In Search of The Sustainability Pill
How do we help people integrate sustainable thinking into their lives without preaching? Joe Mozdzen, our new columnist, gives us his thoughts.
A New Light on Organizational Learning
Individuals are learning sustainable business practices, but organizations need to learn them too. What happens to an organization's progress toward sustainability when a key individual leaves?
Jean Vollum Natural Capital Center, Portland, OR.
Since 1991, Ecotrust has supported the growth of regional businesses that integrate conservation and economic development. Now, the organization is redeveloping an historic warehouse in Portland into a green retail and office complex. It will serve as “a marketplace for the ideas, goods, and services of the emerging conservation economy.” The 80,000 square foot Jean Vollum Natural Capital Center is named for the philanthropist and Ecotrust board member whose $2.5 million gift enabled the building’s purchase. A $2 million low-interest loan from the Ford Foundation is helping to finance the $12 million project. Space will be leased to companies and organizations that focus on conservation. 80 percent of the space is leased; opening ceremonies are planned for this summer. Patagonia, a leading sustainable business, will be the retail anchor. The building will house Ecotrust’s headquarters, the Wild Salmon Center, ShoreBank Pacific, the Certified Forest Products Council and Progressive Investment Management. The Natural Capital Center is in Portland’s emerging Pearl District, an area targeted for dense redevelopment as part of a regional smart growth strategy. It will be home to 15,000 new residents. The Portland Streetcar, which starts operating this summer, will stop directly in front of the building.The building is […]
Greenpeace USA's New Offices are a Green Builder's Delight
In constructing its new offices, Greenpeace USA is modeling the best of green design, creating a productive work environment for its employees, and giving its architect and contractor a new specialty niche. Greenpeace chose to renovate a building close to mass transit in downtown Washington D.C. They joined together five buildings for a total of 15,000 square feet. The developer allowed Greenpeace to write into the lease that the entire building would be PVC-free (except for electrical wiring for which there is no substitute). The open work station layout resulted in numerous savings in addition to fostering communication among employees. For example, they used 45 percent less drywall and 61 percent less wood by not breaking up the space and needing fewer doors. And many fewer lighting fixtures were needed.The extensive list of leading environmental products includes: ** All woods are FSC-certified. Knoll even used certified wood in the chairs it custom-manufactured for this project. ** PVC-free products used throughout ** Pantry countertops made from recycled yogurt containers and rubber flooring from recycled tires. ** Recycled-content carpet, installed with low- VOC adhesives. ** Bathroom tiles made from recycled glass; doors and desks constructed from certified wheatboard and particleboard respectively. ** […]
Solar Energy Will Be Standard Feature in New Homes
Shea Homes San Diego announced in January that it is introducing the “Shea High Performance Home.” All new homes will be built to standards that are 38 percent more efficient than California Title 24 guidelines and will offer solar electric power and water heating as standard features. Homeowners will be able to reduce their utility bills up to 80 percent compared to a conventionally built home. The company plans to build about 200 high performance homes over the next 18 months in its new Scripps Highlands community, located 15 miles north of downtown San Diego. 100 houses will be outfitted with solar panels that generate 1,500 kilowatt hours of electricity a year, in addition to conventional electricity. Another 160 homes will offer solar panels as an option. The panels add about $6,000 to the cost of a homes, which sell in the $400,000 – $600,000 range. As a result of the current California energy crisis, San Diego homeowners pay 10 times more for electricity and twice as much for natural gas as they did a year ago. Mark Brock, Shea Homes San Diego president notes, “The Shea High Performance Home gives our buyers much greater control when there are energy […]
John F. Kennedy University Will Be Green Top to Bottom
“Making intelligent use of sustainable building practices in the design and construction of our new campus will allow us to create a better environment in which to work and study, impact the Bay Area in a significant way by setting the example for environmentally sensitive buildings, and represent a model for whole campus construction projects worldwide,” said Charles Glasser in his President’s Green Message. John F. Kennedy University is preparing to be the first university in the U.S. to construct an entire campus using green principles, in both its buildings and academic curriculum. Working with architects Lynn Simon and the firm, Hornberger & Worstell, the university intends to meet the requirements for the highest LEED rating at its new 5-acre campus in Concord, California. Green building technologies and materials will be used to site and design the campus, its buildings and furnishings. The campus site is in downtown Concord, next to the city’s rapid transit station. The goal is for construction to begin in early 2002 and for the campus to open early in 2003; a campaign to raise capital is in progress. President Glasser made the decision after meeting with 30 peers at the President’s Meeting at Oberlin College. […]
The House That Soy Built
A 65 X 40-foot demonstration home sits on the grounds of Farm Science Review, an annual outdoor farm exhibition near London, Ohio. Constructed by the Ohio Soybean Council and the United Soybean Board, the “House That Soy Built” showcases the many ways soy beans can be substituted for chemical and petroleum products commonly used in buildings. Last fall, 150,000 visitors saw soy-based plywood, concrete sealer, plastics, carpet backing, adhesives, coatings and inks, lubricants, and solvents. The living room displays many products including carpet backing, candles, tabletops and fabric dye. The house will be updated each year as new soy products are developed. This year, all the lumber will be replaced with soy-adhesive finger-jointed lumber, and another room will added to display other soy products. Howell Cindy: HowellC@osborn-barr.com
Jean Vollum Natural Capital Center, Portland, OR.
Green Building Special Spotlight: Government Programs
Maryland Smart Growth ProgramSince 1997, Governor Glendening has spearheaded the nation’s most comprehensive smart growth program in the state of Maryland. The award-winning “Smart Growth and Neighborhood Conservation Program” provides incentives to attract commercial and residential growth in communities with existing infrastructure and away from undeveloped areas. [sorry this link is no longer available]In March, the governor announced that Baltimore’s largest office building – a $75 million complex called Montgomery Park – will be a green renovation of a vacant 1.3 million square foot building. The Maryland Department of the Environment will occupy 262,000 square feet of floor space. The building’s energy efficiency features such as extensive daylighting, and insulating glass and sensors, will reduce energy costs from the $2 per square foot of a typical comparable building to about 98 cents a square foot annually. Recycled materials will be used throughout the building in partitions, ceiling tiles and carpet. Collected rainwater will be used to flush toilets. Contractors expect to salvage about 75 percent of the demolition debris. Also in March, Governor Glendening signed an executive order that creates a commission to recommend criteria for a comprehensive energy conservation strategy, green buildings and for the purchase of renewable energy. […]
Builders Underestimate Home Buyers Environmental Priorities
This Spotlight section is on U.S. Green Building - highlights of important developments over the last 6 months. The first article discusses results of a survey on the builder/buyer attitudes toward green building features.
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