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I’d like to invite building practitioners to share thoughts on current building practice and sustainable building practice on this blog.

I would like to begin this blog by making the argument that sustainable building practice requires its practitioners to adopt a collaborative business model and that collaboration is a core tenant of sustainable building practice.

Contrary to some practitioners’ claims, my experience consulting and teaching sustainable building practice is that few if any of us are real masters of this rapidly moving science and craft. Technologies and accepted practice are changing rapidly and require a wide array of knowledge including site stewardship, building systems for energy efficiency, systems, controls and equipment for building comfort and occupant well-being, and meeting new and changing performance code requirements, among others. Collaboration is an open approach to working with our colleagues in this industry to share knowledge on means and methods for sustainable best practice. The free sharing of knowledge among practitioners provides the stable of information resources necessary to operate our businesses successfully in a rapidly moving new sustainability-driven economy. Our New York Upstate Chapter of the US Green Building Council holds monthly meetings at various locations in New York and provides a venue for practitioners, developers, code officials, and anyone interested in sustainability and sustainable building practice to meet and make contacts to help develop your collaborative practice. Anyone can sign up for notices of monthly Chapter meetings at the following web address: http://visitor.constantcontact.com/manage/optin/ea?v=00147Jgk4c64VNNviOLYdDWTQ==