Green building gains momentum in Ann Arbor

The Ann Arbor building landscape is becoming more and more eco-savvy as green building takes root in Tree Town.Excerpt:Green building continues to gain momentum locally, as area professionals organize new initiatives to bring attention to the field and an established construction firm opens an Ann Arbor office focused on environmentally conscious project development and execution.Ryan Stoianowski of Willis Building Co. in Saline is co-chair of the Emerging Green Builders Committee of the Detroit regional chapter of the U.S. Green Building Council. In May, Stoianowski was the only active member, but it has since grown to include chapters at the University of Michigan and the University of Detroit Mercy.He said the goal is networking and education.”We want to reach out to teach sustainability to young professionals and college students,” Stoianowski said. “We’re trying to get mentorship opportunities off the ground.”A local network of people interested in green building and development could help stop the “brain drain” of younger people to places like Chicago and San Francisco, Stoianowski said.Read the rest of the story here.