The U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) has recognized outstanding leaders in green building with Leadership Awards. The awards, given to “those companies and individuals who signify the vision, leadership and commitment to the evolution of green building design and construction,” were presented in mid-November at the Greenbuild International Conference and Expo, in Pittsburgh.
Each year awards are given in fives categories: Green Building Business, Local/Regional Leadership, Green Public Service-Government and Non-Government, and USGBC Leadership.
Toyota Motor Sales USA Inc., Torrance, Calif., received the Green Building Business Award for its commitment to a Global Earth Charter that mandates a reduction of its environmental impact automobiles produced and every other aspect of its business.
Toyota’s Process Green established the outline for identifying eco-friendly objectives and provides a guide for environmental policy. The resulting development of the South Campus facility in Torrance is one of the largest USGBC Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED™) Gold projects certified in the U.S.\
The project boasts an energy savings of 58 percent over California Title 24 2001 requirements, including a 536 kW photovoltaic array on the building roofs that produces 27 percent of the total regulated energy load. Toyota’s promotion of sustainability education is further promoted through building signage, tours, and public presentations.
Interior designer Penny Bonda of L.C. Clark Publishing Co. has received the distinguished USGBC Leadership Award. Bonda has dedicated her career to green design and development. A former USGBC Board member, she currently sits on the LEED Steering Committee and committees, including serving as chair of LEED for Commercial Interiors. Her experience with interior design has been instrumental in the development of the soon-to-be-released LEED for Commercial Interiors Green Building Rating System.
The Green Public Service Award given to a government agency was awarded to Austin Energy for its pioneering Green Building Program. This program is a community resource that promotes sustainable building through consumer marketing and education, and technical training of building professionals. The goal of the program is to reduce peak kilowatt-hours demand of energy generation and has served as a model for similar programs developed nationwide. Austin Energy, a municipally owned public utility, also pioneered the adoption of green building standards for public facilities and was one of the first public agencies to sponsor a major green building conference. Program Manager Richard Morgan accepted the award on behalf of Austin Energy.
Raymond Cole, Professor, School of Architecture, Environmental Research Group (ERG) of the University of British Columbia was awarded the Green Public Service Award for a non-government organization (NGO). Dr. Cole was selected as North American Association of Collegiate Schools of Architecture Distinguished Professor for “sustained commitment to building environmental research and teaching” in 2001, and in 2003 he received the Architectural Institute of British Columbia Dalrymple Memorial Award for Community Service. As leader of the ERG, Dr. Cole spearheaded the development of one of the predecessors to the LEED Green Building Rating System—Building Environmental Performance Assessment Criteria (BEPAC) for commercial buildings in British Columbia, Canada. Most recently, Dr. Cole adapted USGBC’s LEED Green Building Rating System criteria to fit within the Canadian framework. His tireless efforts to re-institute a standard of green building measurement for Canada has led to the formation of the Canada Green Building Council and future adoption of the LEED standard.