In the recent discussions concerning AIA Nationals elimination of the requirements for Sustainable Design Continuing Education Courses as a part of the overall CEU requirements for membership, it was advocated that if any of you believe that the requirement should remain, we should contact AIA National and voice our opinions and concerns. A perfect approach for this is to ask your Regional Directors to National to carry the message forward to their next AIA National Board of Director's meeting. To this end, I have drafted the following letter to my (AIA Florida/Caribbean Region) Regional Directors asking for their support. I ask that each of you that have similar convictions do the same and appeal to your directors on a personal level to bring this message forward. The letter states:
Dear Regional Directors Steve Jernigan AIA and Miguel Del Rios AIA,
It is with great disappointment that I have learned that AIA National has eliminated the requirements for Sustainable Design specific CEUs as a requirement for AIA member Architects Continuing Education. The reason that has been given is that Sustainable Design has become so mainstream within the profession that it is no longer necessary to have SD specific course requirements.
Steve, I know that you understand the importance that I have placed on issues of Sustainable Design, and Miguel you may also know of the importance that I have placed on Sustainable Design this many years. In addition, our own and AIA National President Mickey Jacobs FAIA, has made comments in several recent forums such as AIA PERSPECTIVE (in the latest edition of ECOStructure Magazine references to global climate change and the architect's role), it is imperative that we as a profession step up to take the leadership positions that Mickey so clearly advocates. The best way to do this is to continue to stress to our membership the importance of leadership in sustainable design through knowledge based approaches and advocacy. The best way to do this is by continuing to stress the importance of Sustainable Design by keeping it at the forefront by such means as continuing to stress the importance of the education and training in Sustainability, and no better way than to continue to require SD CEU credits. AIA has been at the forefront in advocating for and requiring Continuing Education as requirement for membership in this Association.
As Regional Directors I believe that you two are in the important position of being advocates for this, and as Regional Directors of the Florida Caribbean Region, you both know firsthand how this region can and will be impacted by global climate change and the devastating effects of potential sea level changes. Even with such areas as far north as New Jersey and New York being impacted by "One-hundred-year storm events with potential greater frequency" (as stated personally by AIA President Mickey Jacobs FAIA), we are in even greater potential peril and so should be the loudest and clearest advocates for this position. We also know that with buildings using half of the energy consumed in this country (and in many cases from the most polluting sources as electricity from coal fueled power plants) we architects are in the unique position to impart some of the most significant positive changes to the potential for environmental impacts.
Steve you have clearly shown leadership in your personal practice with your emphasis on Green and Sustainable Design and so know how knowledge based design enhances both the project, the client, and frankly the stature of the architect. Miguel, as a practitioner in the Caribbean, you have assuredly witnessed the effects of catastrophic climatic events and most likely are on the front lines of sustainable design practices. I ask that both of you, with your unique firsthand knowledge and perspective of the issues, be advocates for this position and take this message to the AIA National Board of Directors and the Executive Committee and implore them to reconsider this position, and reinstate the requirements for Sustainable Design Continuing Education Course Credit Hours as a requirement of membership in this important Association.
Sincerely,
Lawrence Maxwell AIA
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Lawrence Maxwell AIA
Spacecoast Architects, P.A.
Indialantic FL
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