When I scribe my periodic gratitude lists, a practice that always seems difficult to fit in but which without-fail brings tangible rewards, I always put down my involvement in the Tucson Branch of the USGBC AZ Chapter. I have been volunteering for the Tucson Branch for about 2 years now, and this experience has allowed me tremendous learning opportunities as well as the chance to work with so many talented people.

I first started volunteering on the Tucson Branch’s Communications and Program Committees. The Communications Committee had more work for me to do, so most of my initial experience was working with Nate, Nancy, and a few others to create more efficient, more effective communication between committees as well as to the public. We worked on automating communications using the web, email and other forms of electronic communication. Never one to be afraid of trial by fire, I volunteered to help write a press release for our Membership Outreach event last October. Others stepped in to help me and I learned so much from my mistakes. What a wonderful experience! I learned what needs to be included in a press release, how to draft succinct communication, and how to ask others for help.

Volunteering with the Emerging Green Builders Committee also was a great experience. (Southern AZ Branch website, National EGB website) We had a few meetings and then I offered our services at the same Membership Outreach event mentioned above in October 2008. I was able to create and present a talk on changes in the new LEED 2009 system and how these affected businesses involved with green building.  The focus was on how to transition smoothly into using the new LEED 2009 system.

This year, I will be shifting my volunteering energies a bit. I will be chairing the Tucson Branch Technical Committee. I like learning about the technical specifications and HOW we make green buildings. In learning some of the nitty-gritty details,  I believe that I can gain a better understanding of the feasibility and drawbacks if any of sustainable products and practices. For example, in the Technical Committee, a colleague and I are working on understanding the current state of LEDs. My colleague is an architect and a lighting designer and has found that the current efficiency of LEDs is NOT where it could be. In other words, LEDs will save energy in the coming years but the technology is not there yet. Had my colleague not been delving into the details and technical specifications, she might not have known this. Thus, I aspire to understand the details so as to better my understanding of ‘green’ and to be able to sift through the marketing hype.

Another avenue of volunteering is serving on the Governing Council of your local branch. This year, I was also co-opted into the USGBC Southern AZ Branch Governing Council. That is where decisions are made that affect the Southern AZ Branch as a whole. I find this position very exciting. Just this past weekend, we were given a Dynamic Governance training (which is a whole other story in and of itself). Suffice it to say that our fearless leader for the training brought us closer to understanding this powerful governing process/tool.

As if all that wasn’t enough to keep me busy until the next millenium, I also applied to compete for the LEED for Homes (LEED-H) Advocate position for our state and was accepted! Great Scott! I’m very excited about this position mostly because I will be learning much about the residential home building industry and how to best advocate for the LEED rating system within it. My passion is to give everyone, not just the affluent, the chance to live in environmentally-sustainable, non-toxic homes.

So….what’s my message here? I guess it might be: give your time to volunteer with the USGBC. It has been incredibly worth it to me. I’ve gotten back much more than I’ve given. I’m recruiting for the Technical Committee and we have a lot of great things planned for the year. Shoot me an email and let me know if you are interested!