This Month
>JRGBC Monthly Meetings
>LEED-NC Technical Review Workshop
>USGBC Seeking New LEED Faculty Members
>How to be Green Seminar
>Funding Green Building:  The Online Seminar Series
>New IRS Guidance on Tax Breaks for Efficiancy in Commercial Buildings
>Indoor Environmental Quality:  Problems, Research and Solutions
>USGBC Updates
>Save-the-Date:  Second Annual JRGBC Green Building Leadership Awards
>AGC Environmental Agenda
>Proposed Standard 189
>2006 JRGBC Board

JRGBC Monthly Meetings
Thursday, July 20 , 2006
Moving Beyond Minimum in Stormwater Design
BCWH Offices ~ 1840 West Broad Street
(click HERE for map and parking)
6-6:30pm ~ Social
6:30-7:30pm ~ Program
7:30-8pm ~ Networking

Stewart R. Comstock, PE of the Maryland Department of the Environment in Baltimore, will present his sustainable civil engineering philosophy which refocuses design from the structural management of runoff as an afterthought to the mimicking of natural processes as part of the total site design.

Click HERE for more information.


LEED-NC Technical Review Workshop
July 20, 2006
8:30am - 5:00pm
Damuth Trane Training Center
1100 Cavalier Boulevard
Chesapeake, Virginia 23323

Hosted by the James River Green Building Council
Sponsored by Damuth Trane and HSMM

Faculty:  Mike Barcik and Bryna Dunn

For more information, click HERE.
To register on-line, visit www.usgbc.org/workshops/register.

How to be Green Seminar
Saturday, July 22, 2006
Breen Building Institute ~ The Enviro-Center
7761 Waterllo Road
Jessup, Maryland 20794
9am - 4pm (lunch included)
     Rainwater Collection for Irrigation Use
     Solar Hot Water for Your Home
     Efficient and Healthy Buildings
     Solar Electric for Your Home

For more information, click HERE
Or go to www.greenbuildinginstitute.org to register.

USGBC Seeking
New LEED Faculty Members
Are you a LEED Accredited Professional who is passionate about green building?  Would you like to share that passion with others?

Apply to become a LEED faculty member, and help USGBC transform the market by educating people all across the United States about the benefits of green building and integrating LEED into their practice.

LEED APs who have been affiliated with a USGBC member company for at least two years and who have at least eight years of professional experience in the building industry are eligible to apply. Click HERE to find more information about what it means to be a LEED faculty member, qualifications, and how to apply.

New IRS Guidance on Tax Breaks for Efficiency in Commercial Buildings
Source: GreenBiz.com

WASHINGTON, June 6, 2006 - The Internal Revenue Service has posted new guidance on how commercial building owners or leaseholders can qualify for the tax deduction for making their building energy efficient. The notice establishes a process to certify the required energy savings in order to claim the deduction.

The commercial building deduction, which was enacted in the Energy Policy Act of 2005, allows taxpayers to deduct the cost of energy-efficient property installed in commercial buildings. The commercial building deduction provides a tax deduction of $1.80 per square foot of floor area for commercial buildings that use no more than half the energy of a building constructed according to current model building codes. A deduction of $0.60 per square foot is allowed for reducing lighting energy use; heating, cooling, and envelope energy use; or building envelope heating and cooling loads by amounts consistent with the overall 50% savings target. The IRS guidance clarifies procedures for demonstrating that the 50% savings target has been achieved, including procedures for obtaining required certifications from qualified experts.

The amount deductible may be as much as $1.80 per square foot of building floor area for buildings that achieve a 50% energy savings target. The notice provides that buildings below the 50% threshold may, nevertheless, qualify for a deduction of up to 60 cents per square foot of building floor area if they meet a 16% energy savings target.

Before claiming the deduction, the taxpayer must obtain a certification that the required energy savings will be achieved. The new guidance prescribes the content of that certification and the qualifications that must be met by the person providing the certification.

The Department of Energy has also announced it will create and maintain a public list of software that must be used to calculate energy savings for purposes of providing the certification. It also provides a process that software developers must use if they desire to have their software included on that list.

The IRS guidance is available for download online ( PDF ).

Indoor Environmental Quality:  Problems, Research and Solutions
July 17-19, 2006
Durham, North Carolina

This international specialty conference, cosponsored by A&WMA and U.S. EPA's Office of Research and Development, will offer the most up-to-date information on indoor air quality. To learn more, download the Preliminary Program (PDF). The conference will feature:

• General sessions;
• Poster sessions;
• A professional development course;
• A tour of the U.S. EPA's “green campus" and research facilities; and
• An exhibition of related products and services. 

