You don’t want to miss this Sunday’s episode of Extreme Makeover: Home Edition.

You might remember my behind-the-scenes look at Extreme Makeover in Washington, DC last year. Airing on Valentine’s Day, this episode will feature not one, but two remodel projects. And if you’ve seen the show before, you know these remodels are over the course of just seven days. Quite a feat.

Our client, Serious Materials, donated their windows to both projects. What makes these remodels special is that both were built to be as near to net zero energy buildings as possible, meaning near zero net energy consumption and zero carbon emissions annually. The products included to make this happen were SIPs panels provided by Winter Panel, solar electric systems from Aurora Energy, insulated concrete foundation forms from Leep Green, and super-insulating high R-value windows from SeriousWindows.

It’s interesting to see a mainstream, primetime show like Extreme Makeover put the focus on energy-efficiency. Not surprising, though. As we saw at Greenbuild late last year, greenwashing is going out of style. Builders and consumers alike are looking for the most eco-friendly, energy-efficient products out there protect our environment and make buildings as sustainable as possible.

So tune in to ABC this Sunday at 9/8 Central for an episode that will leave you reaching for the hammer and ready to start tackling those home improvement projects. (Oh, and Tyler Perry makes an appearance!)

We have finished up our participation in GreenBeat 2009 conference on the Smart Grid.  Vantage Communications was a strategic partner for the event, which provided me with a unique view of a major green conference that I would like to share.

1. “VentureBeat is doing its first green conference. Would Vantage be interested in participating?” Andie Rhyins, Publisher of VentureBeat

Actually, I answered yes, before Andie finished the question.  I knew if VentureBeat was putting together a show, this was a rare opportunity to be part of an important event from the beginning.  As the first GreenBeat event, we had a clean sheet of paper and the opportunity to provide a defining voice for marketing and PR that would help attract attendees, sponsors and speakers. It also was a bit scary knowing that our white board scribble and initial PowerPoints needed to be made into a conference with topics, speakers, attendees and press in very short order.

2. “Fw: Al Gore has agreed to come to GreenBeat” Matt Marshall

This was the header of a late Friday e-mail at the end of August. In less than 10 words, the bar had been raised for everybody. It also meant that we had to rethink our media outreach for the show. You may be asking why a conference run by a highly influential blog needs to do outreach to other media?  Part of the attraction of a conference for high-level speakers is the ability to reach a large number of highly influential people. Approximately 500 people attended GreenBeat in person. However, the number of people that read about the show can be in the hundreds of thousands. While VentureBeat does provide in depth coverage of the show to its readership, it is important to maximize awareness by being seen and heard on multiple channels. Media coverage for GreenBeat inlcuded the New York Times, CNET and Earth2Tech which has an aggregate audience in the millions. Immediately following the show, Techmeme  had VentureBeat ranked #5 of the sources most frequently posted to Techmeme.  This  was a higher ranking than even the New York Times.

3. “My name is Jim Rogers and I’m one of the speakers” Jim Rogers, CEO of Duke Energy

What as particularly impressive about GreenBeat is that despite the large number of high profile speakers and attendees, there was virtually no attitude or hubris. The CEO of Duke Energy attended without entourage, and the above quote is how he introduced himself. He made himself available to anyone who wanted to talk with him. Vinod Khosla was in the lobby for much of the morning available to talk to anyone. In his talk, John Doerr gave his e-mail and invited start ups to send him business plans. I attend many conferences and I never have seen a friendlier conference than GreenBeat. This is a real testament to Matt and the GreenBeat team. I look forward to seeing you at GreenBeat 2010.

In the not so distant past, greenwashing was a real problem. Companies left and right were making green claims; some were valid, some not-so-much. But from what I saw at last week’s Greenbuild, the greenwash ship has sailed. Companies get it now. And that’s a good thing, both for the industry and for consumers. Joel Makower actually showed up at the show “Searching for Greenwash at Greenbuild” this year. But he was more than happy to report he was wrong.

 I knew we were off to a good start at the show when I didn’t see any green (the color) booths this year. Companies are realizing that plastering your trade show booth with images of Mother Earth does not make you green.  This could be a result of the industry maturing or an improving economy. Rob Watson of Greener World Media was in attendance. This is his FIFTEENTH Greenbuild, so you can imagine the changes he has seen over the years. Based on his comparison to last year’s show, it seems the green building industry is alive and kickin’ this year, based on this comment, “While the atmosphere in Boston last year was one of fear and uncertainty, I would characterize the feeling in Phoenix as one of focus and ferment.”

There were also many exciting things to see in the building industry. Kate Nolan of Green Right Now reported on “Trend watching at the Greenbuild Expo in Phoenix.” She mentions GreenKonnect (which I am sad to say I missed!), noting “The newest entry in online aid is GreenKonnect, a search engine built for the green building industry. The Beta version bowed at Greenbuild Expo.” A quick search on the Beta site leaves me looking forward to the official launch.

