Adobe Systems, Incorporated has taken a significant plunge into renewable energy, completing installation of 20 Windspire wind turbines at its San Jose, Calif., headquarters.
“With the installation of the Windspires, we’re adding renewable energy to a long list of green measures Adobe has taken to lessen our environmental impact,” said Randall H. Knox, III, senior director, Global Workplace Solutions, Adobe. “We’ll continue to seek innovative green technology solutions to reduce our energy dependence and inspire others to go green.”
The new towers are located on Adobe’s sixth–floor patio, which doubles as a rooftop garden and recreational area above an office parking garage. Adobe’s three office towers create a wind tunnel effect from sustained winds off the Pacific Ocean.
Retrofitting doesn’t always get the attention that new green building generates, with its “net zero” and passive solar designs.
[caption id="attachment_9488" align="alignright" width="198" caption="Empire State Building (Photo: Empire State Building Co.)"][/caption]
But the impact of retrofitting can be great, and it comes with the bonus of preserving historic and treasured structures — like the Empire State Building.
Energy Star appliances have become commonplace. But did you know that buildings can be certified as Energy Star structures? This week, the EPA is celebrating 10 years of Energy Star for Buildings.
[caption id="attachment_7415" align="alignleft" width="200" caption="The first Energy Star building, Ridgehaven in San Diego"][/caption]
The buildings program got its start with the EPA’s Green Lights program in 1991, which addressed the need for energy efficiency through a voluntary, public/private energy partnership by promoting efficient lighting systems in commercial buildings.
When Greenbuild Expo 2009 landed in Phoenix Nov. 9 with 30,000 participants, the circus came to town for Mick Dalrymple. He runs a.k.a. Green Building Supply http://akagreen.com , the Phoenix area’s first store of its kind.
Dalrymple also sits on the national board of the U.S. Green Building Council, the organizer of Greenbuild Expo (www.greenbuildexpo.org), which this year–its eighth–has packed 1,800 exhibitors into the recently expanded Phoenix Convention Center.
The US Green Building Council has pronounced New Orleans home to the biggest green neighborhood in the world, thanks to the efforts of Brad Pitt and the group Make It Right who have built 13 LEED Platinum certified, storm-resistant homes and are planning another 150 more in the Lower 9th Ward .
The neighborhood, already impoverished, was among those hardest hit by post-Katrina flooding when New Orleans levees failed after the 2005 hurricane.
Pitt and Make It Right Executive Director Tom Darden accepted an award for their accomplishments at the Clinton Global Iniative meeting in New York on Thursday.
It’s a rare hotel these days that doesn’t offer to not wash your sheets, in the interest of conserving water. A handful of hotels go further, touting their bamboo flooring, low-flow faucets and other flourishes.
But get ready traveler, you ain’t seen nothing yet. There’s an avalanche of green hospitality heading your way as some 700 hotels queue up to complete their LEED certifications with the US Green Building Council over the next year or so, and after their environmental inductions, you can bet they’ll be serving up more than just local greens. In the competitive travel industry, they’ll be competing for eco-kudos, showcasing everything from their fly ash foundations to their roof-top herb gardens.
For the savvy and weary business traveler, as well as the mom-and-pop tourist, this could be a fun new era. You’ll be treated to organic yogurt, natural mattresses and air quality systems. But it also holds perils for both guests and hotel operators.
Guests wanting to go green could quickly be confused by a cacophony of appeals. Travelocity and Orbitz now rate hotels on their eco offerings. AAA is going to stamp entries in its 2010 book with a green symbol denoting the supposed environmentally elite.
The U.S. Green Building Council, started 16 years ago, has 20,200 members and more than 50,000 LEED registered and certified projects around the world (80 percent are in the US).
And the group plans to get even bigger as it turns its attention to college campuses and enlists the help of students.
The USGBC is helping universities across the country to establish sustainability courses and USGBC student organizations, and of course, to build green. The Washington-based NGO estimates that there will be 4,300 LEED projects registered (underway) and certified (completed) on college campuses at the end of 2009.
Grammy winner and environmental activist Sheryl Crow will open the U.S. Green Building Council’s Greenbuild 2009 Conference, the organization announced today.
“Performing at Greenbuild is like being on the international stage of the green movement, celebrating with you the progress we’re making on this important issue,” Crow said in a statement.
The Greenbuild International Conference & Expo, scheduled for Nov. 11 to 13 in Phoenix, has grown to be the leading forum on sustainable buildings and communities. Because of its increasing profile and size, the USGBC decided to open this year’s event at Chase Field, home to Major League Baseball’s Arizona Diamondbacks.
One or two of the seven dwarfs would enjoy these houses, but certainly not all of them, and forget about Snow White. In Peter Pan, the lost boys made such a house for Wendy. And when Alice landed in Wonderland, she too experienced the tiny house phenomenon.
So, now in 2009, what’s the appeal of a home that ranges 100 to 800 square feet? Is there a market for them? Are people really downsizing to this level?
The economy may be one factor, but most folks who are attracted to these miniature homes are seeking a simpler, scaled down lifestyle –one that is kinder to the environment. Such a home uses less energy and takes advantage of renewable resources.
If anyone knows about energy-efficient, environmentally responsible buildings, it’s the U.S. Green Building Council. The booming non-profit wrote the book when it comes to guiding and recognizing those who create the world’s greenest buildings.
It should come as no surprise, then, that the council’s new headquarters in Washington, D.C., has received their own highest rating for environmentally smart buildings – platinum.
Before you assume they’re tooting their own horn, a look at all of the green elements of the council’s new 75,000-square-foot office may allay suspicions. (Besides, if they didn’t build the most energy-efficient and environmentally sound building possible, more than a few fingers would wag.)
Let there be light. Places of worship throughout the world are taking this phrase to heart.
The US Green Building Council counts 43 religious projects registered with them, pending LEED certification. The projects include five Jewish temples, 36 Christian churches, one monastery and one seminary.
Not to be outdone is the epicenter of Catholicism, Vatican City, which has worked since 2006 to become the first carbon neutral state. A rooftop garden of solar panels above the Pope’s audience hall was turned on in November 2008. The panels on the 5,000-square-foot roof produce 300 kilowatt hours of energy, creating enough electricity to heat, cool and light the entire building year-round. The Vatican also is in the process of growing a 37-acre forest in Hungary to offset its annual carbon dioxide emissions.
Here is a look at some of the major projects around the nation:
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“Performing at Greenbuild is like being on the international stage of the green movement, celebrating with you the progress we’re making on this important issue,” Crow said in a statement.