SWE Conference 2007

Representatives passed the locally rather than sourcing its Renewable Energy Standard (HR coal and uranium elsewhere,” 3221) that would, if included in Rennicks said. final legislation, extend the “Climate legislation is going production-tax credit and tax to happen. And the Southeast incentives for ethanol support. It stands to benefit from shifting also would create production from fossil fuel to something credits for cellulosic ethanol; offer that can create jobs locally and loans for biodiesel production; be locally based,” she said. and fund studies on the feasibility TVA, the nation’s largest of building an ethanol pipeline, of public-power company, ethanol blends greater than 10 disagrees. Jim Keiffer, senior percent, and of using railroads to vice president of marketing at deliver renewable fuels. TVA, said the Tennessee A federal standard is needed Valley has insufficient wind because 25 states now have a and sun to meet quotas and Vicky Sullivan of The Southern patchwork quilt of laws and still keep electricity costs Company describes their philosophy policies, said Jennifer Rennicks, as balancing customer needs for affordable. federal policy coordinator for Vicky Sullivan, the climate affordable electricity with producing the Southern Alliance for Clean the cleanest energy possible. strategy manager for The Energy, based in Asheville, Southern Co., an Atlanta-based N.C. The alliance promotes responsible electric utility holding company, said the energy choices that reduce global warming U.S. Department of Energy has created maps and ensure clean communities throughout that show the Southeastern United States the Southeast. has limited ability to produce solar or wind Rennicks said utilities should welcome energy, especially when compared with the federal renewable-energy standards because Southwest desert. For example, Atlanta has such standards would level the playing field 110 cloudless days a year versus 211 for and encourage utilities to find new alternaPhoenix. Similarly, areas with the greatest tive-energy solutions. “The Southeast would potential to generate wind power are in the benefit because it could produce more energy Great Plains and mountain passes of A Green Campus Reflects Historic Movement Vanderbilt University’s new first-year student community, The Commons, was built with “green” standards as a priority. The buildings, with recycled materials, healthy indoor air and efficient-energy systems, racked up enough points to be certified as LEED, an acronym for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design. The buildings scored just above the basic level to earn Silver level certification. The two higher levels are Gold and Platinum. The U.S. Green Buildings Council, a non-profit group of professionals based in Washington, D.C., certifies that buildings merit status as LEED. The rating system takes into account a project’s site sustainability, water efficiency, energy and atmospheric systems, materials and resources, indoor environmental quality, and innovation and design. The student center at The Commons, for example, features natural light at the entrance, and enough light so that people in the center can see daylight. “When you walk into this building, you almost feel uplifted,” said Keith Loiseau, a LEED-certified architect at Vanderbilt University’s planning and construction department in Nashville. Sensors read the amount of daylight in the building and automatically turn off lights when necessary; energy-efficient chilled-water and steam plants provide heating and air-conditioning; exhaust hoods over kitchen stoves put out less exhaust than their conventional counterparts; reused and recycled material, including old oak chairs from the university’s libraries, provide some of the furnishings in the building; and construction waste went to a local hauler who recycled it. The student center fits with Vanderbilt’s neoclassical architecture, showing that an efficient building need not be solar-paneled or unattractive, Loiseau said. “This building is very subtle, but inside is a very modern, open space,” he said. The Green Buildings Council got its start in 1993 when a group including architects, interior designers, materials suppliers and material manufacturers decided to define “green building” and move the market toward sustainable design and construction. Its initial target was commercial construction, but now the non-profit council can certify all building types. The Council’s founders are Rick Fedrizzi, president, CEO and founding chair; Mike Italiano, CEO, MTS, The Institute for Market Transformation to Sustainability; and David Gottfried, head of Thomas Property Group’s Green Building Fund. Said Loiseau, “Everyone recognizes our resources are finite. LEED-certified construction really pays off because it results in a higher-performance building that holds up well into the future.” 36 SWE CONFERENCE 2007

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of SWE Conference 2007

SWE - Annual Conference Issue - October 2007 Contents President’s Note View from the Executive Suite Editor’s Page Reader’s Forum Is the Engineering Workplace “Warming” for Women? The Music of Technology Going Green in Tennessee Program Development Grants FY08 Officers Formally Inducted Membership Information A&B FY07 Membership Meeting Minutes Engineering World Career Toolbox Point of View Book Review SWE Smiles SWE Scrapbook Corporate Partnership Council Celebrating the 2007 SWE Award Recipients Spotlight on Students Conference Sponsors and Program Overview Thursday Conference Schedule Corporate Members Heritage Club Friday Conference Schedule Saturday Conference Schedule Opportunity Index

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