I wasn't able to attend last week's BuildingEnergy conference, sadly. Most particularly, I wasn't able to get to Tuesday night's public forum, "What's Right and What's Wrong With LEED," featuring panelists Henry Gifford, USGBC's LEED Technical VP Brendan Owens, Steven Winter Associates' Maureen Mahle, IBACOS' Duncan Prahl, and energy modeler Maria Karpman of Karpman Consulting. It was moderated by Nadav Malin.
(Why was I so hot for that presentation? For a refresher, see Lies, Damn Lies, and... Another Look at LEED Energy Efficiency, and the terrific comments that follow it.)
At least we can all hear about the forum second-hand. |
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I wasn't able to attend last week's BuildingEnergy conference, sadly. Most particularly, I wasn't able to get to Tuesday night's public forum, "What's Right and What's Wrong With LEED," featuring panelists Henry Gifford, USGBC's LEED Technical VP Brendan Owens, Steven Winter Associates' Maureen Mahle, IBACOS' Duncan Prahl, and energy modeler Maria Karpman of Karpman Consulting. It was moderated by Nadav Malin.
(Why was I so hot for that presentation? For a refresher, see Lies, Damn Lies, and... Another Look at LEED Energy Efficiency, and the terrific comments that follow it.)
At least we can all hear about the forum second-hand.
Martin Luther King, Jr. said "I have a dream," not "I have a nightmare." Tell me why my life is going to be better in a world where we are dealing with climate change.
Solitaire Townsend offered that thought as one of four people presenting at the opening public forum for the Northeast Sustainable Energy Association BuildingEnergy08 conference last night.
Solitaire is an "environmental evangelist" who provides advice to companies and others who are communicating about sustainability. She gave some advice on communicating environmental messages to different types of people – the Heathers, Marthas, and Joyces of the world. Don't bother talking to Martha about recycling, she says. Talk to people she respects, like her minister, PTA head, or the Queen. Solitaire recommends getting the Heathers, her term for conspicuous consumers, on board by giving them a sticker to put in the window of their energy-efficient home, and their favorite celebrities' homes.
Always a big supporter of the BuildingEnergy conference, BuildingGreen will have an even bigger presence than usual this year — in addition to our booth on the trade show floor, we have people chairing sessions, leading a full-day building science workshop, and even giving the opening plenary. The BuildingEnergy conference and trade show for renewable energy and green building professionals, presented by the Northeast Sustainable Energy Association, runs from March 11 - 13 in Boston.
Our own Alex Wilson will give the opening plenary:
"Alex Wilson will review some of the tremendous challenges facing our environment and our way of life, including climate change, water shortages, and the end of cheap oil, then focus on integrated solutions to these problems. The answers certainly won't be easy, but they are waiting for us, should society choose to act."He will also chair a session called "Passive Survivability: The Other Reason to Go Green," on Thursday morning (8:30 - 10:00). Christopher R.
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