USGBC Design Competition Invites Students to Submi

Washington, DC, February 6, 2006--The U.S. Green Building Council's (USGBC) annual design competition is going local. The Natural Talent Design Competition encourages students and young professionals to submit building designs that demonstrate the principles of the LEED Green Building Rating System, such as integrated design, sustainability, innovation, and social consciousness. The design competition has been hosted at the national level in past years, but this year's competition will be administered through USGBC's regional chapters to increase its impact on and relevance to the local community. "This is an exciting change for the Natural Talent Design Competition," said Joe Snider, chair of the USGBC's Emerging Green Builders Committee. "Contest entrants will be even more invested in the design and development of the project as it will focus on their own region and community. Taking the competition to the local level will spur the development of even more diverse, creative and exciting green building designs." USGBC developed LEED, which stands for Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design, to provide a guideline for the design and construction of sustainable, environmentally friendly buildings. LEED promotes integrated, whole-building design practices. The primary objective of the competition is to broaden environmental education in the building professions within the university system, empowering students and young professionals to become future leaders within the green building movement. The competition also connects students with esteemed individuals from the USGBC community and green building industry, raises awareness of future designers, encourages the use of LEED as a guideline for building design and performance, and recognizes students and emerging green builders for their ongoing dedication, creativity, innovation, and commitment to sustainable design. Participating USGBC Chapters include: Sacramento, CA; San Francisco, CA; San Diego, CA; Colorado; Iowa; Massachusetts; New York; Ohio; Pennsylvania; Washington, DC and Canada (Canadian residents only). Each chapter will have a local program, schedule and requirements. Interested participants should enroll in the competition that is geographically closest. The local winners will be showcased in a Best-In-Show at Greenbuild, USGBC's annual conference & expo to be held this November in Denver, CO. Registration deadlines vary by chapter; for more information visit www.usgbc.org.

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