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Green Building Council leading way in sustainable building.

Article Excerpt
Green building is catching on in the state with the Mississippi Green Building Council playing a vital role. The Jackson-based organization has 100 members and hopes to start North and South Mississippi chapters. The Council follows guidelines of the U.S. Green Building Council and recently celebrated that recognition with a well-attended gathering.

Chairman Perry Richardson says the council started with a meeting in 2005 just before Hurricane Katrina roared through the state. Meetings began again in January 2006, an opportune time as the storm pointed out the vulnerability of buildings to the environment.

"There was and is a lot of interest," he said. "Right now there are $788 million in LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) projects in Mississippi. The new federal building in Jackson is one, and it's on the site where we had our first meeting and planned the council. There was a little Mexican restaurant there at that time."

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That meeting was between Richardson and Patrik Lazzari, who now serves as co-chairman. Richardson is a LEED-accredited architect with...

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