The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) estimates that at least 36 states will face water shortages by 2013. It’s a problem not limited to the desert Southwest, but stretches to the Midwest, Florida, Georgia and other regions. The EPA’s WaterSense program is designed to decrease indoor and outdoor nonagricultural water use through more efficient products, equipment and programs.
Architects and builders interested in developing more water-efficient buildings can learn the ins-and-outs of the WaterSense program during a series of four free live webinars hosted online at GreenExpo365.com May 9.
Experts from the EPA, along with architects and builders will present ways to design and build water-conscious homes and buildings, and be available to answer questions.
The presentation schedule is:
- Wednesday, May 9, 8:00 a.m. Pacific / 11:00 a.m. Eastern ?Jonah Schein, EPA WaterSense Program Technical & Certification Coordinator for New Homes: “Design Leads the Way: Why and How Architects Should Design with Water in Mind”
- Wednesday, May 9, 9:30 a.m. Pacific / 12:30 p.m. Eastern ?Alicia Marrs, EPA WaterSense Program New Homes Partnerships Marketing & Outreach Specialist: “Talk it Up! Communicating the Value of a Water Efficient Home”
- Wednesday, May 9, 11:00 a.m. Pacific / 2:00 p.m. Eastern ?Amber Lefstead, EPA Water Sense Program Outdoor Coordinator, and Tamara Mittman, EPA Office of Wastewater Management Environmental Engineer: “Water Conservation in the Great Outdoors – Thinking about Landscaping in a New Way”
- Wednesday, May 9, 1:00 p.m. Pacific / 4:00 p.m. Eastern ?Matt Stevens, Green Zone Home; CR Herro, Meritage Homes, Vice President of Environmental Affairs; and Jonah Schein, EPA WaterSense Program: “WaterSense in Action: Tips and Examples from an Architect, a Builder and a Verifier”
All sessions are free to attend. For more information, visit http://www.greenexpo365.com/en/about/events/upcoming_events_news_feed/may-9-watersense-breakout-session---full-day-educa_h05s6ise.html. BD+C
Related Stories
Sustainability | Sep 18, 2024
3 living buildings made by a living practice
Prompting humans to reexamine our relationship to the environment, architecture creates the opportunity for us to physically experience ideas of beauty, performance, and structure through the distinct lens of place.
3D Printing | Sep 17, 2024
Alquist 3D and Walmart complete one of the nation’s largest free-standing, 3D-printed commercial structures
Walmart has completed one of the largest free-standing, 3D-printed commercial structures in the US. Alquist 3D printed the almost 8,000-sf, 20-foot-high addition to a Walmart store in Athens, Tenn. The expansion, which will be used for online pickup and delivery, is the first time Walmart has applied 3D printing technology at this scale.
Retail Centers | Sep 17, 2024
Thinking outside the big box (store)
For over a decade now, the talk of the mall industry has been largely focused on what developers can do to fill the voids left by a steady number of big box store closures. But what do you do when big box tenants stay put?
Government Buildings | Sep 17, 2024
OSHA’s proposed heat standard published in Federal Register
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has published a proposed standard addressing heat illness in outdoor and indoor settings in the Federal Register. The proposed rule would require employers to evaluate workplaces and implement controls to mitigate exposure to heat through engineering and administrative controls, training, effective communication, and other measures.
Codes and Standards | Sep 17, 2024
New California building code encourages, but does not mandate heat pumps
New California homes are more likely to have all-electric appliances starting in 2026 after the state’s energy regulators approved new state building standards. The new building code will encourage installation of heat pumps without actually banning gas heating.
Mass Timber | Sep 17, 2024
Marina del Rey mixed-use development is L.A.’s largest mass timber project
An office-retail project in Marina del Rey is Los Angeles’ largest mass timber project to date. Encompassing about 3 acres, the 42XX campus consists of three low-rise buildings that seamlessly connect with exterior walkways and stairways. The development provides 151,000 sf of office space and 1,500 sf of retail space.
Education Facilities | Sep 16, 2024
Hot classrooms, playgrounds spur K-12 school districts to go beyond AC for cooling
With hotter weather occurring during the school year, school districts are turning to cooling strategies to complement air conditioning. Reflective playgrounds and roads, cool roofs and window films, shade structures and conversion of asphalt surfaces to a natural state are all being tried in various regions of the country.
Office Buildings | Sep 16, 2024
Maximizing office square footage through ‘agile planning’
Lauren Elliott, RID, NCIDQ, Director of Interior Design, Design Collaborative, shares tips for a designing with a popular and flexible workspace model: Agile planning.
3D Printing | Sep 13, 2024
Swiss researchers develop robotic additive manufacturing method that uses earth-based materials—and not cement
Researchers at ETH Zurich, a university in Switzerland, have developed a new robotic additive manufacturing method to help make the construction industry more sustainable. Unlike concrete 3D printing, the process does not require cement.
Libraries | Sep 12, 2024
How space supports programming changes at university libraries
GBBN Associate Sarah Kusuma Rubritz, AIA, uses the University of Pittsburgh's Hillman Library to showcase how libraries are transforming to support students’ needs.
