ASHRAE Insights

By Sonya M. Pouncy, president-elect, Detroit Chapter

 DETROIT—The annual Seminars on Sustainability: SOS for the Environment Conference, presented by the Detroit Chapter in conjunction with the Center for Sustainability at Lawrence Technological University, will take place Tuesday, March 11, from noon to 8 p.m. on the university’s campus.

The conference will feature speakers from industry and academia on various topics related to sustainability of the built environment. Sustainability essentially means long-term survival. It entails designing for the current generation in such a way that necessary resources remain available for future generations.

As the primary standards writing organization for the HVAC&R industry, ASHRAE has taken a leadership role in promoting sustainable design practices. PDH credits will be available for architects and engineers with multistate licenses. The conference will include an afternoon of three or more tracks on sustainability issues, trends and innovations, and will feature renowned speakers from across the country.

Dr. Kathryn Savoie, an ecologist with more than 20 years experience, will open the conference with a presentation on climate change as the luncheon keynote speaker. Savoie is one of only 50 people across the country to have been personally trained under the Climate Project of former U.S. Vice President Al Gore. Following Dr. Savoie’s climate change presentation, conference attendees can select any four of the 12 hour-long seminars on topics such as the latest green technologies for high performance buildings; federal and state policies and initiatives for green design; ASHRAE energy standards for green and LEED® certified buildings; and legal concerns in sustainable building design.

Among the conference presenters will be ASHRAE Distinguished Lecturer E. Mitchell Swann, P.E. Swann will speak on the topic of design/build for green buildings. Also lecturing will be Carl N. Lawson, a commissioning authority for Hanson Professional Services, on the commissioning process. Glen S. LeRoy, FAIA, Dean of the College of Architecture and Design at Lawrence Technological University in Southfield, Mich., will present a talk to close the conference. LeRoy’s lecture will present a review of sustainable community design and development practices that provide the context for meaningful sustainable building design and a specific assessment of and prescriptions for sustainable community design for Detroit and Southeast Michigan. The presentation will be augmented by case studies of award-winning community sustainable design projects.

For information on registration, sponsorship, exhibition opportunities, and for a complete list of conference speakers and topics visit www.detroitashrae.org.