LEED Green Construction: Planetary Energy Solution

February 22, 2012 by Robin Eschler

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Did you know that the largest energy problem is not transportation but the amount of energy used by buildings? Green building is an important energy solution. Dennis Allen of Allen Associates in Santa Barbara, California, talks about green construction, the US Green Building Council (USGBC) LEED certification and much more.

Allen Associates specializes in commercial and residential green building in Santa Barbara and Ventura counties of California. As LEED Accredited professionals and members of USGBC, they are proud to say that they have built some of the greenest buildings in the country having completed several Platinum LEED projects in Santa Barbara.

Dennis is a graduate of UCSB with a Masters in Economics from Princeton University. Dennis also worked over seas across the east and west European divide to facilitate better communication before the fall of the Berlin Wall. After that, he returned home to become Assistant Dean of Foreign Students at UCSB. Later, Dennis became involved in community organization in the SF Bay area where he worked to transition to peace from the VietNam War. Afterwards, he became interested in solar energy when the OPEC oil embargo caused greater awareness of energy tension and fossil fuel supply. From there, it was a short step to green construction.

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Filed Under: Business Tagged With: Allen Associates, co generation energy, Dennis Allen, energy solution, green building council, green construction, green construction compan, green home, green roof, LEED accredited, LEED Platinum, straw bale construction, usgbc, USGBC LEED

About Robin Eschler

Robin L. Eschler, the founder of Social Impact Marketing, started her career in developing foundational marketing strategies for companies of all sizes, from Fortune 500 to individual entrepreneurs and local businesses. She has developed and implemented international campaigns to launch high tech products and services and guided new business owners to successfully navigate the difficulties of growing a business.

Her life-long passion for helping others led her into nonprofit work for over a decade. Early on, she recognized the need for nonprofits to adapt to a rapidly changing world in which technology dominates and for-profit business practices are central to success. Her determination to help social causes in a sustainable way led to her creation of the Women's Radio show Socially Conscious Investing.

Impact investing in for-profits with a mission of social change such as the fight against extreme poverty is a blossoming business sector around the world. With the economic decline, it's clear that Wall Street requires change. Social impact investing addresses that need in a way that provides financial and social ROI.

As the Host of Socially Conscious Investing on WomensRadio, Robin's goal is to educate people about the growth of social impact investing and social venture. Interviews are conducted with socially conscious business experts including foundations and nonprofits, social venture investment firms, micro-loan organizations, investors, educators, authors and social entrepreneurs.

This show's mission is to help change the world through sustainable business practices that contribute to the economy, combat poverty, end hunger and provide better lives to all.

Twice, Robin has been recognized and received the highest honorary award that Rotary International gives, the Paul Harris Award, for service above self. Her community work has included developing local programs for disadvantaged populations such as foster children, troubled teens, and people with disabilities.

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