USA

With more than 600 members nationwide, ICLEI-Local Governments for Sustainability USA is the leading local government association addressing climate change and sustainability.  As a nonprofit membership organization, ICLEI USA provides the expertise, technical support, training and innovative tools to help local governments advance their climate, energy and sustainability goals.

WASHINGTON

Purchases of green power help to prevent greenhouse gas emissions and also help accelerate the development of new renewable energy capacity across the United States.

To participate in the challenge, a local government must join EPA’s Green Power Partnership and use green power in amounts that meet the program’s purchase requirements. The local government must also conduct a campaign to encourage local businesses and residents to collectively buy or produce green power on-site in amounts that meet EPA requirements.

More than 30 cities and towns in Alaska, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Maryland, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Texas, Utah, Washington, and Wisconsin have become green power communities, and are collectively buying more than 900 million kilowatt-hours (kWh) of green power annually, equivalent to the carbon dioxide emissions (CO2) from the electricity use of nearly 80,000 average American homes.

The campaign is designed to expand upon the successes of the program, aiming to double the total aggregate amount of green power used by EPA Green Power Communities. As part of the national campaign, communities will compete to see which one can use the most green power and which one can achieve the highest green power percentage of total electricity use. There will be a separate award for each category with national recognition and special attention from EPA. The winners will be announced in September 2011.

During the challenge, from Sept. 20, 2010, to Sept. 1, 2011, communities will be ranked for the two award categories on EPA’s website on a quarterly schedule; EPA will also provide technical assistance to help participants increase their green power usage.

Green power is generated from renewable resources such as solar, wind, geothermal, biomass, biogas, and low-impact hydropower. Green power resources produce electricity with an environmental profile superior to conven tional power technologies, and produce no net increase of greenhouse gas emissions.

More information on EPA’s Green Power Community Challenge:http://www.epa.gov/greenpower/gpcchallenge

More information about EPA’s Green Power Communities:
http://epa.gov/greenpower/communities/index.htm

The Challenge is designed to help a school benchmark and better understand how big its carbon footprint is, how it compares to other schools and how much carbon is produced for each student it educates.

Zerofootprint, a leading organization in the global fight against climate change, announced the launch of the Challenge at the Clinton Global Initiative (CGI) Annual Meeting in September.

The Zerofootprint Challenge will work collaboratively with school districts to provide students with easy-to-use software and social networking tools to measure carbon footprint information, provoke competition and discover a new culture of energy use. “Measurement and benchmarking are critical to any endeavor that seeks to create meaningful change,” said Dr. Ron Dembo, founder and CEO of Zerofootprint. “Our goal is to make it easy, fun and meaningful for kids to tackle climate change and discover new ways to reduce their energy consumption. What is unique is our use of clear metrics for all phases of the program.”

According to the World Business Council for Sustainable Development, buildings represent 40% of the world’s environmental footprint. By targeting reduction efforts at schools, students around the world can take climate change into their own hands and make a real and meaningful difference to the global environmental footprint.

“As governments take action to make meaningful reductions in carbon emissions under their jurisdiction, they will naturally look to all public buildings for participation, including schools,” said Jill Buck, founder of Go Green Initiative. “What I appreciate most about the Zerofootprint Challenge is that it brings sophisticated carbon measurement software tools within easy grasp of any school. Any school can benefit from this program, and I hope every school will.”

When a school joins the Zerofootprint Challenge, it gains access to an easy-to-use online application that helps determine its current footprint and enables direct comparisons with other schools. In an active online forum, students can view results and share experiences on their progress. Teachers are provided with links to curriculum-based lesson plans and activities provided by Zerofootprint partners – organizations that are highly active in education for sustainable development.

Rick Hay, a teacher at Maurice Cody Public School in Toronto, has already committed to reducing his school’s footprint. “I’m excited about working with my school’s EcoTeam this year to reduce our carbon footprint. The Zerofootprint Challenge program, with its kid-friendly graphs and comparison charts, will help motivate us to reach a carbon impact goal of 120 kg per student, down from 155 kg.”

“Green Teams” organized by a teacher or principal at each school, will take charge of the Challenge by measuring their footprint via (the past year’s) heating, electricity and water bills. Once students set the baseline for last year’s emissions, the school challenges another school to join the competition in a “Race to Reduce.”

“The Zerofootprint Challenge will help schools on their path to EcoSchool’s platinum level certification by engaging students in a collective effort to reduce their environmental impact,” said Richard Christie, program coordinator of EcoSchools Toronto and early adopter of the Zerofootprint Challenge.

