Jackson Free Press

Sustainable building can promote economic development and make life better for residents, according to an organization that is promoting "green building" in Jackson.

The Mississippi chapter of the U.S. Green Building Council held a forum Thursday to encourage people to get involved in sustainable development in Jackson. About 50 people attended, including chapter members, people from the city planning office and corporate sponsors.

Jeff Seabold is the chair of the board of the Mississippi chapter of the USGBC and the owner of Seabold Architectural Studio. He said encouraging building and population density within city centers that are already established is a sustainable building concept and helps cities make better use of their tax dollars.

"Density is the core concept of what is going to make cities and make our countries more viable in the future," he said.

If people and buildings are concentrated within a smaller area, Seabold said, cities don't have to spread out the infrastructure -- and tax dollars -- as much. Instead, they can concentrate money on improving water, sewage and other services where people are living. At the forum, Seabold said Jacksonians should build in the space they already have and pointed to the vacant buildings downtown as an opportunity.

He also said that in an economy where much of the construction industry is in decline, green building is growing.

Seabold said he got involved with the USGBC because it defined the kind of work he was already doing.

The USGBC developed and promotes a building certification system called LEED, or Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design, that rates buildings based on location, use of building resources, energy efficiency and other criteria. The goal is to make both existing and new buildings more sustainable.

The Mississippi chapter of the USGBC holds educational programs throughout the year. For more information about USGBC or LEED building, visit chapters.usgbc.org/Mississippi.