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Awards will be given in multiple categories. In order to apply for a Texas award, projects must be located in the state of Texas, regardless of where the nominator or project owner are located. Projects that have received a USGBC award in the last three years are not eligible, but project teams who have won awards are welcome to submit new projects.
Award recipients will be featured on USGBC local chapter media channels in Texas and across the South Central region.
Award Nomination Deadline: October 3rd, 2024
There is a $50 fee for project award applications. No fee is charged for nominating people or partners.
SEE CALL FOR NOMINATIONS DETAILS HERE>>
For additional information you can Watch a video presentation or view a presentation deck with an overview of the awards program and tips for applying.
Webinar: Understanding Micro Climates & Urban Heat Islands
Wednesday, Sept 25, 202412:00 pm- 1 pm
About the Topic:
The heat is on! Major urban areas are hot and getting hotter!
Urban heat, caused by human activities, forms a "heat bubble" surrounding the city known as the Urban Heat Island (UHI), resulting in higher temperatures, impacting human health, power consumption air and water quality, and more.
Dr. Daniel Boice will present original research on San Antonio's UHI over the past 7 decades. Dr. Farzad Hashemi, Assistant Professor of Architecture at University of Texas at San Antonio will discuss his novel methodology to create climate data specifically designed for urban environments to accurately reflect the Urban Heat Island (UHI) effects.
Michelle E. Garza, Planning Specialist, will share positive initiatives the San Antonio River Authority has implemented to mitigate heat and improve water quality and Leslie Antunez, Senior Municipal Sustainability Manager, Office of Sustainability will present the City of San Antonio's heat reduction strategies.
Speakers: (Read full bios here.)
Daniel C. Boice, Ph.D. Founder & Principal Astronomer Scientific Studies & Consulting
Daniel Boice is the founder and principal astronomer at Scientific Studies & Consulting in San Antonio, TX. Prior to his present position, he spent 26 years in the Space Science & Engineering Division at Southwest Research Institute, where he specialized in cometary research sponsored by NASA and the National Science Foundation. Concurrently, he held a joint appointment to the Department of Physics and Astronomy faculty at the University of Texas at San Antonio, where he taught undergraduate and graduate courses for 20 years. During his career, he developed computer models that are used to interpret spacecraft data and ground-based observations of comets.
He has also developed an interest and expertise in the urban climate, especially the Urban Heat Island, when in the early 1990s he co-discovered San Antonio's UHI. Daniel has an extensive research record that includes over 80 peer-reviewed research papers, several hundred conference reports, and the books.
Farzad HashemiAssistant Professor of ArchitectureUniversity of Texas at San Antonio
Farzad Hashemi is an Assistant Professor of Architecture at the University of Texas at San Antonio (UTSA) and the founding director of the Climate Sensitive Design Lab (CSDL) within the UTSA's School of Architecture and Planning. He received a Ph.D. in Architecture from the Pennsylvania State University, with a focus on Sustainability.
In his doctoral research, Hashemi developed a novel methodology that couples Local Climate Zones (LCZs) with the Urban Weather Generator (UWG) to create climate data specifically designed for urban environments to accurately reflect the Urban Heat Island (UHI) effects. This methodology aims to surpass the limitations of Typical Meteorological Year (TMY) data, which is generally gathered from open spaces such as airports and often fails to capture the specific climatic conditions of urban neighborhoods. Hashemi's work is dedicated to providing architects and urban planners with a more accurate workflow for evaluating and reducing urban buildings' energy demands, steering towards more sustainable urban development.
Michelle E. Garza Planning Specialist San Antonio River Authority
Michelle Garza has 12 years of experience in the environmental science and sustainable energy fields and 13 years in business management. She has a Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Texas at San Antonio (UTSA) where she focused on geology and worked for the Texas Sustainable Energy Research Institute. She has been part of the Sustainable Infrastructure/Planning Unit at the San Antonio River Authority (SARA) for more than eight years, where she works to educate the community on nature-based stormwater solutions to improve water quality and the urban environment.
Additionally she is the development coordinator for SARA, working with developers in mandatory coordination areas, such as the River Improvement Overlay District and Westside Creeks Water Quality Overlay, on their LID/green infrastructure to protect our community's investment in the health and recreation of our creeks and rivers.
Leslie Antunez Senior Municipal Sustainability Manager City of San AntonioOffice of Sustainability
Leslie Antunez is a dedicated and committed public servant with 17 year of service specializing in climate initiatives, public information, crisis and media communication strategies, and community engagement and education.
