In last week’s post, I stated that the Army was abandoning LEED certification in lieu of a green building code based on ASHRAE 189.1. But it is now clear to me that I misinterpreted the testimony of Dr. Dorothy Robyn, Deputy Under Secretary of Defense.

Instead, the Department of Defense is going to (more…)

Las Vegas, Nevada is known to many as the city of lights due to the numerous casinos and hotels that light up the night’s sky each and every night. Because of the growing need to combat climate change in the United States, all major cities are doing their part to promote energy efficiency and renewable energy technologies, including Las Vegas. The city has (more…)

We have entered a new era of green building policy. The Army is abandoning LEED certification.

On February 28, 2012, I reported, via a BuildingGreen article, that the Army had reiterated its commitment to LEED certification despite DoD re-authorization legislation that banned LEED Gold and Platinum certification. (more…)

Pittsburgh is the second largest city in the state of Pennsylvania, in North Eastern United States. The city is known for its economic influence, especially its steel industry, but is also known for its robotics, financial services, technology, and health care. The city is also home to a number of major worldwide financial institutions, including Federated Investors, PNC (more…)

Ottawa is the primary capital of the country of Canada. It is located in the province of Ontario and is the second largest city in the entire province and the fourth largest city in all of Canada. It is located along the Ontario – Quebec border. It is home to places like Center Block on Parliament Hill, the National War Memorial, National Gallery of Canada, as well as Chateau Laurier (more…)

Apple’s image in terms of social responsibility and environmental friendliness is not as pristine as its reputation with geeks is because of reports on the conditions offered to factory workers in China and the company’s poor recycling record.

However, Venture Beat reports that the company’s (more…)

The city of Sacramento is the capital of the state of California. It is the sixth largest city in the state and houses the fourth largest metropolitan area in the state. Sacramento is also one of the most racially and ethnically integrated cities in the United States. Sacramento quickly rose to fame during the Gold Rush era as it was a primary distribution point. Today, (more…)

In April 2010, the Department of Defense (“DOD”) issued a memorandum (“memo”) that altered the structure of the defense budgeting cycle, beginning with fiscal year (“FY”) 2012 budget. These changes were ostensibly made to offer more stability to the budgeting process, which prior to the memo involved a more complicated two-year budgeting (more…)

Many people, including me, have noted that the National Defense Authorization Act (“NDAA”), signed into law by President Obama on December 31, 2011, prohibits the Department of Defense (“DoD”) from using any appropriated funds to achieve the two highest levels of green building certification offered by the U.S. Green Building Council’s Leadership in Energy and (more…)

It was a rough year for Congress. The Republican and Democrats, the House and Senate — no one could seem to agree.

Unless we are talking about green buildings.

In June, I reported on the Department of Defense Reauthorization bill that passed the House of Representatives. In the legislation, the Department of (more…)