Eco Brooklyn » USGBC

Letter from Rick Fedrizzi – CEO, President and Founding Chair, USGBC

Gennaro Brooks-Church — Sat, 28 Mar 2009 00:23:03 +0000

Dear USGBC Constituents:

In recent weeks, a wave of fear and pessimism propagated by the world financial crisis has stolen the headlines, gripped the nation, and challenged our movement. In conversation after conversation, people are asking what will happen to the green building movement if our community is plunged into a recession.

And I have an answer for them. The greed that led the world economy into crisis will not defeat our commitment to good work. Fear will not dominate our agenda. And our commitment to change – even in the face of so great a challenge – will not waver.

Change doesn’t wait on Washington. And it doesn’t depend on Wall Street. Change comes from within. The green building movement has been demonstrating that fact for more than 15 years. Before there was a single government green building policy, before the business community stood up and took notice, before there was a LEED – there was you. Thousands upon thousands of committed individuals dedicated to doing better by doing good. You’ve built this movement. You’re building sustainable communities. And every single one of us has a contribution to make towards pulling our country out of this crisis.

We cannot lose sight of our mission. It is within reach.

How? It’s time for the green building movement to deploy the expertise and capacity we’ve built in new construction to green what we’ve already got. Ninety-nine percent of achieving our mission is wrapped up in our existing homes and buildings. It will save money. It will save energy. It will help save our climate. And directly relevant to today’s economic environment, it will create good, green, local jobs. As just one example, USGBC estimates that a 100% commitment to greening existing commercial buildings alone would create more than 1.5 million new opportunities for employment for out of work Americans.

In four weeks, we will meet together at Greenbuild. And when you get to Boston, we will celebrate everything that your individual commitments have accomplished so far. We’ll enjoy the fellowship of more than 20,000 friends and colleagues who share our vision for a sustainable future. And we will keep moving forward, together. I’ll see you there.

With gratitude,

U.S. Green Building Council S. Rick Fedrizzi
CEO, President and Founding Chair,
USGBC

$700 Billion Bailout has $17 Billion for Energy Tax Incentives

Gennaro Brooks-Church — Wed, 08 Oct 2008 14:03:20 +0000

This Bush bailout fiasco which in many ways is a total con actually has at least one good side: it earmarks $17 Billion is tax incentives for green building. A tax incentive is no use if you aren’t making enough money to actually pay taxes of course, so for many people a tax incentive is a useless thing.

But for those who do need more tax write offs these incentives are twofold benefits. They help you pay less taxes and they allow you to get better buildings.

Below is the announcement from the USGBC Advocacy & Policy Update:

President Signs into Law Financial Rescue Package with Long-Awaited Extensions of Vital Energy Tax Incentives

Following a tense week of congressional negotiations and votes, the President signed into law on Friday a $700 billion financial rescue bill that also includes $17 billion in energy tax incentives, including extensions of several provisions that have already expired or were set to expire at year’s end. The energy tax package followed a long and winding road to enactment, having been jettisoned from the energy law in December and having become the subject of an ongoing debate in the House and Senate about whether and how to specify a funding source for the provisions. USGBC monitored and pressed for extensions of these vital tax incentives for more than a year, and celebrates their passage as an essential victory that will ensure continued investment in energy efficiency and renewable energy technologies.

Among other energy provisions, the new law contains several tax incentives that promise to advance greener, more energy-efficient buildings, including:

* a 1-year extension of the tax credit for the production of energy from wind, and a two-year extension of the credit for energy production from other renewable sources, such as geothermal;
* an 8-year extension of the tax credits for investment in commercial and residential solar projects, including the removal of the $2,000 cap on investments in residential solar electric installations, and the addition of small wind energy and geothermal heat pump projects as qualifying installations for tax credits;
* a 5-year extension of the tax deduction for energy-efficient commercial buildings;
* a 1-year extension of the tax credit for the construction of new energy-efficient homes;
* a 1-year extension of the tax credit for qualified energy-efficiency upgrades to existing homes;
* an extension through 2010 of the tax credit for the manufacture of energy-efficient appliances;
* and a 3-year extension of the authority for state and localities to issue tax-exempt bonds for green building and sustainable design projects.

For a summary of the tax provisions in the new law, click here.

» For the full text of the law, click here.

Eco Brooklyn is a member of the US Green Building Council

Gennaro Brooks-Church — Wed, 27 Aug 2008 13:37:02 +0000

I think it is important to be part of organizations like the US Green Building Council. They are the guys behind LEED certification. All I had to do was pay $300….and anybody can become a member.

The money goes towards the good work they are doing. There are chapter organizations and other benefits which increases my exposure to other green minded businesses. I am happy I did it. It a little like getting a subscription to a magazin3e. It increases you activity in a certain area.

Some cynics point out that any crappy company can become a member to greenwash their image. True. But who cares. At least they paid money to the organization which helps in other ways.