NRCA will offer its SpecRight Program training session July 8 in Chicago. This program is being held in conjunction with NRCA's Midyear Meetings. Participants will learn how to use NRCA's EnergyWise Roof Calculator software to demonstrate to building owners how energy costs can be reduced through insulation. Additional topics include cool roofs and the latest trends in energy codes. Participants will earn 0.75 CEU upon completion of this one-day session. Click here for more information and to register.
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Seven carports covering a parking lot at East Los Angeles College feature photovoltaic panels. The 5,052 photovoltaic panels make up a 1.2 megawatt solar farm that covers 3 acres and can accommodate 530 cars. The carports will provide the college with approximately 45 percent of its electricity needs and are expected to last 40 years. This project is part of the Los Angeles Community College District’s plan to "green" its nine colleges. When construction and renovations are finished, 44 of the district's buildings will meet Leadership in Energy and Environment Design (LEED)® certification standards. LEED, developed by the U.S. Green Building Council, is a voluntary rating system promoting the design and construction of sustainable buildings. To earn LEED certification, a building must perform well in the following areas: energy efficiency, indoor environmental quality, materials selection, sustainable site development and water savings.

Savings associated with the carport project should total $270,000 annually and will offset production of 1,160 tons of carbon dioxide emissions, which is the equivalent of removing 320 cars from the streets. In addition, students reportedly are thrilled to park their cars in the shade.
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Stuart Gaffin, a climatologist and atmospheric researcher at Columbia University's Center for Climate Systems Research, is studying how green, or vegetated, roofs affect the environment. The green roofs are made up of sedum, which are easy to maintain; require weeding for only the first few seasons until they fill the roof with a dense carpet; and can survive long periods of drought, heavy rainstorms, and severe winds. In January, Gaffin began gathering data from his rooftop laboratory on recently constructed buildings of the campus of the Ethical Culture Fieldston School, a private school in the Bronx. Gaffin believes green roofs are a significant tool to help cities confront the threats of global climate change. The difference in temperature between a traditional roof and a green roof on a mid-April day when the sun was out was 104 and 70 degrees, respectively. Green roofs stay cooler in the sun, absorb rainwater and reflect sunlight that heats a traditional roof to more than 30 degrees higher.

Urban buildings with asphalt rooftops and air-conditioning units cause problems with respect to air quality, heat and excess rainfall. During his research, Gaffin found that after a rainstorm the green roof absorbed 2,000 gallons of rain. The sewer systems in urban areas also are positively affected by green roofs, which help to avoid a problem in which rain floods the sewers and sewage leaks into local waters. Although green roofs are becoming more popular in some cities, others have yet to embrace this less-traditional type of roof. Gaffin believes his research will offer proof to policy makers that green roofs could prevent summer power outages from strained electrical grids, as well as other problems, by lowering air-conditioning needs of buildings and cooling and filtering the local air. Gaffin has found that green roofs also are insulating in the winter and keeping buildings warmer in cold weather. Gaffin will publish his data this year and hopes it will convince policy makers that green roofs are an excellent way to help cities confront the threats of global climate change.
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On May 4, 2007, an EF5 tornado nearly 2 miles wide destroyed 95 percent of Greensburg, Kan. The town has taken this devastating event and turned it into a positive opportunity. Greensburg City Council approved a resolution that all city building projects will be built to Leadership in Energy and Environment Design (LEED)® Platinum certification standards. LEED, developed by the U.S. Green Building Council, is a voluntary rating system promoting the design and construction of sustainable buildings. To earn LEED certification, a building must perform well in the following areas: energy efficiency, indoor environmental quality, materials selection, sustainable site development and water savings.

On May 19, the Greensburg City Council approved the Sustainable Comprehensive Master Plan. The plan includes short- and long-term projects, and its initiatives apply to all new projects. To learn more about Greensburg's new plan, click here. The Discovery Channel's new network, Planet Green, is chronicling the town's efforts to rebuild. Visit http://planetgreen.discovery.com/ to find out more about this series.
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NRCA Bookstore is offering 15 percent off its most popular technical products through June 30. All orders qualify for a 30-day, risk-free guarantee.
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As LEED Grows, So Does U.S. Green Building Council
CoStar Group (06/02/08) Burr, Andrew C.

