Looking Ahead: Sustainability Events 2013-2014

Written by:
Meghan Woodcock, EDAC 
SCAD Professor, Interior Design
IIDA Sustainability Forum Director

Looking Ahead: Sustainability Events 2013–14

2013–14 offers a wide range of events focused on bringing environmentally minded individuals together. Engaging activities, diverse line-ups and thought-provoking content promise to continue raising awareness and inspire the next set of meaningful steps towards change. From conservation efforts and film festivals focused on the urgent environmental issues of our time to understanding the built environment's most rigorous and ambitious performance standards and the world's largest expo dedicated to green building, here’s a glance at what’s coming up in 2013–14.

Georgia

Georgia Conservancy Tybee Island Beach Swap
September 21, 2013 7:30 AM // Savannah, GA
georgiaconservancy.org/index.phpmact=Calendar,cntnt01,default,0&cntnt01year=2013&cntnt01month=&cntnt01event_id=126&cntnt01display=event&cntnt01lang=en_GB&cntnt01returnid=69

Smart Cities and Ecosystems
Thursday, October 3, 2013 6:00PM – 8:00PM // Atlanta, GA
usgbcga.memberclicks.net/index.php?option=com_mc&view=mc&Itemid=110

2013 Forestry Symposium
Oct 4, 2013 8:30 AM // Athens, GA
usgbcga.memberclicks.net/index.php?option=com_mc&view=mc&Itemid=110

Understanding the Living Building Challenge Public Workshop
December 5, 2013 // Atlanta, GA
living-future.org/events/understanding-living-building-challenge-workshop-atlanta-ga

Greenprints 
March 12–13  2014 //  Atlanta, GA
greenprints.org

National

Understanding the Living Building Challenge Public Workshop
September 25, 2013 // Cincinnati, OH
living-future.org/events/understanding-living-building-challenge-public-workshop-cincinnati-oh

The New Metrics of Sustainable Business Conference
September 24–25, 2013 // Philadelphia, PA
sustainablebrands.com/events/sbiif/newmetrics13

Understanding the Living Building Challenge Public Workshop
October 11, 2013 // New York, NY
living-future.org/events/understanding-living-building-challenge-public-workshop-new-york-ny

Leadership Summit on Sustainable Design
October 6– 8, 2013 // Minneapolis, MN
www.di.net/events/summit

Net Zero Cities 2013
October 23– 24, 2013 // Fort Collins, CO
netzerocities.net

CitiesAlive 11th Annual Green Roof & Wall Conference
October 23, 2013 - October 26, 2013 // San Francisco, CA, USA
citiesalive.org

BECC 2013 – Behavior, Energy & Climate Change Conference
November 18 – 20, 2013 // Sacramento, CA
beccconference.org

2013 Greenbuild International Conference & Expo
November 20-22, 2013 // Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
greenbuildexpo.org/faqs/General-Information.aspx

DC Environmental Film Festival 2014
March 18-30, 2014 // Washington, D.C.
dcenvironmentalfilmfest.org

Living Future 2014
May 21–23, 2014 // Portland, OR
living-future.org/unconference2014

San Francisco 4th Annual Green Film Festival
May 29–June 4, 2014 // San Francisco, CA
sfgreenfilmfest.org

Sustainable Brands '14 Conference
June 2–5, 2014 // San Diego, CA
sustainablebrands.com/events/sb14/register

2014 Greenbuild International Conference & Expo
November 8–10, 2014 // New Orleans, LA
details TBA

International
Sustainable Brands London Conference
November 18-19, 2013 // London, England
www.sustainablebrands.com/events/sblondon13/register

Understanding the Living Building Challenge Public Workshop
November 19, 2013 // Madrid, Spain
living-future.org/events/understanding-living-building-challenge-workshop-madrid-spain

Understanding the Living Building Challenge Public Workshop
November 21, 2013 // Barcelona, Spain
living-future.org/events/understanding-living-building-challenge-workshop-barcelona-spain

14th Annual Environmental Film Festival
November 21–24, 2013 // Toronto, Canada
planetinfocus.org/film-festival

2014 International Conference on Environmental, Cultural, Economic & Social Sustainability
January 22–24 2014 // The University of Split, Split, Croatia

onsustainability.com/the-conference

Ecobuild 2014
March 4–6, 2014 //  London, England

ecobuild.co.uk

International Conference on Sustainable Design and Construction Engineering
April 29–30, 2014 // Paris, France
waset.org/conferences/2014/france2014/icsdce/

What does sustainability mean, and what does it mean to you?

