[July 26, 2011 - Cat Brutvan]
Well, you learn something every day. Some days you don't even have to try. While shopping at the Kohl's in Knightdale recently, I listened to the perky voice of Kohl's on the PA system letting shoppers know that the story is LEED certified and just another way Kohl's is serving its customers and the community.
My first thought was how far LEED has come to make it into the retail chain's promotional loop on the store PA. On equal footing in the loop with a message about Kohl's lenient return policy, the LEED announcment signalled to me that LEED has really hit the mainstream.
Straight off the kohlsgreenscene.com website I found out you can add Kohl's to the list of stores where you can recycle used plastic bags, and that they have 194 LEED certified stores -- that's 13,614,741 square feet of LEED-certified space. Kohl's is installing solar power in 100 stores in six states as a long-term commitment to renewable energy. The Kohl's Photo Studio in Milwaukee, Wis., opened in early 2008, earned a LEED Gold certification from the USGBC in May 2009.
I found out from a recent press release from Georgia USGBC that the USGBC's streamlined LEED certification for large groups of existing buildings graduated from pilot phase to official status this week after five years in development. From the press release:
The volume program, whose pilot stage began in 2006, has two tracks. One covers from-the-ground-up construction, major renovations and commercial interiors. Companies that choose this path first seek pre-approval of a design prototype. After it is obtained, firms can pursue volume certification for projects built according to the pre-certified prototype.
The second track is for existing properties of any age that are run in conformance to a pre-certified set of standards for operations and maintenance. It's not necessary for the sites to share identical physical features. The prototype for this path is a framework for using the same policies, operational practices, measurement tools and documentation methods across a portfolio.
Kohl's, which is participating in both tracks of the volume program, has 194 LEED certified stores; about 40 percent are existing buildings. Overall, about 13 percent of the retailer's stores are LEED certified. On average, the certified properties are 32 percent more energy efficient than baseline stores, use 50 percent less water for irrigation and see savings of as much as 30 percent in general water consumption with use of in-store plumbing fixtures that are designed to conserve water, the company said in a case study of its program participation. Kohl's also found that certification reviews under the volume process take about a third of the time the company had "previously allocated for a one-off certification."
About 20 companies and universities are participating in the volume certification program. As of February, more than 500 properties received LEED ratings through the program. By July 2011, that number had grown to more than 625 projects, according to the USGBC.
Raleigh will be making it a bit easier to recycle TVs and computers once the electronics landfill ban goes into effect on July 1.
The city will be offering free curbside collection of computers and TVs for residents once a month on pre-assigned days.
Requests for computer or TV collections must have an appointment. Residents must call 250-2728 prior to the scheduled collection date to have electronics picked up. Items placed at the curb before scheduling an appointment are subject to Solid Waste Services administrative fees.
Pickups cannot be scheduled for items other than TVs or computers. Other electronics with a cord — such as computer monitors, printers, DVD or VHS players — can be collected only if you are scheduling pickup of a TV or computer.
The collection schedule is as follows:
- Northwest quadrant - first Monday of the month;
- Northeast quadrant - second Monday of the month;
- Southwest quadrant - third Monday of the month;
- Southeast quadrant - fourth Monday of the month
If you do not know which quadrant you reside, visit the City of Raleigh website (www.raleighnc.gov), click on the Maps icon in the upper left hand corner of the page, and click "View More Information." Enter your address and click the icon called "Services." Click the menu item just above the icons called "Solid Waste."
Those who do not want to wait for the next scheduled collection date may take items directly to a recycling drop-off center or pay for a special load pickup, which is $50 per load. Special loads can be scheduled by calling Solid Waste Services customer support at 996-6890.
In addition to the curbside collection, Raleigh offers two drop-off locations for all electronic items with a cord (except TVs over 36 inches) at the former EcoLube store at 4901 Atlantic Ave. 24 hours a day, and at the Solid Waste Services administrative office at 400 Peace St., accessible Monday through Friday, 7 a.m. to 4 p.m.
All items with a cord including large-screen TVs are accepted at Wake's North and South multi-material facilities.
Raleigh residents can toss more items in the recycling bin.
Great news for those who reside within Raleigh city limits: A three-year contract extension with Sonoco Recycling has enabled the city to collect more recyclable materials.
So what can you add to your recycle bin? Phone books, colored paper, spiral cans (think Pringles and other snack and nut containers) and #1-5 and #7 plastic containers.
The top ten includes iess waste and more recycled packaging, new green technologies and efforts to acheive zero-waste goals. One encouraging statistic on packaging: the per thousand tons of packaging material per billion dollars of GDP has dropped from 5.10 in 2005 to 4.34 in 2009. Hopefully that includes lots less plastic clamshells and non-biodegradeable packing peanuts. Follow "read more" to see the Top Ten List.