For tips and tricks to reduce your footprint, Zerofootprint has partnered with sponsors, including TD Friends of the Environment Foundation, and partners, including Eco Schools Toronto, Eco Schools USA, Go Green Initiative, Jane Goodall’s Roots & Shoots, The Climate Project Canada, EarthCARE and the Climate Change Connection, where students can access resources and research methods to reduce their impact.

Zerofootprint Challenge on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/zerochallenge

For more information, or to sign up for Zerofootprint Challenge, please visit: www.zerofootprintfoundation.org

About the Zerofootprint Foundation

The Zerofootprint Challenge is spearheaded by the Zerofootprint Foundation, a not-for-profit organization whose mission is to apply technology, design and risk management to the massive reduction of our global environmental impact.

Support for alternative commuting transportation also assists in LEED certification for commercial buildings, educational institutions and governmental organizations.

Duo-Gard bike shelters.

Duo-Gard Industries Inc., a provider of translucent daylighting, architectural illumination and specialty structures, has a new line of custom and standard bike shelters. Made with polycarbonate panels to provide UV protection, Duo-Gard’s bike shelters can withstand intense environmental conditions associated with rain or snow. With aesthetically appealing designs, the bike shelters are assisting buildings in achieving LEED certification by supporting alternative commuting transportation methods to reduce carbon emissions.

Ideally suited for corporate campuses, government organizations and educational institutions, Duo-Gard’s bike shelters serve as a cost-effective solution for city planners, landscape architects and specifiers looking to enhance building sustainability and design. Duo-Gard designs, manufactures and installs its bike shelters, which can be comprised of 20 percent recycled material and are 100 percent recyclable. The bike shelters feature either standard lighting or solar LEDs/PVs.

“Our bike shelters allow us to bring prominence to alternative transportation and to support the growth of green building by assisting in the LEED certification process,” said Michael Arvidson, executive vice president of Duo-Gard. “For over 25 years, our mission has been to provide our customers with contemporary solutions that utilize our advanced polycarbonate technology. Our bike shelters help deliver on our sustainable commitment and provide architects with versatile, visually appealing design options.”

Duo-Gard’s bike shelters are easy to install and can be designed as open, attached or fully-enclosed structures and feature custom glazing as well as multiple color framing selections. Additional options include bike racks, lean rails, seating and the incorporation of Duo-Gard’s 3S Solar Block coating, which reduces heat loads.

About Duo-Gard Industries:

Duo-Gard Industries Inc. is a leading innovator in high-performance translucent daylighting systems, illuminated walls and ceilings, as well as custom canopies, shelters and outdoor structures. For over 25 years, Duo-Gard has continued to advance its polycarbonate technology to assist in the design, engineering, fabrication and installation of custom architectural products that strive to increase sustainability. Duo-Gard was established in 1984 and is based in Canton,Michigan. For additional information, please visit www.duo-gard.com.

Running Out of Water examines the impending water crisis and identifies successful solutions that have improved water security for everyone from farmers in Southern California to residents of Brazilian slums.

In accessible language, water policy expert Leal and Professor Peter Rogers explain the water and wastewater challenges facing the United States and the world. Leal and Rogers make the case that the looming water crisis is avoidable and that solutions are possible. The authors root their assertions in real-life examples that can be replicated.

Michael L. Knotek

The University of Colorado at Boulder and the U.S. Department of Energy’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory in Golden, Colorado, named Michael L. Knotek as director of the Renewable and Sustainable Energy Institute.

Knotek brings more than 35 years of experience to RASEI, a joint institute between CU-Boulder and NREL. Since 2001 he has served as a consultant specializing in transitions and creating new research directions in agency and institutional programs, projects and major research facilities. He also has been involved in strategic planning and project management for multidisciplinary and multi-institutional programs and facilities, including DOE biological programs, high performance computing, national facilities such as synchrotrons, environmental research and many aspects of energy science and technology.

Knotek, one of the nation’s most experienced leaders in multidisciplinary energy research, will focus on renewable energy research within RASEI, one of the world’s leading university and federal laboratory partnerships.

“The appointment of Dr. Knotek continues our tradition of attracting the highest quality leadership, and will foster new opportunities for Colorado’s scientific and private sector communities to collaborate on new energy solutions,” said CU-Boulder Chancellor Philip P. DiStefano.

Knotek will have overall responsibility for management of RASEI’s CU-Boulder and NREL research fellows and private-sector Leadership Council.

“The breadth and depth of experience and knowledge that Dr. Knotek brings to RASEI is exactly the kind of leadership we need to help shape the nation’s energy future,” NREL Director Dan Arvizu said.

