Greener Buildings

Wells Fargo Expands Green Financing with Cleantech Practice

GreenBiz Staff — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 18:37:28 +0000

The banking giant's new commercial banking group focused on clean technology firms will add to the $600 million the company has already dedicated to the market.

US Uses Less Water Than It Did a Generation Ago As Global Concern Grows Over Scarcity

GreenBiz Staff — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 08:00:16 +0000

The United States is using less water than it did 35 years ago, which is a good thing given the rising concern about water issues among investors and stakeholders worldwide, new information released this week shows.

AU Optronics Helps Create a Frisbee-Shaped Solar Roof at Taipei Playground

GreenerBuildings Staff — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 14:15:20 +0000

AU Optronics Corp., Taiwan's largest manufacturer of thin film transistor liquid crystal display panels, has helped craft a “Solar Frisbee Roof” to canopy playground equipment at a Taipei schoolyard.

'Super Star' Green Label Proposed

Chris Cheatham — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 12:22:52 +0000

A major overhaul to the Energy Star program, which currently certifies and labels products that are energy efficient, is imminent. But how this overhaul occurs remains to be seen.

US Army's Pacific HQ Cuts the Ribbon on National Green Building Pilot

GreenerBuildings Staff — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 11:39:37 +0000

Local and federal dignitaries celebrated the opening of a development at Fort Shafter, the U.S. Army Pacific Headquarters, that's being hailed as the greenest neighborhood on a military installation and the largest project of its kind for the Army.

World Green Building Council Reaches Out to BREEAM

GreenerBuildings Staff — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 10:11:37 +0000

In a rare move, the World Green Building Council has invited the Building Research Establishment Environmental Assessment Method to join as a member, making BREEAM the only organization that's not a Green Building Council to be asked to participate.

Five States, One City Add Green Hotel Certification Programs

Glenn Hasek — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 08:38:01 +0000

In recent weeks, five states and one city have launched green lodging certification programs.

RSC Equipment Rental Rolls Out Emissions Tracking Service

Leslie Guevarra — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 01:25:18 +0000

While the push is on to green buildings, the RSC Equipment Rental firm has devised a new service to help reduce the environmental impact of a key component of construction: It tracks the emissions of every diesel unit that rolls out of its lots around the country.

How a Soft Energy Path Could Put China on the Right Track to Sustainable Growth

Aris Yi and Jonah Taylor — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 21:41:27 +0000

China is putting forward aggressive policies to reduce energy intensity while still maintaining rapid development. But transformative sustainable development in China needs to respect some unique conditions to be successful.

How Energy Modeling Can Create 'Model Prisoners' & Closing Thoughts on Greenbuild 2009

Rob Watson — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 22:00:39 +0000

The good news: The ultimate environmental footprint of green buildings will become much clearer in the future. The bad news: In the short run, it'll be much more complicated -- especially if professionals keep falling prisoner to tools meant to help them.

UL Environment to Develop Standards for a Range of Green Building Materials

GreenerBuildings Staff — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 13:40:59 +0000

UL Environment plans to develop sustainability standards for stone, ceramic, clay and glass building materials, as well as glazing materials, windows and their associated hardware and accessories.

The Green Building Foundation Launches

GreenerBuildings Staff — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 12:31:04 +0000

In an effort to address social equity issues in the sustainability movement, the Green Building Foundation has launched with a goal of "bringing the environmental, economic and social advantages of green buildings to those who can least afford them,"
the new organization says.

Clean Energy and Climate Policy for U.S. Growth and Job Creation

ClimateBiz Staff — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 20:37:12 +0000

This study finds that a robust climate bill could boost the U.S. economy by about $111 billion by 2020 and create as many as 1.9 million jobs.

USGBC Honors JLL, Transwestern SVP, Army, NGOs

Leslie Guevarra — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 01:37:01 +0000

U.S. Green Building Council closed its annual conference with awards to industry leaders, as the region's convention bureau hailed the estimated 28,000 building professionals who came to town for boosting the local economy by some $30 million.

Green Grid Preps Data Center Design Guide

James Murray — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 10:09:36 +0000

To further spread the adoption and refinement of best practices for data center construction and operation, the IT industry consortium plans to launch a free guide early next year highlighting how to cut costs and boost performance in facilities of all sizes.

B Corp Expands Certification to Building Industry

GreenerBuildings Staff — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 08:53:50 +0000

B Lab, the nonprofit that created the sustainable business certification, launched its building industry addenda at the Greenbuild conference Thursday, the product of 18 months of development by more than two dozen industry leaders.

Searching for Greenwash at Greenbuild

Joel Makower — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 08:56:00 +0000

I had expected the conference to be a showcase of how, when green goes mainstream, good intentions and high standards give way to the lowest common denominator of the mass market. Happily, I was wrong.

Greenbuild: Back on Track

Leanne Tobias — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 03:55:06 +0000

There's been a good deal of grumbling about Greenbuild in the last couple of years and, truthfully, I've done my share: too big, too much trouble, too self-reverential. But this year's conference shows it has weathered its growning pains successfully.