With its green building certification platform continuing to grow in popularity, the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) has announced plans to more than triple its office space in Washington, D.C. Starting next March, USGBC will occupy 75,446 square feet at 2101 L St. N.W. Owner Vornado Realty Trust renovated the 10-story building in 2007 but did not pursue Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certification or an Environemtnal Protection Agency ENERGY STAR rating—the two most common "green building" tags. So prior to the deal being signed with USGBC, the council sent in project teams to analyze the space for green retrofit potential. Based on that evaluation, the USGBC plans to build the space for Platinum certification. Since LEED was introduced in 2000, USGBC's membership has soared tenfold to approximately 15,000 organizations. It now has LEED programs for such building sectors as residential, commercial, retail and schools with more than 10,000 projects currently awaiting certification.
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eBay Goes Green From the Inside
AuctionBytes.com (06/01/08) Ferrigan, Jan

In May, eBay announced the grand opening of an energy-efficient office building on its San Jose North Campus. The 200,000-square-foot structure meets the U.S. Green Building Council's Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Gold standard. Green features include a huge commercial solar roof array along with lights that are automatically programmed for energy efficiency, low-flow restroom faucets and eco-friendly furniture. Wood Turner, project director of Climate Counts, applauds eBay's efforts. He states: "In a very real way, one can make a great argument that [eBay] is a climate-friendly business model. We believe that it is critical for all companies, just like it is for all consumers frankly, to understand what they are emitting." Climate Counts is a nonprofit organization that rates corporations on their efforts towards mitigating climate change.
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Citi Reaches Milestone in 'Green' Building Program
Centre Daily Times (PA) (05/29/08)

In May, Citi became the first company to achieve Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) pre-certification for a retail commercial interior prototype via a pilot U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) program. The Citibank financial center in Warrington, Pa., and new CitiFinancial branches in Austin, Texas, and Flint, Mich., are the first company bank branches to be certified under this program. An additional 27 Citibank and CitiFinancial branches are in the process of pursuing LEED certification. In addition to these so-called "green" branches, Citi has earned LEED Gold certification for its newest skyscraper in Manhattan. Kevin Kessinger, chief operations and technology officer, remarks: "This is part of our approach to embed sustainable business practices throughout our operations—from our buildings to the supply chain to information technology. For Citi, green business is good business." The new CitiFinancial and Citibank branches use less energy and water. Among their environmentally friendly features are lights that automatically turn off when rooms are unoccupied; low-flow plumbing fixtures; and furniture, finishes and construction materials that meet the strictest indoor air quality emissions tests. According to Citi, the company is committed to achieving environmental certification globally for all new office buildings and operations centers and to evaluate existing larger facilities as part of its pledge to slash greenhouse-gas emissions by 10 percent by 2011.
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Apex Group Proposes 14-Story Mixed-Use Development for Downtown Madison
Wisconsin State Journal (06/05/08) Rickert, Chris

In downtown Madison, Wis., The Apex Group is trying to drum up support for a 14-story mixed-use development that it is pitching as an environmentally friendly alternative to suburban sprawl. Plans call for the project to include a 300-room hotel with residential and office space on eight lots. To make the project environmentally friendly, developers say they will pursue Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design certification for the development, create green roof systems and build wind turbines to provide electricity to common areas of the development. The site presently contains seven buildings—mostly small apartment buildings—and one parking lot. Apex Group Chairman Bruce Bosben and other company officials have met several times with city leaders, but no formal proposal has been submitted yet for review.
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Rutter's Rolls Out Newest Store Design
Progressive Grocer (05/27/08)

In May, Rutter's Farm Stores debuted its newest store design, with the first of 10 new locations scheduled in a record year of expansion for the Pennsylvania-based convenience store operator. The 5,200-square-foot store, located in Springettsbury Township, features an environmentally friendly design. Among its features is a white roof system that will keep the store cooler while lowering energy demand. The interior, meanwhile, has open ceilings and makes liberal use of floor and wall tiles. The retailer plans to invest more than $55 million in 2008 to construct the 10 stores, along with 11 car washes. Systemwide, Rutter's operates a total of 52 convenience stores in Pennsylvania's York, Adams, Cumberland, Franklin and Lancaster counties.
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Margulies & Associates Earns LEED Silver for Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts
Contract Magazine (05/08)

