The Green Building Professionals Guilds (GBPGs) are a venue for building professionals to receive green building education and training and share their first-hand experiences with green products and practices. 

The Guild meetings can also help Certified Green Building Professionals (CGBPs), who have completed a green building certification course through Build It Green, receive continuing education units (CEUs) for recertification. 

Upcoming Meetings and Registration: 

• South Bay
• East Bay
• North Bay
• San Francisco

Benefits of Participation

• Learn about cutting edge green building practices, products & technologies
• Share your experiences with other building professionals
• Network with fellow green building professionals
• Earn CEUs for CGBP recertification

Requirements for becoming an Affiliate

Participation in the Guild is available to anyone who works in the building industry or another industry that helps support the market for green building. Build It Green Company Membership is encouraged but not required.

--> Apply online to become a Build It Green Member

Chapter and Meeting Information

Build It Green currently supports four Guilds in the San Francisco Bay Area.  Each chapter meets monthly, and affiliates are welcome to attend meetings in any region regardless of their place of work.

Green Building Professionals Guilds are administered and implemented by Build It Green, and rely on available funding and staff resources.

We are currently only able to support four regional Guilds. If you are interested in having a Guild in other regions in California, you are welcome to contact Michele@BuildItGreen.org to begin a dialogue. We will, however, not be able to organize a new Guild chapter until new funding and staff resources come available. Build It Green cannot support, or sanction with the Build It Green name, independently organized guilds, though you may apply for independent meetings to qualify for Certified Green Building Professional CEUs. 

Upcoming Guild Meetings and Registration:

SOUTH BAY

Date: Tuesday, May 5, 2009

Topic: The Science Behind Natural Daylighting

Description:  This presentation covers the science behind natural daylighting and its connection to productivity and health.  It will also cover design techniques and products used to assist in the introduction of natural light as well as how natural daylighting fits into the big picture when designing a green building and how it is integral in passive design.

Speakers: Randy Potter and Forrest Linebarger of Vox Design Group and Reliance Management Group

Vox Design Group is a Mountain View based residential green design firm focusing on healthy efficient new homes and whole home renovations.  Vox practices integrative whole system design and incorporates passive heating and cooling elements and natural daylighting into all of their work.  Reliance Management Group is a Construction Management firm specializing in value engineering and green building practices ranging from the use of sustainable local materials to efficient quality green construction practices.  Reliance integrates many alternative building methodologies and materials with the latest in efficient green technologies and systems in order to create award winning green homes for their clients.

Vox and Reliance have recently completed the second highest GreenPoint Rated home ever built (242 points) in Mountain View which features a highly efficient building shell, geothermal heating and cooling, 10k gallons of rain catchment, and countless other green features in addition to the signature Vox natural daylighting and passive heating/cooling design.

Randy Potter is the Director of Vox Design Group and Reliance Management Group and is in charge of all of the business operations as well as green industry relations at both companies.  Randy has an MBA from UC Davis and is a Certified Green Building Professional and lectures regularly on Green Building at West Valley College and San Jose State University.  He has a background in Business Management and Management Consulting and has spent many years working in resort and real estate development. 

Forrest Linebarger is the President of Vox Design Group and Reliance Management Group and has been designing and building homes locally for almost 20 years.  Forrest is a graduate of UC Berkeley and is a LEED Accredited Professional.  Forrest is the principal designer at Vox and is responsible for all of the conceptual design work all well as implementation of green design elements and systems.  Forrest has a regular column, the GreenLine, which covers a variety of sustainable topics and appears regularly in the Mountain View and Los Altos Newspapers.  He also lectures regularly on green design and construction topics at venues such as West Coast Green and the AIA continuing education programs.

Presentation Team: Randy Potter and Forrest Linebarger of Vox Design Group and Reliance Management Group

Certified Green Building Professional CEU Value:
1.5 - Subject Area: Energy/Building Science

Time:
5:00-5:15 Sign In
5:15-5:30 Networking Exercise
5:30-6:30 Topic Presentation
6:30-7:00 Open Discussion

Place: Harrell Remodeling, 1954 Old Middlefield Way, Mountain View (Google Map) - Cross Street: Rengstorff.

Cost:
$15 /Build It Green Members
$20 /Non-Members
The admission includes a light meal; those choosing not to eat still are required to pay the meeting fee.

Registration:  Pre-registration is required to guarantee a seat. REGISTER NOW ONLINE or call 510-845-0472 ext. 105 by noon on Friday, May 1, 2009.

