Network/ Coalition/ Collective: Environmental and Sustainable Construction Association EASCA
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EASCA, the Environmental and Sustainable Construction Association, has been founded by Duncan Stewart [RTE1’s About the House], Professor Tom Woolley [Queens’ University Belfast], Paul Leech [Leech-Gaia Ecotecture], and Construct Ireland’s editor Jeff Colley, to promote the viability of sustainable construction in Ireland.
In order to achieve this, EASCA’s primary role will be to act as a service provider, designed to respond to the growing demand for information on the services, materials and technologies, geared towards high levels of energy efficiency, occupant health and comfort, and environmental performance.
Responding to the Demand
Although more and more services, materials and technologies with positive health, energy and environment implications are emerging on the Irish market, until now this information has lacked a dedicated forum, which has significantly impeded the shift towards more sustainable construction. Professionals within the industry are having trouble sourcing materials, technologies and services, and the general public are understandably less informed. The need for a resource dedicated to companies equipped to deliver sustainable construction has become evident, and is a key motivation behind the formation of EASCA.
The need for a dedicated sustainable construction resource is compounded by the degree in which standards vary in current construction output. Allied to this is the fact that many companies are marketing their products or services as green, healthy, or energy efficient without justification. Although EASCA cannot offer guarantees of quality, its membership will consist of companies EASCA believes to offer useful products and services in helping to deliver more sustainable construction. EASCA will direct people towards existing Irish and European certification, where relevant, which EASCA members may carry.
In order to achieve this, EASCA’s primary role will be to act as a service provider, designed to respond to the growing demand for information on the services, materials and technologies, geared towards high levels of energy efficiency, occupant health and comfort, and environmental performance.
Responding to the Demand
Although more and more services, materials and technologies with positive health, energy and environment implications are emerging on the Irish market, until now this information has lacked a dedicated forum, which has significantly impeded the shift towards more sustainable construction. Professionals within the industry are having trouble sourcing materials, technologies and services, and the general public are understandably less informed. The need for a resource dedicated to companies equipped to deliver sustainable construction has become evident, and is a key motivation behind the formation of EASCA.
The need for a dedicated sustainable construction resource is compounded by the degree in which standards vary in current construction output. Allied to this is the fact that many companies are marketing their products or services as green, healthy, or energy efficient without justification. Although EASCA cannot offer guarantees of quality, its membership will consist of companies EASCA believes to offer useful products and services in helping to deliver more sustainable construction. EASCA will direct people towards existing Irish and European certification, where relevant, which EASCA members may carry.
Green, Smart and Sustainable Stakeholder Education and Training is the natural outgrowth of three years of research, community organizing, network building, and over one hundred small group meetings, focus sessions, confe rences, workshops, and seminars produced by dozens of stakeholders in the BOOST network. Our activities have been featured in newspapers, magazines, program books, radio, and on the internet and the expectations and demand for producing more focused, leading-edge, and geographically broader programming have lead us to this point.
Our 2007-08 activities have include:
¨ Community outreach programming that brought in over 1,000 curiosity and residency seekers to the newly renovated historic, sustainable design Broad Street Bank mixed-use multifamily apartment complex in New Jersey’s capital, Trenton (NJ)
¨ Community Building Forum #3 (January 20, 2007)with over 100 in attendance and media coverage) featuring seven presenters of nearly three dozen programs for local residents to take advantage of regarding job, career, housing, education, cultural, and business options and opportunities in the Trenton region;
¨ Workshop by Bob Blakeman for P. S. & S. Keyspan on “Current Best Practices in Green Building;
¨ Workshop by John Cusack for NJHEPS on “Leadership by Example: Creating Sustainable College Campuses”;
¨ (2) workshops by Mel Leipzig for Mercer County Community College on the “Role of Arts and Artists in Revitalizing Older American Urban Centers;
¨ Workshop by Terri Jover for New Jersey Future on “How Citizens can Measure Smart Growth Using NJF’s Municipal Smart Growth Scorecard”;
¨ (3) workshops by Greg Jones for USA Closers on “Smart Credit Building: How to Development Personal, Business, and Community Credit”;
¨ (2) workshops by Angelica Redpath-Perez for Green Design Now on “How Everyday Citizens can ‘Green-up’ their Home and Offices”;
¨ (2) workshops by Robert Estock for MCCC on “Continuing Education and Training Options and Opportunities at Community Colleges”;
¨ (4) public talks/Q & A by Richard Libbey for Bayville H o ldings LLC – the developer of the newly renovated historic green Broad Street Bank Building – on “Real-Time Experiences on Adaptive Reuse Green Building: Hidden Assets and Challenges” – several n ewspaper articles generated and presentation for NJHEPS (2007) created;
¨ (2) focus sessions with Princeton Area Community Foundation on behalf of Atlantic Philanthropies “Community Experience Partnership: Engaging Older Americans for Civic Good” at two Trenton sites;
¨ (5) workshops by Tim Razzaq for BOOST on “Three Major Challenges to Community Benefits: Leadership Matters” in Asbury Park (NJ) and several Trenton-Mercer locations;
¨ (6) workshops, “Invitation to Civics Education” in association with The Civic Formation Inc.; and
¨ (12) forums featuring (MCCC) Professor Alvyn Haywood’s Documentary Viewings & Community Discussion Series timely and relevant issues of import at Classics Used and Rare Books.
This year, we are building on these relatio n sh ips and forum-production activities by expanding both our network of partners and geographic reach. Sundance TV Channel, Rutgers University’s Leading Institute, GreenWorks Studio, New Jersey and C ompany Magazine, and five New Jersey Community Colleges are a few of our new associates as we move from our Trenton-Mercer base into five major regions throughout the Garden State.
We are committed to bring residents of the Tri-State area and our potential sponsors and opportunity to grow their personal, organizational, and business capacities to engage effectively in the new and emerging eco-economy and related industries and are inviting you to be a part of our efforts.
Interested sponsors should contact Tim Razzaq @ timrazzaq@comcast.net to recieved a sponsorship inquiry letter.