PE, GGP
Perhaps it was hailing from three generations of farmers that instilled Buddy with his great affinity for nature and love of the land. Visiting his grandparent’s Kentucky farm every year, he roamed the fields and played with the animals. “We saw where everything came from and where it went. I knew where the well was and that was where the water came from. I knew where our waste ended up,” Buddy says. “As our society urbanizes and our connection with the farm dwindles, we lose that important understanding.”
Buddy’s dad was a bricklayer and masonry contractor so he grew up with blueprints on the table. He became a carpenter then went back to school in his late 20s to study civil engineering. His love for nature made him focus on minimizing waste and reducing environ- mental impacts. Drawn to big infrastructure projects, Buddy worked for a mechanical contractor in Hawaii for 15 years, where he performed one of the first reclaimed-water projects in the state. He moved to Georgia, became a consultant, and lectured on low-impact development and sustainable stormwater practices before they were popular topics. Buddy has also worked extensively with energy optimization and controls, and conducted forensic insurance building investigations.
The fact that Green Globes Assessors are required to be licensed design professionals with extensive experience appeals to Buddy, and he says that’s something that sets Green Globes apart. He views sustainability as a learning process and likes to share his knowledge as a project assessor. “I tell people about low-impact and natural approaches to optimize our resource use,” Buddy notes. “My biggest hope is that we educate everyone to recognize our effects on the environment, and I like the idea of contributing to that.”