Cancellation Policy: No refunds will be given for cancellations or no-shows due to our limited venue capacity. Registered attendees can transfer their credit to another colleague (i.e. go in their place) for the same Guild Meeting - not for another Guild Meeting.

For further information: please see the South Bay Guild webpage on the Build It Green website.

THANKS TO OUR SOUTH BAY GUILD SPONSORS:

  

      

 

EAST BAY

Date: Wednesday, May 6, 2009

Topic:  Home Performance – The Value of Home Energy and Performance  (Part Two of a Three-Part Home Performance Series)

Description: The only way to measure how a house is performing is to measure it.  Using Building Science as a foundation Home Performance can “measure” how a home is performing using scientific test instruments and measuring devices.  When we know how “leaky” a home is we can determine how much energy is wasted due to those leaks.  We can also assess the safety of the living space by measuring combustion appliances like furnaces and water heaters for excess CO spillage.  These and a barrage of other tests can and should be performed on any project considering an upgrade.

Visit us this evening and learn more about building science and diagnostic testing for residential construction and remodeling.  We will cover:

• Building Science basics
• How homes are tested for performance
• Incorporating Home Performance details into every project
• How to locate “low-hanging fruit” energy efficiency opportunities

Speaker: Kevin Beck, Building Performance Services and GGeorge Nesbitt, Environmental Design/Build

Kevin Beck is a third generation home builder with over twenty five years of residential construction experience.  Kevin’s company, Building Performance Services,  is a leading Green Building and Home Performance Consulting firm here in the Bay area dedicated to helping architects, builders, and homeowners make homes more comfortable, healthier, safer, durable, and more energy efficient.  Kevin is proud to be a member of NARI, Build it Green, CABEC, and RESNET.  He is a Home Performance with Energy Star Consultant, a BPI certified Building Analyst/Heating/ and Shell specialist,  a GreenPoint Rater for new and existing homes, a HERS Rater, a LEED Rater, and a Certified Energy Plans Examiner.

George J. Nesbitt, Environmental Design/Build is a General Contractor, Building Performance Contractor, HERS Rater (new & existing homes), GreenPoint Rater (new & existing homes), Certified Residential Energy Consultant (CEPE), & founding Board Member of CalHERS (California Association of Home Energy Raters).

Presentation Team: George Nesbitt, Environmental Design/Build; Rob Harold, Robert Harold Construction; Leslie Lewis, Owens Corning

Certified Green Building Professional CEU Value:
1.5 - Subject Area: Energy/Building Science

Time:
5:30-5:45 Sign In & Networking
5:45-6:00 Networking Exercise
6:00-7:30 Topic Presentation
7:30-8:00 Open Discussion

Place: Truitt & White Conference Room, 1817 Second St., Berkeley (Google Map) - Cross Street: Hearst.

Cost:
$15 /Build It Green Members
$20 /Non-Members
The admission includes a light meal; those choosing not to eat still are required to pay the meeting fee.

Registration:  Pre-registration is required to guarantee a seat. REGISTER NOW ONLINE or call 510-845-0472 ext. 105 by noon on Monday, May 4, 2009.

Cancellation Policy: No refunds will be given for cancellations
or no-shows due to our limited venue capacity. Registered attendees can
transfer their credit to another colleague (i.e. go in their place) for
the same Guild Meeting - not for another Guild Meeting.

For further information: please see the East Bay Guild webpage on the Build It Green website.

THANKS TO OUR EAST BAY GUILD SPONSORS:

  

 

NORTH BAY

Date: Wednesday, May 13, 2009

Topic: GreenPoint Rated Overview

Description: GreenPoint Rated removes the guesswork by having a Certified GreenPoint Rater evaluate a home's green features allowing homes to be compared on a level playing field. GreenPoint Rated rewards building professionals and homeowners who create green homes by allowing them to brand their products with a recognizable, trustworthy seal of approval.

Think of GreenPoint Rated as a report card for a home. A GreenPoint Rated home is graded on five categories:

• Resource Conservation
• Indoor Air Quality
• Water Conservation
• Community
• Energy Efficiency

Join Tenaya Asan, GreenPoint Rated Program Manager, for an evening discussion on the pros, cons, trends, policies and future of third-party certifications for residential green building.  Along with an introduction to GreenPoint Rated, Tenaya will talk about the various rating systems available, including LEED for Homes and discuss the similarities and differences between the programs. 

