The North Texas Green Council, along with other State of Texas USGBC Chapters, recently collaborated in efforts to promote green building practices at State initiated levels.  The State Advocacy Team was very successful in coordinating the efforts of all four Texas USGBC Chapters during the 81st Legislative Session with a uniformed campaign covering 14 various bills and hosting the first Green Building Advocacy Day at the Austin State Capitol on April 27, 2009.  A brief description of each bill outcome is listed below.

HB431

This proposed comprehensive bill, authored by Representatives Lucio (D-Brownsville), Alvarado (D-Houston), and Kent (D-Dallas), turned out to be the most discussed bill followed at the Legislative session, ultimately turning into an omnibus bill including fragments of SB 267, HB 3149 and other associated legislation.  The omnibus bill, which originally mentioned “LEED” as a conditional criterion, stayed alive until the very last day of the legislative session but eventually failed to pass.

With the previous 81st State of Texas legislative session now past, the North Texas Green Council Advocacy Teams are already focused upon the next State legislative session. In preparing for the 82nd Legislative Session, the State Team has united on the four primary focus areas delineated below.
Schools Develop recommendations for encouraging school districts to provide resource-efficient school buildings that will be cost effective over the life of the building, teach students about the value of conserving energy and water, and facilitate learning through improved indoor environmental quality. 

Green schools cost less to operate, freeing resources to improve students’ education. Carefully planned acoustics, abundant daylight and improved indoor air quality have a demonstrated positive impact on children’s ability to learn.

The Existing Building Operation and Maintenance (EBOM) Team continued to strengthen efforts and advancement toward improving the existing “built” environment with a 2009 signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Dallas Building Owners and Managers Association. (Dallas BOMA) The Team’s efforts focused on enhancing and improving existing building operations through BMPs, educating over 240 individuals through their September 17th Green Operations Summit. The day long event was one of the first in the Nation dedicated solely to the existing building market. It was attended by Property Owners and CRE Managers, Real Estate Brokers and Facility Managers & Operations Professionals from the public and private sectors.

Additionally, the EBOM team is providing resources to the LEED School Advocate to implement an Adopt-a-school program with Dallas ISD. Members of the LEED EBOM task force are providing resources and knowledge to help make a school more sustainable via training, assessment and program development efforts using LEED EB O&M as the metric. The end goal is to LEED EB certify a DISD Middle School in 2010.

The School Advocacy Team has been very busy working with School Districts throughout the North Texas Region, helping them improve their schools energy conservation, indoor environmental quality and saving operational budgets at the same time.  In addition, the Team has been reaching out to North Texas Mayors seeking participation and support of the Mayors’ Alliance for Green Schools in coalition with School District Superintendants.

A recent Adopt-a-school program was developed and approved by Dallas ISD to allow the USGBC North Texas to take an existing school through the LEED EB O&M Certification process. With assistance from the LEED EBOM Team, a Middle school was selected. The program will allow volunteers to assess the school for compliance with LEED EB O&M, make recommendations for improvements and provide assistance in developing educational resources, make facility operational changes and implement necessary facility improvements. The project intends to raise funds for program capital needs and secure voluntary support from the local industry in product and/or installation donations, to bring the school into compliance with the minimum program requirements and as many of the best practice standards are reasonably achievable.