Alex Wilson, founder of BuildingGreen, in Brattleboro, Vt., is the 2010 recipient of the Hanley Award for Vision and Leadership in Sustainable Housing. The award, which was founded in 2009, recognizes individuals who demonstrate extraordinary, lasting, and far-reaching contributions to the advancement of sustainable housing in the United States. It is sponsored by the Hanley Foundation, EcoHome magazine, and Eco-Structure’s publishing company, Hanley Wood.

Wilson Wins Hanley Award

“For more than 30 years Alex has quietly and methodically gone about the business of changing the way we build by defining green building product standards, promoting performance-based thresholds for projects, and challenging all sectors of the industry to become honest brokers in advancing environmental building.” —Rick Schwolsky, editor, EcoHome magazine

The award is open to residential construction professionals or those working in technical research, product development, educational outreach, environmental advocacy, governmental policy, and related areas. Nominees are chosen by a committee and a final winner is chosen by a separate jury.

As this year’s winner, Wilson receives a $50,000 grant, will be formally awarded at the USGBC Hanley Award Dinner on Nov. 17 during Greenbuild International Conference and Expo in Chicago. Wilson also will be featured in an upcoming issue of EcoHome.

In 1992, Wilson founded Environmental Building News, a monthly newsletter covering green building products and technology. He has won national awards for journalism, environmental leadership, and educational outreach, and has served on the boards of the USGBC, the Northeast Sustainable Energy Association, and the Conservation and Research Foundation. Wilson also was nominated in 2009 for the inaugural Hanley Award.

Wilson was chosen from a slate of nominees that included architect David Baker, Dennis Creech of Southface Energy Institute, USGBC founder David Gottfried, Robert Hammon of energy solution provider ConSol, building scientist Mark LaLiberte, architect William McDonough, builder Chris Miles, architect Peter Pfeiffer, architect Steven Winter, and public housing executive Sunia Zaterman.

The jury included Michael J. Hanley, president of the Hanley Foundation; Frank Anton, CEO of Hanley Wood; Joyce Mason, vice president of marketing for Pardee Homes; Nate Kredich, vice president of residential market development for USGBC; and 2009 Hanley Award winner Edward Mazria, founder of Architecture 2030.