OK, If Lindsey Grahm can understand it..............????

Listed as one of the "20 Most Conservative in the US Senate" by the American Conservatives Union in 2008, now arguably the leading "Climate Change Republican", US Senator Lindsey Grahm(R) of South Carolina continues to have some solid insight into climate change legislation. Speaking yesterday at the "Business Advocacy Day for Jobs, Climate, and New Energy Leadership" in Washington D.C., here are a few notable excerpts from the full transcript of the speech;
"Every day we wait in this nation China is going to eat our lunch. The Chinese don’t need 60 votes. I guess they just need 1 guys vote over there—and that guy’s voted."


"At the end of the day we need a comprehensive approach that would allow this country to jump start its economy and lead the world to a cleaner environment"

"I don’t think you’ll ever have energy independence.....until you start dealing with carbon pollution and pricing carbon. The two are connected in my view—very much connected. The money to be made in solving the carbon pollution problem can only happen when you price carbon...."

See listings for the upcoming CGP classes I'll be teaching in Montana this month. The classes are now also eligible for AIA credit as well. (Hint, Hint)

2010 NAHB Certified Green Professional Classes- February 2010
Bozeman, Montana

Green Building for Building Professionals             February 15th and February 16th
Business Management for Building Professionals  February 17th
Instructor: John Freer
Contact SWMBIA for Info and Registration (406) 585-8181 or NAHBgreen.org
Missoula, Montana

Green Building for Building Professionals               February 25th and February 26th
Business Management for Building Professionals    February 27th
Instructor: John Freer
Contact MBIA For Info and Registration (406) 543-4423 or NAHBgreen.org

IBS 2010: Goodbye to Big Houses and Big Hair!

    The mood at the International Builder's Show in Vegas this year was much more optimistic than last, to say the least, but the trend was definitely a less is more school of thought. From the media coverage of the Las Vegas Sun, to the show floor, to the presentations, and yes, even the entertainment; people were talking about doing more with less.

      Builders and vendors alike were looking not only for ways to reduce square footage without sacrificing amenities, but even more importantly ways to enhance home performance without driving up cost. The secret's getting out that green building can be cost effective, and even the nations largest production builders were participating in seminars and training on the processes and practices of building a high performance, sustainable home. It sure beats the early days at IBS for some of the green presentations, buried in the catacombs of the Orlando convention center, about 8 attendees and two of them employees.

      The change is here, and thus my tie-in to the photo. Styx was the entertainment at this year's Spike party, and even though the big 80's hair was conspicuously absent, they managed to still put on a great show. That's right, doing more with less.......

John at IBS 2010

Once again this year John will be speaking at the International Builder's Show 2010 in Las Vegas. Stop in and catch one of his presentations this week.

          Working With The National Green Building Standard
          Date: Tuesday January 19
          Time: 3:30-5:00 p.m.
          Location: North 258-260

          Building Green On  Budget
          Date: Wednesday January 20
          Time: 3:30-4:45 p.m.
          Location: South 228

          Matching Your Customer To Their Green Index
          Date: Thursday January 21
          Time: 3:30-4:45 p.m.
          Location: South 228

Half Of Non-Residential Buildings Will Be Green By 2015 -Study

Interesting article in the Wall Street Journal last week that predicts half of all non residential construction in the US will be "green" by 2015. The article comes from the results of a two year independently funded study by Greg Kats published in his book "Greening Our Built World." Kats' study shows an average energy reduction in green buildings of 33%, while an additional upfront construction cost of only about 2%. Along with other intrinsic benefits of green construction like water conservation, better indoor air, and better occupant comfort; non residential building owners have been recognizing for quite some time now the operational cost savings associated with high performance buildings. These numbers suggest some encouraging trends and residential won't be far behind!

Climate Scoreboard

We score everything.....I thought this was interesting.

What If We're All Wrong?

With the Copenhagen Climate Conference wrapping up, and as we head into another Montana winter, a colleague sent out this cartoon from Joel Pett in the Lexington Herald-Leader and it couldn't be more timely.



It happens every year as we dip below zero here in Montana and snow starts to fall (like today.) I'll inevitably have a few jabs to the tune of "Hey, where's your global warming, now!" I'm going to carry a copy of this around with me so I don't have to endlessly debate anymore. What if we are all wrong? What if we do create a better world for nothing? I could live with that.