Come to the 2009 Built Green® Conference this Friday!

We are only two days away from the premier green building event in the Northwest. The annual Built Green Conference will be held this Friday, March 6, 2009 at the Washington State Convention & Trade Center in Seattle, WA. Come see Robert F. Kennedy Jr. speak and stay for the best educational line-up the Built Green Conference has ever provided.

In addition to the usual in-depth education on green building practices and strategies, this year's Built Green® Conference will feature a number of sessions on understanding the current and future green building market, and how it relates to the current economy. Geared toward both seasoned green industry veterans as well as those just dipping their toes in the edge of the green movement, the 2009 Built Green Conference, held March 6, will offer green perspectives and solutions to the issues currently affecting homebuilding professionals.

Robert F. Kennedy Jr. will be delivering the keynote address this year, on the topic of how business can utilize sound environmental policies and procedures through the adoption of green business practices. Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s reputation as a resolute defender of the environment stems from a litany of successful legal actions. Kennedy was named one of Time magazine's "Heroes for the Planet" for his success in helping Riverkeeper lead the fight to restore the Hudson River. The group's achievement helped spawn more than 160 Waterkeeper organizations across the globe. Kennedy serves as senior attorney for the Natural Resources Defense Council, chief prosecuting attorney for the Hudson Riverkeeper and president of Waterkeeper Alliance. He is also a clinical professor and supervising attorney at Pace University School of Law's Environmental Litigation Clinic and is co-host of Ring of Fire on Air America Radio. Earlier in his career, he served as assistant district attorney in New York City.

Other nationally recognized speakers will include Eric Cory Freed, author of "Green Building and Design for Dummies," Neal Tsay, Vice President of Research and Development for RCLCO, a real estate market analysis firm, and John Tooley, energy efficiency educator and one of the nation's leaders in the area of building science technologies.

The impressive lineup of educational sessions this year will include a course on the comparative analysis of Built Green and LEED for homes—based on a recent in-depth report by King County and the City of Seattle. Other classes will cover: The market value of certified residential projects; Effectively and honestly marketing green projects; Taking green building networks to the next level; and Market, political and financing solutions for energy retrofits.

In addition to the speakers and classes, the Built Green Conference offers a hands-on opportunity for building professionals to familiarize themselves with the tools of the green building trade. The Green Building Expo will feature the latest green products and services in the industry, from recycled glass countertops to solar panels, low VOC paint, to green service providers.

For complete information on the conference program, educational sessions, exhibits and registration, please visit our website. All registration will be handled at the door the day of the event.

Sponsored by:

New Members

Are you a Built Green member and a member of the Master Builders Association? Then your company is designated with a small green tree on the Master Builders Association website as a Built Green member. Your company is also listed on the Built Green website.

Welcome to our newest member companies!

Brixton Builders, Inc.
(206) 841-8480 in Seattle

Danish Design Kitchens, Inc.
(425) 503-4354 in Kirkland

Division 9 Inc.
We build unique, professional floor solutions around each client.
4252054020 in Woodinville

Eggleston Farkas Architects, P.S.
(206) 283-0250 in Seattle

Energy Retrofit Inc.
Your Partner for an Efficient, Healthy Home
(206) 905-7611 in Seattle

G.A. Powell Construction, Inc.
(425) 356-9021 in Stanwood

Greenwalk Development
(206) 228-2564 in Seattle

Jacques Construction
Quality doesn't cost, it Pays
(206) 501-5505 in Bothell

Kevin Huber Associates, Inc.
Residential Design + Commerical Energy Management Service
(206) 285-4882 in Seattle

Northwest Independent Builders, LLC
(425) 744-2269 in Lynnwood

PACE Engineers, Inc.
(425) 827-2014 in Kirkland

Porterworks
(360) 652-9332 in Stanwood

RCI Inc.
(206) 448-0778 in Seattle

The RE-Store
Used Building Materials & More
2062979119 in Seattle

Total Care Contracting, LLC
We take Total Care of all your Contracting Needs
4258834051 in Redmond

Woodtone
always there, naturally
4254935600 in Everett

Classes

Save the Sound, Build a Rain Garden
Tuesday, March 17, Seattle Aquarium
Time: 6:30 to 8:30 p.m.
Free workshop
Please join Stewardship Partners and WSU Cooperative Extension for a hands-on classroom workshop on rain garden design and construction. We have several classes scheduled throughout King County and the Seattle Metro area beginning January 22nd in Bellevue:

Tuesday, March 17, Seattle Aquarium
Thursday, March 26, Seattle Tilth
Thursday, April 23, NW Environmental Education Center, Seattle
All classes are from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m.

Workshop participants will receive a rain garden handbook and other useful materials. You will also be invited to participate in several full scale rain garden installation workshops scheduled later in the spring and summer.

Workshops are free and registration is required. Participants will be sent site-assessment instructions in advance to help maximize their learning at the workshops.

Contact Becky Abbey at Stewardship Partners to register and for more details: Call (206) 292-9875 or email, and visit the website for more rain garden information.

Classes listed below are approved workshops for fulfilling the annual Built Green education requirement for certifying projects.

