I took away a very important, very big thought from my conversation with Rob Watson. This big, important thought was based first on a comment from Watson himself: "We are in a ‘you bet your species’ proposition with unmanageable climate change, so more rapid penetration of LEED is not a problem, rather a prerequisite with … Continue Reading
I have been spending a lot of time recently thinking about two posts I made regarding the LEED 25 percent premise and why this will be problematic for green building mandates. Why did I reconsider these posts? Rob Watson told me I was wrong. Watson knows LEED better than you and I. He was one … Continue Reading
[You may notice a new tab up above: Green Jobs. As part of our continuing experimentation here at Green Building Law Update, I am creating a makeshift green jobs board. See details below. Please take this free opportunity to share your green jobs!] "It’s hard to define what a green job actually is." I hear … Continue Reading
I have had another green building epiphany. Actually, a series of epiphanies. But before we get to the epiphany, we have to review a simple premise. I have to thank Will Clark over at Multi-Family Guide for pointing out this premise to me. So here it is: The LEED rating system was created to only … Continue Reading
According to a recent Washington Post article, “Construction firms are so eager for work in the sagging economy that project bids are coming in much lower than expected.” Great news, right? Not necessarily. Lower bids can be a good thing if they are the result of increased efficiency in the construction process. But lower bids … Continue Reading
Regular readers of this blog know I am from Kansas. Overland Park, Kansas to be exact. I love my hometown but I am also concerned for my hometown. Last time I was in Overland Park, my Dad and I were navigating the sprawling suburbs and strip malls that make up the city. I looked around, … Continue Reading
A while back, I read a blog post describing how to prepare for a conference. I am going to the ABA Construction Forum’s Talking Green Blues event in New Orleans this week and decided to apply one idea to my conference preparation. There are two questions in the forefront of my mind and I am … Continue Reading
Update: For a rundown of green building provisions in the stimulus pacakge, see this post. Thank you to everyone who attended Rutherfoord’s "Trends in Green Building" seminar yesterday and listened to my "Green in the Stimulus" presentation. It was great to recognize so many faces in the crowd. If you came up and spoke to … Continue Reading
Update: For a rundown of green building provisions in the stimulus pacakge, see this post. I am wrapping up my "Green in the Stimulus" presentation for tomorrow and wanted to provide more information that may benefit your company as you seek out green stimulus projects. As you prepare to bid federal and state projects, relationships … Continue Reading
Update: For a rundown of green building provisions in the stimulus pacakge, see this post. This week, in preparation for my "Green in the Stimulus" presentation, I have been providing what I hope is interesting and useful information about the stimulus. Today we are briefly going to review a new website in Virginia, Stimulus.Virginia.gov, which … Continue Reading
Update: For a rundown of green building provisions in the stimulus pacakge, see this post. This week, I continue to prepare for my "Green in the Stimulus" presentation and so I will provide you with some nuggets I have learned from my research. Last time, we talked about a ridiculous listing of "LEEDS" … Continue Reading
Update: For a rundown of green building provisions in the stimulus pacakge, see this post. Yesterday, while preparing for my "Green in the Stimulus" talk, I came across something both hilarious and frightening. StimulusWatch.org has provided an inventory of proposed projects that could benefit from the stimulus. The list was prepared from a list of … Continue Reading
Update: For a rundown of green building provisions in the stimulus pacakge, see this post. On February 17, CNN ran the above headline after President Obama signed the stimulus bill. To me, a more perfect headline could not have been written. Ever since I read about the stimulus bill, one particular nuance has interested … Continue Reading
Update: For a rundown of green building provisions in the stimulus pacakge, see this post. Love it or hate it, the stimulus package was signed into law yesterday. In the coming months and years, $787 billion is going to be used to support new projects, developments and tax cuts throughout the country. Set aside … Continue Reading
To start this post, I want to thank Rick Fedrizzi , CEO of the United States Green Building Council. On February 12, I attended a breakfast hosted by Bisnow at which Mr. Fedrizzi was the guest speaker. I really appreciated his speech – he did not ignore the current economic climate but talked about the opportunities that will emerge from the green … Continue Reading
Recently, I took part in an interview with LexBlog, the company responsible for creating this and many other legal blogs. Today’s "Sensible Interview" includes three of my favorite questions from the LexBlog interview. If you would like to read the full interview, go here. — Lisa Kennelly: Is the blog helping you become a better lawyer? Chris … Continue Reading
Last week, we talked about the William & Mary Environmental Law Review Symposium "It Ain’t Easy Building Green." Today, I am going to try yet another new blog trick and make my slideshow available from the Symposium. If you have any questions or would like to discuss any of the slides in detail, just post … Continue Reading
[Green Building Law Update is achieving another first: our first guest post! Christopher G. Hill is a Virginia construction attorney and recently started a legal blog, Construction Law Musings. I first met Chris through Twitter and I appreciate his willingness to discuss green building legal issues.] By: Christopher G. Hill Lately terms such as LEED … Continue Reading
I met Elaine Lipman Barnes through Twitter (elbarneshouse). Soon I learned that she manages a billion dollar green schools program in Ohio. Since green schools are an emerging industry, I thought Elaine would be perfect for a Sensible Interview. She didn’t disappoint. Enjoy! — Chris: Can you tell me about the green building program you manage? Elaine: … Continue Reading
Last week, I had the pleasure of speaking at the William and Mary Environmental Law & Policy Review symposium "It’s Not Easy Building Green." The students did a fantastic job and the audience was large and engaged. In particular, Mark Pike organized an interactive web 2.0 experience for the symposium that was quite impressive. Many … Continue Reading
[As part of the evolution of Green Building Law Update, I like to try out new post topics and formats. Today I am beginning a new feature at Green Building Law Update: “Sensible Interview.” Please let me know what you think.] Back in December, Kimberly Miller of Sensible City provided me with a press pass … Continue Reading
Today, we bring you a first on Green Building Law Update: my first radio interview. Vik Duggal, over at Konstructr, was kind enough to invite me to be a guest on his KCast interview series. Konstructr is basically Facebook for the construction industry. Some of the topics we discuss include green building attorneys, President Obama’s proposed economic recovery package, … Continue Reading
Back in October of 2008, in the midst of the economic turmoil, Green Building Law Update wrote that governments should reconsider requiring green building certification for projects. With the deepening economic recession, some governments are now supporting green building projects while specifically not requiring certification. A recent New York Times article highlighted green building developments … Continue Reading
Back in the summer of 2008, Green Building Law Update was nothing more than a pipe dream. During that summer, Brian Maxted, a William and Mary Law student and summer intern at my firm, was relegated to hearing about my crazy green building law ideas. Brian just happened to be on the William and Mary … Continue Reading