Knotek previously served as senior science and technology adviser to the Secretary of Energy at the U.S. Department of Energy; the distinguished science executive at Argonne National Laboratory in Argonne, Ill.; the chief technology officer with the Battelle Memorial Institute in Columbus, Ohio; chairman of the National Synchrotron Light Source research facility at Brookhaven National Laboratory in Upton, N.Y.; and associate laboratory director for Environmental and Energy Sciences at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory in Richland, Wash. A fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science and the American Physical Society, Knotek also served as special assistant to the director at Lockheed Martin Energy Research Corp. in Oak Ridge, Tenn.

RASEI is advancing solutions for producing energy economically from low-carbon sources to meet the global energy challenge. For more information about RASEI visit
http://rasei.colorado.edu.

NREL is the DOE’s primary national laboratory for renewable energy and energy efficiency research and development. NREL is operated for DOE by the Alliance for Sustainable Energy, LLC, comprised of the Midwest Research Institute, Battelle Memorial Institute, CU-Boulder, Colorado State University, Colorado School of Mines, MIT and Stanford. For more information visit http://www.nrel.gov.

The GreenCircle Certification System substantiates sustainability claims in the following areas: recycled content, rapidly renewable resource content, closed loop product, sustainable manufacturing practices, life cycle assessment optimized, carbon footprint reduction and renewable energy use.

“Over the past year, two significant developments have put sustainability at the forefront of the corporate mindset for 2010:  Executive Order 13514 and the Wal-Mart Sustainability Index,” said Tad Radzinski, President of Sustainable Solutions Corporation.  “Forward-thinking companies know that in order to stay competitive, it’s critically important to implement sustainable business practices across the board, from product design to internal processes and operations lifecycle. GreenCircle Certification will help guide and substantiate those businesses that want to keep up with the market demand for sustainable products.”

The GreenCircle Certification System can be applied to any organization to validate sustainability, and it includes a detailed evaluation of an organization’s product, process or operation including manufacturing facility audits. The evaluation can also be based on completion of a product life cycle assessment.

By issuing a GreenCircle Certification, Sustainable Solutions Corporation demonstrates that it has evaluated and verified the information provided by the Organization and that, based on the information received by SSC, the Company is capable of, and consistently produces, a product that is in compliance with their sustainability claim. By applying the GreenCircle Certification Mark to a product, the Organization warrants that the product or operation meets all relevant requirements of the GreenCircle Certification System for the claim.

More information about GreenCircle Certification is available online at http://www.sustainablesolutionscorporation.com/GreenCircleCertified.html or by calling 610-569-1047 or via email at info@sustainablesolutionscorporation.com

About Sustainable Solutions Corporation

Founded in 2001, Sustainable Solutions Corporation provides comprehensive green building and sustainable development services to corporations, manufacturers and property owners. Headquartered in Royersford, Pa., SSC provides a unique set of skills and methodologies to help clients meet sustainability goals and gain competitive advantage while reducing environmental impact. SSC’s service offerings include:  Green Building and Sustainability Training, Development and Implementation of Sustainability Programs, Sustainable Buildings and Operations, LEED and ENERGY STAR Certification Services, Integrated Green Building Design, and Renewable Energy Systems.

Sustainable Solutions Corporation’s services, training and practical solutions have been implemented in businesses and organizations across a wide spectrum of industries, ranging from small government offices to Fortune 500 companies.

The RAMPed UP design.

The U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) has announced the four finalists for its 2010 Natural Talent Design Competition, which gives students and emerging professionals the opportunity to apply sustainable design principles to the ongoing the rebuilding efforts in New Orleans. The jury deliberation at the Andrew H. Wilson Charter School in the Broadmoor neighborhood in New Orleans and the announcement of finalists occurred in conjunction with the release of a five-year retrospective update released by USGBC earlier this week.

After a day of deliberation, the jury selected two student and two emerging professional teams whose designs for small, affordable, ADA-compliant (American Disabilities Act), LEED Platinum homes demonstrated innovative green building principles and will save the future homeowners money over the life-cycle of the home. These designs maintained respect for the Broadmoor aesthetic and respected the opinion of the neighborhood as captured by the community vote, held earlier in the summer. The four finalists are:

Emerging Professional Team: “The Little Easy”, USGBC Connecticut Chapter: This team first came together when they led Cornell University’s 2005 DOE Solar Decathlon Team. After graduation, the group founded ZeroEnergy Design, an architecture and energy consulting firm as well as FreeGreen.com, a site for free green house plans. Their design included an “outdoor living room” – a porch that functioned as an extended room, a wheel chair lift, providing greater ease to elderly or disabled homeowners and a storm water collection system.

View their designs here.

