This year the USGBC-Long Island Chapter's Emerging Professional Committee will be taking part in the annual Canstruction design competition. The committee is designing and building a structure made entirely from cans of food! Our team will be building the structure on October 26, alongside over a dozen other competitors at the RXR Plaza Wintergarden. At the conclusion of the exhibit all of the cans will be donated to Long Island Cares, Inc., The Harry Chapin Food Bank. Long Island Cares was founded in 1980 by the late singer/activist Harry Chapin in response to the immediate needs of hungry Long Islanders. The Mission of Long Island Cares is to bring together all available resources for the benefit of the hungry on Long Island. Their vision is, "A Hunger-Free Long Island." The mission of the Long Island Chapter of the U.S. Green Building Council is to work with our fellow Long Islanders to improve our quality of life by improving the quality of the structures we build, and the environment in which we all live, work, and play. We are committed to leaving the world a little better than we found it so that future generations have an unfettered opportunity to do the same. Having a meal to eat is not a quality of life issue but essential to the existence of life itself. You can help! We hope that we may count on your aid to bring attention to a serious need through this very creative platform while putting food on a table where there would not be otherwise. A monetary donation of any amount will go directly to feed someone in need! The committee is working to build a meal of great nutritional value as well as a structure of great appeal. After purchasing the requisite number of cans needed for our structure, all additional monies collected for this purpose through November 10th will be donated along with the cans of food to L.I. Cares. You can make your donation online (www.usgbc-li.org see bottom left under events) via credit card or we would be pleased to accept your check. USGBC-LI is a registered 501c3 non-profit charity, as such all donations are tax deductible to the fullest extent allowable by law. The structures will be on public display from Friday, October, 28th through Thursday, November 10th during the hours of 8:00 a.m. - 6:00 p.m. daily in the RXR Plaza Wintergarden in Uniondale. Vince Capogna, LEED AP+, is the executive director of US Green Building Council - Long Island and principal of Synergy Green Building Group, Inc., New Hyde Park, N.Y.