Defining
Green
Building
Emerging Standards at the Intersection
Between Sustainable Development and the Law
Friday, October 31
Virginia Environmental Law Journal Symposium
Caplin Pavilion
Welcome
“Green Building” is an evolving term that
encompasses both the general concept of
environmentally conscious development and
construction, as well as multiple formal rating
systems for measuring a project’s environmental
impact. The adaptability of the term “green
building” — and the related concept of “sustainable development” — continues to pose challenges and opportunities for those seeking to
chart the progress of this emerging field.
This conference sets out to provide a more
concrete definition of what practitioners,
politicians and professors mean when they refer
to green building. Together, these panelists will
explore the way that green building laws and
regulations intersect with our current structure
of environmental regulation, discuss how governments are beginning to use green building
regulations and recommend ways in which new
policies should address green building issues.
The Virginia Environmental Law Journal
(VELJ), now in its 27th year of publication, ranks
among the top five scholarly environmental
journals in the country. VELJ publishes articles
by distinguished professors, practitioners and
students on a range of environmental and land
use topics. This year, the journal has selected
articles to appeal particularly to practitioners,
including discussions of new clean coal technology and water regulation policy.
VELJ relies on appropriations from the University of Virginia, alumni contributors and subscription fees. If you would like to subscribe or make a
contribution, please contact velj@virginia.edu.
Schedule
10:00–10:05 A.M.
Welcome
Paul Levin, VELJ Editor-in-Chief
10:05–10:15 A.M.
Introduction to the Panels
Professor Jonathan Z. Cannon, Moderator
10:15–11:15 A.M.
Panel I
Green Building in the Literature
J.B. Ruhl, William Buzbee and Phoebe Crisman
11:15–11:25 A.M.
Break
11:25 A.M.–12:25 P.M.
Panel II
Green Building in Today’s Environment
L. Preston Bryant Jr., Trip Pollard,
Melissa Gallagher-Rogers and Doug Lowe
12:25–12:35 P.M.
Break
12:35–1:30 P.M.
Open Discussion
Panelists available for questions and comments
symposium
Moderator
Jonathan Z.
Cannon
Jon Cannon is the Blaine T. Phillips
Distinguished Professor of Environmental Law and director of the
Environmental and Land Use Law
Program at the University of Virginia
School of Law. Cannon joined the
Law School faculty in 1998 from the
Environmental Protection Agency,
where he served as general counsel
(1995-98) and assistant administrator
for administration and resources
management (1992-95). Prior to
his work with the EPA, Cannon was
in private practice in the environmental law field and served as an
adjunct professor at Washington and
Lee Law School, where he taught
environmental law. He holds a J.D.
from the University of Pennsylvania
Law School and a B.A. from Williams
College. Cannon is also the faculty
advisor to the Virginia Environmental
Law Journal.
Panelists
Panel I / 10:15–11:15 A.M.
Green Building in the
Literature
J. B. Ruhl
Florida State University College of Law
J. B. Ruhl is the Matthews & Hawkins
Professor of Property at Florida State,
where he teaches courses on environmental law, land use and property. He
is a nationally recognized expert in the
fields of endangered species protection,
ecosystem services policy, regulation of
wetlands, ecosystem management and
environmental impact analysis. Prior to
entering full-time law teaching, Ruhl
was a partner in the law firm Fulbright &
Jaworski and also served as an adjunct
professor of environmental law with
the University of Texas School of Law
from 1991 to 1994. He holds both a J.D.
and B.A. from the University of Virginia,
an LL.M. in environmental law from
the George Washington University Law
School, and a Ph.D. in geography from
Southern Illinois University. He is an
elected member of The American Law
Institute.
William Buzbee
Emory Law School
William W. Buzbee is a professor of
law, director of the Environmental and
Natural Resources Law Program and
director of the Center on Federalism and
Intersystemic Governance at Emory Law
School. Buzbee’s scholarship concerns
environmental law, administrative law
and other public law topics, with his
most recent publications focusing on
regulatory federalism and design issues.
Prior to joining Emory’s faculty, Buzbee
clerked for U.S. Judge Jose A. Cabranes,
served as an attorney-fellow at the
Natural Resources Defense Council and
was involved in environmental, land use
and litigation work for the firm Patterson
Belknap Webb and Tyler. He holds a J.D.
from Columbia Law School and a B.A.
from Amherst College.