[From GreenBiz - March 2011]
An analysis of businesses in 2010 shows that even during economically challenging times, many companies invested more in their sustainability activities and have made bold new sustainability commitments. Follow the "read more" to download the the 4th annual State of Green Business Report from GreenBiz.Highlights:
Procter & Gamble made a commitment to power all of their factories with renewable energy within the next 10 years;
FedEx committed to improve vehicle fuel efficiency by 20% by 2020;
Walmart pledged to sell $1 billion of fresh produce sourced from 1,000 small- and medium-sized farmers;
Hasbro promised that 75% of its paperboard packaging will come from recycled materials in 2011.
[January 17, 2011]
Garner's newest park, White Deer Nature Park Center, has recently been awarded Gold LEED certification. A presentation ceremony will be held on February 27th, 2011 at 3:00 pm in the Nature Center at 2400 Aversboro Road; Garner, NC 27529. Please go to http://www.garnercitizen.com/2010/09/14/white-deer-park-nature-center-earns-leed-gold-certification/ to read an article about the park from Garnercitizen.com.
[January 15, 2011]
LEED Gold presentation at The Catholic Community of St, Francis of Assisi, Raleigh - Rep. David Price, Mayor Meeker and Councilman Coble have committed to attend the gold plaque ceremony being held on Monday, January 31st, 2011 at 3:30 pm at St. Mary of the Angels Chapel, The Catholic Community of St Francis of Assisi, 11401 Leesville Road, Raleigh, North Carolina. Three buildings have received LEED Gold certification: St. Mary of the Angels Chapel, The Community Center, and Elizabeth Hall. For more information on sustainabilty at St. Francis of Assisi please go to http://www.stfrancisraleigh.org/greenbuilding.
[From SustainableBusiness.com - November 15, 2010]
The value of green building construction starts was up 50% from 2008 to 2010--from $42 billion to $55 billion-$71 billion--and represents 25% of all new construction activity in 2010, according to a new market report.
The green building market size is expected to reach $135 billion by 2015, state McGraw-Hill Construction's "Green Outlook 2011: Green Trends Driving Growth" report.
Green building is the bright spot in an otherwise tough economy, and in some sectors, that rate of growth has been remarkable. In nonresidential building, for example, the green building market share is even higher than the overall market. Today, a third of all new nonresidential construction is green--a $54 billion market opportunity.
In five years, nonresidential green building activity is expected to triple, representing $120 billion to $145 billion in new construction (40%-48% of the nonresidential market) and $14 billion to $18 billion in major retrofit and renovation projects.
To break it down further, health care construction this year is expected to grow its green share to as much as 40% (valued at $8 billion-$9 billion in 2010)--phenomenal growth in just two years. Education (valued at $13 billion–$16 billion in 2010) and office green construction (valued at $7 billion–$8 billion in 2010) also remain strong sectors, showing high increases in market share, due in part to the fact that bigger projects are the most likely to "go green."
This year, the U.S. Green Building Council's LEED specification is mentioned in 71% of all projects valued at over $50 million.
"It's an amazing area of opportunity at time when the construction market is extremely challenged," said Harvey M. Bernstein, vice president, Global Thought Leadership and Business Development, McGraw-Hill Construction. "In today's economy, firms that specialize in green or serve this market are seeing a tremendous advantage--and they're doing good at the same time. Green building leads to healthier places for us to live and work in, lower energy and water use, and better profitability."
Aside from market size estimates, the 32-page Green Outlook 2011 report provides insights into key trends, perceptions and motivators in the green building space. For example, building owners cited three business benefits as the main drivers for building green:
* Reduction in operating costs of 13.6% on average for new buildings and 8.5% for retrofits
* Increase in building values of 10.9% for new buildings and 6.8% for retrofits
* Increase in return on investment (ROI) of 9.9% for new buildings and 19.2% for retrofits.
Beyond these bottom-line advantages, McGraw-Hill Construction attributes green building's rapid expansion to owners' desire for market differentiation, growing public awareness, and an increase in local and federal government regulations. As of September 2010, green building legislation and initiatives were present in 12 federal agencies and 33 states, and the proliferation of local government initiatives have increased at an especially impressive pace--from 156 localities in 2008 to 384 localities in 2010
[From SustainableBusiness.com - January 7, 2011]
The Empire State Building has become New York City's largest commercial purchaser of 100% renewable energy. The 2.85 million square-foot office building announced Thursday that it is purchasing 100% wind power from Green Mountain Energy Company, a leading retail provider of cleaner energy and carbon offset solutions.
