The pace is quickening when it comes to green building awareness, education and projects in Southern Nevada. Recent events indicate that a welcome transformation is taking place in the construction industry that will benefit everyone.

A few years ago, green building was not much of a topic in our area. A few of us who were watching the national trends got together in April 2003 to form the U.S. Green Building Council -- Las Vegas Regional Chapter. In the interest of full disclosure, I am a board member of that organization.

With national headquarters in Washington, D.C., U.S. Green Building Council members from across the country developed the LEED green building rating system, now a nationally recognized standard. LEED stands for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design. Buildings that carry LEED certification are high performance and use materials, energy and water very efficiently. They are especially healthy places to live and work in.

Nevada is the second state in the U.S. to embrace LEED standards for new construction of state buildings. The city of Las Vegas recently passed a resolution with a similar commitment.

The first LEED-certified building in Nevada is the Tate Snyder Kimsey Design Studio in Henderson. In this case the structure, which was built several years earlier, was modified to meet the requirements for LEED-EB, the standard for existing buildings. Randy Spitzmesser, one of the firm's principals, took us on a tour recently during an open house celebration.

"We were able to drastically reduce water consumption, improve energy efficiency and create a more comfortable environment for our employees," he explained.

There are more than 25 additional LEED projects that are registered or under way in Nevada, with approximately eight of them in the northern part of the state. These are primarily commercial, governmental or educational facilities. This list includes some major projects on the Strip.

There is also good news in the residential sector. The Southern Nevada Green Building Partnership recently announced a program for local builders that wish to construct more environmentally sensitive homes. The program is a joint effort of the Southern Nevada Home Builders Association and the Green Building Initiative of Portland, Ore. The program addresses efficiency in the areas of material resources, energy and water, as well as enhanced indoor environmental quality. The city of Las Vegas has endorsed the program.

In addition, the U.S. Green Building Council recently held an all-day seminar for builders and developers on their new residential rating system, LEED for Homes. The program is currently in the pilot phase and will roll out officially next year. There were several major (and many smaller) developers at the seminar that expressed interest in participating in the program.

Builders and developers in our community now have several choices when it comes to green building programs. It is a win-win for everyone since it is well documented that green building is good for the environment and the bottom line.

A great example of green building education is the recent lecture series at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, School of Architecture entitled "The 2030 Challenge: Environmental Design in the Face of Climate Change," that featured presentations from four well-known authorities on green building and passive solar design -- Edward Mazria, Pliny Fisk III, John Reynolds and Dr. Susan Roaf.

The overall message was that we are dangerously close to crossing a climatic threshold that could have severe and long-lasting implications for society. Each presenter offered tangible solutions to the problem and in every case, many of those solutions were in the form of green building practices.

Yes, the pace is quickening, but there is much to do. What is really needed is a sense of urgency. A little green building won't do much. A lot of it will improve our world permanently. Let's get to it.

Steve Rypka is a green living consultant and president of GreenDream Enterprises, specializing in renewable energy, green building, alternative transportation and lifestyle choices for both residential and commercial clients. The company is committed to helping people live lighter on the planet. Steve can be reached via email at steve@greendream.biz or at www.greendream.biz.