LEED impact

Cleaner, Faster, Friendlier

2016 May-June, ecosystems, LEED impact

[vc_row][vc_column width="1/2"][vc_separator type="transparent" position="center" up="30"][vc_single_image image="16705" border_color="grey" img_link_target="_self" img_size="full"][vc_single_image image="22120" border_color="grey" img_link_target="_self" img_size="full"][vc_separator type="transparent" position="center" up="30"][vc_column_text] By Katharine Logan [/vc_column_text][vc_separator type="transparent" position="center" up="30"][vc_column_text] Brownfield remediation’s third generation comes of age. [/vc_column_text][vc_separator type="transparent" position="center" up="20"][vc_column_text] Brownfield cleanup, long a quagmire of cost and uncertainty, is undergoing a paradigm shift. As regulatory agencies put away their big sticks and facilitate collaborative, market-driven solutions instead, brownfield redevelopment is emerging as cleanup’s main driver. “What we’re seeing is the maturing of a third generation in brownfield remediation,” says James Maul, president of Maul Foster & Alongi, a consulting firm integrating environmental engineering with planning and community development. [/vc_column_text][/vc_column][vc_column width="1/2"][vc_separator type="transparent" position="center" up="30"][vc_single_image image="22121" border_color="grey" img_link_target="_self" img_size="full"][vc_column_text]Brownfield development is providing opportunities for the city of Portland, Oregon.[/vc_column_text][vc_separator type="transparent" position="center" up="30"][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row row_type="row" type="full_width" text_align="left" padding_bottom="25" padding_top="15"][vc_column width="1/1"][vc_column_text] In brownfields’ first generation, regulatory agencies drove cleanup for cleanup’s sake, with no consideration for economic or community context. In the second generation, elements of proposed redevelopments crept in for cost savings: pathways or building foundations, for example, might form part of the cap on a contaminated site. In the third generation, the most polluted sites have been dealt with, and most of the thousands of brownfields that remain will never rise to the top of the environmental...

Healing Hospitals

2016 May-June, human health, LEED impact

[vc_row][vc_column width="1/2"][vc_separator type="transparent" position="center" up="30"][vc_single_image image="18059" border_color="grey" img_link_target="_self" img_size="full"][vc_single_image image="22100" border_color="grey" img_link_target="_self" img_size="full"][vc_separator type="transparent" position="center" up="30"][vc_column_text] By Mary Grauerholz [/vc_column_text][vc_separator type="transparent" position="center" up="30"][vc_column_text] HDR Inc. designs an Army Medical Center with sustainability and wellness in mind. [/vc_column_text][vc_separator type="transparent" position="center" up="20"][vc_column_text] The global architectural firm HDR Inc. was in the middle of designing a new military hospital in Fort Belvoir, Virginia, in 2007 when news broke about substandard conditions at Walter Reed Army Medical Center. The news that some of the U.S. Army’s wounded veterans were being treated in a moldering, dilapidated setting launched an investigation and a directive from Congress that both hospitals be transformed into “world-class medical facilities.” “We were right in the middle of the design process with the Department of Defense on Fort Belvoir. It was quite a firestorm, a tumultuous time,” says Jeff Getty, RA, LEED AP, an architect in HDR’s Arlington, Virginia, office. [/vc_column_text][/vc_column][vc_column width="1/2"][vc_separator type="transparent" position="center" up="30"][vc_single_image image="22099" border_color="grey" img_link_target="_self" img_size="full"][vc_column_text]When combined with environmental and financial benefits, the SROI net present value of HEPA filtration and hydrogen peroxide vapor cleaning increases the total benefits to roughly $38 million and $121 million, respectively.[/vc_column_text][vc_separator type="transparent" position="center" up="30"][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row row_type="row" type="full_width" text_align="left" padding_bottom="15" padding_top="15"][vc_column width="1/4"][vc_single_image image="22104" border_color="grey" img_link_target="_self" img_size="full"][vc_separator type="transparent" position="center" up="20"][vc_single_image image="22105" border_color="grey" img_link_target="_self"...

