The Green Builder® Coalition is working to improve the sustainable attributes of new and existing buildings through education, information and advocacy.
About
Green Builder® Coalition is a non-profit organization dedicated to achieving balance and harmony between the built and natural environments. The Coalition has been created as a new platform to provide a common voice for those devoted to sustainable living. Committed to honesty, transparency and equality, the grassroots organization offers a single class of individual membership and is open to everyone.
Formed in July 2010 by Ron Jones and Mike Collignon, Green Builder® Coalition is a 501(c)(6) organization.
Board members include Ingrid Mattsson* of Uponor, Scott Palmer* of Salt River Materials Group, Richard Morgan* of Austin Energy Green Building and Tom Miller of Miller Brooks.
*Founding Board member
Why We Created The Green Builder® Coalition
The Need. America’s built environment has a profound impact on the natural environment, economy, health, productivity and even national security. Homes and commercial buildings use over 40% of our nation’s energy and over 70% of its electricity (making them the nation’s largest consuming sector of both). Buildings also account for nearly 40% of man-made greenhouse gas emissions and comprise 40% of raw materials use, 30% of waste output, and 14% of potable water consumption.
The Time is Now. In recent years, there has been an explosion of interest – from many perspectives and at many levels – in making dramatic improvements to building energy efficiency and reducing carbon footprints. Whether spurred by innovative programs (such as US Department of Energy’s Builder Challenge), a desire to get “out front” to create new market opportunities, a recognition that the time has come for more efficient buildings, or simply wanting to leave a more sustainable world for their grandchildren, many in the homebuilding community have responded in kind, building new homes that are 30%, 40% or 50% beyond minimum energy codes. A rapidly growing number have even constructed net-zero energy homes, which generate as much or even more energy than they consume.
Everyone Benefits. Green building — the practice of creating structures and using processes that are environmentally responsible and resource-efficient throughout a building’s lifecycle – has multiple direct environmental and economic benefits to consumers and to society as a whole.
But I’m Not a Builder. Our membership isn’t confined solely to builders, but to building professionals in architecture, design, materials manufacturing, remodeling, energy rating, academia, engineering and even government.
Don’t Think Your Voice Is Being Heard? Do you feel disenfranchised and unable to effect change in your large construction trade association? Or are you someone who has dropped your membership or won’t join because you don’t see the value of belonging to a group that won’t listen to you? The time when people join trade groups simply out of a sense of obligation to their industry has passed. Today’s entrepreneurs join organizations that reflect their personal views and core values, recognize today’s challenges, and give them the resources and tools that improve their knowledge of industry trends and help them succeed.
We’re Here to Help. Many building professionals want to design and build green, but don’t know where to learn, how to get started, how to develop a personalized road map to enter the green marketplace at their own pace and level of expertise, and how to reach out to experienced advisors and mentors who are willing to help.
You Need Us . . . The Green Builder® Coalition will give you value you can measure, with benefits such as:
• Technical assistance
• The chance to lend your voice to both green builders and other building professionals
• A direct connection to premier personal educational curriculum (one that’s linked to nearly 150 college and university certification programs)
. . . But We Need You! Your participation will make us even more relevant. What’s ahead of us is perhaps our most daunting challenge: Developing the advocacy capabilities that will give “the little guy” a voice in the development of balanced legislation that promotes an efficient, sustainable built environment. We also want to insert that voice into the development and adoption of regulations that implement those laws using advanced building science and quality practices, products and systems.
Board Members
Ron Jones
Chairman & Co-Founder
Internationally renowned pioneer of the green building movement, award winning builder, architectural designer, and the only person ever to serve on the national Board of Directors for both the U. S. Green Building Council and the National Association of Home Builders, Ron Jones, founder of GREEN BUILDER®, Co-Founder and President of Green Builder Media LLC, is a unique individual within the sustainability arena.
Selected as Chairman of the Consensus Committee to develop the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) National Green Building Standard™, his lengthy resume of leadership bridges a wide variety of organizations, associations, industry groups, sustainability advocates and stakeholders, including seven years of service as an original member of the USGBC LEED for Homes committee.
Ron enjoys a distinguished record of industry service and green building advocacy at local, state, national and international levels. A Life Director on the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) Board of Directors, he served five consecutive years on the NAHB Executive Committee from 1998 through 2002, including two years as an NAHB National Vice President.
He has been a clear and persuasive voice for green building, both within the home building industry and across the wider community, throughout his years of volunteer service and elected leadership.
Ingrid is the Senior Manager of Advertising & Brand Management at Uponor (formerly Wirsbo.)
In the 15 years that she has been with the company, Ingrid has devoted her brand, communications and marketing expertise to the advancement of radiant floor heating, PEX Plumbing and Residential Fire Sprinkler systems to both the trade and consumer markets. She is a founding member of the Green Team at Uponor.
Ingrid also serves as Secretary on the Board of Directors of the Radiant Professionals Alliance (RPA) as well as on the Board of the American Swedish Institute in Minneapolis.
Ingrid earned her Master’s in Business Communications from the University of St. Thomas.
