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• Green Tips from Ian Heckman
• Green Advantage Promotes Green Building During Exploratory Trip to Ireland
• The Greening of College Campuses
• Dallas Adopts Green Building Standard for Homes and Businesses
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• Make the Most of Energy Efficient Tax Credits for 2008

Green Advantage® Promotes Green Building During Exploratory Trip to Ireland

Over five days in April, three members of Green Advantage's leadership met with representatives of Ireland's building industry to exchange information about green building practices.

Following an introduction to Green Advantage as a result of a colleague’s tour of EcoVillage in Virginia, Tomás O'Leary of MosArt wanted to explore the application of Green Advantage's training and certification protocol in Ireland.

MosArt is already one of Ireland's leading design practices focusing on "passive house" (energy-efficient) buildings and sustainable design.

Director O'Leary and his family have been living in Ireland's first certified passive house since 2005. (www.mosart.ie Web site includes more information on passive housing.)

O'Leary graciously invited the Green Advantage team of Board Chair David Freeman, Vice Chair Chris Haddox, and President Grady O'Rear on a five-day trip to explore the state of Irish construction and construction education courtesy of the Irish government and O'Leary's firm—and along the way, to enjoy a few pints of Guinness as well.

Tomás O'Leary introduced the Green Advantage team to some of the top builders and architects in Ireland. The pinnacle of the trip was an exchange with former member of the Irish and the European parliaments, Brendan Halligan. An economist by training, Halligan is an influential leader and currently the chair of Sustainable Energy Ireland. (www.sei.ie) SEI serves as the country's energy agency, charged with promoting and assisting the development of sustainable energy in Ireland. Therefore, the potential is great for influencing green standards, practices, and laws.

Since that April meeting, Halligan has proposed the further engagement of the Green Advantage team in a groundbreaking two-day summit of construction industry leaders in the fall of this year.

While the Irish have demonstrated leadership in various green building applications, in general, Irish green building practices and building codes can benefit from the holistic approach of U.S. experience. That set up the opportunity for Green Advantage to participate in several other significant meetings:

• Met with Sisk Builders, the largest construction company in Ireland with turnover in excess of €1.2billion, in an exploration of green building practices and Green Advantage style of training and certification. (www.sisk.ie)
• Joined in an all-day green planning charrette—a new process in Ireland—for a 60-acre parcel outside a rural town to determine housing and energy use.
• Provided information on Green Advantage to a professor and the head of the School of Construction at the Dublin Institute of Technology.
• On the heels of the five-day trip, Grady O'Rear joined the Irish delegation at the International Conference on Passive Houses in Nuremberg, Germany.

As compelling and as significant as the April trip was, the real excitement lies in the potential from the meetings this fall. Further collaboration holds the promise of improvements in Ireland's green building capabilities as well as improvements in Green Advantage’s U.S. offerings based upon successful European initiatives. Stay tuned for more details.

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