Eco Sin Confessions

2016 May-June, COMMUNITY, LEED impact

[vc_row row_type="row" type="full_width" text_align="left" padding_top="25"][vc_column width="1/2"][vc_single_image image="18094" border_color="grey" img_link_target="_self" img_size="full"][vc_single_image image="22089" border_color="grey" img_link_target="_self" img_size="full"][vc_column_text] By Alexandra Pecci [/vc_column_text][vc_separator type="transparent" position="center" up="30"][vc_column_text] Holley Henderson dispels the notion that environmentalists have to be perfect to be effective. [/vc_column_text][vc_separator type="transparent" position="center" up="30"][vc_column_text] Holley Henderson might be a vegetarian, but do not ask her to pass on bacon, especially if it is cooked by her mom. “Regardless of your carbon footprint, my mom’s bacon and grits can convert any vegetarian,” she says with a laugh and a subtle Birmingham, Alabama, twang. “I mean that woman can seriously cook.” Being a bacon-eating vegetarian is not the only seemingly contradictory part of Henderson’s personality. Sure, she is a Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Fellow, an environmental building speaker and consultant, founder of the Atlanta-based H2 Ecodesign, and author of the book, Becoming a Green Building Professional. But she is the first to admit her own “eco sins.” “I love a very long and very hot shower,” she says. In the car, she likes to turn on the heat, including the seat warmer, and roll the windows down. [/vc_column_text][/vc_column][vc_column width="1/2"][vc_single_image image="22090" border_color="grey" img_link_target="_self" img_size="full"][vc_column_text css=".vc_custom_1462387654824{margin-bottom: 20px !important;}"] Holley Henderson, LEED Fellow. [/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width="1/1"][vc_column_text] She regularly confesses these sins for a reason: to dispel the idea that...

Opening Doors to Recycling Innovation

2016 May-June, green economy, LEED impact

[vc_row row_type="row" type="full_width" text_align="left" padding_top="25" padding_bottom="25"][vc_column width="1/2"][vc_single_image image="17498" border_color="grey" img_link_target="_self" img_size="full"][vc_single_image image="22142" border_color="grey" img_link_target="_self" img_size="full"][vc_column_text] By Alexandra DeLuca [/vc_column_text][vc_separator type="transparent" position="center" up="30"][vc_column_text] The invention of former New York City recycling head Ron Gonen, the Closed Loop Fund tackles how to reuse products and packages as part of the supply chain of the manufacturing process. [/vc_column_text][vc_separator type="transparent" position="center" up="30"][vc_column_text] In his office near New York City’s Union Square, Ron Gonen takes to a whiteboard for a quick geography lesson. His sketch of the United States, pinpointing major cities, is soon overwhelmed as he draws route after route showing how trash is trucked around the country looking for landfill space. “NYC garbage goes to landfills in South Carolina, Pennsylvania, and Ohio,” Gonen, a former deputy commissioner of recycling and sustainability for New York City’s department of sanitation, says. “Toronto pays to send its garbage to Michigan. Sacramento sends its garbage to Utah.” [/vc_column_text][/vc_column][vc_column width="1/2"][vc_single_image image="22144" border_color="grey" img_link_target="_self" img_size="full"][vc_column_text css=".vc_custom_1462465126283{margin-bottom: 20px !important;}"] Co-founders Ron Gonen and Rob Kaplan. Photo: Neil Landino [/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row row_type="row" type="full_width" text_align="left" padding_bottom="10"][vc_column width="1/1"][vc_column_text] These are just a few examples, he says, of an unfortunate ecosystem that not only trucks tons of recyclable waste to landfills across North America but one that eliminates local jobs as well. “The great thing...

Sustainable Sips

2016 March-April, ecosystems, LEED impact

[vc_row row_type="row" type="full_width" text_align="left" padding_top="25"][vc_column width="1/2"][vc_single_image image="16705" border_color="grey" img_link_target="_self" img_size="full"][vc_single_image image="21782" border_color="grey" img_link_target="_self" img_size="full"][vc_column_text] By Kiley Jacques [/vc_column_text][vc_separator type="transparent" position="center" up="30"][vc_column_text] Sonoma County’s wine region is on the verge of a new identity—the first of its kind. [/vc_column_text][vc_separator type="transparent" position="center" up="30"][vc_column_text] Two years ago, Sonoma County Winegrowers (SCW) put forth a comprehensive sustainability initiative—one that aims to position the county as the nation’s first completely sustainable wine region. The county’s wine industry has always been a forerunner when it comes to sustainable farming. This latest move is a prime example of regional winegrowers’ efforts to ensure agriculture remains the vanguard of the local economy. A 100-year business plan—thought to be the first of its kind in the global wine industry—outlines the ways in which they will protect agriculture into the 22nd century. [/vc_column_text][/vc_column][vc_column width="1/2"][vc_single_image image="21787" border_color="grey" img_link_target="_self" img_size="full"][vc_column_text css=".vc_custom_1458324637593{margin-bottom: 20px !important;}"] Karissa Kruse is the president of the Sonoma County Winegrowers. [/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row row_type="row" type="full_width" text_align="left" padding_bottom="25"][vc_column width="1/1"][vc_column_text]Originally known as the Sonoma County Grape Growers association, SCW pushed for commission status in 2006. At that time, 1,800 growers voted to impose a self-assessment on the sale of their grapes, which meant that any vineyard in Sonoma County selling 25 tons or more would pay half of 1 percent...

