Enter the next generation of green builders

EVAN WILLIAMS / FLORIDA WEEKLY Heidi von Korff Heidi von Korff, 26, loves natural landscapes like the ones she hiked through as a teenager, in the Grand Canyon, Zion National Park and the Appalachian Trail. While she was growing up in Tampa, her father was in the construction industry and she saw close up the kind of developments that boomed until the recession hit.

Now, fresh out of Vanderbilt University, where she earned a master's degree in civil engineering, Ms. von Korff is wedding her passion for the natural environment with the building industry in Southwest Florida.

With the help of Florida Gulf Coast University's Small Business Development Center, she launched her own fullservice green consulting firm for builders last year, Sustainable Civil, LLC.

"I bring change to the industry," she said, echoing President Obama's words, made in support of just the kind of change Ms. van Korff plans. The next generation of builders, she says, should create structures that use less energy and are self sustaining, as well as preserve the swamps and wildlife around them.

As a civil engineer, her expertise is in giving advice to people who build roads, government buildings and other infrastructure, so they can incorporate green building philosophies. She will also guide them toward earning their LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) Certification, a stamp of approval from the U.S. Green Building Council. As green building gains popularity, it has become par for the course for many builders, instead of just another accolade.

"The word is out there," she said. "People get it. They understand what 'green' is. It's a practice I've been living my whole life. It's healthy living and understanding what products are made of. It's about sustaining the land and enjoying what we have; making sure our built environment is used effectively and efficiently."

Ms. van Korff works at her home office in Naples and has a Web site, www.sustainablecivil.com. She is also a founding member of the Green Building Council's Southwest Florida chapter, which began in Fort Myers last summer.

Her recent projects include consulting with builders in their efforts to create a dorm at FGCU and helping immigration offices in Miami get their LEED Certification.

One of the green building techniques Sustainable Civil promotes is "rain harvesting," which is collecting rainwater and using it for toilets and irrigation instead of using potable water. Another is "green roofs," which are roofs covered in vegetation. It helps keep the building cool as well as produce oxygen. It also makes a pleasant place to take a break. Rooftop gardens are nothing new to skyscrapers in places like New York and Chicago, but she hopes to encourage more builders in Florida to use them.

"It could be grass or it could be lush," she said. "Especially in dense areas — maybe downtown Fort Myers or Naples. And you could use that as a patio. Maybe go up on your roof and have a coffee break. So it would be a change to the way you live in the building."

Ms. Van Korff's focus on green began not with the environment, but on golf courses in Tampa, where she grew up. She played well enough in high school to attend Florida Atlantic University on a golf scholarship.

"That's why I became a civil engineer, to build golf courses," she said. "And from that I found healthy living and impacting others lives is something I want to do…

"I love the outdoors, I love backpacking. I love adventure and the beauty we have on this earth."

She's going to Yosemite National Park this summer.

"It's something that gets me out there and clears my head," she said. "I come back with a better understanding of where we live."

She plans to grow the business, add employees and "create innovative projects that the clients are pleased about."

When not working, she golfs, runs half marathons, bicycles, kayaks, fishes and goes boating. She's also involved in her church, First Baptist in Naples.

She is the head of Southwest Florida Green Drinks, a green networking group that meets every second Tuesday of the month at the Hyatt Regency Coconut Point Resort & Spa from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. All are welcome. (Visit www.greendrinks.org for more information.)

"You just have to come with a sustainable mind," Ms. van Korff said.