Green Building Chapter to Host State Conference
The Arkansas chapter of the U.S. Green Building Council will hold its state conference, called Sustainable Arkansas 2013, next month in Fayetteville.
The 10th annual event will be held April 4-6, with most activities taking place at the Chancellor Hotel. About 150 to 200 people are expected to attend the conference, said Mark Cloud, chairman of the USGBC-Arkansas chapter and founder and president of Integrated Solutions Group Inc.
At this year’s conference, Cloud said, the chapter will describe plans to build sustainable outdoor classrooms in area public schools. The chapter has partnered with Nunnally Chevrolet to build one of these classrooms for a school in the Rogers School District.
Activities on April 4 will include a hard-hat tour of Vol Walker Hall, home of the Fay Jones School of Architecture on the University of Arkansas campus, and a tour of the Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art.
The day will conclude with the second annual Green Tie Awards dinner, which will recognize individuals and companies for outstanding leadership and achievement in sustainability. Thomas Hylton, a Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist and author of “Save Our Lands, Save Our Towns,” will be the dinner’s keynote speaker.
A full day of seminars on sustainable design and building is scheduled for April 5.
On April 6, attendees will have a chance to tour Eco Modern Flats, a LEED Platinum multifamily complex in Fayetteville; take a walking tour of Fayetteville’s public spaces, green homes and businesses; and visit the Fayetteville Farmers Market.
The Arkansas chapter has about 380 individual members, representing about 250 to 275 companies, Cloud said.