The National Association of Home Builders is inviting entries for its 2009 Green Building Awards. As part of the upcoming NAHB National Green Building Conference to be held in May of 2009 in Dallas, the awards will honor excellence in green residential design and construction practices and green advocacy efforts.

 

Award categories include:

 

Remember the old days when you'd walk by the outside of a local school building in the middle of winter and half of the classroom windows would be open because the rooms were so hot? No? I'd imagine it was the same down South in the warmer months with windows wide open while the air conditioning was cranking away.

 

It still may be the case in some parts of the country, but with current energy prices and a focus on energy conservation and other green practices, it's not very often that you see such blatant disregard for energy savings.

 

Indeed, many schools have been or are currently pursuing green initiatives. A recent news release by the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) declares that both public and private schools are "Rapidly Turning Green Across America".

 

If your local schools aren't doing the same, talk to school officials. Get involved!

 

The USGBC is currently offering a set of webinars on "Energy Saving Solutions for School Districts" that run through January of 2009. Here's the press release. The series is comprised of three sessions, one of which (Top 10 No-Cost Ways to Lower Your School's Utility Bills) was already broadcast on November 6th. The other two are set to broadcast as follows:

• Top 10 Low-Cost Ways to Lower Your School’s Utility Bills (December 3, 2008)
  
• Top 10 Investments to Lower Your School's Utility Bills (January 21, 2009)
  

Here's the registration link in case you're interested or want to forward it on to a local school official.

 

I read a while back that the National Museum of American History is set to reopen on November 21st after a two-year, $85 million renovation of the building’s center core. The press release stated that the renovations have "dramatically transformed the museum’s architectural appeal while reorganizing and renewing the presentation of its extensive collections".

 

The Star-Spangled Banner and Lincoln's Gettysburg Address manuscript will be just some of the many items on display.

 

“For people of all ages, a visit to the National Museum of American History can be a defining event , providing a deep and fundamental understanding of what it has meant to be an American,” said Brent D. Glass, director of the museum. “Millions of visitors will enjoy new opportunities to explore the American narrative and the core stories of our national experience in an inspiring and memorable setting."

 

 

This slide show gives some photos of the renovations. It looks absolutely beautiful and I can't wait to check it out. Here's a link that describes the weekend of activities (Nov. 21-23) for the reopening.

 

Thinking about a career as an interior designer?

 

It’s important for prospective students to understand which colleges offer reputable and accredited interior design programs and what one can expect from a career as an interior designer.

 

There are literally hundreds of colleges and universities that offer interior design programs both here in the States and elsewhere around the world. Some offer two- or four-year degree programs while others offer certificate programs.

 

The Council for Interior Design Accreditation (CIDA) maintains a list of accredited programs on its website. The list is updated twice each year and the current list always supercedes all previously published lists. The Council also maintains a page which documents each school's accreditation history with CIDA.

 

CIDA is a good resource if you're contemplating pursuit of an interior design degree.

 

Another good resource is U.S. News & World Report's annual 'America's Best Colleges' report. Amherst College was ranked as 2009's best Liberal Arts college in America (and it has an interior design program). Click here to check out all of their 2009 college rankings and reviews. Note: in order to view all data, you'll need to purchase their premium online edition, but the site is still very useful for performing a variety of college searches.

 

Here are some good places to start in terms of considering whether a career as an interior designer is even right for you:

• Careers in Interior Design website
• American Society of Interior Designers website