The US Green Building Council - St. Louis Regional Chapter is accepting abstracts for presentations at their fifth annual “Greening the Heartland Conference,” which will be held in St. Louis June 22 to 24. They’re looking for submissions from the architecture, building and planning fields, corporate policy makers and facility/real estate managers, green innovators on school campuses, public officials, planners, lawmakers and others involved in sustainable programs and processes.

The deadline for submitting abstracts is this Friday, January 11, 2008. For details, visit www.greeningtheheartland2008.org or call 1-866-933-4GRN.

In April, we reported that a total worldwide ban on incandescent light bulbs could save 470 million tons of CO2, more than half the reductions called for by the Kyoto Treaty.

Today, the U.S. takes action on that concept through an 822-page energy bill that Congress passed and delivered to the White House in a hybrid Toyota Prius, for President Bush’s signature.

The bill bans the famously inefficient incandescent light bulb by 2012 and puts tougher miles-per-gallon rules on new cars.

The American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy has projected that the bill will reduce energy use by 7 percent and carbon dioxide emissions by 9 percent in 2030. The think tank also estimates that the bill will save consumers and businesses more than $400 billion between now and 2030, “accounting for both energy cost savings and the moderately higher price of energy-efficient products.”

Source: Building Design+Construction

Public Architecture, a nonprofit advocate for pro bono design, recently launched phase two of “The 1%,” a program created in 2005 to challenge architecture and design firms to pledge 1 percent of their billable hours to pro bono work. More than 200 design and architecture firms have signed on.

Wellspring Development Company and Belcher Homes LLC, will break ground this month on Rock Hill Trails, billed as “the area’s first totally ‘green’ new home community.”

Located in Woodriver, Illinois, the development will feature about 290 single family homes, multi–family units, and neighborhood commercial properties. Rock Hill Trails will offer high-performance homes, open spaces with trails and nature corridors, and neighborhood amenities to support social interaction.

According to Wellspring, all homes in the development will conform to National Association of Home Builders Green Building Guidelines and will be eligible for LEED certification. Homeowners will be able to “up-green” with other energy savings and conservation features. The landscape plan will provide natural habitat for wildlife and native plant species.

Wellspring plans to begin home construction on Phase I by first quarter 2008.

The Clinton Foundation announced four new partnerships in their Clinton Climate Initiative (CCI) at the Greenbuild conference in Chicago, the world’s largest green building event.

City of Chicago
The Sears Tower and the Merchandise Mart will receive energy-enhancing retrofits. The Clinton Foundation and the City of Chicago also have teamed with multi-tenant housing owners to retrofit their private buildings. Over time, the energy savings will finance the cost of the projects.

GE Real Estate
One of the world’s most significant commercial real estate companies, GE Real Estate will retrofit buildings they own in CCI partner cities around the world. Greenhouse gases emitted from commercial buildings contribute 30-40 percent of emissions annually.

U.S. Green Building Council
CCI and the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) will work with K-12 schools throughout the nation to establish a Green Schools Program to reduce energy consumption. Besides lowering energy costs, the partnership will show the next generation the importance of using green technology to stop global warming.

American College and University Presidents Climate Commitment
CCI and the American College and University Presidents Climate Commitment (ACUPCC) will retrofit hundreds of colleges and universities across the US, helping them attain climate neutrality while lowering energy bills.

Source: Clinton Foundation

Seventy percent of of architects say client demand is driving green building, and owners and developers are demanding greener buildings to reduce operating costs, according to the third annual Green Index. The survey of green building practices by Autodesk, Inc. and the American Institute of Architects looked at the motivations and acceptance of nearly 350 practicing architects in the United States.

According to study results published in Building Design + Management, less than half of architects were incorporating sustainable design practices into their projects five years ago. Today, 90% of architects expect to incorporate some sustainable elements by 2012.

Source: Building Design + Management