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Ford, Green? Ha!

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Green Building Transforms Los Angeles College Campus

When the Los Angeles Community College District embarked on a massive, 10-year, $2.22 billion modernization program two years ago, it decided to invest in a sustainable building program that concentrates on energy efficiency, recyclable and nontoxic materials. “The investment will result in life-cycle cost savings of about $20 million,” says spokesperson Lynn Corum. Money for the modernization came from two ballet measures approved by LA voters in 2001 and 2003. It includes 48 new buildings which will be designed to qualify for LEED certification. Another 75 older buildings will be renovated to meet or exceed California’s Title 24 energy efficiency building standards. Many of the new buildings will be powered by solar energy. In total, 453 projects will be completed by the end of the decade, with most work completed by 2008.Larry Eisenberg, executive director of Facilities Planning & Development at LACCD, said the district’s Board of Trustees has several goals in t adopting the policy: reduce energy use; include a teaching mission; and transform the marketplace.The district will have the opportunity to teach staff and students about the sustainable elements going into the buildings as they are being constructed, tailoring programs based on what is being built on each […]

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Carpets – New Standards, New Industry

In its continuing efforts to foster market-based solutions for the recycling and reuse of post-consumer carpet, the board of directors for the Carpet America Recovery Effort (CARE) announced winners of the organization’s second cycle of CARE grants. The companies awarded grants are: Environmental Recover & Consolidation Services (ERCS) in Massachusetts, NY Wa$teMatch and Carpetcycle in New York, and Blue Ridge Recycling in North Carolina. The winners received grants totaling $103,250. Nylon Board Manufacturing (Medford, MN.), makers of composite sheeting called Ny-Board and roofing shingles, which are made from recycled post-consumer carpet, was named Recycler of the Year.“CARE is in the process of laying a solid foundation for a new industry in the U.S. This new industry will be built by entrepreneurs. Through this program CARE is able to provide financial support to promising entrepreneurs,” says Robert Peoples, CARE executive director. “I fully expect to see a steep rise in the availability of quality feedstock as well as innovative products using the feedstock as we move forward in our challenge to divert 40% of carpet being landfilled by the year 2012,” he says. 93.7 million pounds of post-consumer carpet was diverted from landfill in 2003, an 87% increase from 2002. Carpet […]

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Allied Waste Introduces Construction Waste Management Service

Citing demand from project owners and the belief that it’s the “right thing to do,” Allied Waste Industries, Inc. is weaving the US Green Buildings Council’s LEED Rating System into its day-to-day operations. Headquartered in Scottsdale, Arizona, Allied Waste is the second largest waste management firm in the U.S. It is a member of the US Green Building Council and the Green Roundtable, based in Cambridge, MA. In the Great Lakes region, through SunSet Waste Services, and in the Northeast region, through BFI Waste Services, the company is implementing a copyrighted plan through which it takes on the responsibility of construction waste management. “We currently have several LEED Gold and Silver projects under our belts, plus a few Certified,” notes Brian Skehan, LEED consultant for BFI’s Northeast region. “Our waste management plan removes one of the big concerns for contractors doing LEED projects,” he says. Allied Waste examines the unique conditions of each project, including the green expectations for it. The team chooses between a source separation and a commingled recycling plan. At the beginning of each project, Allied coordinates and marks recycling containers and educates the work force on site. The team also begins documenting the weights and percentages […]

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Turner Survey Reveals Major Growth for Green Building

Turner Construction Company, a wholly-owned subsidiary of The Turner Corporation, the nation's leading general builder, today announced the findings of its survey of 719 building owners, developers, architects, engineers and consultants on Green building issues. The on-line survey was conducted by Bayer Consulting during July 2004. For the purposes of the survey, Green buildings were defined as buildings which use design and construction practices to significantly reduce or eliminate negative effects on the environment and occupants. Growth of Green Buildings In the coming three years, 93% of executives working with Green Buildings expect their Green workload to rise. 51% anticipate substantial increases in their Green building activities while 42% expect these activities to increase somewhat. Even among executives not currently working with Green buildings, 30% think it is very or extremely likely their organization will work on a Green project in the next three years. The survey also finds that 88% of executives currently involved with Green buildings have seen their activities with Green buildings increase during the last three years, and nearly 40% have seen Green activity increase substantially during that period. "An increase in sustainable building practices is great news for everyone," said Rod Wille, Senior Vice President, […]

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Iraqi Environment Ministry and UN to Assess Polluted Sites

BAGHDAD, Iraq, September 14, 2004 (ENS) – Environmental contamination left by years of war is about to be investigated by Iraqi scientists working on a new $4.7 million project funded by the government of Japan. Impacts on human health and the environment left by oil and chemical fires and spills will be assessed at five of 300 polluted sites across Iraq in preparation for a long term plan to clean up the country. The project will be coordinated by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) in cooperation with the Iraqi Ministry of the Environment, both agencies announced today. Iraqi Environment Minister Mishkat Moumin said, "My country is faced with a wide range of pressing issues that must be addressed if the Iraqi people are to enjoy a stable, healthy and prosperous future. Delivering a clean and unpolluted environment is a key piece in this jigsaw puzzle towards a better future." Going in, the scientists will be trained in the latest laboratory and field testing skills, and they will become the nucleus of the first independent Iraqi team of environmental assessors. They will share samples with UNEP's Post Conflict Assessment Unit in Geneva so that testing of the samples can be […]

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