In honor of Earth Day,
Neyer Properties will host "It's Easy to Be Green", a series of workshops to be held April 22 at its company headquarters at
Keystone Parke in Evanston
Chad Edwards, secretary of the
Cincinnati chapter of the U.S. Green Building Council and an architect at
emersion DESIGN, plans to focus on the April 27 launch of LEED version 3.
"LEED version 3 will raise the bar for not only buildings, but also professionals," Edwards says. "For instance, some existing credits have moved to become prerequisites, and LEED APs will need to prove working experience on LEED projects. These modifications help push us to a more sustainable future with qualified individuals."
He also plans to address two of his firm's projects – the April 17 groundbreaking for the new
American Red Cross headquarters, and his work in achieving LEED Platinum for commercial interiors for emersion DESIGN's Norwood headquarters.
"emersion DESIGN’s office was designed as an experiment in getting the best for low cost," Edwards says. "At under $27 per square foot, we were able to achieve a design-award winning LEED Platinum office. We're the first architecture and engineering firm in the world to have LEED Platinum office. The feat was achieved through careful planning and close collaboration with all the stakeholders."
Michael Chapman, regional director of landscape architecture for
CDP Engineers, will address the question of whether or not rain gardens are a fad or the future, and how the recent popularity of rain gardens can be encouraged and fostered.
He also will speak briefly about his work with the
Greater Cincinnati Rain Garden Alliance (GCRGA).
"My experience as the technical chair for the GCRGA has shown me that rain gardens on a small scale can make a difference," Chapman says. "I think that municipalities should capitalize on this by doing what they can to encourage the widespread use of rain gardens. Although small in scale if viewed lawn-by-lawn, the conglomeration of many individual rain gardens has real potential for reducing the damaging effects of storm water overflow problems that many cities are facing."
Workshops begin at 1 p.m., and will be followed by a community fair from 4:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m.
Admission to the workshops and community fair is free, but
registration is required for the workshops.
Writer:
Kevin LeMasterSources: Chad Edwards, secretary, Cincinnati chapter U.S. Green Building Council; Michael Chapman, regional director of landscape architecture, CDP Engineers; Susan Chapin, marketing director, Neyer Properties
Photography: Amber Kersley
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