All in all, Greenbuild was a jam-packed three days full of all things (green) building, complete with a few messages from Al Gore. As you can image, he too had an anti-greenwash message. And now, I’ll leave you with some food for thought from Mr. Gore. “We as Americans have the capacity to do what we put our minds to. We have the ability to solve this crisis. We can do it.”

Well, we made it! We’re in Phoenix for Greenbuild 2009, and we’ve already seen some exciting new companies and products on the show floor. Plus we shot some great videos for our clients, CALMAC and IES. Here is a video of our first day at the show:

We’ve got two days packed full of meetings and additional video shoots with Serious Materials and YKK AP, and somewhere in there we will head over to see Al Gore deliver the Keynote and Opening Celebration tomorrow night with Sheryl Crow. (And just in case you aren’t here in AZ, you can check out live streams on Greenbuild’s website.)

We are looking forward to meeting green building professionals sharing their visions for the future of the industry, as well as the editors and bloggers who write about it along the way. Melissa Hincha-Ownby of Mother Nature Network has already blogged about the event. Lloyd Alter of Treehugger is here, too. Along with 24,000 registered attendees, according to the records when the show floor opened at 5:30 this evening.

Check back here daily for a round-up of news and views from the show. Next week, we will do a show wrap up. And we’ll be Tweeting live from #Greenbuild09 the rest of the week – follow @catrionaharris, @mariegoltara and @toryk for your green building fix this week.

It is no secret that I’m an avid University of Florida (UF) Gator fan and proud alumna. In fact, around this time of year (*cough* football season) some might call me borderline obsessive. So when I came across UF’s venture to create the first parking garage in the country to earn USGBC LEED Platinum credits – the most esteemed certification category – I immediately knew the topic of my next post.

In 2001, UF adopted plans to have all major building projects eligible for LEED certification and the parking facility is the school’s latest effort to improve its green rating, but this is no  ordinary parking garage. In fact, when one looks at the exterior of the building, one would never suspect it to hold parking spaces, feature office and retail space or changing rooms and showers. The facility expands its eco-friendly offering by providing more parking per square foot, alternative transportation options, wetland protection, low energy lighting and insulated windows. Additionally, the structure maintains HVAC systems, efficient storm water drainage, and a high impact-recycling program all while promoting a green education program to deliver the sustainable messaging.

UF’s green initiative does not stop there, however.  In 2007, the university joined the American College and University President’s Climate Commitment and began collaborating with a organization known as The Neutral Gator – setting the goal of being completely carbon neutral by 2025.  This year, UF has even made the commitment to become the first carbon neutral athletic program. Currently home to the first and only Platinum LEED-certified athletic facility in the nation, UF added two energy-efficient LED video boards at the north and south end zones at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium – talk about creating a new, exciting green element to Tebow’s touchdowns!

By promoting sustainable practices, UF joins a vast number of other institutions around the nation that are striving to become eco-friendly. Other universities that hold LEED certification include: the University of Colorado at Bolder with all new buildings LEED Certified, Harvard University with 17 LEED-certified buildings and New York University with all new construction and renovations meeting Sliver LEED standards. You can find additional schools meeting green standards by checking out the Sierra Clubs Third Annual Cool Schools List found here, http://www.sierraclub.org/sierra/200909/coolschools/allrankings.aspx#

Clearly, green is not only a trend but a call to action, forcing institutions that educate tomorrow’s leaders to take a long, in-depth look at its carbon footprint. UF is the latest university to make headlines with its high profile, sustainable project. And, being no stranger to cheering on the Gators, I am proud to say – way to go for the LEED.

Last week, Extreme Makeover: Home Edition came to Washington, DC. This particular episode of Extreme Makeover featured the remodeling of both a house and a community center/school. I got an all-access, behind-the-scenes pass, thanks to a VIP invite from my client, Serious Materials. Its super-insulating SeriousWindows were selected for use in both projects.

Extreme Makeover’s energy goals for these two projects – a near net-zero home and community center – will provide both the Tripp family and The Fishing School with efficient homes and lower bills. With input and guidance from the Department of Energy (DOE) and Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL), a DOE Laboratory, each project was designed with advanced energy-efficient materials and serve as examples for cost-effective near net-zero energy building design.

It was great to see so many people volunteering for an amazing family and an amazing organization right in my backyard. And to see that sustainable design was at the forefront of the project really showed me that green building isn’t just a buzzword; it’s here to stay. One of our friends, Tara Taffera of Door & Window Manufacturer Magazine joined us on-site on Tuesday. You can read her thoughts here. We also met up with Lee Patrick Sullivan of Clean Skies News. Robin Roy, VP of Projects & Policy of Serious Materials, discussed the super-efficient windows with Patrick outside the house on Tuesday.

Department of Energy Secretary Steven Chu visited the site of The Fishing School to see the progress of the projects designed with guidance from Chu and his team at the DOE, which will ultimately serve as examples of near net-zero energy buildings.

