The Central Texas - Balcones Chapter announced its newly elected Board Members for 2010/2011. New members include lawyer Larry Zinn, former chief of staff to San Antonio Mayor Phil Hardberger and chief author of the Mission Verde Sustainability Plan; Eduardo Parra, project manager with civil engineering firm CDM, and Dana Nichols, conservation manager for the San Antonio Water System (SAWS). The board will be directed by newly appointed chair James Andrews, a principal at San Antonio-based Overland Partners Architects. "The impressive and diverse backgrounds of our board reflect the growing influence of the green building movement in our region," said Jane Baxter Lynn, executive director of USGBC CT-B Chapter. "It is becoming clear that green building is not simply an environmental issue, but a fundamental economic and social issue as well." More Details

Taking Our Chapter Interactive

The USGBC Central Texas - Balcones Chapter hopes to facilitate greater social interaction between current members and raise greater awareness of the green building movement by joining two social media outlets, Facebook and LinkedIn. With the assistance of Christina Gonzalez, our social media point person on the chapter's Communications Committee, we have established a Facebook account that consists of a Chapter group page and a Chapter fan page, as well as a profile on LinkedIn. The goal behind the creation of these new social media outlets is to create and maintain strong relationships with relevant media contacts, as well as to allow for up-to-date communication with existing Chapter members and tap into a network of prospective members.Read more

Understanding Credentialing Maintenance

Since the launch in April 2009 of the new Credentialing Maintenance Program (CMP) for LEED Professionals there have been many questions from LEED APs in our chapter area about how it impacts them. The new system was designed by the Green Building Certification Institute (GBCI), in partnership with the USGBC, to ensure that LEED-accredited professionals continuously have the latest knowledge and understanding of green building practices, while at the same time achieving recognition for their specific area of specialization. CMP programs and courses that will count toward GBCI Continuing Education credit hours are available both through USGBC and other third-party education providers. Read more