Featured Articles

So You Want To Be a Green Building Attorney?

Chris Cheatham
August 04, 2010 14:32

One of the great parts about my new job is I get to spend more time learning about what others are doing and figure out how we can work together.  I often speak to law students or prospective law students interested in green building careers.  The following post includes my standard...

Reading the Green Building Tea Leaves

Chris Cheatham
November 04, 2010 13:36

I am trying to make sense out of a number of different events that will be shaping the design, construction and green building industries for the foreseeable future.  Maybe you can help me make sense out of it all.  Here is what I am seeing: Something is going on with LEED The ...

Warning: This Post May Give You Green Building Legal Nightmares

Chris Cheatham
October 29, 2010 13:50

For this Halloween edition of Green Building Law Update, I thought I would try to scare your socks off by describing circumstances that may lead to the green building legal apocalypse.  Be warned, this blog post is going to give you nightmares!  Last week, Doug Reiser and I presented at...

GSA Pushes For Reforms to Green Bulding Certification

Chris Cheatham
August 03, 2010 16:19

The green building industry has been besieged the last few years with stories about buildings not performing as anticipated.  It appears the federal government has taken notice, and is pushing reforms to green building certification, based on comments by one high-ranking General Services...

Public-Private Partnerships Support Green Building

Chris Cheatham
July 14, 2010 15:34

States are facing significant budget gaps.  These budget gaps are going to negatively affect the green building industry.  States looking to shore up budgets will cut new construction and maintenance of existing buildings in the coming years.   But there is a solution:...

Innovative Programs Foster Green Technology

Chris Cheatham
August 12, 2010 12:57

If you could ask some of the world's leading companies about their green technology programs, what would you ask?  I was recently faced with this daunting question.  On August 17, I will be moderating a panel on green technology for the Bar Association of the District of...

Green Building Registrations Decline in 2010

Chris Cheatham
July 02, 2010 16:11

This week, I have been morbidly fascinated with stories about the state of the economy and construction.  Not surprisingly, the construction downturn has dramatically decreased the number of projects registering for green building certification in 2010.  The Business Journal ...

What do Hurricanes, Earthquakes and LEED Bonds Have in Common?

Chris Cheatham
September 15, 2011 16:46

Three weeks ago, Washington DC was hit by both an earthquake and a hurricane. But this was not the most shocking development during the week -- at least for me.   Here's what shocked me the most: I learned there is a chance that LEED bonds could be available in our nation's capital. On...

The Destiny USA Debacle: Destined for Trouble

Chris Cheatham
March 07, 2011 16:35

I am publishing a series of posts on the Destiny USA Debacle -- the federally sponsored Green Bonds project that has failed to incorporate promised green building features.  To read all of the posts at once, select the Destiny USA tag.  We have now set the scene for the Destiny USA...

If Green Materials Fail, Have We Failed?

Chris Cheatham
April 11, 2011 20:47

When I first read about the Chesapeake Bay Foundation case, I thought of Peter Moonen.  Peter is the Leader of the Sustainable Building Coalition for the Canadian Wood Council.  He has been extolling the virtues of wood and green buildings for years.  Below, we discuss the benefits...