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Slow Money

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Few of the sustainable businesses that need investment meet the criteria of "fast" venture capital.. maybe it's time for Slow Money.

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Greening Hospitals

When Boulder Community Hospital (Colorado) received its certification from the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) for a LEED silver rating, the hospital not only joined a select group of LEED buildings, but it also became the first and only hospital so far to get a LEED certification. There will likely be more hospitals but not without a struggle. There are 27 health care facilities registered with LEED waiting for word on whether they will receive certification. While that’s a good start, health care facilities comprise 30% of the new construction market. Given that, experts say nearly one-third of the 1800 projects registered with LEED should be hospitals. Because it’s so difficult to make those facilities green, however, less than two percent are. Hospitals operate on a 24 hour basis and have volumes of special regulations to adhere to. Just moving air around takes more energy in a hospital than in most other facilities. Lighting levels are higher and elevators operate all day and night. This makes designing a green hospital more difficult. “I’m not aware of any state that enforces energy code compliance on hospitals,” says Kim Shinn, an engineer with TLC Engineering. “I believe the underlying reason for the […]

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Panel Source International:Sustainable Building Materials

Panel Source International (PSI), headquartered in Alberta, Canada, has been in the panel products business for more than 60 years. About five years ago PSI committed itself solely to the manufacturing and sales of sustainable building materials. As part of that, PSI received FSC certification in 2003.James McLeod, Project Manager, said they sought out FSC certification because it is, “the only certification program that is truly independent of the forest products industry and able to provide unbiased information and direction. It is also the only certification program that is accepted by the US Green Building Council’s LEED program. We were very impressed with FSC’s holistic approach to forest management, the chain-of-custody system, and the certification by independent third parties. With these reasons, we believe that FSC will be the program of choice for the future.” Scientific Certification Systems granted PSI’s certification.PSI is engaged in the manufacture and distribution of building materials that offer key environmental attributes, and are suitable for use in the LEED program. These attributes include products that are urea-formaldehyde free, moisture resistant, recycled and/or rapidly renewable raw materials, and products that are FSC-certified. Although headquartered in Canada, their manufacturing and warehouse operations are centralized in Tacoma, Washington […]

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Recycled Water Seen as Opportunity

In California, the San Diego City Council recently approved a study to evaluate recycled water opportunities, launching a Master Plan Update. The objectives, developed with local environmental groups, include evaluation of all aspects of water reuse as well as information concerning potential impacts of the wastewater stream on water quality and public health. San Diego’s municipal golf course, Torrey Pines, takes about 400,000 gallons of reclaimed water daily for landscaping purposes. The San Diego campus of the University of California uses around 300,000 gallons of reclaimed wastewater a day to satisfy 40% of its irrigation needs. Meanwhile, the city of Corona, CA. began pipeline construction on its recycled water system expected to be completed in mid-2005. The system will include reservoirs, two pump stations, and about 30 miles of underground pipeline to carry recycled water from the wastewater treatment plant to irrigation connections. Recycled water will be used to irrigate landscaping at schools, parks, churches, freeway medians and homeowners’ associations-governed landscaped areas reports Water Reuse News.In Atlanta, Georgia, 24 wastewater treatment facilities generate reclaimed water to irrigate golf courses. The latest system to come online is in Denver, Colorado, where 30 million gallons of water a day will be pumped […]

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