Margulies & Associates confirms that the new Boston-area headquarters it designed for Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts (BCBSMA) has been awarded Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Silver certification from the U.S. Green Building Council. In addition, the 329,000-square-foot office complex has been honored with a Sustainable Design Commendation by CoreNet Global and the Best Practice Award of Excellence by IFMA Boston. Completed last summer, the four-story building includes a cafeteria, data center and child care facility and was designed to allow for future expansion with no additional infrastructure required. The facility is located in the suburb of Hingham, and it is the more recent of two LEED-certified buildings for BCBSMA within the past couple of years. The other was a 345,000-square-foot BCBSMA facility in North Quincy, Mass., which received LEED certification in 2006. Larry Healey, director of real estate and design and planning at BCBSMA, states: "With each successive project, the level of green design practices and techniques implemented has increased, making this new facility our most sustainable building. By developing and refining those aspects of sustainable design that also meet the need of reducing costs, BCBSMA is providing a state-of-the-art workplace designed with the health and comfort of its employees, and the natural environment, in mind."
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Sen. Jeff Sessions Touts 'Green' Federal Building in Birmingham
NBC 13 (Birmingham) (05/27/08) Crane, Lisa

Alabama Sen. Jeff Sessions recently expressed his concern about energy efficiency, holding up a Birmingham-based federal building as a prime example of how to build green. Sessions, a member of the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources, toured the new Social Security Administration building and was impressed with its use of recycled construction materials and its 83,000-square-foot green roof system. He marveled: "We've got special roofs that collect the water, [and] we've got green plants on the roof that will help keep it cooler and absorb water." The tour was one part of a 14-stop statewide energy tour for the legislator as he works to promote nuclear power as a viable energy program.
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Solar Roof Planned for Markham Wal-Mart
Toronto Star (05/23/08) Hamilton, Tyler

Wal-Mart Canada recently detailed its plans to build Canada's biggest rooftop solar-energy system atop a new Supercenter store planned for Markham later this year. The project has the potential to spread across the retail giant's national chain. Ontario's Ministry of Research and Innovation has agreed to contribute a C$3-million forgivable loan to support the demonstration system, which has been designed to supply emission-free electricity and heat to the Wal-Mart store. Menova Energy Inc. is credited with creating the "concentrated" solar-energy system that magnifies sunlight by 1,000 times onto tiny solar cells, resulting in highly efficient electricity production and a significant reduction in costs. In addition, the captured heat from this intense focusing of sunlight creates a source of emission-free energy that can replace the fossil fuels typically used for space and hot-water heating.
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Lace Elementary School Receives $90,000 Grant From DuPage County Stormwater Committee to Build a Green Roof and Rain Garden
Market Wire (05/22/08)

Wight & Co. reports that its client, Lace Elementary School in Darien, Ill., was recently awarded a $90,154 grant from the DuPage County Stormwater Committee for the construction of a green roof system and rain garden. The 2,800-square-foot garden roof system is part of a building redevelopment project now being implemented by Wight for the Darien School District. Lace Elementary intends to make the project an environmental showcase for students, visitors and the community, providing students with a chance to understand that rainwater is a resource. Rainwater that is not absorbed and evaporated by the rooftop plants and soil will come down to the ground and channel back into the earth within a rain garden. Jim Zay, head of the county's Stormwater Committee, states: "All grade levels of the science arena will become stronger due to the design and construction of the green roof and rain garden project. This project will provide Lace School's 'go green' after-school environmental club with additional opportunities for environmental learning and stewardship." The green roof system is expected to be completed by summer.
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Office Depot First to Achieve Volume LEED Pre-Certification
Display & Design Ideas (05/21/08)

Office Depot has achieved Volume pre-certification under the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Portfolio Program for its store prototype design. The retailer is the first company to have achieved this pre-certification for new construction and was part of the first group of participants to become involved in the pilot of the Portfolio Program. Ed Costa, Office Depot's vice president of construction, states: "Office Depot has implemented a number of initiatives over the past couple of years to improve the energy efficiency of our stores and reduce our environmental footprint." Office Depot's LEED pre-certified prototype features a number of environmental attributes, including a reflective white roof system; solar-tracking skylights to maximize natural light; a non-asphalt, concrete parking lot; high-efficiency HVAC units; and a recycling program for collection of corrugated cardboard, paper, plastics, ink/toner cartridges and technology. The first Office Depot store to be built to this prototype is located in Austin and is on track for a late June grand opening.
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Haworth's New Global Headquarters Opens With a Grand Celebration
Contract Magazine (05/08)

