The first technical roundtable of 2009 will be a discussion of on-site, building integrated microturbine co-generation. The session will shed light on the current design, construction and regulatory issues surrounding electricity and heat generation in buildings in New York City.

Moderator Steven Baumgartner (Buro Happold Engineers) will be joined by James Pfeiffer (Powerhouse Energy), and Deborah Taylor (NYC DOB). A building owner will also be on the panel, please check back for details.

This program is co-sponsored by the ASHRAE New York Sustainability Committee.

$15 USGBC New York Members
$25 Non-Members

First Wednesdays of the month through February 2009
10am -- 12pm (light breakfast provided)
$200 for 12 sessions, or $20 per session.

The Association for Neighborhood and Housing Development, Pratt Center for Community Development and the Supportive Housing Network invite you to a monthly forum to learn and share information about how to make your existing housing portfolio more energy efficient, healthier, and more financially viable. Each session will feature a presentation on a selected topic and time for participants to discuss their experiences, share information, ask questions and suggest policy and/or programmatic initiatives. We encourage affordable housing managers, developers and fiscal staff to participate.

Proposed topics:

• What does it mean to manage green? Where are the typical energy hogs and remedies? When to consider a retrofit?
• Funds for retrofits: Overview of NYSERDA Incentives, Weatherization Assistance Program; Enterprise Green Communities; KeySpan; Con Ed
• NYS Weatherization Assistance Program: How and when to use it; How to maximize program benefits
• NYSERDA Multi-Family Performance Program (MFPP): How and when to use it; How to maximize program benefits; How to combine MFPP with WAP
• Building Energy Assessments: How to choose a contractor; What to expect from your contractor; How to effectively participate in the assessment
• Training your building managers, superintendents and other building staff
• Training tenants: How to win the hearts, minds and support of building residents
• Buying lean and green: Alternative ways to purchase fuel and electricity; Green products and supplies; A look at bulk purchasing
• Other topics to be determined based on the interests of participants from the prior sessions

Join us for a timely discussion on the potential benefits of “Co-Gen” plants in individual buildings in New York City. Co-generation power plants create electricity like a conventional plant, but make use of waste heat instead of pumping it out of an exhaust flue. In effect, the waste heat becomes a resource used to heat the building and its water supply, greatly increasing energy efficiency. While utility providers like Con Edison have run massive Co-Gen plants for many years, smaller Co-Gen plants for individual buildings are increasingly feasible and popular.5pm cocktails, 5:30-7pm presentation. Read full details and buy tickets at the USGBC website.

$10 USGBC New York Members
$15 Non-Members

Citizen Journalism, a term that simply describes journalism that is carried out by non-journalists, or amateurs rather than professionals, has a storied history in the United States and New York City. However, the emergence of the internet and the capabilities of free self-publishing and instantaneous information distribution that it has enabled have revolutionized and multiplied citizen journalism’s effects, range and relevance on a scale never before seen. Today, a successful independent blogger has the ability to disseminate and share her reportage, analysis and commentary on any subject of interest to audiences that are, in some instances, comparable in size to those of traditional media sources such as New York Times or CNN.

Citizen journalism has emerged as an important advocacy force for a number of local and global sustainability issues that may be regularly under-reported or treated with bias by the mainstream media, or ignored by critical decision makers and politicians. Numerous blogs here in New York have emerged to report on and advocate for specific issues, such as local water quality impacts, contested land uses and transportation concerns. These blogs not only provide a free and open platform for citizen journalism that members can easily participate in; they also serve as grassroots rallying points for interested communities that can work to build momentum and pressure, earn mainstream media attention and coordinate political action.

Join Ben Jervey, web editor of Greenlight, the Natural Resource Defense Council’s citizen journalism project, and Aaron Naperstack, editor-in-chief of Streetsblog, for an open conversation about the growing relevance of citizen journalism within the context of sustainability activism.

Before it becomes home to 400 low-income and formerly homeless New Yorkers, see first-hand how Intervale Green raises the aesthetic standard for affordable housing - proving that beautiful design, green building and affordability can and should co-exist. The Open House is also our opportunity to acknowledge the dozens of people who helped make Intervale Green possible.

Informative tours throughout the day, every 30 minutes.

Built on a devastated lot in the South Bronx at the site of President Carter's historic visit in 1977, WHEDCo's design standards for Intervale Green reflect the organization's belief that living somewhere beautiful can have a profound impact on a family's mental and physical health.

The potential of wind turbine technology to provide for our growing electricity needs on a utility scale increases every year as technology improves and its costs decline versus rising fossil fuel prices. However, wind power is limited by two key factors: time and location. Put simply, the wind doesn’t always blow and the areas with the highest wind resource are often located far away from population centers or in areas where development is controversial.

Developing turbines miles off shore along coastal shelves, where wind is more constant, speeds are higher and the imposing 30-story scale of today’s turbines are minimized to the size of thimble from land, may help mitigate both of these obstacles going forward. In spite of these advantages, recent large scale project proposals to develop offshore wind in the the Northeast have either succumbed to local opposition or escalating project costs. However, new proposals, including a few in the New York City harbor area, are again on the table, and important allies - including Mayor Bloomberg - have come to advocate for its development in the region.

