http://feeds.rapidfeeds.com/?fid4ct=27656 Thu, 22 Apr 2010 14:52:00 EDT Thu, 22 Apr 2010 14:51:00 EDT http://backend.userland.com/rss RapidFeeds v0.1 -- http://www.rapidfeeds.com If green building is on your wishlist, please don’t miss our this free lecture. The timely how-to-guide: Commercial Real Estate Finance: Going Green 2009 will be presented by financial wizard Dan Kastilahn. He will address the basics of commercial real estate finance in the capital markets. Topics will include pros and cons for developers, investors, lenders, property managers, etc., when it comes to green buildings. A number of events have taken place recently that affect opportunities in developing green real estate. The housing crisis may come to mind first, but the Stimulus package and other government programs play a role, as do the Chicago Climate Action Plan and other targeted loan and financing incentives. Topics addressed in the lecture include: Traditional real estate finance in the capital markets, including portfolio lenders, securitization - (CMBS), and the basics of underwriting. Why green commercial buildings? A discussion of corporate sustainability initiatives, the benefits of energy savings, as well as rents and occupancy strategies for developers, owners, and property managers. How does “green” affect financing today? Finding lenders and property insurers, and other key steps for investing in green commercial real estate in the current market. http://www.urbanhabitatchicago.org/events/lectures/335/ aarbetter@urbanhabitatchicago.org http://feeds.rapidfeeds.com/?iid4ct=5090304 Thu, 22 Apr 2010 14:46:00 EDT The design choices we make about the place we live, work and sleep can either benefit or harm our well-being. Paula O’Connell of Environmentally Sustainable Designs will share some of her knowledge and experience with us. http://www.urbanhabitatchicago.org/events/lectures/312/ aarbetter@urbanhabitatchicago.org http://feeds.rapidfeeds.com/?iid4ct=5090292 Thu, 22 Apr 2010 14:47:00 EDT UHC’s Nicholas Petty and Michael Repkin will present their ground-breaking (literally!) year-long experience of turning a quarter-acre of brownfield into a landscape that reconnects a school with its local environment by engaging special-needs students, producing food for people, providing habitat for local wildlife, and introducing beauty and variety. We’ll also hear how and why students from a summer work program joined in the effort, formed a garden club, and will help manage the garden in the coming years. http://www.urbanhabitatchicago.org/events/lectures/373/ aarbetter@urbanhabitatchicago.org http://feeds.rapidfeeds.com/?iid4ct=5088145 Thu, 22 Apr 2010 14:47:00 EDT The Q & A session that followed the Main Event... http://www.urbanhabitatchicago.org/events/lectures/364/ aarbetter@urbanhabitatchicago.org http://feeds.rapidfeeds.com/?iid4ct=4614476 Thu, 22 Apr 2010 14:50:00 EDT This lively, fast-paced discussion, moderated by Chicago’s one-and-only Lynn Becker, will feature a panel of local practitioners who will each take on one aspect of the 1909 Plan of Chicago by Burnham and Bennett, make it relevant and accessible by bringing it up-to-date, then offer real-world solutions on how it might be implemented. Speakers: Samuel Assefa, AIA, LEED AP, Principal of Phoenix Sustainable Asset Management Richard Avery, Architect, ALA, Principal, Hampton Avery Architects Nicholas Petty, MLA, Project Manager, Urban Habitat Chicago Rashmi Ramaswamy and Mike Newman, Architects, SHED Studio Leslie Roth, Architect Zoka Zola, Architect, AIA, RIBA, LEED AP, Principal, Zoka Zola Architecture + Urban Design http://www.urbanhabitatchicago.org/events/lectures/364/ aarbetter@urbanhabitatchicago.org http://feeds.rapidfeeds.com/?iid4ct=4609364 Thu, 22 Apr 2010 14:50:00 EDT A presentation on the Chicago Center for Urban Ecology, by its multi-talented executive director, David M. Thompson. This new ecological center project introduces residents of underserved communities to environmental science, sustainable practices, and the green economy, in addition to providing locally-farmed fresh produce. Conceived of as a portal to environmental education and activities, rather than as a simple point of production, the center enlarges the scope of the urban farm, in order to achieve the broadest possible social and economic benefits. Multiple organizations with expertise in cultivation, distribution, consumption, and waste recovery have come together to contribute to the establishment of the Center for Urban Ecology. In addition, however, to providing new food-system infrastructure in communities such as Woodlawn, Washington Park, and Englewood, the center also provides opportunities for area residents to develop saleable skills, from constructing computer models to project management. Archeworks, WeFarm America, Purple Asparagus, and the University of chicago have all partenered to provide support for the Chicago Center in it’s early years. http://www.urbanhabitatchicago.org/events/lectures/365/ aarbetter@urbanhabitatchicago.org http://feeds.rapidfeeds.com/?iid4ct=4332373 Thu, 22 Apr 2010 14:52:00 EDT