Paul Shahriari, a pioneer in "green" or environmentally-friendly construction practices, will give a talk on "Harnessing Economic Value from Environmental Performance" Monday, Sept. 17 at 6:15 p.m. at the Litchfield Beach and Golf Resort Conference Center. The event is free but reservations are required. Call (803) 799-6502 to reserve a seat. A reception with hors d'oeuvres will precede Shahriari's presentation.

The discussion will focus on the growing awareness of environmental issues and the creative "green" solutions that are being developed to address them. Particular attention will be given to cost benefit analyses of green building projects.

Shahriari specializes in the application and implementation of sustainability to the real estate, design and construction industries. He works with organizations on various topics ranging from corporate sustainability and environmental initiatives to helping service providers such as architects, engineers and construction managers develop world-class service offerings for high performance green building owners around the world.

Shahriari is a faculty member on the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) and serves as co-chair of its steering committee.

The event is sponsored by USGBC's South Carolina chapter and by Coastal Carolina University's Campus and Community Sustainability Initiative. For more information, contact Dan Abel, director of CCU's sustainability initiative, at 349-2257.