Sustainability Forum - November

By Christina (Zucco) Schmitt, IIDA Georgia 

http://www.usgbcga.org/resources/leed-in-georgia-building-directory/149?task=view

Project Name: Square Feet Studio Offices
Submission Contact Name: John Bencich
Company: Square Feet Studio
Phone: (404) 688-4990 ext 22
Email: john@squarefeetstudio.com
Location: Atlanta, Georgia
LEED Certification Level of Project: CI-Gold

 

What does sustainability mean, and what does it mean to you?  I often find that there are many definitions and even more often there are personal preconceptions to those definitions.  Those preconceptions are often the clients’ fall back when they don’t really understand the tenants of sustainability; they just think it is hippie propaganda.

Wikipedia says, “The word sustainability is derived from the Latin sustinere (tenere, to hold; sus, up). Dictionaries provide more than ten meanings for sustain, the main ones being to “maintain", "support", or "endure”.[4][5] However, since the 1980s sustainability has been used more in the sense of human sustainability on planet Earth and this has resulted in the most widely quoted definition of sustainability as a part of the concept sustainable development, that of the Brundtland Commission of the United Nations on March 20, 1987: “sustainable development is development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.”[6][7]“

How do you communicate to your clients about sustainability? How do you combat the commercialization of sustainability? 

What happens when your most convincing argument hits a wall? Here are a few responses that can help redirect conversations headed in the wrong direction.

•   A client says that going green limits choices.
Tell them it isn’t so. “The notion that you have to sacrifice unique- ness to go green today is just not true,” says Sarah Susanka, AIA. “Take a look at how many more products and materials are available now. There aren’t fewer options; they’re just different.”

•   A skeptic pokes holes in environmental research.
 Be prepared. Make copies of magazine articles or send clients to Web sites that support your claims—and steer clear of material that feels like propaganda, even if it’s based in fact. Be ready to produce evidence, whether it’s that toxic glues are bad for you or that mahogany is not a sustainable wood. “Give your clients good science, not junk science,” says Victoria Schomer, ASID, LEED AP.

•   A client plays the budget card—and won’t budge. 
Allow that green choices can sometimes cost more than conventional ones, but that it’s important to look at the budget as a whole. There are opportunities within every project to balance more costly expenditures with economical decisions. Help them decide what matters most to them and provide options that cover different levels of sustainability, as well as different price points.

•   A client likes the idea, but says he’s not ready to go green yet.
Tell him that by making changes now—even small ones—he is making a difference. Says Susanka: “Do everything you can. Tell them to choose that low-VOC paint; not to replace carpet, but to expose hardwood floors instead; select nontoxic finishes; buy green furniture ... ” It all adds up, and every small decision increases awareness so that clients will be in the right mindset when they make bigger decisions down the road.

•   You’re dismissed as a tree-hugger.
 Smile and say there those who believe everyone should have green values—but the truth is not everyone does. Tell them you respect their decision—but leave them with something to ponder: “This business of making a sustainable environment is nothing new,” says Susanka.“The planet knows how to do it. All we need to do is get out of the way!

        Borrowed from Design so Clients Will Listen by Maria Lapinana

Here are a few resources help you move through the topic, allowing both you and your client to do small things or large things to meet their needs today without compromising the ability of their children, their grandchildren, their nieces and nephews or their neighborhood kids to need their own needs. Happy Designing!

http://www.fastcompany.com/1007038/building-sustainable-design-community

http://www.guardian.co.uk/sustainable-business/blog/sustainability-sustainable-design-products

http://www.informedesign.org/_news/Sustain01_06.pdf

http://www.acoustics.com/ra_sustainable.asp

Talking About Green Design So Clients Will Listen (Summer 2006); by Maria LaPiana

