BOSTON (November 18, 2008)– LEED 2009, the long-awaited update to the internationally recognized LEED green building certification program, has passed member ballot, and will be introduced in 2009 as the next major evolution of the existing LEED rating systems for commercial buildings. It includes a series of major technical advancements focused on improving energy efficiency, reducing carbon emissions, and addressing other environmental and human health outcomes.

The first section of solar panels has been installed atop the Atlantic City Convention Center. The power system is to be the largest single-roof photovoltaic system in the U.S., with some 13,321 panels capable of generating 2.36 megawatts. The panels will cover 290,000 square feet, or two-thirds of the venue's roof.

Zero carbon building is going to be the standard in the UK as of 2016. By that time all new buildings will have to be carbon neutral, the government decided awhile back. In the meantime, there’s a lot of activity going on in the housing sector to prepare for this rather close deadline.

Last week, ENN was invited to join roughly 360 members, celebrities, dignitaries and special guests dressed in black tie gathered at the American Museum of Natural History among the dinosaur bones and under the globe of the planetarium, to honor NY Mayor Bloomberg, Council Speaker Christine Quinn, the President of Related Companies and the President and CEO of NBC for their efforts to make NYC green.

Go Green Expo, a business-to-business and consumer showcase for green living products and services, has announced a four-city tour beginning in January 2009 that includes Los Angeles, Philadelphia, New York City and Atlanta. The event debuted in New York this year during Earth Week.

“It’s not how efficient the building is but how much energy it really uses that matters.” That’s the gist of many comments in a thread on BuildingGreen’s blog (and, simultaneously, on several email discussion groups) about how to measure the actual energy performance of LEED buildings.

Last week, the Sustainable Endowments Institute released its 2009 Green Report Card. As GreenBiz reports, it compiles the green and not-so-green aspects of 300 colleges and universities through the United States and Canada. The Report Card was designed to identify those schools that are leading by example through their commitment to sustainability initiatives on campus.