AIA Florida has selected Stuart as the location of its 21 January 2011 Board of Directors Meeting. The meeting is open for all AIA Treasure Coast members to attend. This is a great opportunity for you to meet the leadership of AIA Florida and learn about the current issues that AIA Florida is working on for all of the AIA Florida members. This is also an opportunity for you to ask questions about issues important to you. We will provide more details about the meeting in December. If you are planning to attend please RSVP to Tom Cooper so we can plan for the additional seats required.

On October 5, 2010, Commissioner Doug Coward, St. Lucie County Commissioner presented to the Martin County Commission the beginning discussions of the benefits and objectives of the St. Lucie County Solar and Energy Loan Fund (SELF). The fund, available in St. Lucie County, will provide long term, low interest loans for residents of St.

The United States General Services Administration is raising the bar to increase the energy efficiency of all of its new federal building construction projects. New projects must achieve LEED Gold certification, the second-highest rating from the U.S. Green Building Council's Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design program. For more info visit the Federal Times.

The American Institute of Architects (AIA) was awarded the 2010 "Organization of the Year" Award from the International Association for Public Participation (IAP2) for its efforts to create a participatory design culture in the United States. The award was presented in Scarborough, UK, as part of the IAP2's annual Core Values Awards, which recognize global leaders in public participation.