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Cascadia in the News
Throne off Course
Dwell Magazine, 07/08
From the gong famers of Tudor England, to the night-soil collectors of early 20th-century China, to the porcelain gods prayed to daily throughout much of the Western world, the indelicate matter of bodily waste disposal has been marked by a common philosophy: Out of sight, out of mind. And in the view of architect, writer and environmental evangelist Jason F. McLennan, that really stinks.
Climate crisis puts pressure on designers
Daily Journal of Commerce, 06/04/08
Scott Lewis can’t complain about the strength of his business these days.
As founder and principal at Brightworks, a Portland-based firm that offers strategic planning for sustainable building, Lewis said business has never been better. He’s hiring in his Portland office and also has offices in Los Angeles and San Francisco. His firm is consulting on 90 projects in 12 states, in addition to doing work in Mexico and Abu Dhabi.
The Unconference
BuildingGreen, 05/06/08
If I could adopt a conference, it would be the USGBC Cascadia chapter's Living Future 'Unconference'. As someone who generally prefers to stay behind the scenes talking shop, it was a delight to find myself surrounded primarily by the obsessed of the green building world. Even better, as presenters we were encouraged to bring our own big challenges to the table and get attendees to help us address them — which is exactly what we and many other presenters did. (More about that later, I hope.)
Portland home goes ultra-green
The Oregonian, 04/11/08
The house sags, as if it knows what's coming.
"It's all wrong," says owner Dustin Moon, 30, rattling off a list: Long, narrow design. Cramped rooms. Leaky foundation.
And so, Dustin and his brother Garrett, 22, will tear it down to construct something they believe is absolutely essential. They'll install solar panels to generate electricity and collection systems to capture and purify water. They'll put in composting toilets to deal with waste.
A moment with...Thor Peterson, green building specialist
Seattle Post Intelligencer, 04/11/08
Thor Peterson knows green.
He spent time as the city's residential green-building specialist. Then last year he became research director for the Cascadia Region Green Building Council, a nonprofit that promotes environmentally responsible, healthy buildings.
'Living' Buildings are 'true sustainability,' speaker says
Mail Tribune, 03/21/08
"Living buildings" can and must be built that draw all their energy from the sun, that capture, use and purify the water that falls on them, and they must be built only on land that's already been developed.
Coming in from the cold
Sustainable Industries, 02/29/08
Insulation manufacturers touted their products’ energy-saving attributes long before green building materials carved a niche in the construction industry. But as green building products garner increased attention from both venture capitalists and consumers, insulation companies are facing tougher questions about the overall sustainability of their products.
Green building programs bloom across U.S.
Statesman Journal, 02/12/08
The American Institute of Architects says an increasing number of municipalities are offering incentives to go green. And, according to the U.S. Green Building Council, more organizations such as architects and nonprofits are joining its group.
Alaska, Cascadia green building council merges
Alaska Journal of Commerce, 01/27/08
To meet the growing demand for building green in Alaska, the U.S. Green Building Council-Alaska chapter this month joined the Cascadia Region Green Building Council as its newest branch.
Habitat seeks materials, workers for first LEED house
Daily Journal of Commerce, 01/14/08
Portland Habitat for Humanity in March will begin an experiment to combine social responsibility with environmental stewardship.
Conference aims to building better green engineers
Daily Journal of Commerce, 12/14/07
Expectations for efficient, earth-friendly buildings are on the rise. For engineers working in a rapidly changing industry, staying on top of environmentally savvy design strategies means finding a fresh set of resources.
'Living Building' set to go
Portland Tribute, 12/11/07
It sounds like a cross between a college dorm, a California commune and the 1990s Biosphere ecosystem experiment.
In Kenton.
3 NW projects win awards for 'living buildings'
Daily Journal of Commerce, 11/28/07
The Cascadia Region Green Building Council and the U.S. Green Building Council announced the winners of the 2007 Living Building Competition, and three of the six are in the Northwest.
Can LEED Survive the Carbon Neutral Era?
Metropolis Magazine, 11/21/07
As China chokes on air pollution and the glaciers rapidly recede, green design in mainstream America takes on a boutique sheen. Eco-homes feature a bit of FSC-certified cabinetry, paints that don’t off-gas, fancy air filters. The sell lays the sustainable message on thick: the Web sites and brochures for these projects make the buildings seem like Zen spas, with the bathwater triple filtered and floor-to-ceiling windows opening onto patches of pesticide-free green roofs.
PVC: Bad for buildings, health, and architects want it out
Daily Journal of Commerce, 11/15/07
PVC is everywhere.
It’s in flooring. It’s in pipes. It’s in wall coverings. It’s in roofing membranes. It’s in window seals.
And as architects work to build healthier buildings, they’re trying to push PVC out of the process.
The cost of sustainability fame
The Oregonian, 11/13/07
CHICAGO -- If anyone doubted Portland's conviction that its brightest future is as the center of the sustainable development world, consider that City Hall flew at least 15 people to Chicago last week to a conference on green building -- and the Portland Development Commission sent another three.
The Living Building Challenge: How Limits Can Liberate
GreenerBuildings.Com, 10/31/07
While reviewing last month's press about President Bush's climate summit, I thought, "Here we go again." This administration was still rejecting caps on greenhouse gas emissions even as it celebtrated the role of new technologies and the need to protect our economy -- as though these concepts were contradictory.
FSC Certification Endorsed by Cascadia Region Green Building Council
Seattle Post Intelligencer (Blog), 10/21/07
Some of you may have heard that the Cascadia Region Green Building Council is officially endorsing FSC certification as the only responsible and sustainable standard for protecting forests. This was their official press release.
Sustainable communities conference focuses on good planning
The Bellingham Business Journal, 09/07
While people are often weary of too much planning, the CEO of the Cascadia Region Green Building Council thinks communities have more to fear from lack of planning.
Living Building Competition Launched - Awards to be presented at Greenbuild 2007
Environmental Design + Construction, 09/06/07
Washington, D.C. — The U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC), in partnership with the Cascadia Region Green Building Council (Cascadia), has announced the launch of the Greenbuild 2007 Living Building Competition based on Cascadia’s Living Building Challenge.
Out on a Limb
Sustainable Industries, 06/29/07
Most Northwest residents living in conventional homes can sail through the region’s dry summers without much heed to conservation. But for the future residents of North Portland’s Kenton Living Building, where energy and water needs are met entirely on-site, a lack of conservation could significantly rock the boat.
Mithun and Perkins + Will win green design Contest
Seattle Daily Journal of Commerice, 05/01/07
In an effort to push the sustainable building envelope, the Living Future Conference last week included a design contest. Perkins + Will's State Office Building and Mithun's design for the Center for Urban Agriculture walked away with dual best in show prizes for their concepts.
A LEED of Faith
Canadian Architect, 05/07
How many buildings are being built green these days? It seems every day there is another green development announced. But how much of the overall market is really producing sustainable architecture?
