September's Lexington Green Scene was held at the Home Builders' Association of Lexington on September 1. Attendees networked inside and on the back patio until they were invited out to the front paking lot to view a demonstration of just how well pervious concrete can handle a deluge of water. Finley Messick, from the Bluegrass Concrete Promotion Group -- the sponsor of September's Green Scene -- explained the technical aspects of pervious concrete as more than 1500 gallons of water were dumped out of a concrete truck onto the pavement. The results were impressive. All of the water was absorbed into the structure of the driveway.

The crowd of 65+ attendees at the August Green Scene, held at Sign-A-Rama in downtown Louisville, was welcomed by Frank Weiss, Co-Chair of the Board of Directors Kentucky USGBC, as they mingled and enjoyed hors d’oeuvres and drinks from Ramsi’s. In addition to a full display of sign possibilities announcing the Green Scene, several sustainable and environmentally responsible signage products were featured. Maggie Payette Harlow, owner of Sign-A-Rama, highlighted some of the company’s green products, which included well-received demonstrations from two outstanding vendors. FujiFilm demonstrated its sustainable printing products using a Fuji Acuity printer, and LG Hi-Macs showcased its "green" solid core panel products which are used to build custom interior signage, displays and countertops. As the evening wrapped up, Sign-A-Rama generously provided “Keep Louisville Green” bumper stickers for attendees and wooden USGBC plaques for members to take with them. Photogallery coming soon.

Kentucky Congressman Ben Chandler spent an hour and a half on Wednesday, August 25 talking to members of the Advocacy Committee of the Kentucky Chapter of the US Green Building Council and members of Kentucky's legislative Green Schools Caucus. Chandler first addressed members of the Advocacy Committee and answered questions about national green schools legislation, which he spearheads. After a brief lunch, Chandler addressed Kentucky legislators and answered their questions. Chandler thanked the legislators and others in the audience for their efforts in promoting national and state level green schools legislation and encouraged them to do more with letters to the editor and other public efforts. According to Chandler, "We have a tremendous school infrastructure problem in this country," and building more energy efficient schools is the only answer. "To spend federal money on renovating and constructing more energy efficient public schools is a very wise expenditure of funds. I can think of none wiser," said Chandler. "It is an idea whose time is past due."

The beautiful Oldham County Main Library in La Grange KY was awarded its Gold LEED plaque on Thursday Aug 19, 2010. The La Grange Library is the 1st LEED Gold library in the State, one of 9 LEED Gold buildings in the State. Over 40 people joined together to celebrate this achievement and acknowledge library’s valued place in the community Cliff Ashburner, Chairman of the KY USGBC, awarded the plaque to Susan Eubanks, Library Director. “Buildings are unique. This is a unique project. It started with the occupants desire to provide a better educational experience for their visitors. The building has delivered beyond their expectations,” stated Cliff. Attendance at the library has risen 80% since the new LEED Gold building was opened.

As promised the August 4th Lexington Green Scene was a lovely night as the sun stayed hidden long enough to make it comfortable for the forty attendees. AU Associates President Holly Wiedemann proudly showcased the next generation of urban innovation in Lexington . Project architects Ed Krebs and Christopher Fuller from K. Norman Berry Architects were also in attendance. USGBC KY Chapter Board members Cliff Ashburner, Chris Tyler, Jesse Schook and Clive Pohl met some new faces and too the opportunity to network with new faces.

Over 50 people converged on the Foxhollow Farm Community in Crestwood on a beautiful day in July for good food with a green message. After shopping in Foxhollow’s market for a variety of their organic products including meats, cheese, produce and soap, attendees were treated to the sustainable delicacies of the Mayan Café. In the midst of shopping and dining in this pastoral setting, attendees learned the story of how Foxhollow and the Mayan Café built their working sustainability partnership. Using green farming techniques partnered with sustainable menu planning, this partnership offers customers the best product at the lowest environmental impact. Maggie Barrett, Foxhollow’s fourth generation owner, explained the farm’s sustainable practices and the extent to which they go to ensure organic produce. The Mayan Café’s Anne Shadle shared their journey to working with Foxhollow Farm. Beginning with their involvement with the KY USGBC in 2009 the journey culminated in their current process of menu planning based on seasonal products. Bruce Uca, Mayan Cafe's owner shared the process he went through to plan dishes and menu according to availability. He also encouraged attendees to enrich their diets with locally produced produce and meats and support local farmers at farmers’ markets. At the end of the day, attendees went home having tasted and seen the possibilities of sustainable business initiatives.

