How the USGBC and RealLifeLEED are alike...

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I need to get off my shplunkis and answer some damn emails!

So the USGBC and I are alike in that we are victims of our own success. For the USGBC it's resulted in frustrating LEED-Online experiences and project review backlogs. For me the result is that I have a backlog of about 75-100 emails from faithful readers that I haven't responded to! Scaling sure is a bitch.

While the USGBC is outsourcing and renovating it's way to a solution, Real Life LEED unfortunately is not expanding until some time next year. I do plan on hiring correspondents (look for LEED-Homes, LEED-EB, and international LEED AP writers coming in 2009), it's not going to happen before Christmas, or maybe even the first quarter. I sincerely apologize for my slackness! Hopefully this puppy-dog face will accurately convey my feelings and in the process win you all back over:

LEED Risk Management - Meet Real Life LEED in Real Life!

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How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Shamelessly Self-Promote Corporate Seminars

Yes... Your humble author has agreed to (read: was conned into) speaking about various risk management strategies related to LEED and sustainable projects in general. I'll be handling about an hour and a half of a full day seminar, aided by some super knowledgeable (and in at least one instance hilarious) attorneys and an engineer. It will be January 7th in North Charleston, SC, just down the street from my house actually (no VIP tours are currently planned, but if the price is right...)

While it won't be a laugh riot, I've done my best to incorporate humor into the mundane world that is green risk mitigation... This is a real ad from somewhere (I'm guessing not a BAR journal) that didn't even make the cut:

The Setup

...wait for it...

The Punchline

Classic... Take that defenders of our children's rights! A lawyer friend of mine pointed out that you could tell this guy is an actor and not a real attorney by the fact that his suspenders are clip-ons and not buttoned... total busch league.

Further Reading

But seriously folks, there are some good lawyers out there. Half of them are going to be at this seminar, and the other half are fellow bloggers... Best known for greenbuildingsNYC.com, Stephen Del Percio, Esq. decided to start a spinoff blog focusing solely on the legal side of green real estate called Green Real Estate Law Journal. Of course I can't forget Chris Cheatham over at Green Building Law Update either, both are worth checking out!

Renewable Energy Credits - Get 'Em Cheap Now!

Real Life LEED just got an interesting email from Renewable Choice Energy about how right now (or at least a few days ago), prices for renewable energy credits (RECs) that are required to earn EAc6, Green Power are at a two year low.

Off Topic? Yes, but you try finding a funny picture for RECs!

The kicker is that, of course, they don't expect these prices to stay low. From the email:

Looking into 2009, there is a high likelihood of the incoming Obama administration pushing through pro-green power legislation. This will likely be in the form of a national “RPS” (mandate that all utilities must have a certain percentage of renewable energy or pay penalties). This is great news for the industry and great news for our planet! That said, this increased regulatory demand for green power will likely result in higher prices for the voluntary green power market. While it is impossible to predict the future, it seems increasingly likely that in early 2009 we will see significantly higher green power prices than we have today.

So though prices may not rise soon, it's pretty clear that the costs are good right now. See this post for more information about estimating the price of RECs. Have you seen prices drop recently? Please share by leaving a comment!