Healthy Home Training on Indoor Air Quality
Thursdays, March 19 to April 30, MBA Housing Center, Bellevue
Starting again this Spring is the Healthy Home Training workshop series on Indoor Air Quality, developed by Built Green, the American Lung Association® and the Northwest EcoBuilding Guild. This seven-week course for construction and design professionals focuses on incorporating sustainable, healthy and energy-efficient building techniques in residential construction. The class will cover and explain the indoor air quality techniques designated by several green building programs along within-depth information and resources. All topics address costs associated with and practical applications of healthy building techniques. By attending the workshop builders, designers and other professionals can learn cost-effective and healthy construction techniques, visit a model healthy home and meet their customer's needs. Classes will be taught by regional experts in the field. For more information on and to register for the class, please visit the MBA University website.

Heat Pumps
Wednesday, March 25, Phinney Neighborhood Center, Seattle
Time: 7 p.m. to 9 p.m.
Come and learn about the details of heat pump technology from experts in the field. Heat pump technology combined with a low carbon electricity grid is perhaps our best heating solution in the age of peak oil.
For more information, please see the NW EcoBuilding Guild website.

Introduction to Built Green®
Tuesday, April 14, MBA Housing Center, Bellevue
This seminar provides an introduction to the Built Green program from 8 a.m. to 10 a.m. on Tuesday, April 14 at the MBA Housing Center, 335 116th Ave. SE in Bellevue. Learn how to certify a project and use the checklist, how to join, how the program works and other resources. The seminar presents examples of projects and covers how to fill out the Built Green checklist. This orientation has a cost of $30 and is required in order to certify homes as Built Green. To register, contact the MBA University registrar at education@mbaks.com or go online.

Built Green Awards

Join us for the 2009 Built Green Awards Reception

Come join us for the inaugural Built Green Washington Awards Ceremony! 2009 marks the first year of this statewide awards program to honor innovative green building practices and environmentally responsible residential construction throughout the State of Washington. On Thursday, March 5 from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. Built Green Washington will be hosting an awards ceremony at the new Hyatt at Olive 8 hotel, located at 1635 8th Ave. in Seattle. Join us for food and drinks, and to help us honor each of the 2009 award recipients.

This will be a great opportunity to meet innovative green builders from around the state, as well as to support some of the most beautiful and environmentally responsible projects throughout our region and the builders who created them.

Registration is available on-site. For more information about the event, please contact Built Green of King and Snohomish Counties at (425) 460-8238.

Events

Bainbridge Island Green Festival and Eco Tour
Saturday and Sunday, March 6 and 7, Bainbridge Island
Join the Bainbridge Island Chamber of Commerce for the first Bainbridge Island Eco Tour - featuring green buildings and sustainable gardens. Top-notch architects, designers and historians will be on hand at each site to meet and greet the public. For more information on the Eco Tour and the Green Festival, please click here.

Environment & Sustainability Series:
Tough Times in a Livable City
Friday, March 13, Seattle
Rainier Square - Third Floor Atrium, 1333 Fifth Avenue, Seattle
Registration: 11:30 a.m. | Buffet Luncheon and Program: 12:15 p.m. to 1:30 p.m.
Luncheon: $20/CityClub Members | $25/Guests and co-presenters | $30/General public
Coffee & Dessert Only: $10/CityClub Members | $12/Guests and co-presenters | $15/General public
Visit www.seattlecityclub.org to register!

Panelists to date:
Justin Carder, President, Capitol Hill Community Council
Michael McGinn, Executive Director, Seattle Great City Initiative
Michael Patten, Executive Director, New Century Theatre Company
Tony To, Executive Director, HomeSight of Washington
Moderator: Knute Berger, Columnist, Crosscut

Ideas of what makes a livable city are never universal. And now, with the weakened economy, these contrasting ideas are set against a new, more austere backdrop. What’s ahead? Will we be seeing more population density in the urban core, and will it come from new construction, or because families are forced to double up? What of the suburbs? Will they become a no-man’s land of foreclosures? Or will they be stronger magnets for families seeking better services and schools than can be delivered in revenue-pinched cities? Should artists and environmental advocates see threat or opportunity in a cooling economy? Join us as we explore what the downturn means for diverse concepts of livability and sustainability, and how we can best use the present moment to prepare for a positive future.

Snohomish County

What’s Your Carbon Footprint?

Wednesday, March 11, Snohomish County PUD, Everett
Brown Bag Workshop – March 11, 2009
2320 California Avenue, Everett
11:30 am (networking lunch begins), Noonto 1:30 p.m.
RSVP - Terri Hopper, by email or (425) 783-8275

Climate change and greenhouse gas management are receiving a lot of national attention. Reducing greenhouse gas emissions will affect the way we do business and how we build our communities. As our understanding of the impacts grow and more legislation is passed, more opportunities arise for each of us to help reduce greenhouse gases.

As a follow up to our feature article in the Winter 2009 Elements Newsletter, The Sustainable Development Task Force is offering a carbon footprint brown bag. Sharon Wright and Shannon Tocchini with HDR, Inc. will discuss greenhouse gas management and carbon footprint assessment. We will also present carbon footprint assessment examples and provide you with resources and tools you need to get started on your own path to reducing your carbon footprint.

For more information, please see our website.

Contact Built Green

Master Builders Association
335 - 116th Avenue SE
Bellevue, WA 98004
P: (425) 460-8238
F: (425) 646-5985
builtgreen@mbaks.com
www.builtgreen.net

Master Builders Association Calendar of Events

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