Engineering

Eco Build America
Wednesday, May 21, 2008 at 12:00 AM
Anaheim Convention Center
800 W. Katella Ave.
Anaheim , CA 92803

Whether you are an Architect, Engineer, Contractor, Facility Manager, Gov't employee, Contractor, Specifier, IT Professional, Building Owner, or just an interested consumer, come learn about the latest products and technologies for green building.

Ecobuild America
Sustainable, Green, and High-Performance Solutions for the Built Environment

Ecobuild America represents your best opportunity to capitalize on the most comprehensive offerings of built environment resources under one roof:

- Explore the latest in sustainability, spanning local to global perspectives
- Uncover best practices in environmental design
- Review new advances in green building products and techniques
- Meet officials representing Building & Construction budgets and projects
- Discover how to apply your expertise to government projects and expand your client base
- See and hear from world-renown and industry experts in Keynote Presentations and in 100+ educational sessions
- Network with product manufacturers and service providers
- Benefit from your whole building team assembling in one location

Eco Build America openly invites all industry organizations, experts and career professionals to provide you and your building team with comprehensive exposure to all aspects of:

2008 ACEEE Summer Study on Energy Efficiency in Buildings
"Scaling Up: Building Tomorrow's Solutions"

August 17–22, 2008 • Asilomar Conference Center • Pacific Grove, California

Conference Co-Chairs:

Michael Baechler, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory
Rich Brown, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory

The 2008 ACEEE Summer Study is the 14th biennial ACEEE conference on Energy Efficiency in Buildings and will be held August 17–22, 2008. A diverse group of energy efficiency professionals from around the world will gather at this pre-eminent meeting to discuss the technological basis for, and practical implementation of, reducing energy use in buildings. Presentations and discussions will relate to the theme, "Scaling Up: Building Tomorrow's Solutions." What started out at the Summer Study nearly three decades ago as a fringe activity is now mainstream: energy efficiency in buildings. Energy efficiency now represents our best hope to avoid the worst consequences of global warming and energy resource depletion. But to achieve this potential, the energy efficiency "engine" has to be greatly expanded. New programs, technologies, and financing sources need to be developed. A new generation of energy efficiency practitioners, researchers, and policymakers needs to be trained and deployed to solve the problems we face. Do you have ideas about how to make this happen? Come share your ideas and engage in dialogue about these issues at the 2008 Summer Study. Exchange ideas with some of the leading thinkers, visionaries, and luminaries in the field while experiencing the magnificent natural setting that is Asilomar.

I really liked this one folks.

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A few favorite quotes from the article as a tease to encourage you to read the whole thing :

Engineering solves problems. Innovation creates problems. Most innovation comes from people outside the domain of expertise. Innovators can be anybody.

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We think that this is the innovation age. Not so. We forget fish hooks, fire and the wheel. Twice as many patents were issued in the early 1900s as today. Distance, time and familiarity diminish importance.
My dad would talk to some of my visiting young MBAs. They would complain about the D.C. politics, the latest recession and tax laws. After they left, Dad would say, “Don’t they know this has happened five times before?”

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What does this mean to the working process engineer? We should not dwell on the latest standards and play in our sandbox. Putting change into a process because we want to try out the latest computer is not progress. We, as well as our management, should think about what we do and why we are doing it. Innovation is not just components, systems and toys. Innovation also is a part of how we think.