Emerging Professional Team: “RAMPed Up”, Urban Green USGBC New York City Chapter: The team from Buro Happold Consulting Engineers and Rogers Marvel Architects placed high importance on a structural system that resists both gravity, wind and flood, strategically placed windows and ceiling fans to promote passive ventilation during fall and spring and a rainwater harvesting system to mitigate storm water runoff, reducing the impact of heavy rains on the city’s overburdened storm drainage system and covering 100% of the home’s irrigation demand.

View their designs here.

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U.S. Green Building Council
The USGBC community is transforming the way we build, design and operate our buildings for healthier places that save precious resources for people to live, work, learn and play in.  UGSBC is helping create buildings and communities that regenerate and sustain the health and vitality of all life within a generation.  Headquartered in Washington, D.C., the Council is the driving force of the green building industry, which is projected to contribute $554 billion to the U.S. gross domestic product by 2013. USGBC leads a diverse constituency of builders and environmentalists, corporations and nonprofit organizations, elected officials, concerned citizens, teachers and students.  The USGBC community comprises 80 local chapters, 17,000 member companies and organizations, and more than 150,000 individuals who have earned LEED Professional Credentials. Visit www.usgbc.org for more information.

355 Eleventh, San Francisco, is an historic and previously derelict turn-of-the-century industrial building now refurbished to be as beautiful as it is energy efficient. The building won the overall prize for Aidlin Darling Architects - San Francisco.

“Today we honor the forward-thinking designers, engineers, developers, and building owners who are reducing our cities’ carbon footprint, one building at a time,” said Zerofootprint’s CEO, Dr. Ron Dembo. “Projects like these make our cities more sustainable and our buildings better places to live and work. They are making market-disrupting improvements in the way we retrofit existing buildings to improve their energy performance.”

The overall competition winner is the “355 Eleventh” project located in San Francisco, CA. The project was led by Aidlin Darling Architects. This historic, early 20th century industrial building is now refurbished to be as beautiful as it is energy efficient. Part of the refurbishment includes a corrugated skin to replace the building’s original, historically significant steel cladding. The double-skin façade becomes a screen for sunlight and air while maintaining the stoic, industrial character of the original building. Behind that screen, new, operable windows allow user control of airflow. The final building received Gold-level LEED certification and represents the benefits that strong design combined with energy-efficiency brings to our cities.

The winning entries in each of the five Re-Skinning Awards categories are:

• Small/Medium Commercial – 355 Eleventh – Aidlin Darling Architects – San Francisco, California
• Large Commercial - Sparkasse Vorderpfalz – Egon Weiß (1974), Thiemo Ebbert (2009) – Ludwigshafen, Germany
• Large Residential - GESOBAU AG – Osawld Mathias Ungers (1964), DAHM Architekten + Ingenieure (2008) – Berlin, Germany
• Small Residential – Now House – Work Worth Doing Studio and Lorraine Gauthier – Toronto, Canada
• The Future of Re-Skinning – Sydney Tower – Laboratory for Visionary Architecture – Sydney, Australia

For more information and images of each of the winners, visit www.thezeroprize.org.

An expert panel of global leaders in architecture, engineering, sustainability and design judged the entries. The panel selected the winning entries based on a number of criteria, including: energy efficiency; design aesthetics; return on investment; scalability; use of information technology to make the buildings “smart”; and social benefits accruing from the retrofit. A number of world-renowned green leaders and innovators also served as advisors for the competition.

A traveling exhibition is planned to showcase the designs and innovative technologies behind the winning projects. The exhibition will include materials, designs, images and other processes pertaining to re-skinning.

About Zerofootprint
Zerofootprint is a socially responsible enterprise whose mission is to apply technology, design, and risk management to the massive reduction of our environmental footprint. Zerofootprint operates both in the for-profit and charitable domains through two entities, Zerofootprint Software and Zerofootprint Foundation.

Brian Malarkey

Brian Malarkey, executive Vice President and Director of Kirksey Architecture EcoServices, received the 2010 AIA National Young Architect Award, one of only nine recipients nationwide. Malarkey is president of AIA Houston 2008, co-founder of the Houston Chapter of the USGBC, founding chair of Gulf Coast Green Conference and Expo, AIA Houston Young Architect Award recipient 2004, regional green building pioneer, award-winning designer, appointed to Houston Mayor’s Green Building Advisory Committee, and a champion for LEED legislation in Houston and the state of Texas. He also is the founder of Kirksey EcoServices.

Awarded by the American Institute of Architects (AIA), the Young Architects Award is given to individuals who have shown exceptional leadership and made significant contributions to the profession in an early state of their architectural career. Recipients must have been licensed to practice architecture fewer than 10 years.