KC Sahl, the New York Project Director for Bluewater Wind, one of the nation’s leading developers of offshore wind projects, will speak about offshore wind turbine technology and potential in the local context.

The Green Building Forum is held on the third Wednesday of each month (except December) at 6:30 PM and features presentations by green building practitioners followed by discussion. The events are always free and open to the general public.

The January forum concept is simple: 10-12 green building pro's will get 3 minutes each to present his/her favorite technology/material/method of the moment. Then we'll open it up for a long Q/A with the audience. Check out the notes from last year's "catwalk".

We're bringing back the post-forum happy hour! Plan to head over for a drink with GreenHomeNYC volunteers and board members after the event!

Samantha MacBride, Deputy Director of Recycling, NYCDOS

Public education and economic viability are two important features of making recycling work in NYC. But the often unseen labor of custodians, collectors and sorters is no less important; as is the physical set-up of buildings, streets, and public spaces This talk discusses how labor and structure enable successful recycling, encouraging New Yorkers to consider how important these seemingly “background” issues are to the viability of sustainable waste management.

You will leave with an understanding of the technical practice, collaborative processes, contractual issues, cost and fee issues and benefits, and process structures that are required and useful to address sustainability in an effective and regenerative way.

First Wednesdays of the month through February 2009
10am -- 12pm (light breakfast provided)
$200 for 12 sessions, or $20 per session.

The Association for Neighborhood and Housing Development, Pratt Center for Community Development and the Supportive Housing Network invite you to a monthly forum to learn and share information about how to make your existing housing portfolio more energy efficient, healthier, and more financially viable. Each session will feature a presentation on a selected topic and time for participants to discuss their experiences, share information, ask questions and suggest policy and/or programmatic initiatives. We encourage affordable housing managers, developers and fiscal staff to participate.

Proposed topics:

• What does it mean to manage green? Where are the typical energy hogs and remedies? When to consider a retrofit?
• Funds for retrofits: Overview of NYSERDA Incentives, Weatherization Assistance Program; Enterprise Green Communities; KeySpan; Con Ed
• NYS Weatherization Assistance Program: How and when to use it; How to maximize program benefits
• NYSERDA Multi-Family Performance Program (MFPP): How and when to use it; How to maximize program benefits; How to combine MFPP with WAP
• Building Energy Assessments: How to choose a contractor; What to expect from your contractor; How to effectively participate in the assessment
• Training your building managers, superintendents and other building staff
• Training tenants: How to win the hearts, minds and support of building residents
• Buying lean and green: Alternative ways to purchase fuel and electricity; Green products and supplies; A look at bulk purchasing
• Other topics to be determined based on the interests of participants from the prior sessions

Speaker: Chris Garvin, Cook & Fox Architects
$10 NYAS members, $20 non-members

This meeting is the second of a 4- part series focused on achieving zero net energy in buildings. Renewable energy technologies, global best practices, and how to retrofit existing buildings are just a few of the topics to be covered this year. At this meeting we will examine the process of designing and constructing a building to be zero net energy.

Exercising its unique position as a neutral third party, the Academy formed a collective – including architects, engineers, scientists, policy makers from city and state, foundation and non-profit leaders – representing the key players in New York in the area of green buildings and sustainable design. This newly formed group addresses a unique niche for which the Academy can leverage its scientific strength to deliver significant value to the green buildings discourse. Reception to follow

Thursday, March 26, 2009
10:00 - 10:25: Creating and Championing a Culture of Sustainability

10:35 - 11:20: Alternative Energy: Matching Resources with Specific Applications for Optimum Results

11:30 - 12:15: Greening the Power Grid to Meet Increasing Demand Through Maximum Efficiency

Visit the Exhibit Hall

2:15 - 3:00: Achieving Energy Efficiency: Commercial, Industrial, and Residential Applications

3:10 - 3:55: Expanding Economically Viable Markets for Recycled Materials

Friday, March 27, 2009
10:00 - 10:25: Sustaining Sustainability Initiatives in an Economic Downturn

10:35 - 11:20: Developing and Deploying Sustainability Initiatives in Your Business

11:30 - 12:15: Greening Your Supply Chain

Visit the Exhibit Hall

2:15 - 3:00: Creating Sustainable Neighborhoods and Urban Spaces

3:10 - 3:55: Coordinating Complementary Mass Transit and Personal Transport Options in the Urban Environment

Saturday, March 28, 2009
10:00 - 10:25: A World of Sustainability Solutions for Everyday Living

10:35 - 11:20: What’s New in Sustainable Building Materials, Home Furnishings and Appliances

11:30 - 12:15: What Will Power Your Next Car or Truck...and How Soon? Competing Technologies and Timelines

Visit the Exhibit Hall

2:15 - 3:00: Investing in Green...Payback for You and the Planet

3:10 - 3:55: Resources for Your Green Lifestyle: Eco-Travel, Green Hotels, Resorts, Restaurants, Real Estate, Weddings...and More

Please note: Your Green East registration includes access to all conference sessions. Seating for the Green East conference is on a first come, first served basis.

    * Low-impact building materials
    * Architectural salvage and reclaimed materials
    * Structural
    * HVAC
    * Energy conservation and regeneration