Local green building groups ramps up efforts

The national group, according to its Web site, www.usgbc.org, encourages members to use building techniques that meet the standards of the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design Green Building Rating System. The LEED system encourages the use of processes and materials that allow new and remodeled buildings to have the least possible impact on the environment.

Erich Harris is director of LEED activities for the Missouri Heartland Chapter, which formed in 2003 after several area professionals met at the national GreenBuild conference in Austin, Texas, the preceding year.

Missouri Heartland Chapter is in the midst of a push to gain visibility and membership after gaining recognition from the national council, including work on a new chapter newsletter. The first issue was sent in the fall, and another is expected to go out by the end of January, said Harris, who works for Environmental Market Solutions Inc. in Springfield.

As part of its effort to gain more exposure, the local group has joined the Salute to Construction Council, which comprises 24 different groups and businesses – including Springfield Business Journal – and works to further the construction industry.

Sheryl Letterman, executive director of the Springfield Contractors Association, one of the members of the Salute to Construction Council, said Missouri Heartland Chapter’s membership in Salute to Construction offers advantages to both groups.

“I think last year the council wanted to use green issues as a basis for our publicity and our encouragement of people to think more about environmental issues,” Letterman said.

“We can’t go on as we have been and use up our resources and not worry about where our building materials and energy are coming from. The more people become aware of that, the better it is for everybody,” she added.

Harris said the group, which currently has about 20 members, is different from other USGBC chapters in Missouri.

“Other chapters like St. Louis or Kansas City are more regional in that there’s one city area under that region,” Harris said.

“This chapter is different in that it’s trying to capture a lot of bigger cities in the middle of the state that weren’t represented – Springfield, Rolla, Columbia, Jefferson City, the central area of Missouri. It’s about trying to get all of those people together to meet in one place,” he added.

Thus far, the Heartland Chapter has met in several Missouri cities; future meeting locations will vary.

Membership is open to anyone interested in promoting environmentally conscious building. There is a $50 membership fee to join the group.

Several local companies are members of the council.

Elise Crain, project manager at DeWitt & Associates, said DeWitt joined the group because of the opportunities it provides to stay on the cutting edge of advances in technology.

“We must pay better attention to our environment,” she said. “What this does is put us on the front row of the necessary changes that are going to be occurring in the building industry.”

Green building techniques include using rainwater for irrigation and for plumbing in restrooms, as well as using built-in shade to reduce the need for heating and cooling.

There are currently several local green projects ongoing, including an LEED-certified addition to Discovery Center in downtown Springfield, a project for which DeWitt is the general contractor.

Discovery Center CEO Emily Fox said the project at her facility can serve a unique purpose in the state.

“A lot of times these buildings – in St. Louis, in Jefferson City, in Kansas City – are not public facilities. They’re office buildings or people’s homes, and they’re not open to the public. We felt that not only were we the first (locally), but we’re an educational facility,” Fox said.

Elite Construction Co. LLC is the general contractor for the remodeling of the former Jerry’s Antique Mall building, 309 South Ave., for owners Dan and Mike Chiles under Emdee Co. LLC. The Chileses are working toward LEED certification for the renovations, which would be the first such certification for a building rehab project.