GSA MLK Building Atlanta Renovated

Submitted by David Ramsey, Lord Aeck Sargent Architects, Inc.




http://www.interiorsandsources.com/ArticleDetails/tabid/3339/ArticleID/13240/Default.aspx#top

Written by:

Adam Moore| Managing Editor

Interiors & Sources

Adam.Moore@interiorsandsources.com

www.interiorsandsources.com

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Jonathan Hillyer Photography, Inc.

jonathan@hillyerphoto.com

Lord, Aeck & Sargent planned and designed the rehabilitation of the Martin Luther King Jr. Federal Building in downtown Atlanta. Constructed in 1933 as the main U.S. Post Office for Atlanta, the building houses the Southeastern headquarters for the U.S. General Services Administration. The building carries the cultural distinction of being the first named in honor of the late Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.

The project, targeting LEED Silver- Level Certification, is a fusion of rehabilitation, restoration and sustainable design. Important character-defining features of the building, such as the historic postal lobby, stairway, windows and marble and granite facade and historic steel windows, were preserved, while the remainder of the building was rehabilitated to include Class A office space, modernized elevators and updated electrical and HVAC systems.  Sustainable design features include high efficiency mechanical and lighting systems, low flow plumbing fixtures, landscaping with native plants, incorporation of daylighting strategies and commuter friendly elements such as bicycle racks and changing facilities. Click on the article below to read more.......

“A Sustainable Way to Cleaner Interiors” - Sustainability Forum

forum:  IIDA Georgia Sustainability
submitted by:  Lily Calvert-Dean, LLED AP, National Office Systems - Savannah
additional links:  http://www.tersanoprofessional.com/   or  http://www.cfcn.info/ade.html

A Sustainable Way to Cleaner Interiors

One of the less glamorous aspects of an interior designer’s job is considering the maintenance of a facility once the installation is over. Cleaning products and practices have to be taken into consideration with selecting materials and finishes and the cleaning supplies themselves can be scary business.  Often commercial and healthcare facilities use heavy, toxic chemicals to clean and sanitize and the side efforts of some of these products on our health and environment are hardly known.  Recently, there has been a new cleaning system that is being used in commercial, and particularly hospitality, applications with great success and minimal environmental impact.  The Lotus Pro uses regular tap water and electricity to convert it into liquefied Ozone that you then simply spray, wipe, or mop on to the surface or area you are cleaning.  The website touts “A powerful cleaner, stain remover and deodorizer that sanitizes while it works, it kills up to 99.999% of bacteria, fifty percent faster than chlorine bleach. After its job is done it turns back into water and oxygen”.   The Lotus Pro has been proven to quickly kill viruses and bacteria including E.coli, salmonella, MRSA, C-Difficile, and hundreds of other common germs. It is approved for food service areas and for use on a spectrum of surfaces, including fabrics, and is EPA, FDA, and OSHA complaint. Disposal is easy; just pour the water back down the drain.

This new cleaning system is “green” in many different ways.  It is a 100% chemical free cleaning system has no toxins, carcinogens, or chemical residues.  There is no smell or fumes which mean there are no air quality concerns or lingering odors.  Furthermore, because the unit is semi-permanent, the only things you replace are the filter cartridges and the water.  This means you are cutting down on extremely wasteful transportation and packaging practices that are associated with conventional cleaning products. By cutting down on packaging you are also eliminating the need for disposal and avoiding significant amount of (mainly plastic) packaging that could otherwise be ending up in a landfill.  But truly what makes this product so unique is the fact that, in its most basic form, you are cleaning with water.  Once the water has been turned into liquefied ozone, it is still safe to touch, breathe, etc.  This means it is safe for people, animals, and the planet. There are no chemical additives or residues and it starts and end ends with water: and that is truly sustainable.

More information can be found at www.tersanoprofessional.com or at http://www.cfcn.info/ade.html .  Cleaning with liquefied ozone is something that should be suggested to clients, end-users, and facility and maintenance personnel as a more sustainable option to conventional products that will help preserve the integrity of interior spaces and the health of the people that live and work in them.

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