And while I didn’t meet Ty Pennington, I did meet Paul Dimeo! All in all, a good week!

Given the short week, Vantage Points is taking the week off as far as new posts are concerned. Stealing a page (and a title) from our friends in the TV and radio businesses, we are digging into the archives for some of our favorite undiscovered  posts:

Rebuilding the way we look at Green Building: Most people assume green building is expensive. An interesting post about a recent study published by Good Energies, a global energy efficiency and renewable energy investment company, shows some surprising conclusions about green building costs…

Millionaire Cat – Marketing Promotion Hits the Litter Box: Channel surfing last night, I came across Meow Mix Think Like a Cat Game Showwhich purported to be the first game show in which “catestants” (I did not make that one up) and their owners compete as a team for $1 million….

A Global PR Perspective: Differences in China and the United States: High tech companies are eager to enter the Chinese market for its endless opportunities, and successful PR will help them to engage the local markets….

It begins with energy…: Green building in particular is thriving in America right now.  Michael Kanellos of Greentech Media said it best yesterday, “For green building companies, the good times have just begun.”…. 

We hope you enjoy these posts and will be back with fresh ones next week. Have a great holiday weekend and stay cool!

Good news came out of the economy last week.  Yes, you read that correctly – GOOD news.  According to The Pew Charitable Trusts, clean energy jobs grew nearly two and a half times faster than overall jobs in the U.S. between 1998 and 2007.  The jobs weren’t in one or two states – they spanned all 50 states, with the majority in California and Texas, and the total number is 770,000.  That is good news, but those numbers are from before we took a dive into this recession…

Here comes the so what…

The same report states that they believe the nation is poised to significantly continue expansion of those same clean energy jobs.  The report states, “looking forward, the clean energy economy has tremendous potential for growth, as investments continue to flow from both the government and private sector and federal and state policy makers increasingly push for reforms that will both spur economic renewal and sustain the environment.”  They don’t point to hard numbers, but they say it is expected.  I know, that may not seem like news given all of the incentives and bills being passed by the current administration, but it is news.  It is a third party validating the claims we read about every day.

There are many next steps to help this growth even more, but I tend to agree with Marc Gunther, one great next step is to pass a Cap and Trade program.  Cap and Trade would set a limit on carbon dioxide emissions from fossil fuel and offer financial incentives for doing so.  Many renewable energy companies would be able to sell more product because they would reduce emissions for the end user – and thus, some experts predict would create more jobs.  Time will tell.

Earth Day has come and gone, but at Vantage we definitely made the most of the special day. In fact, we started celebrating a week early and how else, but with a party! Actually, 2 parties in 2 cities. On Thursday, April 16 we brought together about 200 business, government and media folks for the Vantage Communications Bi-coastal Earth Day event. Offices in both San Francisco and Orlando celebrated Earth Day with networking, food and giveaways – with all proceeds benefiting the United States Green Building Council.

In San Francisco, at a special one night opening of the Autodesk Gallery, Vantage gathered with influential green individuals to network and share insights. The evening also featured a panel with speakers from the USGBC-NCC, San Francisco’s Green Building, Forbes Magazine, Autodesk, and Serious Materials who discussed “Sustainable Innovation in a Recession.” In case you missed the live streaming of the event, you can watch it here:

Vantage Communications Earth Day Panel

The Orlando green community gathered at the local Taste Restaurant, where a good time was had by all with drinks, savory appetizers and giveaways from local businesses and green companies. An evening of networking included guests from the local USGBC, Green Cities and CoLab Orlando.

For all who joined us, we hope the evening was as fun and meaningful for you as it was for us in making it happen. You also can see photos from the evening here.

Last night Pepcom put on their first EcoFocus event in New York City. And in the Flatiron District, almost 200 press and analysts came for free food, drinks and to experience demos from eco-friendly companies looking to get their name out there. Known for putting on mostly Mobile and Digital Technology-focused events, Pepcom moved into the new, clean tech space – and I think most vendors and attendees would agree it was a success.

While some may not be totally sold on global warming and much of the green talk that surrounds us today, this event clearly was evidence that green is more than a fad, it is an area of true innovation and growth. The vendors at last night’s event inlcude big names, like Toshiba, Lenovo and Benjamin Moore, who are recreating the wheel to become more environmentally conscious. But there also were smaller companies, such as SOMS Technologies (our client), CALMAC (our client), Green Roads and Pisat Solar, who were showcasing their innovation and passion for the environment.

The faces behind these businesses, both big and small, have a common goal – to make a positive impact on our environment. They are challenging convention, and working to change our oh so traditional behaviors to become a smarter, savvier, more eco-conscious society.

Clean technology isn’t only an expanding industry. But what this event clearly demonstrated is that it is an area of true belief, one that people have a renewed passion for. Most importantly, it is one that is and will be making a significant, positive impact for years to come.