U.S. Green Builders Profit from Swiss Innovations in Design and Energy Efficiency

Representatives Tammy Baldwin (D-Wisconsin) and Russ Carnahan (D-Missouri) hosted a briefing with Swiss leaders in energy and environmental building design. "The Swiss were among the first to recognize what other countries have come to understand: that climate change is real and it threatens our economy, our environment, and our national security," said Congresswoman Baldwin a Member of the House Energy and Commerce Committee and Co-Chair of the Congressional Friends of Switzerland Caucus.  "The Swiss model for reducing greenhouse gases and the MINERGIE Building Standard are examples we can all learn from and benefit from," Baldwin said.

Rep. Tammy Baldwin,  Science Counsellor Christoph Ebell, Rep. Russ Carnahan and Ambassador Urs Ziswiler

Over 300 people gathered for a briefing on Capitol Hill and a following evening event at the Embassy of Switzerland. The briefing was co-sponsored by the Environmental and Energy Study Institute (EESI). Key speakers included the Honorable Urs Ziswiler, Ambassador of Switzerland to the United States; Henry Green, President, National Institute of Building Sciences; Nick Beglinger, managing board member, MINERGIE ™ ; and Stephen Tanner, AIA, Intep LLC Minneapolis who is the architect of the first Passive House Standard building in the United States. At the evening event Kevin Morrow, National Green Building Program Manager,  National Association of Home Builders (NAHB), joined the panel discussion, which was moderated by Zach Dobelbower, founder and President of the environmental consulting company EcoHouse.

Speakers: Nick Beglinger, Henry Green and Stephan Tanner

Since 1998, the Swiss MINERGIE ™ standard has offered green building standards as a framework for architects and building designers to achieve greater popularity and profitability. Nick Beglinger, a managing board member of MINERGIE ™ said, "Switzerland is a sustainability leader - ranking, for example, as No. 1 in Yale University's 2008 Environmental Performance Index. The Swiss sustainable building standard, MINERGIE ™ makes an important contribution here. With over 14'000 certified buildings, MINERGIE ™ focuses on the key success drivers: design, comfort and energy efficiency".

Knowing the value of implementing good standards, Stephen Tanner, principal, Intep LLC Minneapolis, who was the architect of the first certified Passive House Standard building in the U.S. said, "Sustainability innovations in building design create opportunities for long-term energy efficiency, conservation of resources, comfort and operating cost effectiveness. Energy efficient buildings work."

Ambassador Ziswiler of Switzerland said, "The Swiss MINERGIE ™ standard is a good example of the Swiss energy policy, which has created strong public-private partnerships between the economic sector, the building industry and public agencies addressing climate change. With this special opportunity today with our friends in the U.S. Congress, it is clear that making buildings more energy efficient is an important way of reducing green house gas emissions and dependency on fossil fuels."

Speakers: Ambassador Urs Ziswiler, Zach Dobelbower, Stephan Tanner, Kevin Morrow and Nick Beglinger

Downloads
Handout Green Building Event
Innovations 4 (4): "Minergie: The Swiss Sustainable Building Standard"

Presentations:
•    Nick Beglinger, Member, Managing Board of MINERGIE
•    Stephan Tanner, AIA, Principal, Intep LLC Minneapolis
•    Kevin Morrow, Senior Program Manager, National Green Building Program, National Association of Home Builders (NAHB)

MINERGIE for Architects

Yale/Columbia 2008 Environmental Performance Index

Please also visit the EESI Event Webpage for further information

Reception at the green Swiss Residence 

The events were produced by the Embassy of Switzerland in Washington, DC and co-sponsored by the Environmental and Energy Study Institute (EESI). Switzerland, a leading country in science, research and technology, is working with its American counterparts to address key global topics like climate change, to better understand trends and arrive at solutions. The ThinkSwiss program is produced under the auspices of the Swiss Confederation. More information can be found at http://www.ThinkSwiss.org.

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