As the Senior Municipal Sustainability Manager, she responsible for overseeing the City's municipal climate planning and implementation efforts including projects such as the Urban Heat Island/Cool Pavement pilots and assisting with the municipal on-site solar project.
GREEN COFFEE HOURThursday, Sept. 26, 20248:30 AM-9:30 AM
Boomtown Coffee
8oo Capitol St., Understory Houston, TX 77002
About the Event
The Guld Coast Region Council of USGBC-Texas hosts Green Coffee Hours, open to the public. This FREE event offers the opportunity to meet and network with people in green careers: architecture, engineering, sustainability, environmental governance professions, and more. For updates and additional information, please be sure to RSVP.
Green Buildings, Boats and Bats!
Take a tour of downtown Austin's green buildings and sustainable sites the way they're meant to be seen: from the water! We'll tool around Ladybird Lake on giant paddleboards that accommodate up to eight people. Meet us for happy hour before the event at Standard Proof Whiskey Co.
Date: September 26, 2024 Time: 5:00 pm Happy Hour
5:40 pm Depart Standard Proof Whiskey 5:50 pm Water Safety Briefing
6:00 pm Green Buildings Tour
7:30 pm Bats Presentation
8:30 pm Off the Water
Member Cost: $35 Non-members: $40
Emerging Professionals/Students $25
Never been on a giant paddleboard? They're awesome -- great for parties to stay together and no experience necessary!
Check out this informative video. Read the article about last year's event.
Location/Parking:
Meet at Standard Proof Whiskey: 51 Rainey Street Arrive no later than 6pm and we will walk to the boats from there.
Event Sponsor:
GREEN COFFEE HOUR
Thursday, October 3rd at 8:30 AM-9:30 AM
Easy Tiger North
6406 N I-35 Frontage, Suite1100 Austin, TX 78752
The Central Regional Council of USGBC-Texas hosts Green Coffee Hours each month, open to the public. This FREE event offers the opportunity to meet and network with people in green careers: architecture, engineering, sustainability, environmental governance professions, and more. For updates and additional information, please be sure to RSVP.
Join the USGBC Texas Central Region Council during its Monthly Meetings. The meetings occur on the first Friday of the month at 10:00 AM CT via Zoom. During these meetings, members will be encouraged to engage with the Regional Council and State leadership, learn about current and upcoming (local, state, and national) events, provide input, and ask questions.
For more information on the regional council go here. To view upcoming events go here, and to learn how to get involved go here.
For any questions, email Central Region Chair Ashley Besic at abesic@buildingdecarb.org or Chapter Executive Director Jonathan Kraatz at jonathan@usgbctexas.org.
Sign Up Now!
LEED GREEN ASSOCIATE EXAM PREP COURSE
Saturday, October 12th, 2024 Gensler HoustonVirtual Training 8:00 AM - 12:30 PM Free Class
About this Event
For more than 15 years, Gensler has welcomed in thousands of clients, college students, community leaders, building owners and designers to take its free LEED Green Associate Exam Prep Course.
Conveniently scheduled on a Saturday morning, the four hour class is administered by Gensler employees who are passionate about sustainability in practice and have previously achieved their LEED GA credentials. The course is open to anyone in the community who is planning to take the LEED Green Associate Version 4 exam and is interested in attaining basic knowledge of green design, construction and operations.
From this course, you will learn how to address fundamental principles of green building, attain a basic knowledge of LEED rating systems and will receive recommended study material to aid in passing the exam. Feel free to also bring any general or specific questions regarding the exam you may have.
Gensler’s LEED GA prep course is offered five times annually, with an additional BD+C and ID+C course option offered during the year also. There is no class attendance limit and anyone 18 or older is able to register for the course. Four AIA Continuing Education Credits are available for session attendees.
GREEN COFFEE HOURFriday, Oct. 18, 20247:30 AM-9:00 AM
Crude Craft Coffee Bar804 S. Main St., Suite 120
Fort Worth, TX 76104
The North Region Council of USGBC-Texas hosts Green Coffee Hours, open to the public. This FREE event offers the opportunity to meet and network with people in green careers: architecture, engineering, sustainability, environmental governance professions, and more. For updates and additional information, please be sure to RSVP.
Thursday, November 7th at 8:30 AM-9:30 AM
USGBC Texas Chapter is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization. 1801 Royal Lane, Suite 400, Dallas, TX 75229
Contact us at chapter@usgbctexas.org or at 214-571-9244
