Spring 2009

An Overview of Sustainability and the Built Environment

Registration deadline: W, Jul 22 We begin with a snapshot view of the current state of the global environment, the concept of sustainability, and the critical role that our land-use play in fossil fuel consumption and climate change. Starting with an historical overview of patterns of land settlement, we look at sprawl, smart growth, New Urbanism and the planning process that can facilitate or hinder current best practices. We introduce Green Building as an integrated 'suite' of strategies that has both environmental and financial benefits, and look at the current state of Green Building in the United States. We discuss the distinctions between terms such as Green Building, High-Performance Building, ecological building, Natural Building, and others. We look at the LEED rating system and other Green Building design tools, programs, and rating systems.

Prerequisite(s):none

ENSP800; 7 Hours CEU; $175

Instructor: John Shurtz

John Shurtz, lead instructor, is president of Green Builders of Marin and has been a building professional for over thirty years, John serves as a green building consultant to developers, architects, businesses and homeowners and helped develop Build It Green's "Home Remodeling Green Building Guidelines" and the "Certified Green Building Professional" class. He is a founding Board Member of the USGBC-Redwood Empire Chapter and of the Environmental Education Council of Marin. John taught for the Solar Living Institute, at Build It Green trainings, BIONEERS and at many other organizations. He is on the Board of Directors for Next Generation and the North Bay Green Builders' Guild. John has received awards for sustainable business practices and community involvement from Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, Senator Carole Migden, Assemblyman Jared Huffman and Congressman Mike Thompson.

Instructor: Alex Hinds

Alex Hinds, M.A. has directed California planning, building and environmental health departments for over 20 years in Marin, San Luis Obispo and Lake Counties. Alex was the driving force in the completion of Marin County's highly regarded general plan and sustainability programs which have received numerous professional awards including the highest American Planning Association awards for comprehensive planning in California. These programs also received the APA coveted national award for plan implementation. He is one of the founding members of Green Cities of California. Alex is currently Interim Director of the Center for Sustainable Communities at SSU and president of the California Planning Foundation. He was a former Fulbright scholar in Ecuador.

  • 1 mtg: Sa, Jan 31, 8:30am-4:30pm
  • Darwin 103
  • ENSP800; 7 Hours CEU; $175
  • class# 3957