USGBC Honors Green Building Leaders

By Erin WeaverThe U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) has announced the nine recipients of its 2012 Leadership Awards, to be presented during the 2012 Greenbuild conference in San Francisco. The awards recognize “individuals who embody the vision, leadership and commitment to the evolution of green buildings and communities,” and this year’s announcement includes several shared awards.

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Tom Darden, executive director of the Make It Right Foundation, received the NGO Sector award for the nonprofit’s work providing LEED Platinum homes to the Lower Ninth Ward of New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina.

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Tom Lent and Bill Walsh, policy director and founder, respectively, of the Healthy Building Network, received the Advocacy award for their work in encouraging healthier replacements for materials, including PVC and wood treated with chromated copper arsenate.

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Steve Saunders, CEO of Texas Energy Solutions, received the Residential Sector award for advancing LEED for Homes.

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Nancy Cantor, Chancellor and President of Syracuse University;

Joanie Mahoney, Onondaga County Executive; and

Stephanie A. Miner, Mayor of Syracuse, received the Global Community Leadership Award for collaborative efforts across central New York, including Syracuse University’s goal of carbon neutrality by 2040.

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M. Arthur Gensler Jr., founder of Gensler, and

Donald Simon, attorney with Wendel, Rosen, Black & Dean, LLP, received the President’s Award; Gensler has been a green pioneer in the design industry, and Simon has led environmental law initiatives in California.