"It was a natural fit for us to combine 100% clean energy with our nearly completed, ground breaking energy efficiency retrofit work," said Anthony E. Malkin, president of Malkin Holdings. "Clean energy and our nearly 40% reduced consumption of watts and BTUs gives us a competitive advantage in attracting the best credit tenants at the best rents. Our program of innovation at the Empire State Building shows simple, replicable, non-proprietary steps for other landlords to follow to be more energy efficient, cleaner and greener."
The iconic landmark has signed a two-year contract with Green Mountain to purchase nearly 55 million kilowatt hours (kWh) of renewable energy annually, which will avoid nearly 100 million pounds of carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions each year. That is the equivalent of nearly every house in New York State turning off all their lights for a week.
The purchase is also more than double the amount of renewable power that any other commercial customer in New York City is currently buying.
Green Mountain received the electricity contract after a bid process with multiple Electric Service Companies (ESCO's), facilitated by MCEnergy, Inc., the Empire State Building's energy consulting firm.
"This announcement is historic for many reasons. In addition to being the largest commercial consumer of green power in New York City, the Empire State Building's renewable power purchase is now the largest purchase in our company's 13-year history," said Paul Thomas, CEO of Green Mountain Energy Company.
The Empire State Building's historic green power purchase exceeds the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA's) Green Power Partnership requirements. Based on EPA's current rankings, New York City's most recognizable building is expected to rank No. 18 on EPA's national Top 100% Green Power Purchaser List, which represents green power purchasers that are buying green power to meet 100% of their U.S. organization-wide electricity use.
The renewable energy to supply the Empire State Building will be purchased in the form of wind Renewable Energy Certificates (RECs) from NRG Energy, Green Mountain's parent company. Purchasing these RECs is a widely accepted way to address the greenhouse gas emissions of electricity consumption. Purchasing RECs in the same quantity as the Empire State Building's electricity consumption ensures that the amount of energy used by the building is added to the U.S. power grid from renewable sources and supports the further development of these projects.
Green Mountain will work with the Empire State Building to develop materials to educate the building's tenants and visitors about the benefits of choosing renewable energy. Green Mountain also offers New York City residents in the Con Edison service territory a choice of competitively-priced clean energy products. The company began serving residential and commercial customers in New York in November 2009.
Green Mountain Energy was acquired by NRG Energy (NYSE: NRG) in November 2010.
The Empire State Building's green power purchase further reinforces the building's sustainability strategy. In July, the Empire State Building unveiled a $2 million interactive, multi-media sustainability exhibit at the second floor visitor's center, which showcases a $20 million energy retrofit project that was announced with President Bill Clinton and New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg. The installation aims to educate the millions of people who visit the building every year on the positive global impact of both energy efficient building and sustainable living practices.
Website: www.esbnyc.com
Today, I'd like to share one of the hidden benefits from using public transit and carpool. I am sure many of you have already heard about benefits such as reduced carbon emission, cost saving, physical health, etc. These are no-brainers. These were also the benefits I anticipated when I began the adventure. But I didn't think about one thing until I faced it – socializing with more people.
I have to go to so many meetings and events due to my job as well as my volunteer work for USGBC. If the meeting is too far, then I had to rent a car or fly or take Amtrak. So not having a car for such meetings wasn't giving me any trouble. Always the challenge was meetings in the Triangle area. Because of the limited bus schedule and available lines, it was not easy to get to meetings in Chapel Hill, Durham and other areas. So I always had to plan ahead and figure out who could give me a ride. In order to do it, I had to find who's going to the meeting and contact them if they could carpool with me. Yes, it was a bit of hassle. However, I was really lucky that most people I asked for a ride didn't turn me down. The first and most obvious reason is because, of course, all of them are so nice and generous. Another reason, I feel so blessed, is because most meetings/events were related to USGBC and the folks I asked for a ride were also volunteers for the organization who are very supportive in carbon emission reduction or any good environmental cause. They all were trying to help me achieve my goal. I was very conscious of whom I ask for a ride. Because they were so generous, some people even didn't mind detouring off of their routes way farther than their normal route. I tried to avoid it because it didn't make sense to detour long distance to give me a ride which would negate my purpose.
Anyway, I would like to thank you all who have given me a ride. I know some of you might not have this luck if you get rid of your car. TTA and local transit authorities should develop the comprehensive transit system that can provide people transportation without relying on rides. Not all of them will have the same luck I had.
OK, going back to the benefit, because of the carpool, I could have conversations with many folks that otherwise I could not have had. I counted how many have given me a ride. Total 34 different people. I felt a lot closer to them after riding together for however long the ride was. I am not going to reveal who they are to protect their privacy. But if you have helped me achieve this year-long journey and are reading this, I thank you so much! I couldn't do it without your help. THANK YOU!
