Value of green buildings touted at conference in St. Paul
Mahesh Ramanujam, chief executive of the U.S. Green Building Council, said he has wondered how many people really know what a “green building” is or what the LEED emblems found on thousands of structures across the country signify.
It turns out not many, according to a report the council released this week as it played host to the Impact Conference on sustainable development in St. Paul. But Ramanujam hopes with a new awareness campaign, the public will better understand the impact of green buildings on greenhouse gas emissions and climate change and push for more buildings to be environmentally sustainable.
Only 11% of study respondents associated “green building” and “green space” with creating an environment where people can live longer and healthier…
7 tips for parents to help children cope with trauma from natural disasters

As parents, we want to protect our children from experiencing trauma. However, this isn’t always possible when natural disasters occur. So what can we, as parents, do to help our family cope with a traumatic experience after disaster strikes?
- Don’t try to sugar coat a disaster. Kids are pretty smart. Call the disaster what it is — a very difficult experience. Let children know they will have many experiences during their life time and not all them will happy ones, but assure them that, as a family, you will weather them together…