Let me say right up front that I’m a big fan of all things green, but I’ve been feeling a bit out of it lately when it comes to sustainability. I wrote a book or two about it, and proudly wear the term greenie. I got the solar panels, the Prius, and the compost heap – the whole green nine yards. But lately I’ve wondered if the tide had turned, the world moved on, and maybe I had fallen
“Winter is coming.”
This is the common refrain in the popular book, Game of Thrones, in which kings vie to take over lands. As I thought about the green building policy mess of 2012, I couldn’t help but draw comparisons to Game of Thrones.
This was supposed to be the year of the USGBC’s
According to a 2011 survey conducted by The Princeton Review, 65% of students surveyed said they “would value having more information about a college’s commitment to the environment”, and 24% said a college’s commitment to the environment would impact their decision to apply to or attend a school.
Every day, it seems that people are taking more and more steps to live greener, more sustainable lives. From better recycling programs to restrictions on water use, communities and individuals everywhere are taking a good, hard look at their actions and how they affect the world. It’s no wonder then that the green building and construction industry is booming,
In June, the U.S. Green Building Council announced that a proposed tightening of its LEED building standard would be delayed until the market was ready to “absorb” the change. In contrast, two days after this announcement an alternative to LEED won the 2012 Buckminster Fuller Challenge for pushing the building industry “to reimagine business as usual.”
Emory University is a private research university located in the city of Atlanta, Georgia. It is one of the top 20 universities in the United States, as ranked by U.S. News and World Report, and Newsweek named it one of the 25 “New Ivies” in the year 2006. Emory University is also extremely well known for it’s numerous sustainability initiatives. The university currently has one of the biggest inventories in regards to square footage for LEED Certified building space among all universities in the United States. The university
Located in the city of Durham, North Carolina is Duke University, a very well known campus in northeast United States. As a leading university, Duke University also looks to take the lead when it comes to environmental stewardship by creating a number of sustainable initiatives throughout the campus. By
Someone recently asked me why I was baffled about the Department of Defense’s decision to use both LEED and a green building code. Here are two reasons:
1. The policy is a waste of taxpayer money.
2. The policy unnecessarily increases risks for government contractors.
While Rhode Island, known as the Plantation State or the Ocean State, is one of the smallest states in the United States, it still looks to pack a punch when it comes to renewable energy and energy efficiency. It is listed as having some of the best potential for water power and offshore wind farms because of its proximity to the ocean. As well, it is known for having a very
For consumer products companies like Avon, there is often a quick assumption that sustainability will focus on the products themselves – products that are green, organic, natural or similar designations. But at Avon, and many peer companies, the sustainability imperative is embedded organically (no pun!) into the business enterprise,
Sustainability is a big issue in the construction sector. According to the U.S. Green Building Council, 39 percent of the country’s CO2 emissions come from buildings, which also account for 40 percent of energy consumption, 13 percent of water consumption and 15 percent of GDP. Such impressive figures spell opportunity for the sustainable building sector.
Maharishi University of Management’s new Sustainable Living Center, which opened recently, has the distinction of being one of the few net-zero energy buildings in the country—it will produce as much if not more energy than it uses.
The building is designed to eventually be completely
Opening day for baseball has finally arrived and MLB officially has its third LEED certified ball park. Miller Park in Milwaukee joins AT&T Park (San Francisco) and Target Field (Minneapolis) in an all-star lineup of energy conscious Major League facilities. However, Miller Park is the first LEED certified ball park that also has a retractable roof. Johnson Controls,
In last week’s post, I stated that the Army was abandoning LEED certification in lieu of a green building code based on ASHRAE 189.1. But it is now clear to me that I misinterpreted the testimony of Dr. Dorothy Robyn, Deputy Under Secretary of Defense.
Instead, the Department of Defense is going to