Speaker: Tenaya Asan, Build It Green 

Tenaya Asan brings 30 years of experience in the residential construction industry to her position as the Program Manager of the GreenPoint Rated program.  She uses her construction knowledge, management capabilities and collaborative abilities to direct this rapidly expanding program.  Tenaya has been a key strategist and manager in the development of the GreenPoint Rated Existing Home rating system, the first of its kind in the nation.  She is responsible for overseeing rater training and certification; quality assurance for rated projects; providing education and support to builders, raters, designers and others; and developing program protocols and procedures. 

Presentation Team: Michele Brown, Build It Green

Certified Green Building Professional CEU Value:
1.5 - Subject Area: General

Time:
5:00-5:15 Sign In & Networking
5:15-5:30 Networking Exercise
5:30-6:30 Topic Presentation
6:30-7:00 Open Discussion

Place: New Home Green Depot and Learning Center, 825 Francisco Blvd West, San Rafael (Google Map)   

LOCATION NOTE:  Due to a scheduling conflict, our May North Bay Guild Meeting will be generously hosted by the New Home Green Depot and Learning Center.  Come for a sneak peak of this fantastic retail space before they open to the public and see this brand new super store that will provide a one-stop 100% green shopping showroom to the green building community!

Registration:  Pre-registration is required to guarantee a seat. REGISTER NOW ONLINE or call 510-845-0472 ext. 105 by noon on Monday, May 11, 2009.

Cancellation Policy: No refunds will be given for cancellations
or no-shows due to our limited venue capacity. Registered attendees can
transfer their credit to another colleague (i.e. go in their place) for
the same Guild Meeting - not for another Guild Meeting.

For further information: please see the North Bay Guild webpage on the Build It Green website.

THANKS TO OUR NORTH BAY GUILD SPONSORS:

 

 

SAN FRANCISCO 

Date: Wednesday, May 20, 2009

Topic: Eco Standards vs. Greenwashing and the Materials Supported by the Standards

Description: “Greenwashing” = False or misleading green marketing claims.  Well-intentioned consumers may be misled into purchases that do not deliver on their environmental promise.  Greenwashing may create cynicism and doubt about all environmental claims.  Who can you trust?  Learn to identify valid labels, decipher what is being claimed, and educate your customer.

Linda has worked in the building industry for over 10 years, specializing in remodeling, interior design, and consulting. In 2006, she became a LEED AP through the U.S. Green Building Council, and in 2007, earned a CGBP certification through Build It Green. Both organizations encourage and accelerate global adoption of sustainable green building and development practices. For several years, she was an in-house, green materials consultant at Green Fusion Design Center, in Marin County, facilitating “green” makeovers for homes and businesses. 

As a Green Design and Materials Expert, she has been a featured speaker and on panel discussions for organizations such as the San Francisco Design Center, San Rafael Chamber of Commerce, and many Student Career Forums. Her PowerPoint Presentation entitled The ECO-nomics of Green Design, offers practical solutions for environmentally savvy home and office design.  People, Planet, and Profit are the new triple bottom line and sustainability is here to stay.

Linda is a member of the National Kitchen and Bath Association; Architects, Designers and Planners for Social Responsibility, and The U.S. Green Building Council.   She is a graduate of the San Rafael Chamber of Commerce Leadership Institute Program, and the Landmark Education Curriculum for Living Program.  She received her education from Community College of R.I., Canada College, and College of Marin.

Presentation Team: Carmen Mateo, Green Home Center and Brand Kitchens & Design; Therese Brown, Ceramic Tile Design

Certified Green Building Professional CEU Value:
1.5 - Subject Area: Materials/IAQ

Time:
5:30-5:45 Sign In & Networking
5:45-6:00 Networking Exercise
6:00-7:00 Topic Presentation
7:00-7:30 Open Discussion

Place:  SF Environment, 11 Grove Street, San Francisco, CA  (Google Map) 

Registration:  Pre-registration is required to guarantee a seat. REGISTER NOW ONLINE or call 510-845-0472 ext. 105 by noon on Monday, May 18, 2009.

Cancellation Policy: No refunds will be given for cancellations
or no-shows due to our limited venue capacity. Registered attendees can
transfer their credit to another colleague (i.e. go in their place) for
the same Guild Meeting - not for another Guild Meeting.

For further information: please see the San Francisco Guild webpage on the Build It Green website.

THANKS TO OUR SAN FRANCISCO GUILD SPONSORS: