Fedrizzi

Rick Fedrizzi, president, CEO and founding chair of the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC), a nonprofit dedicated to improved cost- and energy-efficiency in buildings, and founder and chair of the World Green Building Council, will deliver the inaugural Glenn H. Beyer Memorial Lecture April 5 at 4:45 p.m. in G73 Martha Van Rensselaer Hall.

The talk, free and open to the public, is organized by the Department of Design and Environmental Analysis (DEA) in the College of Human Ecology and will be followed by a reception in the Human Ecology Commons.

Speaking on "People, Planet and Performance," Fedrizzi intends to talk about how green buildings create jobs, save energy, water and resources, and provide for a safer, healthier environment. The USGBC administers the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) green building rating system, which certifies new construction and renovation projects that adhere to sustainable practices. There are seven LEED-certified buildings on campus, with many more projects pursuing similar status.

During his visit, Fedrizzi also plans to meet with student leaders from Cornell University Sustainable Design, tour the new Human Ecology Building, which is striving for a LEED Gold rating, and visit DEA assistant professor Ying Hua's undergraduate design class.

"At Cornell we aspire to teach our students to be social change agents through design -- helping them to understand the larger systemswide view of design impact and the leadership role they can play in reshaping the world to reflect their values," said Sheila Danko, DEA chair and professor. "It is therefore most fitting that we have one of the leading voices of change in sustainable design as the inaugural speaker for the Beyer Lecture. Rick Fedrizzi evidences the power of design leadership to move our thinking and design practices towards more equitable and sustainable futures."

The Beyer Lecture, funded by a gift from the Beyer family, focuses on sustainable and environmental issues. From 1950 to 1969, Beyer directed Cornell's Center for Housing and Environmental Studies, which included faculty members from architecture, engineering, housing and design and related disciplines to study housing in the U.S. and other Western countries.

Ted Boscia is assistant director of communications for the College of Human Ecology.