King County, Washington is applauded by some for joining Greensburg, Kansas (the tornado destroyed town) as only one of two local governments mandating government building to a LEED Platinum standard. But many critically ask, is it a misuse of the LEED "voluntary third party green building rating system" for a government to mandate by law that government owned buildings be constructed to that "voluntary" standard?… Continue Reading
In an all-out brawl within the environmental industrial complex, last week the American Society of Landscape Architects filed a lawsuit over the ownership of the trademark for the Sustainable Sites Initiative (SITES) against the Lady Bird Johnson Wildlife Center at the University of Texas. The complaint is a cautionary tale about the pitfalls of not having a written agreement between partners or otherwise to protect valuable intellectual property.… Continue Reading