Haworth's new global headquarters in Holland, Mich., features ample open floorplates and an emphasis on collaboration throughout. Designed by Perkins+Will | Eva Maddox Branded Environments, One Haworth Center boasts a total renovation of 300,000 square feet and features numerous sustainable initiatives. Energy consumption as a whole has been reduced by 30 percent even though 20 percent more space has been added. During the deconstruction phase of renovation, more than 98 percent of the old building was recycled, including all but 2 percent of a total 3,566 yards of waste. In addition, the new, three-story glass atrium features a green roof system that, at 45,000 square feet, is one of the largest modular green roof systems in North America.
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Actor Edward Norton Urges Congress to Make Affordable Housing Green
Multi-Housing News (05/08) Kher, Anuradha

Actor Edward Norton, grandson of Enterprise Community Partners co-founder James Rouse, addressed the U.S. House of Representatives recently on the importance of green housing initiatives. According to data from Enterprise, which oversees the Enterprise Green Communities initiative, eco-friendly communities generate significant cost savings by lowering water and energy usage—benefits that are achievable through slightly higher building costs. “Low-income people and communities suffer disproportionately from housing challenges, energy costs and the effects of climate change," said Norton at the hearing, titled "Building Green, Saving Green: Constructing Sustainable and Energy Efficient Buildings." "We can make progress on all these issues, create green jobs and lock-in long-term environmental benefits by making green affordable homes a national priority.” The Enterprise Green Communities program has $570 million invested so far in 250 green developments, with more than 11,000 units completed or under way for lower-income earners.
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Fast Company Names Chicago 'City of the Year'
Crain's Chicago Business (05/19/08) Hinz, Greg

Fast Company Magazine recently named Chicago as its first U.S. City of the Year. In doing so, the publication lauded the Windy City's economy, which is growing faster than New York City's and Los Angeles'. The editors went on to hail Chicago for its pioneering green roof policy. Mayor Richard M. Daley says the honor will likely assist the city when it goes to Athens in July in hopes of making the short list of finalists to host the 2016 Olympics. To do even better, Daley said Chicago must get more money for infrastructure work from the state and federal governments.
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Green Spaces in the Strangest Places
KARE 11 (Minneapolis) (05/17/08) DeMars, Jeffrey

The mini-makeover at Minneapolis City Hall is expected to slash operational costs and increase the beauty of the downtown structure. The building's office space addition will be topped by a green roof system that will include native plants from the Mississippi River. In total, 42 species of plants will fill the space. The green space will feature an underground sprinkler and draining system. When the water soaks through, it will then be re-used and recycled to water the plants. Finally, the green roof system is designed to lower the cost of monthly heating bills at the building.
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Green Design Nets Results, Study Shows
Federal Times (05/12/08) Vol. 44, No. 13, P. 5; Kauffman, Tim

A recent survey of 12 federal buildings that have sustainable design features found that, on average, they generate 33 percent less carbon emissions, require 26 percent less energy and use 3 percent less water than U.S. commercial buildings. Furthermore, employees in these buildings were 29 percent happier with their working conditions than employees elsewhere. However, some of the surveyed buildings ranked lower than buildings without green features in the same categories. "If you set good project goals to be energy-efficient and focus on these higher performing issues, you're more likely to achieve them. The projects where green was maybe not a top priority from the start are buildings that don't perform quite as well," says Donald Horn, director of sustainable design at the General Services Administration. The study linked employee dissatisfaction to inadequate acoustics, poorly planned lighting and maintenance troubles. However, both the Carl T. Curtis Midwest Regional Headquarters of the National Park Service in Omaha, Neb., and the Omaha regional headquarters of the Homeland Security Department were rated "Gold," the second-highest ranking a facility can receive, by the U.S. Green Building Council's Leadership in Environmental Design (LEED) program. They both spent the least on utilities and maintenance, had the greatest number of satisfied employees and used 54 percent less water than the national average. Another building examined in the study was the John J. Duncan Federal Building in Knoxville, Tenn., which exceeded federal energy reduction objectives by 33 percent after its building manager introduced a variety of sustainable design features. Now, it conserves 400,000 gallons of water every year and more than 290,000 kilowatt hours of electricity each year over previous use, an amount that could power 26 regular homes.
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Largest Modular Green Roof in Atlanta Installed on Art Museum
Epoch Times (05/12/08) Silver, Mary

Atlanta's High Museum of Art recently installed a 6,680-square-foot green roof system that features tough, colorful sedum plants. Sedums bloom in the spring and change colors in the sun, from pale green to bright green to yellow to pink to red. Woodruff Arts Center Board of Trustees member David Harris conceived the project, which aims to reduce stormwater runoff, improve air quality and safeguard the building's roof. While green roof systems use a rubber membrane, the museum's uses recycled plastic modules pre-planted with growth medium and plants.
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