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Paul Poirier + Associates Architects is a nationally recognized firm with a focus on sustainable design and a diverse project mix, including commercial retail, restaurants, civic and custom residential. We are seeking a full-time self-motivated Architectural Drafter with a minimum of 3 years AutoCAD architectural drafting experience to join our firm located in Santa Barbara. Candidates mist be client focused and have experience working as part of a team in a professional environment. This position requires the ability to work under the guidance of Architects/Project Managers while also coordinating with other team members. We are looking for a positive, dependable, responsible and conscientious individual who works well both independently and as par of a dynamic team.

Candidate must have the following skills:

- Proficiency in AutoCAD & Microsoft Office

- Proficiency in Revit, SketchUp & Photoshop a plus

- Ability to complete a full set of construction documents in AutoCAD and Revit

- Ability to understand plans, sections, elevations, and working sketches, change orders, submittals, request for information, etc.

- Excellent written and verbal skills

- Strong organizational skills and the ability to multi-task and prioritize

- Architectural degree a plus

Compensation dependent on experience, Poirier + Associates offers health insurance, paid holidays, vacation and sick time to full-time employees

Please send your cover letter, resume and work samples via email, PDF format files, 5MB maximum to Rose@sbarchitect.com No phone calls or drop-ins, please.

USGBC-C4 proudly presents the 2012-2013 Green Awards Book. This bi-annual publication features the best green projects from around the California Central Coast that participated in our Annual Green Awards Program. The 2012 & 2013 Green Awards had so many outstanding projects and we're excited to share them with you. Congratulations to all of the winners and thank you for participating and helping us in our journey to make sustainable communities available to everyone within this generation. Order Your Copy Today!

Congratulations to Georgia Brown Elementary School in Paso Robles, CA for completing the Gateway to Green Schools Program! To celebrate this achievement, they held a school carnival filled with fun carnival games, face painting, and cotton candy as well as interactive lessons in recycling, composting, and gardening. During the celebration, Georgia Brown was presented with their $500 grant check for completing Gateway to Green Schools. Georgia Brown is looking to use the grant to invest in on-site rainwater catchment in hopes of reducing their impact on the growing water shortage in Paso Robles. Together, we can make sustainable communities available to everyone within this generation.

The Pacific Region Council's Leadership Summit is an exclusive event held for chapter leaders in the Pacific Region. The Summit will be held on the campus of Westmont College, at the beautiful LEED Gold certified Winter Hall, located on over 100 acres of rolling woodland in Montecito, just outside of Santa Barbara, CA.

In June, LEED Green Associate and LEED AP exams will evolve for the LEED v4 rating sytem. The last day to take the credential exams with LEED v2009 content will be June 15, 2014 and the first day to take the exams with the new LEED v4 content will be June 30, 2014.

The Urban Green Council (USGBC New York) is hosting its' national program, the annual EBie Awards, which recognizes outstanding performance in existing buildings, dovetails with USGBC's LEED for Existing Buildings efforts, and provides an exciting way to promote sustainability in buildings across the country. In addition to encouraging excellence in the industry, the EBies are a great way to ensure that the amazing work being done in our region is recognized by a national audience. Submissions are due March 20th, so submit your outstanding retrofit project today! Winners are announced April 16th and the EBie awards ceremony will be held in New York City at the Hard Rock Cafe Theater in Times Square on June 9, 2014.

Net Zero Energy and Net Zero Water buildings have captured our minds and imaginations and begun to change our expectations for the pace of change in the future built environment. Though the technologies are still emerging, we are on the brink of a more productive, thriving and healthy community and future. Join the Internatonal Living Future Institute for their Net Positive Energy + Water Conference, where you will learn about net zero building, the latest in zero energy and water ideas, as well as new technologies and applications. Maude Barlow, political activist, policy critic, author and the leading voice in Canada for social justice, will be joining Denis Hayes and Jason F. McLennan as a keynote speakers at the conference. See you in San Francisco!

This month Governor Jerry Brown signed a law that will ask the Fire Marshal and the Building Standards Commission to review California'a flammability standards for insulation materials. Authored by Assemblywoman Nancy Skinner, D- Berkeley, the law will have officials considering whether flame retardants are necessary for fire safety. This law comes in light of studies showing that some of the most commonly used compounds in insulation have dangerous or unknown effects. With the chemical industry pouring millions of dollars into state legislature, Skinner says banning chemicals outright will be a tough sell. "It was more important to at least have the ability for building professionals and consumers to be able to get foam without chemicals than to ban" the chemicals, she said. "Because with the standard right now, we don't have the option to get it or use it without chemicals." The law, known as AB127, targets chemical flame retardant chemicals like HBCD, which can disrupt human hormones and harm the developing nervous system, and TCPP, which is considered potential carcinogen. With support from the USGBC, San Francisco firefighters, and the National Resources Defense Council decades-old flammability standards are finally being reversed.

Join us October 30th for a class on the updated Title 24 codes and standards. The topics being covered include building envelope, lighting and mechanical requirements that affect building design for new construction projects using the 2013 standards. This great educational opportunity is sponsored by the Southern California Edison Energy Education Center in Tulare, CA and you don't want to miss it!