When people asked Greensburg, Kan.–mayor Bob Dixson why his small community would rebuild in an area susceptible to natural disasters, his answer was simple: “It’s home.” His love for his town and his neighbors embody the social capital required to building and sustaining resilient communities, argued Dixson and his co-panelists on “The Rush to Resilience: Building Greener and Stronger Communities in the Face of a Changing Climate.” The early-morning session was an inspiring and eye-opening way to kick off the first official day of Greenbuild.
Along with resiliency, material transparency and information exchange continue to be strong themes in this year’s show. Ed Mazria, Architecture 2030 founder and CEO, publicly launched the 2030 Palette, a free, online resource for showcasing sustainable design principles and case studies. U.S. Green Building Council senior vice president of LEED Scot Horst debuted the LEED Dynamic Plaque. To reflect the ever-changing conditions of buildings, and in particularly those that have earned LEED certification, the plaque is an electronic display of ongoing performance in five sustainability metrics: human experience, transportation, waste, water, and energy. Presented as a numerical score, the display allows owners to compare their building’s performance with that of peer buildings, and to gauge their building’s past or projected performance with its actual operation.
A walk on Greenbuild’s Expo floor revealed a number of products that demonstrate manufacturing innovation. Sustainability has come a long way from the days when a modicum of recycled content meant products could be touted as green.
Image used with permission courtesy a Creative Commons license with Flickr user J. StephenConn.
Editor’s note: Our parent company Hanley Wood recently entered into a strategic partnership with USGBC regarding the management of the Greenbuild International Conference and Expo. For more information on that relationship, click here.
