Landis Construction Corporation has a long history of being a leader in the community as well as in the design/build industry beyond its reputation for creating high quality designs and finished home spaces. Recently, Landis has been expanding on this commitment by playing a growing role in the development of the local green building movement.

We will continue to add news and photos as new events or developments happen.

LANDIS HAS RECEIVED A LEED PLATINUM DESIGNATION FOR A WHOLE HOUSE RENOVATION AND ADDITION PROJECT COMPLETED IN GEORGETOWN BY U.S. GREEN BUILDING COUNCIL.


ETHAN LANDIS BECOMES A DC MAYORAL ADVISOR ON GREEN BUILDING

Ethan Landis was sworn in as one of 13 members of the Mayor's newly established Green Building Advisory Council (GBAC). He will serve a two year term that began as of the June 6th, 2007 swearing-in ceremony. The Council's general mandate is to monitor the District's compliance with the requirements of the Green Building Act of 2006, and to make policy recommendations designed to continually improve and update the Act.

GREEN BUILDING ADVISORY COUNCIL MEMBERS

DC Government:
Corey Buffo (DDOE)
Lars Etzkorn, (OPM)
Linda Argo, (DCRA)
George Hawkins, (DDOE)
Zach Dobelbower, (OP)

Private Sector:
Sean Cahill, Louis Dreyfus
Ethan Landis, Landis Construction Corporation
Chris Van Arsdale, VNV Development
Victor Vandell, Burn Blocker

NGO:
Cliff Majersik, Institute for Market Transformation
Patty Rose, GreenHOME
Peter Schwartz, Cleanwater Action
Irv Sheffey, Sierra Club

LANGUAGE RELATING TO THE COUNCIL FROM THE GREEN BUILDING ACT 2006:

Sec. 2. Establishment of the Green Building Advisory Council.
(a) The Department of the Environment shall provide the central coordination and technical assistance to District agencies and instrumentalities in the implementation of the provisions of this act.
(b) Within 90 days of the effective date of this act, the Mayor shall establish a Green Building Advisory Council ("GBAC") with a general mandate of monitoring the District's compliance with the requirements of this act, and of making policy recommendations designed to continually improve and update the Act.
(1) The GBAC shall consist of the following 13 members:
(A) The Director of the Department of the Environment or the Director's designee;
(B) The Director of the Office of Planning or the Director's designee;
(C) The Director of the Office of Property Management or the Director's designee;
(D) The Director of the Department of Consumer and Regulatory Affairs or the Director's designee;
(E) The Director of the Department of Housing and Community Development, or the Director's designee;
(F) Six members appointed by the Mayor comprised in equal number of representatives from the private and nonprofit sectors;
(G) One member appointed by the Chairperson of the DC Council Committee that oversees the building permit function in the District of Columbia; and
(H) One member appointed by the Chairperson of the DC Council Committee that oversees the DC Department of the Environment.

(2) Members of the GBAC who are not ex officio members shall have expertise in building construction, development, engineering, natural resources
conservation, energy conservation, green building practices, environmental protection, environmental law, or other similar green building expertise.
(3) The Chairperson of the GBAC shall be the Director of the Department of the Environment.
(4) All members of the GBAC shall either work in, or be residents of the District, and shall serve without compensation.
(5) The members shall serve a 2-year term.
(6) A member appointed to fill a vacancy or after a term has begun, shall serve only for the remainder of the term, and until a successor is appointed.
(7) The GBAC shall advise the Mayor on:
(A) The development, adoption, and revisions of the District's green building legislation, including suggestions for additional incentives to promote green building practices;
(B) The evaluation of the effectiveness of the District's green building policies and their impact on the District's environmental health, including the development of the District's green building policies to the specific environmental challenges facing the District;
(C) Which green building practices should be included in the triennial revisions of the Construction Code; and (D) The promotion of green building education, including educating relevant District employees, the building community, and the public regarding the benefits and techniques of high-performance building standards.
(8) The GBAC shall meet at least 6 times each year.
(9) GBAC shall issue an annual report of its recommendations. The report shall include recommended updates of green building standards, building systems monitoring and data compiled from government owned or government instrumentality owned and operated buildings, and an analysis of the building projects exempted by the Mayor under section 11 of this act. The report shall be distributed to all members of the DC Council and the Mayor and made available to the general public within 30 days after its issuance.

RUSS BECOMES MEMBER OF ECO-PARTNERS

ECO-PARTNERS:

Who we are:
Eco-Partners is a network of DC-area independent businesses specializing in eco-friendly residential and commercial:
* Design
* Construction
* Renovation
* Interiors
* Landscaping
* Maintenance
* Related Businesses
We offer our clients the best in environmentally-sustainable products and services within a network of skilled and talented Eco-Partners. Our vision:
The DC Metro area is a leader in creating & maintaining sustainable 'green' environments. Eco-Partners businesses are recognized as delivering the very best in products, services and value in the above listed areas.

Our goals:
* Establishing an informed business-to-business referral network
* Providing clients access to a full range of eco-friendly products & services via a comprehensive network of trusted Eco-Partners.
* Increasing residential and commercial client bases through Eco-Partner referrals.
* Developing a sense of community among many independent businesspersons in complimentary fields.

NW DC GREEN FAIR A GREAT SUCCESS

Landis Construction was a major player in the organizing and hosting of a Green Fair based on a new model that is attracting attention from many directions. The Green Fair was held on May 19th, 2007 and was organized by four people from two different but adjoining NW neighborhood associations. One of the four was Ethan Landis and another was Landis' Green Guy, Russ Clark.
There were two key concepts behind the fair:
1. Equip homeowners with actionable opportunities that would directly and positively impact the environment.
2. Present these messages and opportunities directly to people that would otherwise not find themselves at such an event.
Most green fairs depend on people proactively making the effort to go to an event held in some central but non-residential area. The result is that most fairs end up preaching to the choir. This fair's organizers thought that holding the fair inside a neighborhood and right where people live would help to reach an audience beyond the usual choir. Holding it in conjunction with a neighborhood picnic didn't hurt attendance either. So regardless of what motivated people to show up to the area that day, they were all exposed to a host of businesses offering green solutions.

Companies and government organizations with tables at the event included:
* A green house cleaning company
* A green realtor
* A car sharing company
* A green investment company
* A green building supply company
* A salvaged and surplus building material resale company
* A solar system installation company
* An insulation company
* An energy efficiency HVAC company
* A green remodeling company
* A green lighting company
* Toyota dropped off 3 hybrid vehicles
* A green business support NGO
* The DC government's Energy Auditing Program

A $3,000 grant was applied for and received from a local advisory neighborhood commission to further the mission of the fair..With this money, 440 CFL light bulbs, 70 LED nightlights and 70 water-saving devices for kitchen or laundry room faucets were purchased and given away. Reusable grocery bags donated by Trader Joes were also given away. The DC Mayor stopped by for close to one hour and shared a some words of support for doing more of these kinds of events to raise awareness and to act on opportunities to improve the environmental quality of the region and the planet in general.