From our Chairman: I had the great privilege of attending the USGBC Chapter Leader Retreat in Utah last month.  I had a great time meeting members of the national staff and chapter leaders from throughout the country.  All chapters are facing similar challenges--funding, prioritizing our efforts, and finding a place for our mission in the larger "green" movement.  But while chapters face similar challenges, we address those challenges in as many ways as there are chapters to address them.   I'm happy to say that the hard work we have all put in to the foundation of our chapter and each of our committees has us in a good position to face the challenges we face. Clifford Ashburner

The new Louisville office of GBBN Architects, located at 609 West Main Street, was the site for June’s Green Scene and the latest Gold LEED certification ceremony. USGBC Kentucky Chapter Board Chair Cliff Ashburner presented the plaque to Bob Gramann, President of GBBN Architects. Mr. Gramann talked about the importance of sustainability, and noted that the main goal of the environmentally responsible renovation was to optimize energy performance. This was achieved through a close working relationship between the design team and mechanical contractors. Kentucky Finance & Administration Cabinet Secretary Jonathan Miller attended the ceremony and announced three programs intended to further sustainability efforts and create green jobs. The programs include the Green Bank of Kentucky, which will provide financing to pay for up-front costs of energy-saving projects; the Federal Weatherization Program for low-income households; and the new Kentucky Home Performance Program, which will provide loans and grants to middle class families for home energy improvements. More information on these programs is available by contacting the Kentucky Finance and Administration Cabinet.

Kentucky Chapter staff and volunteers have been hard at work advancing the mission for a sustainable built environment here at home. The growth this Chapter has experienced in the last year has been outstanding (membership grew 65% and LEED registered projects now exceed 140 across the state). Meeting the challenge has been the direct result of the support this Chapter receives through your membership, countless hours of dedicated volunteer time, and our corporate partners and sponsors. Without this support, the Chapter could not have achieved all it has to date. See our Top 10 Chapter Successes on our Membership page.

"Habitat for Humanity for Metro Louisville hosted and sponsored Green Scene on April 28th. The team, which builds simple and affordable homes in partnership with those in need of decent housing, was very excited to showcase their facilities. Habitat is metro Louisville's 9th largest home builder and plans to building 300+ homes within one year. Ron Johnson, Director of Construction, shared the sustainable technologies that are being implemented in the Habitat Homes as well as the process to build and own an affordable Habitat Home. Dale Douthat, Director of Habitat ReStore, enthusiastically described their plans for a new facility - three existing buildings about to undergo a complete rehab utilizing green technologies. The presentation was followed by a tour of the buildings to see the "before" conditions. We will have an opportunity to see the “after” once construction is completed as well as the completed Habitopia campus at a future Green Scene. Check out the great turnout (considering it was Derby week) in our photogallery!

Green Scene Lexington. Plans for a "sustainable" mixed development at Coldstream. Len Heller, Vice President of Economic Development at Univ. of KY discussed Coldstream Development plans.

Washington, D.C. September 22nd and 23rd. USGBC-Kentucky Chapter Advocacy Committee Co-Chair Chris Tyler and Board member Cliff Ashburner took part in the 2009 USGBC Congressional Advocacy Day in Washington, D.C. September 22nd and 23rd. National USGBC staff and Capitol Solutions staff provided training on the substance of pending proposals before the House and Senate and on the most effective ways to inform and persuade both congressional staff and the members themselves. Chris and Cliff met with Congressmen Ben Chandler, John Yarmuth and Geoff Davis. All of the meetings went well and all of the Congressmen welcomed Chris and Cliff and gave them some of their very valuable time discussing building labeling, green retrofits, and green schools. Chris and Cliff also enjoyed meeting fellow USGBC chapter members from around the country, trading stories about their efforts at home and the many state and local efforts currently underway. A good time was had by all.