Great news!  

The Oregon State Plumbing Board last Friday passed new
standards that will allow homeowners to install systems that reuse wastewater
for flushing toilets. The board also created a statewide standard for rainwater
harvesting in residential and commercial buildings.

The new ruling for alternate methods will make it easier
for building owners to save water and will ultimately help the state meet its
goals for energy savings and water conservation through new green building
standards, said Mark Long, administrator of the state Building Codes Division,
which oversees the Plumbing Board.

The following from http://www.buildinggreen.com demonstrates the value of going green.

"Buildings that carry LEED or Energy Star certifications have higher occupancy rates and lease for more dollars per square foot than their peers, according to the CoStar Group, a company that provides information services to the commercial real estate industry. CoStar tapped into its database covering billions of square feet of commercial buildings for a study released in March 2008. CoStar’s summation of the study, which noted consistently better financial metrics for green buildings, argues that, “Non-green buildings are going to become obsolete. As described, however, the study shows a correlation between higher value and green labels, but it lacks evidence that LEED and Energy Star are the cause of that increased value. These results could just be reflecting the tendency for higher-value properties to pursue certification. Either way, however, it shows that the commercial real estate market associates green performance with value."

Two
recently released studies validate that third party certified buildings, like LEED, outperform their conventional
counterparts across a wide variety of metrics, including energy savings,
occupancy rates, sale price and rental rates.

According to the CoStar study, LEED
buildings command rent premiums of $11.24 per square foot over their non-LEED
peers and have 3.8 percent higher occupancy. Rental rates in ENERGY STAR
buildings represent a $2.38 per square foot premium over comparable non- ENERGY
STAR buildings and have 3.6 percent higher occupancy.

Find the studies at http://www.usgbc.org/DisplayPage.aspx?CMSPageID=77#usgbc_publications.

And, http://www.costar.com/News/Article.aspx?id=D968F1E0DCF73712B03A099E0E99C679.

We are being picked up by bloggers around the country, but SeeingGreen is local. It's a nice write up and a great blog.

In April the American Institute of Architects announced their "Top Ten Green Projects" for the year. A multifamily condominium project in Boston is one of the winners proving green building in the multifamily sector is achievable.  Macallen Building Condominiums

What stands out for me is a local project that steals it's thunder. Mississippi Avenue Lofts is state of art using 40% (or more) less water and energy than a conventional project of it's size. It's already a LEED Gold standard and the developers are diligently working toward Platinum. There are more innovative green features on this site than I could list here -- really, it's amazing.  You can't visit the lofts yet, but the website is designed with extreme transparency in the building process. It's an excellent learning tool for anyone interested in cutting edge green technologies in the mixed-use sector.  www.mississippiavenuelofts.com

Sustainable development is about more than just supporting the triple bottom line. It's about transparency, collaboration and shared knowledge. It's about moving us all forward while still making a profit for ourselves, our families and our coworkers. The developers of this project really sustainability. They are just one of the many reasons why I'm so proud to live and work in Portland.  

We added a new feature today making it easy to share green buildings with other social sites like Delicious and Flickr, in addition to emailing your friends. On a building detail page, simply look for the "Share" tool bar on the right side of the page.

We had the honor of being covered by one of Portland's leading bloggers, Rick Turoczy of Silicon Florist. He writes

So, the next time you’re seeking a new humble abode or some new digs for your new gig, you might want to saunter over to GreenRenter to do the proper Portland thing by going green.

Read the full article and don't forget to vote for us on Oregon Reddit.

The following sounds like it will be very interesting. Sadly I am out of town. So if you are able to go then drop us a noite or leave a comment and tell us what you learned. 

Focused on homes in the Portland area that strive for Net Zero Energy consumption, this tour and special workshop gives participants an opportunity to tour inspiring homes and discuss the technologies and design elements that make Net Zero homes a reality. Small groups, an in depth 2hr workshop and more focused time with home owners make this event a good match for design professionals, engineers, home builders and informed, committed home owners interested in going Net Zero. Tickets are limited, please purchase early to reserve your spot.

• http://www.solaroregon.org/resources_education/goal-net-zero-home-tour/

This event is the West Coast's version of Green Build, but it's local and more stringent in criteria for exhibitors.

If you visit the exhibitors page, there are many local and regional businesses worth learning about.

www.westcoastgreen.com

In the spirit of Earth Day, we took a moment to consider our dailiy actions and honor the Earth. Then, we did what we normally do on Tuesday -- move forward with our busy careers. The beauty of it all is that what we do really makes it Earth Day every day for GreenRenter!

"In-joy" Earth Day.