A look at our accomplishments in 2006:

Industry Education:  We had over 320 industry professionals that attended one or more of seven educational events including a Fall Green Building Conference with 200+ attendees.  Similar attendance to a like conference in Seattle! 

Our annual survey of participating industry professionals shows:

                   75% have implemented Green Building strategies

                   80% say Green Building is NOT too expensive and NOT too difficult

                   80% say Green Building benefits outweigh costs and make projects more marketable

With demonstration projects like the Whatcom Educational Credit Union, Community Food Co-op, Depot Market Square and Kateri Court Affordable Housing Project, Bellingham based LEED projects are making an increasing presence in Whatcom County.  In addition, several new Low Impact Development projects were established.  Comprehensive web resources added to www.sconnect.org and a second version of NW Washington Regional Green Building Materials Matrix were also released.

Government Technical Assistance:  Between conferences, workshops and site visits, we had over 50 local government staff, including planners, public works professionals, and elected officials in attendance.  “New Whatcom” strategic guidelines recommend using LEED-ND standard to evaluate master plan for development have been put into place.   Fast Track permitting was put in place for LEED-NC or BuiltGreen projects in Whatcom County and the City of Bellingham appointed “Green Team” members to evaluate policy and education options for implementation into 2007. 

Public Education & Market Development:  In its fourth year, the Imagine this! Eco-friendly home & landscape tour attracted over 500 community members and has become the largest tour (green or not) North of Seattle.  The Green Building display at the Whatcom County Home & Garden Show allowed professionals available with focus on renewable energy to engage in over 350 conversations.  Over 100 people participated in free education sessions provided at the Green Building Conference and Tradeshow.