Sustainable Energy

2016 March-April, human health, LEED impact

[vc_row][vc_column width="1/2"][vc_separator type="transparent" position="center" up="30"][vc_single_image image="18059" border_color="grey" img_link_target="_self" img_size="full"][vc_single_image image="21751" border_color="grey" img_link_target="_self" img_size="full"][vc_separator type="transparent" position="center" up="30"][vc_column_text] By Jeff Harder [/vc_column_text][vc_separator type="transparent" position="center" up="30"][vc_column_text] Clif Bar’s headquarters promotes sustainability and wellness for its employees. [/vc_column_text][vc_separator type="transparent" position="center" up="20"][vc_column_text] Step into Clif Bar and Company’s headquarters, look up, and the bikes and kayaks dangling from the ceiling are among the quirky clues that suggest the leading energy bar maker is not content to leave the outdoors outside. Daylight beams through floor-to-ceiling walls of windows and changing colors fall onto workers spread across the open floor plan. A quartet of open-air atrium gardens offers a genuine slice of nature inside the building’s 115,000-sq-ft footprint. Step into one of the conference rooms built from reclaimed wood and the atmosphere feels a little like you have arrived at a trailhead. [/vc_column_text][/vc_column][vc_column width="1/2"][vc_separator type="transparent" position="center" up="30"][vc_single_image image="21753" border_color="grey" img_link_target="_self" img_size="full"][vc_column_text]As the leaders of a family- and employee-owned company, Gary Erickson, along with his wife, Kit Crawford, developed an innovative business model that integrates social and environmental responsibility into every area of the business.[/vc_column_text][vc_separator type="transparent" position="center" up="30"][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row row_type="row" type="full_width" text_align="left" padding_bottom="25" padding_top="15"][vc_column width="1/1"][vc_column_text]Clif Bar’s offices on 66th Street in Emeryville, California, are more than a Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Platinum testament...

Greenthink

2016 March-April, green economy, LEED impact

[vc_row row_type="row" type="full_width" text_align="left"][vc_column width="1/2"][vc_separator type="transparent" position="center" up="30"][vc_single_image image="17498" border_color="grey" img_link_target="_self" img_size="full"][vc_single_image image="21815" border_color="grey" img_link_target="_self" img_size="full"][vc_separator type="transparent" position="center" up="10"][vc_column_text] By Mary Grauerholz [/vc_column_text][vc_separator type="transparent" position="center" up="10"][vc_column_text] Rick Fedrizzi’s new book explores how the country can reduce its carbon footprint while thriving economically. [/vc_column_text][vc_separator type="transparent" position="center" up="10"][vc_column_text] When Rick Fedrizzi’s name comes up in conversation, it is often about his experience at UTC Carrier Corporation, when he got a directive from the CEO to create a “green agenda” for the air conditioning and heating division of the company—a pivotal moment that began the journey toward creation of the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC). But the life path that unfurled for Fedrizzi, USGBC’s CEO and founding chair, began much earlier, at the feet of his father. Fedrizzi’s dad, Arigo Fedrizzi, worked with his Italian parents and sister as farm labor throughout central New York, living in poverty and growing their own food in the backyard. “They picked everything imaginable,” Fedrizzi says in a recent interview. “It’s a reality for many people throughout the world.” Arigo Fedrizzi, burdened in his young life, took comfort in nature in his parenting years. “Whenever he could break away,” Fedrizzi says, “we would walk in the woods, go frogging—catch and release—to smell the...

Chattanooga’s Next Chapter

2016 January-February, energy, LEED impact

[vc_row][vc_column width="1/2"][vc_separator type="transparent" position="center" up="30"][vc_single_image image="21415" border_color="grey" img_link_target="_self" img_size="full"][vc_single_image image="21416" border_color="grey" img_link_target="_self" img_size="full"][vc_separator type="transparent" position="center" up="30"][vc_column_text] By Alexandra DeLuca [/vc_column_text][vc_separator type="transparent" position="center" up="30"][vc_column_text] EPB is not your parents’ electric company. Thanks to city leadership, the municipal utility operation is on a mission to eliminate waste and provide savings—and innovative services—for the city and its customers. [/vc_column_text][vc_separator type="transparent" position="center" up="20"][vc_column_text] The revitalization of Chattanooga, Tennessee, is a story well told. In 1969, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency identified Chattanooga as the most polluted city in the country, and the subsequent report by Walter Cronkite—declaring it the “dirtiest city in America” on national evening news—became infamous. It was also something of a wake-up call for this industrial city along the river. Government and community banded together to bring improvements over the next 40 years—from a leading-edge air pollution control bureau to miles of greenways and electric shuttle buses—long before many of these things were mandated or in vogue. Sustainability has become something of a mission for the city, and EPB, the public electricity utility, is helping to write the municipal utility’s next chapter. [/vc_column_text][/vc_column][vc_column width="1/2"][vc_separator type="transparent" position="center" up="30"][vc_single_image image="21430" border_color="grey" img_link_target="_self" img_size="full"][vc_column_text]David Wade, COO of EPB, is making positive changes at the electric company.[/vc_column_text][vc_separator type="transparent" position="center" up="30"][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row row_type="row" type="full_width" text_align="left"...

