February/March 2009
Sustainable Development
C O N T E N T S
Executive Director's Corner: Crossing The Potomoc
LEED: Fort Carson Building Awarded First Army LEED Gold
Neighborhood Development: LEED Neighborhood Development in Colorado
Recyling News: Some Thoughts on Recycling Old Office Furnishings
Sustainable Development: Creating a Sustainable Future
Getting Green Done: Forgive Me Father, I Don't Have the Money
Sustainable Strategy: Creating Effective Collaboration and Leadership Tactics
Executive Director's Corner: Major Speaker Announced for May Conference
Metro Branch Update: Denver Metro Branch is Looking for Volunteers
VISION
Promote responsibility for Colorado's environmental legacy.
MISSION
Advance and promote sustainable planning, design, construction and operation of the built environment through education, improving industry guidelines, policy advocacy, and information and resource sharing.
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Dana Kose, Chair
Universal Development Company
Jim Bradburn, Vice Chair, Chair Elect
RMH Group
Megan Christensen, Secretary US LendLease Communities
Sebastian De Atucha, Treasurer
3BY
Clay Benson, Director at Large Mortenson Construction
Mike Lowell, Director, Advocacy US GSA
Bobby Molinary, Director, Membership
Julie Edwards, Director, Education
Oz Architecture
Matt Arabasz, Director, Northern Colorado Branch
RB+B Architects, Inc.
Joshua Radoff, Director, Resource Development, and Communications
YRG Sustainability Consultants
Bethany Trumble, Director, Southern Colorado Branch Farnsworth Group, Inc.
Liz Sharrer, Director, Metro Branch
Holland & Hart
Mike Kolesar, Director, Emerging Green Builders Facilities Engineering Associates
Deb Kleinman, Executive Director
USGBC Colorado Chapter
Colorado Building Green is the official newsletter of the U.S. Green Building Council – Colorado Chapter, and is published bi-monthly. If you are interested in submiting a story, ideas or other information for publication, please contact the editor at dgloffreda@msn.com
Creating A Sustainable Future
Twenty eight students from CSU, CU and the University of Costa Rica join professors Brian Dunbar and Alejandro Ugarte in Costa Rica to study sustainable development and green building.
By Clayton Bartczak and Helene Gotthelf, CSU graduate students
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Each of our class lectures were tied together and applied through group projects. Halfway through the course, Brian and Alejandro split us into six separate teams, each consisting of unique disciplines and cultures. We learned so much from one another, as we all had varying backgrounds (architecture, urban planning, construction management, interior design, business, landscape architecture, civil engineering and textiles). Our assignment was to plan and design a sustainable lodging facility for up to forty visitors and the necessary staff. We were to approach our projects through a Charrette-like process, although each group developed design details as well. We were to consider everything we had learned throughout our course: sense of place, connection to region, community, thermal comfort, water, energy systems, site design, materials, sustainable construction practices, and biomimicry. We were given the choice to design for Palo Verde National Park or Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve. Our group chose to improve the existing structures at Palo Verde. This location was unique because Palo Verde already has grant funding set aside specifically for structural enhancements. It is exciting to know that our design may actually help Palo Verde in planning their facility improvements!
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This hands-on design project was different than any class assignment either of us had ever done. All we needed to do was step outside for inspiration. It was also unique because of the boundaries within Costa Rica. We were presented with a very limited budget and, therefore, a limited boundary for materials. We were all pushed to think about the design and construction process from a perspective other than that of the United States. This was one of the greatest challenges and assets to the project. Our projects were presented the last two days of class and each group’s presentation demonstrated the immense amount of knowledge we gained about sustainable design and construction.
As our final assignment, we were asked to write a personal mission statement along with action steps to complete that mission. Brian and Alejandro asked us to consider everything we learned in the course and consider how we were going to apply it to our education, our careers, and our personal lives. We spent our last class session listening to everyone speaking about their personal mission statements, reflecting on the past eleven days, and committing to live a more sustainable lifestyle in the future. It was difficult to say goodbye to such a beautiful country and thirty beautiful people, but we couldn’t help but smile inside at the knowledge gained, the amazing experiences we shared, and the confidence to move forward with our own goals for a sustainable future.