In addition, the conference will offer a welcome reception, and the site is conveniently located near great golf courses, restaurants, shopping, and other entertainment options.

For further information on the conference and exhibition, visit the Web site .  

Limited Number of Booths Still Available!

Fewer than 10 booths remain for this conference!  Don't miss out on the chance to get your company's indoor environmental products and services in front of potential new customers. For more information, download the Exhibitor Prospectus or call Una Kilberg at +412-232-3444 x3136, or e-mail ukilberg@awma.org . 

USGBC Updates
The Future of LEED
One of the most exciting initiatives currently underway at USGBC is the development of LEED Version 3.0, an advancement of the rating system that will include scientific and technical advancements like bioregionalism, weighting of credits, and life cycle analysis. Instead of treating LEED 3.0 as a separate "event," USGBC is taking advantage of this opportunity to create a comprehensive, continuous improvement plan for LEED. With Seattle-based Paladino & Company as the consultant, the aim is to develop a program of innovations that will improve the technical and scientific foundations of the rating system, decrease costs, and accelerate LEED's adoption by the marketplace.

To kick off this improvement process, we'll be holding a series of workshops throughout the summer and fall to engage leaders from throughout USGBC and the larger green building community. We're especially interested in the needs and ideas of our chapters, and will be reaching out to you as an important part of these workshops.

Tackling the Wood Issue
USGBC's Board of Directors announced on May 23 that it has directed the LEED Steering Committee to address two proposed changes to LEED's wood and bio-based materials credits recommended in a white paper prepared for and accepted by USGBC's Board. As with any change to the LEED rating system, the proposal will follow USGBC's consensus process including being posted for public comment and balloted by USGBC's full membership prior to implementation.  Click here for details.

New Paths to Accreditation
LEED Accredited Professionals now number more than  24,000—and 20 new people add the words "LEED AP" to their business  cards each day. First launched in 2001, the accreditation program distinguishes  professionals with the knowledge and skills needed to successfully steward a  green building project from design to certification, and provides a recognizable,  marketable credential to the market.

Recognizing that different types of building projects  require different skill sets, in fall 2006 USGBC is introducing new exam tracks geared  towards professionals who focus on green building operations and maintenance  (LEED for Existing Buildings) and green interiors design and fit-out projects (LEED for Commercial Interiors). USGBC will also be releasing an updated exam for LEED for New Construction (LEED-NC) Version 2.2.  Each of the exams will lead to earning the LEED Accredited Professional  credential. Current LEED APs won't be required to retake the exam after the new version is launched.

For more information visit www.usgbc.org or email exam@usgbc.org .

Second Annual JRGBC Green Leadership Awards Luncheon
Wednesday, November 29, 2006
University of Richmond ~ Jepson Alumni Center
10am-Noon ~ Trade Show Exhibits
Noon-2pm ~ Lunch, Program & Awards
2-3pm ~ Trade Show Exhibits
More Information to Follow ~ Mark Your Calendar

AGC's Environmental Agenda Commits to Further Environmental Performance of Construction Industry
Washington, D.C. --The Associated General Contractors of America (AGC) announced that it has completed a comprehensive agenda for further improving the environmental performance of the construction industry, which "recognizes that the construction process affects the environment," and commits AGC "to helping construction contractors minimize and mitigate the environmental impacts of their . . . challenging activities."
For more information, visit www.agc.org/hottopics.

Proposed Standard 189
The USGBC; the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE); and the Illuminating Engineering Society of North America (IESNA) have agreed to co-sponsor the development of a new ASHRAE/USGBC/IESNA minimum standard for high performance green building - Proposed Standard 189, Standard for the Design of High-Performance Green Buildings Except Low-Rise Residential Buildings. 

Click HERE for the press release (pdf) and HERE for Frequently Asked Questions (pdf).

2006 JRGBC Board
Bryna Dunn, Chair, Moseley Architects
Patrick Farley, Vice-Chair, Watershed
Andrew McBride, Treasurer, University of Richmond
Don Guthrie, Secretary, McKinney & Company

Matte Anderson, Director, Trane
Karl Bren, Director, GreenVisions Consulting
Matt Carr, Director, American Hydrotech
Chris Earley, Director, Timmons Group
Scott Kyle, Director, BCWH
Sandra Leibowitz Earley, Director, Sustainable Design Consulting
Scott Wheeler, Director, BCWH

Chapter Events are On-line
Have you checked out the Calendar? Feel free to use it to keep up to date on what s coming up in the region related to green building. If you know of an event related to green building and environmental education that you think our membership would benefit from, please tell us about it via email.

Have You Joined the Local Chapter?
If your company is not a member of the USGBC yet, please convince them to join. You can Join locally as an individual through the JRGBC Website. There is a discount for National Members and for students.