Earlier this summer, Brian Maw passed the Green Building Certification Institute’s (GBCI) LEED Green Associate (GA) test, and became one of the first LEED GA’s in the country. We’re proud to announce that Brian has also passed the GBCI’s LEED AP Homes test and is again one of the few people in the country to have that professional credential to his name. As an integral part of the Westbank Construction team, Brian provides the company and its clients with significant sustainable building means and methods on each project.
We also appreciate Kevin Owyang’s post on Teton Valley Jobs about Brian’s accomplishment!
What do we love about our toilet? First off, it’s safe to say that as a group, we’re pretty “geeky” about products that conserve. And that’s exactly what our Proflo 1GPF High Efficiency with Pressure Assist toilet does. Since it’s installed in an office, this model is ADA compliant, but we’ll be installing the residential version in our upcoming projects. As great as the dual-flush toilets are, we’ve noticed that people often don’t “get it” and hit both buttons, which ends up not being as conservative.
Many thanks to Sheldon Beeton at Ferguson, and Seth Driggs of Driggs Plumbing for getting our Proflo here and functioning. So far everyone that has used it has come out and said “that’s a cool toilet”. No kidding.
We have the unique opportunity as a company to remodel an older home in East Jackson, which over the years has become a hotspot for remodels in the area. What’s unique about our project is that it’s “our project”, meaning we’re in the drivers seat and calling the shots. And the first shot we’ve called is that this project will be what is called a REGREEN.
We’re also taking advantage of this opportunity by putting into practice the means and methods that we’re using on new construction, as well as implementing the proven technology and products that make a positive difference in the health of the occupants. Although we would love to dive in and make this a priority project, we have several other project in place that are higher up the food chain.
The front of the house faces north and has quite a bit of established vegetation. There is a large tree that we’ve promised the previous owner will stay. We’ve talked about changing the entry door to the west side of the small shed shown in the photo, to make the entry a little more private than on the east side facing the neighbors house. We’ll probably relocate the section of fence shown in the photo the east property boundary, and create a small off street parking area in its place.
The interior of the house is where we will really concentrate the regreening efforts. It’s estimated that the original house was built in the 1950’s and then added onto sometime in the 1970’s, with a few other occasional small remodels since then.
Stay tuned, we’ll keep posting updates as we navigate through the Simpson REGREEN Project!
In April 2009 at a meeting of the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions, US Senator Mike Enzi made an interesting statement about green jobs: ”…we are talking about the importance of having a skilled workforce and making sure that we have the education and training programs necessary to meet the skill demands of all 21st century jobs, including green jobs…We need to consider whether we are creating a demand for green jobs or if we are responding to a true market demand for more workers to fill green jobs.” [entire statement]
Our feeling is that there is a true market demand in the construction industry to bring educated and experienced workers into the green building industry. The majority of projects we are involved with or are actively pursuing have expressed desire to incorporate sustainability, which requires both management and the trades to have a knowledge and experience in executing the work. As a result, we spend significant time continually educating ourselves and our subcontractors/supplier in the requirements of the project, and the “measuring tool” [LEED, Energy Star, NAHB] that is being used.
Last year a friend of mine introduced me to the works of author Seth Godin, who has written several books and given a number of presentations about what he calls “permission marketing”. One of my favorite TED talks by Godin is about “The Tribes We Lead”. Although the message can be applied in many ways, it seems to hit home with our goal at Westbank Construction to bring sustainability in construction to the forefront in our community.
A few weeks ago we saw an article in the local paper congratulating Don Alsted for being awarded the National Association of REALTORS Green Designation. We contacted Don and went to lunch to talk about green building and green real estate in the Jackson area. It didn’t take long for us to form a relationship with Don which we look forward to forging as we both pursue sustainability from different angles within a similar industry.
Don has recently started a blog where he will be sharing his experience and research in “green real estate” in Jackson. We highly recommend following Don and his posts: www.jacksonholegreenrealestate.com
Over the past few years we’ve watched many areas in the US become leaders in the green building industries, especially the Northwest. It’s our goal to keep an eye on what is happening in these areas so that we can keep up with the latest information and technologies, what sustainable practices make a successful project, and bring it to our own geographic area.
In an effort to help increase the “voice” in our own communities, several of us at Westbank Construction have joined the USGBC Wyoming Chapter and are taking active roles in various committees within the group. We are excited at the opportunity to participate and are looking forward to being a part of what will become a great resource for green building!
The following article provides additional information on our Chapter:
By TOM MAST
Star-Tribune staff writer
Sunday, December 28, 2008 2:05 AM MST
A group of Wyoming designers, builders and others have created a source for sustainable design and “green” building information.
One objective of the new Wyoming Chapter of the U.S. Green Building Council is to dispel misconceptions about sustainable building practices, says John Griffith, the chapter’s vice president, who works for Groathouse Construction in Casper. [rest of article here]
As we continue our effort to promote LEED for Homes in Wyoming, we invited a group of local subcontractors to our new presentation room at Westbank’s office and gave an introduction to USGBC and LEED. When talking with various trades we noticed that each person has a different understanding of what “green building” means and how it is incorporated into residential and commercial projects. Our goal is to provide continuning education to our team of subcontractors and supplier so we can maintain a competitive edge in sustainable construction practices. We appreciate everyone that took time in their day to join us. We’re looking forward to more sessions like this one!
We’re excited to announce that as of this week Westbank Construction has submitted for building permit on what could be Wyoming’s first LEED Platinum Home. This private residential project will arrive in East Jackson on the heels of Westbank’s successful completion of the first 15 LEED Gold Homes in Wyoming, which was developed in partnership with the Jackson Hole Community Housing Trust. Stay tuned for more information on this groundbreaking project!
Congrats to Brian Maw for passing the LEED Green Associate Test last week! His next adventure will be tackling the AP Homes test. Based on his experience to date working with the LEED for Homes criteria, we’re pretty sure this post will be outdated sooner than later.
What do we love about our toilet? First off, it’s safe to say that as a group, we’re pretty “geeky” about products that conserve. And that’s exactly what our 
The front of the house faces north and has quite a bit of established vegetation. There is a large tree that we’ve promised the previous owner will stay. We’ve talked about changing the entry door to the west side of the small shed shown in the photo, to make the entry a little more private than on the east side facing the neighbors house. We’ll probably relocate the section of fence shown in the photo the east property boundary, and create a small off street parking area in its place.
A few weeks ago we saw an article in the local paper 