Greenbuild's Health-Based Outcome

Rob Watson — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 16:37:14 +0000

The Greenbuild buzz built up from the kick-off celebration continued through Thursday's sessions, the day satisfied on an emotional, intellectual, physical and spiritual level: A "health-based" outcome if I ever experienced one.

Greenbuild 2009: Johnson Controls Honors Philip Fairey with BELL Award

GreenerBuildings Staff — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 13:55:38 +0000

Johnson Controls Inc. has honored building science thought-leader Philip Fairey with the firm's Building Efficiency Lifetime Leadership Award for his three decades of wide-ranging research, innovation and standards development involving energy and energy efficiency.

Starbucks Expands Green Building Projects with LEED Volume Certifications

GreenerBuildings Staff — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 08:56:43 +0000

During Greenbuild 2009, the coffee giant announced its membership in a U.S. Green Building Council program that will allow it to rapidly certify new stores as green buildings around the world.

Autodesk Brings Its High-Tech Toolbox to Greenbuild

GreenerBuildings Staff — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 23:47:15 +0000

Amidst the drumbeat of news coming from Greenbuild, it's been impossible to ignore the multitude of announcements unleashed by Autodesk -- and our sources tell us there are more on the way.

Marriott to Launch Prototype for Green Design of Courtyard Hotels

Leslie Guevarra — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 23:38:19 +0000

In the latest move to expand its sustainability efforts, Marriott International Inc. says its green hotel portfolio will grow tenfold in the next five years with the introduction of a design prototype for new green properties.

Vetrazzo Gets a Green Audit to Back Its Product Claims

GreenerBuildings Staff — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 20:10:20 +0000

The manufacturer of recycled-glass surfaces announced during Greenbuild 2009 that it had published an Environmental Product Declaration, allowing customers to verify the reduced impacts of its product line.

Greenbuild 2009: Gore Lauds USGBC for 'Leading the Charge' to Battle Climate Change

Leslie Guevarra — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 12:46:54 +0000

Nobel Laureate and former vice president Al Gore welcomed thousands of building professionals to Phoenix, praising the U.S. Green Building Council and its members for being the vanguard of the movement to green the world's buildings.

The Companies Mixing Up Greener Cement

Jonathan Bardelline — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 15:00:09 +0000

Cement and concrete companies are using a range of strategies to lower the impacts of their industry, which contributes 5 percent or more of CO2 emissions. Using a power plant byproduct, secret ingredients and mixtures that make concrete waterproof are just some of their methods.

Scenes from My 15th Greenbuild Expo

Rob Watson — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 00:42:26 +0000

The sights and sounds of this year's conference show just how far the gathering -- and the green building as an industry -- has changed since the first, tiny outdoor gathering in Big Sky, Montana in 1994.

The USGBC's 2009 Green Jobs Report

GreenerBuildings Staff — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 23:25:58 +0000

This study, conducted by the U.S. Green Building Council and Booz Allen Hamilton, predicts that the green building industry will be responsible for the creation or support of 7.9 million jobs, contributing $554 billion to the U.S. GDP, in the next four years.

BD+C's Green Buildings and Water Performance Report

GreenerBuildings Staff — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 23:41:54 +0000

This report is seventh in an annual series looking at impacts in the green buildings market, and explores how water use and water conservation pose daunting challenges to building owners and the environment.

Greenbuild 2009: Research Explores Buildings' Impact on Jobs, Water, Real Estate

GreenerBuildings Staff — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 23:21:16 +0000

A slew of reports released during Greenbuild 2009 explore how green buildings are impacting resource use, the job market, facility management and more.

Greenbuild 2009: Of Certifications, Solar and Smart Grid

GreenerBuildings Staff — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 22:14:54 +0000

The first 24 hours of Greenbuild 2009 brought a flurry of announcements, including the latest version of the Living Building Challenge standards, the largest city-sponsored residential solar financing program in the country, and a big push from Electric lighting control firm Lutron to revamp its technologies to take advantage of potential energy savings and smart grid development.

Greenbuild 2009: Conference Opens the Doors to Its Largest Expo Yet

Leslie Guevarra — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 20:20:15 +0000

Day 1 of the world's largest showcase for green building products and innovation brought together more than 1,800 exhibitors and tens of thousands of attendees; here is a look at some of the companies holding court on the showroom floor.

Perkins+Will Launches First Chemical Blacklist for Building Designers

Jonathan Bardelline — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 20:50:00 +0000

Architectural firm Perkins+Will has unveiled its Precautionary List, which includes 25 chemicals commonly used in buildings, explains why they are a threat to humans and the environment, and lists safer alternatives.

Fortune Data Centers Lands LEED Gold Certification, Facebook as Tenant

GreenerComputing Staff — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 01:09:05 +0000

Six months after opening its latest green facility, Fortune Data Centers has become one of a very small number of LEED-rated data centers; internet phenomenon Facebook also confirmed that it was one of the facility's new tenants.

Companies More Likely Than Ever to Invest in Efficiency Retrofits, Study Says

GreenerBuildings Staff — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 01:03:33 +0000

Seventy-four percent of corporate real estate executives now say they would be willing to pay a premium to retrofit office space they own to achieve sustainability goals, according to results of a new survey by CoreNet Global and Jones Lang LaSalle.