A highlight of this year's USGBC Day celebration at Greenbuild 2005 was a series of industry-specific forums at which members could network, share best practices, identify opportunities and obstacles, and strategize about solutions. The forums were a prelude to a brand-new initiative USGBC is proposing to support its members: the creation of "Member Circles." Member Circles are envisioned as flexible, responsive communities that can come together from within the larger USGBC membership and give members with similar interests a connection to their colleagues and access to industry-specific tools and resources. At the forums, members will have the opportunity to weigh in on the value of these communities and provide feedback on their development, structure, and activities.  

Although this initiative is still in the planning phases, USGBC members are already looking forward to taking part. Jana McKenzie, principal with EDAW Inc. explains, "The Site Design Professionals circle is an exciting opportunity for landscape architects. We'll be able to learn from and collaborate with our colleagues throughout the industry, and more fully leverage our knowledge in pursuit of our goals."  

No matter their final form, these new circles offer tremendous potential benefits, both tangible and intangible. The USGBC Web site could provide a forum for members to share best practices and exchange ideas and information, and help each other in pursuit of their environmental goals. Each circle could also have its own Web page, chock full of valuable industry information and resources. Just as importantly, Member Circles could help create a "community within a community," keeping members connected to the grass roots spirit that inspires the green building movement.  

In addition to connecting members with one another, Member Circles could be valuable in fostering links and communications with the Council, and could also increase opportunities for collaboration with other organizations outside the Council. USGBC Day industry forums are planned for Contractors and Builders; Educators; Government Professionals; Product Manufacturers; Archi­tects; Engineers; Site Designers and Planners; Beal Estate Professionals; and Interior Design­rs. The idea of Member Circles will be discussed during each forum, and members can also provide input on the circles via the USGBC Day evaluation form that will be distributed at the conclusion of each forum.  

Member Circles are just one of the ways USGBC is celebrating and encouraging the diversity of its membership. USGBC was founded as a forum in which to find common ground and chart a path towards market transformation. As the green building movement has grown, so too has the USGBC community - from a few hundred members in 2000 to nearly 6,000 in 2005. USGBC's membership has increased in both breadth and depth; recent years have seen a growing interest in, and desire to be knowledgeable about, green building from financial institutions, real estate firms, contractors and builders, and facility managers, to name just a few. "What I like about being a part of the Council," says Holley Henderson, principal with H2 Ecodesign, "is that the sum is so much greater than the parts. The USGBC community is made up of so many voices; by embracing each of those voices we form a chorus that is persuading the rest of the world about the value of green building."  

Enshrined in USGBC's core values is a commitment to "understanding and addressing the shared and unique need of all members of our community." While an important part of USGBC's mission is uniting all sectors of the building industry in pursuit of a common vision, USGBC also listens and responds to the full chorus of the membership. The people who live and work in the green building industry range from the famous architect who has designed a dozen LEED buildings, to the school principal who wants her students to learn in a healthy environment, to the developer who's just begun to learn about green, to the hospital administrator who wants to improve his patients' quality of care. Each of these individuals has different needs and concerns, but each of them— and countless others — has a home in the U.S. Green Building Council.

Nine member circles met at this year's Greenbuild. Click on the links below to see the notes gathered at each session:

• Architects

• Contractors

• Engineers

• Educators

• Manufacturers 

• Real Estate

• Interior Designers

• Site Designers

• Government

This is the eighth in a series of articles detailing the latest news and information that was released at Greenbuild 2005. All comments are the sole responsibility of the author. 

This article was originally posted 12/27/05.