King County offers new 'GreenTools' to help cities design and complete sustainable building projects

King County is spreading the word about the latest advances in environmentally sustainable building practices through a series of workshops for construction professionals.

Builders looking for assistance in executing Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) and Built Green Projects can get the answers they need through this workshop series, which begins Feb. 20 with a presentation on green-building project permitting, and continues with workshops on related topics in the months to follow.

Green building practices use key resources such as water, land and construction materials much more efficiently than buildings that are built to code, and they are more comfortable for occupants than traditional structures.

By encouraging more sustainable building and development King County and its cities will help address our environmental concerns while getting us on the path to smart growth.

The workshops are presented by King County in partnership with the Association of General Contractors (AGC) Education Foundation. All workshops will be in the AGC conference center of the AGC Building, 1200 Westlake Ave. N. in Seattle.

Wednesday, Feb. 20, 8-10 a.m.
Permitting Green Projects
The workshop will be facilitated by Cynthia Moffitt, King County GreenTools team member and a King County Department of Design and Environmental Service employee.

Specific topics will include discussion of the permit process and new examples of projects and permitted at the agencies using Built Green, LEED, low impact development density bonuses and incentives.

Guest speakers include David Barnes, a planner for the City of Kirkland, and Brad Liljequist, AICP, LEED project manager for the City of Issaquah's Zero Energy Project.

Wednesday, March 5, 8-10 a.m.
Low Impact Development
This workshop will focus on the fundamentals of low impact development site design and provide examples of best management practices. The workshop will be presented by Steve Foley, senior engineer with the King County Water and Land Resources Division's Stormwater section.

Additional workshops are scheduled for later in March and in May that will cover topics such as trends in the green-building market, green materials and deconstruction and salvage.

Workshops are open to all construction professionals at $50 per session. Pre-registration is required. For more information, contact Erica Peterson, at 206-812-0806, or visit the AGC Web site at http://www.agcwa.com/public/education/calendar.asp