Minutes from the Joint meeting of the
Maryland Green Building Network (MdGBN) and
the Baltimore AIA COTE
July 11, 2000
Location: Baltimore AIA
Attendees
*presenter
Baltimore AIA COTE Update
1) Continuing to work with D.C. AIA COTE on two projects: Smart Design Forum, scheduled for October 13th, 2000. This year's program is geared towards educating public officials and other client-types about the benefits of high-performance building; and the Sustainable Design Resource Guide (building materials, green building programs and initiatives, service providers, design consultants, etc.), which would cover the D.C./Baltimore/Annapolis area.
2) Educational programs. Including: September CES program, "A Primer on Green Technology and Sustainable Building Issues," w/ two guest speakers, John Boecker and Marcus Sheffer, from PA. This is on Tuesday, September 12th at 5:30 at AIA Baltimore, 11-1/2 West Chase St. Also in early planning stages for a one-day Natural Step (TNS) workshop in Spring of 2001. The presenters are a business consultant and an architect from Portland, OR, who have worked to dovetail TNS principles with the LEED Green Building Rating System.
3) Projects / consulting. Committee member Jane Willeboordse is currently working w/ the Jones Falls Watershed Association, helping them to visualize and sell their idea to put green roofs on industrial buildings along the Jones Falls.
Maryland Green Building Program Update
1) Program staff and DNR E&C staff are working closely with Maryland Department of General Services to incorporate a green building checklist -- based on LEED 2.0 -- into the State Facilities Program Manual. (For more information, contact Mark Bundy)
4) Program staff are participating in an effort spearheaded by the State's Lower Western Shore Tributary Team to develop a Energy and Resource Efficiency/Green Power Executive Order for all new and existing State agency construction and renovation. A draft EO should be complete by mid- to late summer. Governor Glendening pledged to sign this EO later this year during a speech at the Chesapeake 2000 signing cermony on June 28th. (For more information, contact Chuck Kines, or Sean McGuire with the Tributary Strategies Program, 410-260-8727)
5) Program staff will be creating and developing a comprehensive green building/sustainable design database for Maryland. The purpose of this database is to simply track green building projects (sustainable buildings, development and communities; existing, new and proposed; residential, commercial, industrial and governmental) in Maryland, and to help the MGBP determine which counties, municipalities, firms, businesses, organizations, and institutions are (have been) involved in actual on-the-ground green building/sustainable design projects. In time, as the database builds and matures, we likely will publish the directory (and possibly maps) on the Maryland Green Building Program website and make it available for visitors to download as a PDF file. (For more information, contact Chuck Kines)
"'Open Mike' Night"
1) Johns Spears, chair of the steering committee for the American Lung Association of Maryland's Health House Project. The ALA is the oldest non-profit organization in the U.S. and has been involved in Indoor Air Quality (IAQ) issues since the early 1980s. To address the growing national concern about the quality of air in our home, the American Lung Association of Minnesota (ALA) introduced the Health House concept in 1993 to help individuals learn what they could do in their homes to improve their living environment. To build a Health House, the association brought together architects, builders, environmental health professionals, indoor air quality specialists, and product manufacturers to design and build a state of the art house that integrates design, construction techniques and mechanical systems that create a healthier, more energy and resource efficient environment. The Program recognizes that home pollutants such as dust mites, animal related allergens (dander and saliva) and mold are known asthma triggers, while high accumulations of carbon monoxide, formaldehyde, and radon in inadequately ventilated homes are serious health hazards. The Health House mission - to change the way homes are built in America to be healthier, more energy and resource efficient - is alive and thriving. Over 18 houses have been built in eleven states. These demonstration houses provide a means of educating builders and homeowners on how to more effectively make choices when building, remodeling and maintaining a home.
Health House (HH) is scheduled to roll out in Maryland later this year. The HH steering committee - comprised of architects, energy consultants, sustainable design consultants, builders, HVAC system experts, contractors and others, and chaired by John - is currently working on criteria for Maryland builders to follow in order to construct a certified Health House. These criteria will provide for a healthy, safe, durable indoor environment for new homes, while saving energy and employing environmentally sound construction techniques and materials. The Maryland Health House criteria will cover nine major program requirement areas: 1) Energy Efficiency; 2) Air Barriers and moisture retarders; 3) Foundation and site design/construction for moisture avoidance; 4) Efficient and properly sized heating, ventilating and air conditioning equipment; 5) Sealed, insulated and tested ducts; 6) Humidity control; 7) Controlled mechanical ventilation; 8) Healthy building materials selection; and 9) Cleaning and maintenance.
A Health House orientation for Maryland home builders is scheduled for late summer, and the HH Steering Committee is still seeking a builder to construct the first Health House in Maryland. For more information, contact John Spears (301.428.1040; jspears@sustainabledesign.com) For general information about the ALA's Health House Project, visit http://healthhouse.org/
2) Bill Walsh, national coordinator for the Healthy Building Network, a project of the Institute for Local Self Reliance.
Next meeting
August 1st, 6:30 - 8:00 pm at offices of DNR in Annapolis. Main discussion topic: TBD. Green Product Presentation: TBD
The Maryland Green Building Network and the Maryland Green Building Program are funded through the Maryland Coastal Zone Management Program, Maryland Department of Natural Resources, pursuant to National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Award No. NA97OZO164.