USGBC and Island Press launch GreenWorks: A Book Club for Professionals in the Green Building Industry

Published on Oct 4, 2008 - 7:37:12 AM

By: Island Press

(Washington, DC, October 2, 2008) - Two leading nonprofit organizations - the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) and Island Press, have teamed up to launch GreenWorks, a book club that will offer the newest and best books on green building at discounted prices. GreenWorks, created expressly for USGBC members, will offer a selection of featured reads each month, while also connecting readers to a vast selection of the latest green building industry books and noteworthy authors.

"This book club is about starting a conversation," said Peter Templeton, Senior Vice President, U.S. Green Building Council. "USGBC members are full of ideas and solutions. The book club will offer professionals a place to connect with others in the field, share their thoughts on various books, ideas and authors, as well as learn more about all things green building."

"Island Press has been publishing resources on the built environment for almost 25 years. By working with USGBC, one of the primary sources for planners, architects, and other professionals, we will be able to offer a wide range of ideas and solutions to those looking for expertise on these critical issues," said Charles S. Savitt, president and publisher of Island Press.

Books are selected on a monthly basis by a panel of leading experts in the field, and are available for purchase from Island Press (www.islandpress.org/usgbc). USGBC members will be able to buy at discounted prices, including an opportunity for bulk purchase discounts. From the array of books potentially of interest to USGBC members, those featured each month are evaluated by industry professionals and selected for their contribution of ideas and analysis of green building issues. GreenWorks members are encouraged to contact Island Press via their web site (www.islandpress.org) to suggest potential titles, authors and topics.

The first four books to be featured are:

1. Emerald Architecture, by GreenSource Magazine, a collection of 24 in-depth case studies of green buildings that are both sustainable and attractive;

2. The Green Building Revolution, by Jerry Yudelson, a chronicle and manifesto of green building, showing why and how readers need to start thinking about designing, building and operating LEED-certified buildings on conventional budgets;

3. Sustainable Construction, 2nd edition, by Charles J. Kibert, which guides construction and design professionals through the process of developing commercial and institutional high-performance green buildings in today's marketplace; and

4. The Necessary Revolution: How Individuals and Organizations are Working Together to Created a Sustainable World, by Peter M. Senge with Bryan Smith, Nina Kruschwitz, Joe Laur and Sara Schley. Senge and his co-authors reveal how companies are boldly leading the change from "business as usual" tactics to transformative strategies that are critical for creating a flourishing, sustainable world.

The U.S. Green Building Council is a nonprofit membership organization whose vision is a sustainable built environment within a generation. Its membership includes corporations, builders, universities, government agencies, and other nonprofit organizations. Since USGBC's founding in 1993, the Council has grown to more than 16,700 member companies and organizations, a comprehensive family of LEED green building certification systems, an expansive educational offering, the industry's popular Greenbuild International Conference and Expo (www.greenbuildexpo.org), and a network of 78 local chapters, affiliates, and organizing groups. For more information, visit www.usgbc.org.

Founded in 1984, Island Press works to stimulate, shape, and communicate the information that is essential for solving environmental problems. Today, with more than 800 titles and some 40 new releases each year, is the nation's leading publisher of books on environmental issues. But Island Press does more than publish books. It advances environmental science by nurturing the exchange of ideas across disciplines and sectors, and by helping to create a multidisciplinary literature on environmental problems and solutions. The knowledge created is spread far beyond the range of a limited marketplace through sophisticated communications initiatives that reach journalists, academics, policymakers, practitioners and the general public. Through these efforts, Island Press is driving change by moving ideas from the printed page to public discourse and practice. Island Press's emphasis is, and will continue to be, on transforming objective information into understanding and action.

For more information and further updates be sure to check out our blogs and podcasts at www.islandpress.org.

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