Phoebe Crisman
University of Virginia School of
Architecture
Phoebe Crisman is an associate professor of architecture at the University of
Virginia, where she teaches architectural
design studios and lectures on architectural theory and urbanism. In her
teaching, research and practice, Crisman
investigates fragmentary and overlooked
places, processes and materials. In her
design practice at Crisman+Petrus Architects, where she is a principal, Crisman
explores eco-effective design strategies
that incorporate complex infrastructure
systems, greater land-use density, site
specificity and community planning. She
holds an M.Arch. from Harvard University
and a B.Arch. from Carnegie Mellon.
Panel II / 11:25 A.M.–12:25 P.M.
Green Building in Today’s
Environment
L. Preston Bryant Jr.
Secretary of Natural Resources of Virginia
L. Preston Bryant advises the governor
of Virginia on natural resources issues
and works to advance the governor’s
environmental priorities by overseeing
the Commonwealth’s six agencies dealing with natural and historic resources.
Prior to joining Governor Tim Kaine’s
cabinet, Bryant served in the Virginia
House of Delegates for 10 years, where
he sponsored landmark environmental
legislation. Bryant was also a partner in
a Virginia-based engineering, surveying
and planning firm that specialized in the
design of large-scale residential, commercial and industrial developments as
well as transportation facilities. He holds
master’s degrees from the University of
London and the University of Richmond,
and a B.A. from Randolph-Macon College.
Trip Pollard
Director, Land and Community Program,
Southern Environmental Law Center
Trip Pollard is a senior attorney with the
Southern Environmental Law Center, a
nonprofit environmental organization
that works in six southern states. He is
the director of SELC’s Land and Com-
Panelists
Distinguished Panelists
munity Program. Pollard has been a
leader in efforts to shape transportation
and land-use policies throughout the
Southeast. He also has written dozens
of reports and articles on transportation,
land use, energy and environmental
issues, and has lectured widely. Pollard
has served on numerous governmental
commissions and advisory bodies, as well
as on the board of many organizations.
Among other things, he currently serves
on the Virginia Commission on Climate
Change. Pollard holds a J.D., M.A. and B.A.
from the University of Virginia.
Melissa Gallagher-Rogers
Sector Manager in Government and
Higher Education, U.S. Green Building
Council
As the LEED government and
higher education sector manager for
the U.S. Green Building Council, Melissa
Gallagher-Rogers works with federal,
state and local agencies as well as institutions of higher education to help them
implement the LEED Green Building
Rating System. In addition, GallagherRogers educates government officials
and higher education administrators
on the value of sustainable building.
Prior to joining USGBC, she served as
the assistant director of student affairs
and director of the Maryland Leadership
Institute at the University of Maryland
School of Public Policy. She has also been
a presidential management fellow with
the U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of
Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy
and a program specialist with the DOE’s
Weatherization Assistance Program.
Gallagher-Rogers holds an M.P.P. from the
University of Maryland and a B.A. from
the University of Connecticut.
M. Doug Lowe
President, Artisan Construction Inc.
Doug Lowe is the president of Artisan
Construction Inc., a firm that specializes
in green residential and commercial
construction projects. Lowe’s interest in
green building began with efforts to create more energy-efficient homes, but has
since expanded to encompass sustainable materials, recycled materials, easily
renewable resources, indoor air quality,
healthy indoor environments, low water
usage, and waste management during
construction. Lowe and the company
have won numerous awards for their
efforts at sustainability and quality construction. An accredited professional with
the U.S. Green Building Council, Lowe
also serves as a board member of the
Virginia Sustainable Building Network.
He also built and lives in the first LEEDcertified home east of the Mississippi.
Special Thanks
Thank You
The Journal thanks the Law School, the
University of Virginia and our alumni
contributors for their ongoing support.
Special thanks for this symposium
go to Professor Jon Cannon, Emily
Williams, Mary Wood, David Holsapple
and his staff, and all of our conference
participants and journal members who
contributed to this event, especially Zach
Carter, Steven Gould and Dan Shean.