SOQUEL, Calif. — Californians for Renewable Energy (CARE) and its founder Michael Boyd filed a lawsuit on Nov. 28 in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia to challenge more than two dozen federal loan guarantees that the group alleges were illegally issued by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) under Section 1705 of the Energy Policy Act of 2005.
DURBAN, South Africa — The World Green Building Council recognized New York and San Francisco for international best practice in government policy at the city level for green building initiatives — two of six cities to earn the award.
The Government Leadership Awards for Excellence in City Policy for Green Building were announced at the United Nations Climate Change Conference in Durban, South Africa, and recognize green buildings as an important means to reduce carbon emissions, according to a statement from the council.
3M’s Renewable Energy Division named Tim Thornton as the new business director for its Energy Conservation business. Thornton was formerly the director of global sales and marketing operations for the company’s electronic solutions division, a part of the Electronics and Communications business. Thornton also previously worked in the firm’s Industrial and Transportation sector.
Tecta America Corporation, a commercial and environmental roofing solutions company, announced the promotion of COO Brynne Smith to President and CEO. Prior to joining Tecta America, Smith was with Jacobs Engineering Group, where he spent more than 18 years, and held positions of increasing responsibility. His most recent position was that of Vice President of PMCM, where he was responsible for project and construction management of buildings and infrastructure.
Technological advances from Dynamic Air Quality Solutions’ advances in technology for cost-effective air cleaning in commercial buildings enables facilities to not only equal, but improve indoor air quality versus outdoor air, according to the company. The high-efficiency V8 Air Cleaning System provides MERV 13-16+ performance and delivers significant, tangible results and ongoing reductions in energy, maintenance and disposal costs.
WASHINGTON, D.C. — The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs contracted with the Green Building Initiative to help the department meet the government’s sustainability mandate for federally owned or leased buildings. It will develop an assessment system and apply it to the 180 VA buildings currently undergoing Green Globes certification.
The Green Building Initiative, a nonprofit ANSI Accredited Standards Developer, has previously been contracted to develop building sustainability assessment and certification services within the federal sector.
WASHINGTON, D.C. — LEED-certified existing buildings surpass newly constructed LEED buildings by 15 million square feet on a cumulative basis, the U.S. Green Building Council announced.
“The U.S. is home to more than 60 billion square feet of existing commercial buildings, and we know that most of those buildings are energy guzzlers and water sieves,” said Rick Fedrizzi, president and CEO of the USGBC. “Greening these buildings takes hands-on work, creating precious jobs, especially for construction workers.”
WASHINGTON, D.C. — In a move that does not require congressional approval, President Barack Obama announced on Dec. 2 a nearly $4 billion commitment for energy upgrades to federal and private sector buildings over the next two years.
RALEIGH, N.C. — A new overview of the 2012 domestic construction market shows a long and slow recovery for the construction markets, according to the recently released report by FMI, a Raleigh, N.C.-based consulting firm serving the engineering and construction industry.
The report states that demographics will demand improved infrastructure in health care and education, and sustainable or green construction will drive demand for LEED-certified buildings.
