Thursday, February 18 ABC's of Recycling Indian River State College Kight Center, Ft. Pierce
Attendance is free to all Chapter members; and $10 for guests. Space is limited so click here to Register! Chapter membership provides excellent networking opportunities; appearance in the online membership directory; the chance to serve on committees and help shape our region’s future green efforts; and members-only discounts for Chapter members on the many educational events (including Branch meetings) that are hosted by the Chapter. For more information, please contact Lee Cookeorclick here to Join!
Sponsors
A very special Thank You for sponsoring the Treasure Coast & the Palm Beaches' February Monthly Membership Meeting.
Interested in becoming a sponsor?? Contact David Phillips
Treasure Coast & Palm Beach Branch Monthly Membership Meeting THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 18, 2010 Indian River State College Kight Center, Ft. Pierce Campus
Patti Hamilton, Vice President & Director of Business Development, Southern Waste Systems (SWS) (Chapter Sponsor) Patti will describe the recycling process including how items get broken down and how materials are reused. SWS is a full-service waste and recycling company with more than five decades of proven experience in the waste collection, disposal, recycling and landfill management industry. SWS owns and operates six material-recovery facilities in South Florida.
Gary Pirtle, President, Pirtle Construction (Chapter Sponsor) Gary will present contractor case studies and fill us in on how LEED credits were earned. Pirtle Construction has consistently worked to improve their standards of quality, and has become the leader in Green construction by building two of the first LEED Certified buildings in South Florida.
Mike McClung, President, Patrick James Ecycle, LLC
Mike will explain how the lack of landfill sites for waste disposal in South Florida and exhaustion of natural resources have led the industry to use the recycled materials in pavement construction. Recycled concrete aggregate has the ability to stabilize wet, soft soils in early construction. It has good load-bearing strength and drainage characteristics.
Admission is free to USGBC Chapter members / $10 for guests
Directions: From US1 (North or South): Go West on Virginia Avenue (SR 70) to 35th Street, turn left.
From I-95 or the Florida Turnpike (North or South): Exit at Ft. Pierce 129. Travel east on SR 70 (Okeechobee Rd.). Stay in the right lane as Okeechobee Road becomes Virginia Ave. Turn right at the intersection of Virginia Ave. and 35th St.
The Kight Center is on the left, just behind the Health Science Center (park to the right of that building).
Please register early for this extremely important meeting for the Treasure Coast. Just...click here!
Calling all Young Professionals! Emerging Green Builders are students and young professionals dedicated to becoming and recruiting the future leaders of the green building movement. The Treasure Coast & Palm Beach Branch EGB group offers young people the opportunity to get involved in green building locally, gain access to USGBC resources, and participate in local events. Our EGBs will be hosting their first program of 2010 on February 9th at Jumby Bay in Abacoa, Jupiter @ 7pm.
Come meet current and new USGBC Members, discuss the EGB's exciting plans for 2010 and enjoy 2-for-1 drink specials and 10% off appetizers and meals!
For more information, please contact our new EGB Chair, Giancarlo Mangone.
More Upcoming Branch Meetings
Thursday, March 18, 2010 - Topic: Locally Grown & Organic Food - Wyndham Garden Hotel, Boca Raton - click here to register.
Thursday, April 15, 2010 - Topic: Rainwater Harvesting - Indian River State College - Vero Beach Campus - click here to register.
Thursday, May 20, 2010 - Topic: LEED-CI Case Study of Pizza Fusion - Location TBD - click here to register.
Thursday, June 17, 2010 - Topic: GREEN 101 featuring Habitat for Humanity - Indian River State College- Stuart Campus - click here to register.
Treasure Coast News The Treasure Coast Steering Committee has met several times, and together with more than two dozen new volunteers, they are actively building the four core committees (Membership, Communications, Programs and Sponsorship) to lead to a future Treasure Coast Branch.
Additionally, these enthusiastic volunteers are lining up some terrific meetings that will appeal not to only existing members, but to those who are eager to become more tuned into green building. They will be hosting the February Branch Meeting on February 18, featuring the ABC's of Recycling.
Thanks to Indian River State College's CCTI staff (www.ccti.irsc.edu), most of the meeting space throughout the year has been donated.
January 19 Meeting At PGA National Resort: Financing LEED & Retrofits We kicked off our 2010 program schedule with a terrific topic – how to make energy-efficient buildings more affordable. We were fortunate to have a group of speakers that explained how the right combination of financing vehicles and tax incentives can reduce the cost of constructing and/or retrofitting buildings by using energy-efficient features.
Debbie Danto is Director of Corporate Alliances at Engineered Tax Services, a professionally licensed engineering firm with tax expertise. She gave an in-depth overview of tax strategies and incentives available under the Energy Policy Act of 2005 (eff. 1/1/06 – 1/1/13). This provides builders and/or owners with tax deductions based on a minimum 50% reduction of annual energy costs resulting from installation of new energy-efficient features. Eligibility for Energy Efficient Building Property Deductions must be documented by a qualified third-party energy simulation and inspection, and subject to IRS Tax Code 179D(c)(1). (Contact ETS for details -- info@engineeredtaxservices.com.)
William J. Volker, a partner of Efficiency Energy in Washington, DC, continued the discussion about these often unknown tax benefits. Their company will calculate available government rebates and incentives that are the most beneficial to your projects. They also partner with ETS to document 179D deductions.
Wrapping up the presentation, John Borland, VP of US Energy Capital Corp., gave details about their loan programs to finance energy-saving upgrades. For example, monthly project costs can be paid from savings on power bills, so the project is “self-funding.” And utility and State incentives or rebates can be financed and returned to your cash flows.
All three speakers stressed the importance of considering these financial benefits during any project’s planning phase. The property’s value will be enhanced by using green features, and basic energy cost reductions will improve building performance.
A little Branch history... The Treasure Coast and the Palm Beach Branch has had a short, but exciting existence! We held our first meeting in April 2007 with 22 attendees. In October 2007, the group became an official Branch of the USGBC South Florida Chapter. In February 2008, our first LEED Workshop drew 96 attendees. Now, the Branch has more than 400 members!
Meetings are generally held the third Thursday of the month, with venues alternating between Palm Beach and Treasure Coast locations, so as to best reach the largest number of members possible. Due to our success and continued growth, the Branch is exploring the viability of creating two independent branches, one in Palm Beach and one in Treasure Coast. This has always been in the long-term plan for our Branch and now may be the time for implementation.
If Treasure Coast venues are more convenient for you, be sure to attend the TC Meetings.
