New Westside Branch of USGBC-LA Announces August 25th Launch Event for Design Competition

The New Westside Branch of USGBC-LA will hold a launch event on Wednesday, August 25th at KI Furniture in Santa Monica. The “Pacific Estuary Institute, Est. 2030” Design Competition strives to advance the conversation on green building, with special emphasis on water.

The launch event will be held on Wednesday, August 25th from 6:00-8:00pm at the KI Showroom (1903 Olympic Bl., Santa Monica at the NE corner of 19th St. and Olympic Bl.).

The Westside Branch is developing programs that add technical and intellectual depth to the green building and sustainable design process.  Water is central to the history of the Los Angeles urban region, and in recent years has become a recurring theme of public concern as acquisition, scarcity, habitat loss and pollution have evolved into major problems in both economic and ecological terms.  In response tothis, the Westside Branch has set out to stimulate conversation on waterresource issues - with the competition acting as springboard for innovative design approaches and intervention.

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Air Force Base gets Solar Power Installation

 Luke Air Force Base in Glendale, Arizona is set to get a 15 megawatt solar power installation that will create 550 new green jobs during construction, which will take about a year.  It’s also going to take a huge bite out of the base’s carbon footprint, supplying almost half of the base’s peak electrical demand.  Luke currently spends more than $5 million per year on electricity and uses more than 60 million kilowatt hours annually in mission support.

[via CleanTechnica]

June 3rd Event Pics at LA Trade-Tech/LACCD hosted by FORM and AFLA

Event Images: Carolina Farias

Design for the Planet - May/June 2010 Issue - Sneak Peek

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What Color Is Your Lease? - Beyond the Grid

Green leases offer sustainable and financial benefits for landlords and tenants alike

By Ina Drosu

In an environment where the ecological lobby is prevalent, and the general economic downturn begs for practical innovation that reduces operating costs, green leases are steadily gaining the interest of landlords and tenants. Profitability is key to survival of commercial ventures; without it, loftier concerns fly out the window. What better way to harness broad improvement potentials than a lease structured as economic driver accommodating comprehensive environmental regulations and allowing for necessary changes over time?

According to a study done by CRD&MI, energy costs are 29 percent of landlord
operating costs while less than one percent is paid for by tenants.

Alan Whitson, president of Corporate Realty, Design & Management Institute, created a model green lease to serve as more than a “token gesture to sustainability.” The lease provides incentives for landlords to build cost-effective peak-performance buildings that address energy and water efficiency, emission reduction, and waste minimization. According to a study done by CRD&MI, energy costs are 29 percent of a building’s operating costs while less than one percent is paid for by tenants. Most commercial leases leave energy efficiency out of the equation. He adds, “in a booming market it’s easy to be green, but now, savvy people realize it is part of an economic strategy to improve performance and productivity.”

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