We are closing in on the completion of this year's series and the excitement and attendance continues to grow for the CIBOR Affiliates Green Series of presentations. With increasing interest in the series, the Affiliates committee has committed to continue the series through 2009 with expanded topics and dynamic presenters.
Even with the abundance of information being promoted by USGBC and other green organizations some people are unclear as to how they can go "Building Green" and where to begin with the process. In an effort to address the many questions of how going green may impact our professional lives, the NHCIBOR Affiliates Committee have developed a series of twelve seminars to be presented the second Thursday of each month in 2008. Each seminar is designed to focus on a specific topic that relates to the green building process, with the format providing for roundtable discussion after a presentation by a professional on the particular topic. The seminars will be hosted on a rotating basis at LEED certified building locations in New Hampshire, The McLane Audubon Center Concord, the Portsmouth Public Library and the PSNH building in the Manchester mill yard area. Seminars will begin at 9:00 a.m. run until 10:30 a.m. and will include a limited breakfast. Cost for this session is $10 for CIBOR members and $15 for non-members.
The tenth seminar in the series is scheduled for November 13 at the McLane Audubon Center, Silk Farm Rd. The topic will be centered on "Building Green" from an owner's perspective and will touch upon the owners desire and vision to build and own a LEED certified building and the required commitment to the planning and design process.
The presentation will be made by Scott Lawson, president of The Scott Lawson Cos. Concord. Scott has a very different view of the world when it comes to sustainability and LEEDS in general. It is less about the LEEDS process or certification, it is more about the "greater good" and "doing what is right" when it comes to business and protecting our resources. If you are someone that believes in paying attention to the "total cost of ownership" of a building that will be on this earth for the next 100 years as opposed to someone who is interested in "paying the least you can to build a building" today, the rest is easy and makes perfect sense.
Scott is passionate in his beliefs and you will find his outlook about this issue, and maybe his presentation, enlightening to say the least. The "story" of his efforts over the last 18 months to design and build a LEED Platinum Certified building in New Hampshire is for reasons you may not suspect.
Remaining seminars will include:
* December 11th - Green Residential Design
* January 2009 - Panel discussion - All Speakers
The series is open to anyone that has an interest in learning more about the "Green Movement" in the New England marketplace.
For more information contact NH-CIBOR affiliate committee chair Heather Rowan at [email protected].
Bill Jean is the director of business development for Fulcrum Associates Inc., Amherst, N.H.