Tom Miller is a founding partner and principal of Miller Brooks, an independently owned branding and marketing firm now in its 28th year. During the past 30 years, Tom’s work in building products and green business operations has allowed him to keep a pulse on the sustainability movement, while helping spread the word and speed organizational adaptation of sustainable practices.
He guest lectures on marketing and branding at various universities and organizations; and is a speaker at industry conferences and events, including the American Institute of Architects, the National Association of Home Builders, the Indiana Health Industry Forum and more. Tom works closely on marketing and branding initiatives for companies, such as Whirlpool Corporation, Delta Faucet Company, BASF, Masco Cabinetry, Hearth & Home Technologies, 360 Resources, Kimball Office, Fiberweb, CertainTeed Corporation and others.
Tom holds a Bachelor's degree from the University of Detroit and a Master's Degree from Western Michigan University.
Richard manages Austin Energy Green Building. Green Building includes single family, multifamily and commercial green building programs and the adoption and implementation of the City of Austin Energy Code. Richard is also responsible for Austin Energy’s Manage it Green consulting program, which provides services to other utilities and municipalities seeking to develop or enhance green building and energy efficiency programs.
Prior to joining Austin Energy, Richard spent seven years managing not-for-profit, affordable housing initiatives in Austin, and more than 20 years in the private sector building industry as a licensed general contractor.
He is certified by the National Development Council as a Housing Development Finance Professional and is a Project Management Professional. Richard is currently a member of the Board of Directors of the Green Building Initiative.
A LEED®-AP, Scott is the Market Development Manager at Salt River Materials Group. In a little over 6 years with the company, he has become heavily involved with the sustainable building industry. Scott spearheaded the construction and sponsorship of a concrete frame, net-zero energy Habitat for Humanity project in 2009. The result of this project earned the platinum designation under the LEED for Homes program and was featured at Greenbuild 2009 as part of the Contemporary Desert Living Tour.
Scott is also involved with a residential offshoot of Green Ideas, LLC, a Phoenix-based sustainability consulting firm. He was also integral to the creation of the Smart Homes Alliance, a non-profit that promotes the durability and sustainability of concrete homes and recently developed Solution 50™, a building envelope design, guaranteed to achieve a HERS 50 in the Energy Star Qualified Homes program. Scott currently serves as a member of the Board of Directors and as the Chair of the Buildings Committee for the Portland Cement Association.
Officers
Mike Collignon
Executive Director & Co-Founder
Mike is a former Market Manager of Residential for the Portland Cement Association (PCA). During his nine years at PCA, he served as website administrator for concretehomes.com. He was also the primary liaison to homeowners and contractors who had technical and informational requests. For eight years, he managed the 10,000+ sq. ft. Concrete Pavilion, the cement and concrete industry’s marquis annual presence to the homebuilding community, at the Builders’ Show. Mike was also responsible for a $400k co-op advertising program for regional and local promoters. It was through this program that he created a statewide, post-Katrina radio campaign for a Mississippi association. He has also delivered ten guest lectures between Cal State University at San Luis Obispo, Cal State University at Chico and Middle Tennessee State University.
A graduate of Drake University, Mike was a volunteer member of the Membership committee for the Insulating Concrete Form Association (ICFA) for 5 years, serving the last 3 years as chair.
Patricia Young
Secretary/Treasurer & Finance Director
After receiving her Bachelor of Science in Accounting from Northern Michigan University, Patty began her accounting career with the Alcar Group, Inc., a financial consulting, software and education firm.
She later joined the Portland Cement Association. During her 17.5 years with the Association, she held the title of Accounting Supervisor/Senior Accountant - U.S. & Canadian Operations. In addition to her financial reporting responsibilities, Patty had direct supervision of U.S. A/R and A/P and indirect supervision of Canadian A/R and A/P.
Staff
Laureen Blissard, AIA, ALA, LEED®AP, LEED®AP HOMES, NCARB
Technical Director
Ms. Blissard holds Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in architecture from the University of Illinois and has built a successful 20-year+ practice in the design and construction of buildings and interiors. She is also a licensed architect in Illinois, Wisconsin and Michigan, as well as having received approval for reciprocal licensure designation in every state except California via NCARB certification.
A Founding member and Past Chair of the Illinois Chapter of the U.S. Green Building Council, Laureen currently serves as the chapter’s Governance committee Chair and Residential Green Building Advocate which entails numerous public speaking engagements on behalf of the chapter.
Additionally, Laureen is the principal and owner of LTLB Envirotecture, a small architecture and design firm that primarily focuses on Green Building Program certified projects and existing home retrofits for aging in place clients.
Bill currently serves as the Executive Director of two organizations involved in promoting the benefits of strong, but readily achievable building energy codes: the broad-based Energy Efficient Codes Coalition (EECC) and the Building Energy Efficient Codes Network (BEECN).
With over 28 years in the nation's capital, Bill has organized, managed and led several trade associations and national public policy coalitions. He has a strong background in energy, environmental, transportation, tax and natural resource policy and regulation. His experience on Capitol Hill includes working for both the US Senate and House of Representatives, with Members of Congress who served on the Senate Appropriations, Energy & Natural Resources, Environment & Public Works, and Finance Committees and the House Transportation & Infrastructure, Resources and Agriculture Committees.
