Getting Started
September
Sub-archives
Seattle, WA, develops incentives for LEED-certified construction
by Rena Ragimova Sep 30, 2008
The Achievement
Seattle, WA was the first city in the nation to formally adopt LEED
as the design and performance standard for all city projects and today
Seattle has also developed strong incentives for the private sector.
Developers who pursue and achieve certification at the silver, gold and
platinum levels for new projects receive financial incentives and
technical assistance. In order to get significant bonuses to increase
building height and density, developers building New Construction
(LEED-NC) or Core & Shell (LEED-CS) projects in the central city
core and adjoining areas must contribute to affordable housing and other
public amenities and achieve at least LEED silver certification. The
City also offers financial incentives and provides technical assistance
on a case-by-case basis.
Read more »
Saint Louis County, Minn. saves $20,000 on parking garage bills
by Rena Ragimova Sep 03, 2008
Saint Louis County painted the interior of a parking garage white as
part of routine maintenance, and turned off one half of the lights and
dimming the rest.The Accomplishment
The Benefit
From these simple, low-cost steps, the County saves $20,000 per year
on its energy bill.
Read more »
San Jose, Calif., sets new green building standards
by Rena Ragimova Sep 01, 2008
In September 2008, San Jose, Calif., adopted a green building policy
to reduce energy and water consumption in new residential, commercial
and industrial construction projects. The policy is a step forward for
San Jose’s Green Vision, which sets a goal that 50 million square feet
of buildings built or retrofitted in the City will be “green” within 15
years. The Achievement
The San Jose green building policy stipulates the following:
El Cerrito, CA, Builds LEED-Certified City Hall
by Rena Ragimova Sep 01, 2008
El Cerrito, CA, has built a “green” City
Hall, scheduled to open in October, 2008. The building features
water-saving faucets,
sensored lights, large windows, recycled wood, renewable materials, and
sustainably produced paint, carpets, and counter tops. The
two-story structure will house all city departments except police, fire,
and recreation. The city is also proud
to house its earthquake emergency operations center in City Hall,
and in general create a healthy work environment that will save the city
money and
energy over time. The Achievement
Although not planned,
the city received a LEED certification award for the building through
additional efforts such as the use of nontoxic cleaning materials and
preferred parking for alternative-fuel vehicles; a solar panel system
will also
likely be installed in the near future.
Ashland, OR, installs solar arrays on public buildings
by Rena Ragimova Aug 31, 2008
Ashland, OR, has worked with the Bonneville Environment Foundation to
install numerous solar arrays in such places as the Southern Oregon
University Library, Oregon Shakespeare Festival Administration Building,
Ashland City Council Chambers and Ashland Police Station. The output
from the solar arrays is sold locally by Ashland's municipal utility to
local subscribers, delivered to the grid as generic power, and used for
resale as green power.The Achievement
