December 2011
December 27, 2011, Making a Difference: Battling Climate Change
By Rex Springston, The Richmond Times-Dispatch
Forget soccer mom. Meet enviro mom. Elli Sparks, mother of two, is walking the walk for the environment and against climate change. To limit energy use linked to global warming, Sparks tends a garden and raises hens in an “itty, bitty city henhouse” behind her home in Woodland Heights in South Richmond.
Read More.
December 26, 2011, Urban Grid Capitalizes on Interest in Solar Energy
By Joan Tupponce, The Richmond Times-Dispatch
Blue Crump started Urban Grid Solar Inc. in 2010 after seeing a growing interest in solar energy. “From an installation and equipment cost perspective, solar energy is less expensive now than it has been historically,” he said. “Energy rates will increase. This allows for businesses to hedge against those rising costs.” The company is a Richmond-based renewable-energy development firm and a general and alternative energy systems contractor. It also provides solar financing and development, solar installations, energy monitoring and services in other renewable energy sources, such as wind and solar thermal hot water.
Read More.
December 21, 2011, Treasury Building Earns a Green Honor
By Ed O’Keefe, Washington Post
Folks at the Treasury Department deal with a lot of green — and now they officially work in a green building. Department officials will announce Wednesday that its 142-year-old headquarters, located next to the White House, has earned a LEED Gold certification, making it the oldest building in the world to earn the distinction. The U.S. Green Business Council, which reviews and approves LEED applications, will officially certify the entire building with the ranking during a ceremony Wednesday morning.
Read More.
December 20, 2011, DC Affordable Housing Capitalizes on Solar
By Lauren Craig, Earth Techling
Washington, D.C., is joining the ranks of cities like St. Louis and San Diego in installing solar power on affordable housing developments. The District of Columbia Housing Authority (DCHA) and William C. Smith + Co., a D.C.-based real estate development and management firm, have completed the installation of a 103-kilowatt (kW) photovoltaic (PV) system at Sheridan Station, a new affordable housing complex in D.C.’s Ward 8 community. The system consists of 429 solar panels, and is the largest PV system installed on a DCHA property to date. The system is expected to generate enough electricity to offset about 30 percent of the power usage in the five-story apartment building’s common areas. William C. Smith + Co. has also applied for LEED platinum status with the U.S. Green Building Council.
Read More.
December 15, 2011, Schools on a Roll Benefiting from Efficiency, Renewable Energy
SustainableBusiness.com
Schools are on a roll implementing energy efficiency and renewable energy that’s saving them big bucks on energy bills so that their often constrained budgets can be used elsewhere. Earlier this week, we reported that Green schools save an average $100,000 a year on operating costs – using 33% less energy consumption and 32% less water than conventionally constructed schools. Ohio leads the country with more green school projects under way than any other state, with 315 LEED certified projects, according to the U.S. Green Building Council’s Best of Green Schools list.
December 9, 2011, How to Think Green
Harvard Magazine
Six “all-star environmental professors” spoke in rapid-fire fashion at “Harvard Thinks Green” on the afternoon of December 8, each giving a 10-minute presentation on sustainability strategies at an event in Sanders Theatre sponsored by Harvard’s Office for Sustainability in coordination with the students who developed Harvard Thinks Big.
Read More.
December 9, 2011 A Different Kind of Container Store
By Leslie Kaufman, New York Times
Starbucks is about to unveil a new store in suburban Seattle built primarily of four used shipping containers — the large steel boxes used to store goods as they are transported long distances on boats and trucks. Containers have become a hot commodity in the green building movement because so many of them are piling up at American ports and are in need of recycling, says Peter DeMaria, the principal in a design firm that does a lot of work with them.
Read More.
December 7, 2011 San Francisco, New York Honored by Global Green Building Group
By Leslie Guevarra, GreenBiz.com
San Francisco and New York took home awards from COP17, where the World Green Building Council honored the two cities for advancing green building. The council, which announced the awards earlier this week at the climate talks in Durban, South Africa, also recognized Mexico City, Tokyo, Birmingham in the United Kingdom and the Republic of Singapore for their work supporting sustainable building.
Read More.
December 2, 2011, Obama Announces $4 Billion Green Building Initiative
SustainableBusiness.com
President Obama announced today a $4 billion initiative to increase the energy efficiency of buildngs over the next two years. “Upgrading the energy efficiency of America’s buildings is one of the fastest, easiest and cheapest ways to save money, cut down on harmful pollution, and create good jobs right now,” says Obama in a statement. “We can’t wait for Congress to act, so I’m directing all federal agencies to make at least $2 billion worth of energy efficiency upgrades over the next two years,” he adds.
Read More.
December 1, 2011, The Best Smart Growth Projects in America
By Kaid Benfield, The Atlantic
One of the country’s very best revitalizing neighborhoods and one of our most articulate city plans for a more sustainable future are among this year’s five national honorees for achievement in smart growth, awarded by the Environmental Protection Agency. The other very worthy winners include a green learning center in a small South Dakota town, a green, affordable apartment building in New Mexico and an innovative civic gathering space in Illinois.
Read More.
