Virginia Sustainable Building Network
Virginia Sustainable Building Network (VSBN) has been working since 1995 as the only statewide organization promoting green building and sustainable development in Virginia. To accomplish its mission, VSBN has built a statewide network of green building proponents, provides green building events and training around the state and region, provides technical assistance on green building design and operations, and maintains an information clearinghouse and resource directory.
Recent VSBN activities include the multi-year effort to plan and undertake the EarthCraft House Virginia Single Family Program, in collaboration with the Home Builders Association of Virginia (HBAV) and Southface Energy Institute, the "parent" of the original EarthCraft Program in Atlanta, Georgia. Over 400 builders, designers, code officials and product representatives were trained, and VSBN helped sign up over 40 builders for the program.
Earthcraft House.
EarthCraft House™ is an innovative new green building program that provides home builders with a set of guidelines to construct energy-efficient and environmentally friendly homes. The program standards were developed in 1999 through a unique partnership between Southface Energy Institute, the Greater Atlanta Home Builders Association, government officials and environmentalists. HBAV and VSBN are the Virginia partners for the Single Family Program.
To ensure quality, an EarthCraft House must pass a set of inspections by a certified third-party inspector. Although rigorous, the program standards provide ample room for creativity in the design and building processes. The inspection is based on a flexible point system that includes areas such as site planning, energy efficient techniques and equipment, resource efficient design, waste management, indoor air quality, and water conservation.
VSBN hosts its annual “The State of High Performance Schools in Virginia” conference. Topics included: green design and renovation to address indoor air quality and other high performance goals, U.S. EPA's Indoor Air Quality for Schools Program, LEED™ for Schools national overview and Virginia initiatives, building retrofit case studies using performance contracting, ENERGY STAR tools for assessing energy usage and high performance schools from the construction contractor perspective.
Please visit the website, www.vsbn.org, for additional information on upcoming events, to view the new map-based regional calendar of events and Green Building case studies, to browse the who’s who of Virginia green building directory, or to order your Virginia Shades of Green Calendar, a showcase of twelve environmentally responsible buildings in the Commonwealth of Virginia.
Links Referenced
- www.vsbn.org
- C:/Documents-and-Settings/VCN/My-Documents/Dana-Roberts/2008-Spring/www.vsbn.org
Location
http://www.vcnva.org/anx/index.cfm/1,122,518,0,html
Copyright © Virginia Conservation Network 2012