Excerpted. A very interesting development, reflecting a gradual broadening of perspective and integration of several movements.
Joel Gagnon >A weekly newsletter from the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) ><http://www.eere.energy.gov/>Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable >Energy (EERE). The EERE Network News is also available on the Web at: ><http://www.eere.energy.gov/news/enn.cfm>www.eere.energy.gov/news/enn.cfm > > >August 22, 2007 > > > > > >Sustainable Neighborhood Rating System Draws Strong Interest > > > >Green building is gaining in popularity throughout the United States, but >to date, most green building efforts have focused on a single building and >are usually championed by either the building's owner or its primary >tenant. Given that, can entire neighborhoods be swept up in the pursuit of >green building and sustainable design and development? The initial >experiences of the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) suggests that the >answer is yes, as 238 new developments have signed up to participate in >the USGBC's new pilot rating system, the LEED for Neighborhood Development. > >LEED stands for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design, and until >now, the LEED Green Building Rating System has always been centered on >individual buildings. In contrast, the LEED for Neighborhood Development >is being touted as "the next generation of green building thinking." It >integrates the principles of green building, smart growth, and "new >urbanism," a concept that involves a range of housing types in a compact >neighborhood, incorporating mixed uses with well-designed streets that >allow easy access for pedestrians, bicycles, transit vehicles, and other >vehicles. A key aspect is to create green communities that encourage >people to walk to their destination rather than drive. > >The 238 developments that are participating in the pilot are located in 39 >U.S. states as well as 6 other countries. According to USGBC, the projects >range from urban infill projects that are less than an acre in size to >whole new communities that are more than 12,000 acres. Over the course of >the next year, the pilot projects will seek certification and help to test >the Neighborhood Development rating system. USGBC and its partners on the >project the Natural Resources Defense Council and the Congress for New >Urbanism will use the pilot program to learn more about how the draft LEED >for Neighborhood Development rating system works. The groups intend to >draw on that experience to revise and approve the final version of the >rating system in time for a full public launch in 2008. See the ><http://www.usgbc.org/News/PressReleaseDetails.aspx?ID=3304>USGBC press >release, the <http://www.usgbc.org/DisplayPage.aspx?CMSPageID=148>LEED for >Neighborhood Development Web page, and the list of pilot projects >(<http://www.usgbc.org/ShowFile.aspx?DocumentID=2960>PDF 22 KB). ><http://www.adobe.com/products/acrobat/readstep2.html>Download Adobe Reader. > > >This newsletter is funded by DOE's <http://www.eere.energy.gov/>Office of >Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE) and is also available on the ><http://www.eere.energy.gov/news/enn.cfm>EERE Web site. You can ><http://www.eere.energy.gov/news/subscribe.cfm>subscribe to the EERE >Network News using our simple online form, and you can also update your >email address, add a subscription to ><http://www.eere.energy.gov/news/progress_alerts/>EERE Progress Alerts, or >unsubscribe using our >"<http://www.eere.energy.gov/news/change_subscription.cfm>Change My >Subscription" page. > >If you have questions or comments about this newsletter, please ><http://www.eere.energy.gov/news/editor.cfm>contact the editor, Kevin Eber. >You are currently subscribed as: [EMAIL PROTECTED] _______________________________________________ RSS, archives, subscription & listserv information for: [email protected] http://lists.mutualaid.org/mailman/listinfo/sustainabletompkins free hosting by http://www.mutualaid.org
