November 27, 2010 11:00 AM CST

Great Things

For the Record

By Jennifer Morrell

By the time you read this, the Nov. 2 elections will have come and gone. Whether you anticipated that the results would affect you directly, there’s no doubt that the mid-term shake-up will matter. But, if you’re like me, the campaigning will just about drive you crazy. Here in Georgia, the race for the Office of Governor has been a nasty, mudslinging event. The negative campaigning has taken the place, if only temporarily, of the negative talk about the economy. So I thought I’d bring to the forefront a few “great things” that can shed some positivity.

A Green Schools Center

The U.S. Green Building Council (USBGC) has launched the Center for Green Schools to fulfill an ambitious goal of ensuring everyone has the opportunity to attend a green school within this generation. USGBC says United Technologies Corp. is the first Founding Sponsor of the Center for Green Schools.

Through the Center, USGBC is escalating its work on green schools caucuses in the U.S. Congress and the 50 for 50 Initiative with state legislatures nationwide; the nationwide Mayors’ Alliance for Green Schools; and the Coalition for Green Schools, which represents more than 10 million members collectively and comprises organizations such as the National PTA, the National School Boards Association, the National Education Association and the American Federation of Teachers.

First State to Adopt Green Code

Rhode Island is the first state to adopt the International Green Construction Code (IGCC). The Rhode Island Green Buildings Act identifies the IGCC as an equivalent standard in compliance with requirements that all public agency major facility projects be designed and constructed as green buildings. The Rules and Regulations to implement the act took effect in October. The IGCC applies to new and existing, traditional and high-performance commercial buildings. It includes ANSI/ASHRAE/USGBC/IES Standard 189.1 as an alternative compliance requirement.

In addition to the Code Council, cooperating sponsors of the IGCC are the American Institute of Architects, ASTM International, the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers, the USGBC and the Illuminating Engineers Society. In August, Richland, Wash., became the first city globally to adopt the IGCC as a non-mandatory document for commercial buildings.

Blog for Construction Professionals

Maxwell Systems Inc. has launched Construction Biz Wiz, a blog that provides content of interest and value to professionals across the construction industry, including construction business owners, managers, accounting staff, project managers, estimators, IT managers, etc. The link is http://blog.maxwellsystems.com.

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About the Author

Jennifer Morrell is the editor of Masonry magazine. She has several years of experience in the publishing industry as a writer and editor, covering such topics as real estate and development, health care, relationships and sports. A graduate of The University of Georgia’s Grady College of Journalism, she earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in magazines and is an award-winning columnist.