boston

In August 2008, the Mayor of Boston announced a new Green Affordable Housing Program designed to encourage the building of affordable housing that accomplishes the following things:

1) results in low maintenance and energy costs for renters and homeowners

2) promotes the health and well-being of residents and

3) minimizes the environmental impacts of development by conserving water, energy and other resources, and reduces greenhouse gas emissions.

In addition, the Boston Department of Neighborhood Development's design guidelines now include green and energy standards that require development projects to meet LEED Silver and well as Energy Star standards.

There is no question that Boston is at the forefront of the green building movement. In January 2007, Boston became the first major U.S. city to require that all private development meet LEED Certified standards.

We applaud Boston for its latest move. If green buildings are going to move from "niche to norm," they must be available for all. Requiring affordable housing to meet green standards moves the green building movement in the right direction.

If green builders wanted to meet at the exact nexus between passion and practicality, the the rendezvous point might be Boston, a place known for revolutionary thought and evolutionary action. Could be why NeXus, a green building resource center in the heart of Boston’s financial district, was the site of a recent well-attended screening of Building Green. The show was followed by a lively exchange and Q&A session featuring our own Kevin Contreras. NeXus is the brainchild of Barbra Batshalom, Executive Director and Founder of the Green Roundtable, whose mission is to take green mainstream through education, exhibits, training, technical and design assistance. The center is a 6000 square foot space that boasts a showroom, a resource lounge, an e-lounge (featuring an online e-Directory of products & services), an event venue and access to design and building professionals. It is a living laboratory for what is possible in sustainable design and construction. Barbra and her staff call the center the nation’s first full immersion green building experience -- a one-stop shop for year round guidance on green building issues in a place that is the physical and virtual manifestation of eco-positive choices. If you look closely, you can see the low voltage lighting by LUXO, the cement remix carpet tile by Milliken, the bamboo flooring by Bamboo Advantage and the arboreal ceiling panels by Ceilings Plus. That is just a fraction of the green building materials you can see. The studs, insulation and wiring are also green. As a reward for its innovation and leadership, the NeXus and Green Roundtable staff have been tasked with organizing one of the largest green building trade shows in the Northern Hemisphere next year – the USGBC’s Greenbuild expo – slated for Boston in 2008. More information on the center, its staff, exhibitors and events can be found at www.nexusboston.com.