Middle Grounds

2016 January-February, ecosystems, LEED impact

[vc_row][vc_column width="1/2"][vc_separator type="transparent" position="center" up="30"][vc_single_image image="16705" border_color="grey" img_link_target="_self" img_size="full"][vc_single_image image="21382" border_color="grey" img_link_target="_self" img_size="full"][vc_separator type="transparent" position="center" up="30"][vc_column_text] By Kiley Jacques | Photography by Emily Hagopian [/vc_column_text][vc_separator type="transparent" position="center" up="30"][vc_column_text] By closely examining nature for over 40 years, Alrie Middlebrook developed a model ecosystem in which people of all ages learn ecologically sound principles and practices in a playful environment. [/vc_column_text][vc_separator type="transparent" position="center" up="20"][/vc_column][vc_column width="1/2"][vc_separator type="transparent" position="center" up="30"][vc_single_image image="21386" border_color="grey" img_link_target="_self" img_size="full"][vc_column_text]Alrie Middlebrook created an ecosystem in which people can learn ecologically sound principles and practices.[/vc_column_text][vc_separator type="transparent" position="center" up="30"][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row row_type="row" type="full_width" text_align="left" padding_bottom="25"][vc_column width="1/1"][vc_column_text] It's not just anyone who would drive by a bus depot parking lot in downtown San Jose, California, and think: I can build a garden there. But a “For Lease” sign had ecological designer Alrie Middlebrook thinking just that. In 2000, her musings gained momentum and ultimately led to the formation of the California Native Garden Foundation (CNGF), a public-benefit corporation of which Middlebrook is founder and president. In time, CNGF developed the site to support its Environmental Laboratory for Sustainability and Ecological Education (ELSEE) program. Indeed, that lowly parking lot made way for the Middlebrook Center—headquarters for both CNGF and Middlebrook Gardens, its namesake’s for-profit garden design/build business responsible for funding the...

Living Well

2016 January-February, human health, LEED impact

[vc_row][vc_column width="1/1"][vc_separator type="transparent" position="center" up="30"][vc_video link="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O-gXfBZCpiE"][vc_separator type="transparent" position="center" up="30"][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width="1/2"][vc_separator type="transparent" position="center" up="30"][vc_single_image image="18059" border_color="grey" img_link_target="_self" img_size="full"][vc_single_image image="21359" border_color="grey" img_link_target="_self" img_size="full"][vc_separator type="transparent" position="center" up="30"][vc_column_text] By Mary Grauerholz [/vc_column_text][vc_separator type="transparent" position="center" up="30"][vc_column_text] Tampa becomes the first city in the world to introduce a WELL Certified district. [/vc_column_text][vc_separator type="transparent" position="center" up="20"][vc_column_text] When green building began to sweep the country in the 1970s, it came with a red alert: Construction with toxic components was harmful to the environment. A correlation between the effects of traditional construction and human health increased the urgency. Now, a group of stakeholders is breaking new, higher ground by establishing the world’s first WELL Certified city district in Tampa, Florida. [/vc_column_text][/vc_column][vc_column width="1/2"][vc_separator type="transparent" position="center" up="30"][vc_single_image image="21363" border_color="grey" img_link_target="_self" img_size="full"][vc_column_text]Paul Scialla helped launch the International WELL Building Institute. He oversees the work to ensure it will meet WELL Certification. [/vc_column_text][vc_separator type="transparent" position="center" up="30"][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row row_type="row" type="full_width" text_align="left" padding_bottom="25" padding_top="25"][vc_column width="1/1"][vc_column_text] The project will be the first district-wide application of the WELL Building Standard, the world’s first building standard focused exclusively on human health and wellness. WELL fulfills a 2012 Clinton Global Initiative (CGI) Commitment to Action to improve the way people live indoors, and this new commitment builds on WELL and tackles the even greater challenge of creating...

This Issue

features

LEED impact categories

departments