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Green Education Services Blog

Welcome to the Green Education Services Blog! Be sure to check back often as we are constantly adding updated information. For questions about Green Education Services (formerly LEEDTeacher), contact us.

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Thursday
11Mar2010

Building for LEED Gold Success

The newest addition to the Toledo Public Schools (TPS), Hawkins Elementary School, is aiming to receive a Gold certification under the auspices of LEED for Schools, according to a recent article on Greenprofs.com.

The $11.4 million building was constructed as part of TPS’s Building for Success program, which aims to rebuild or renovate more than 50 area schools during a 12-year period. It opened in January.

The building was designed by The Collaborative, a consortium of local architectural and engineering firms formed to work together on the Building for Success program.

The 60,000 square foot building now houses almost 500 students, teachers and staff. Oriented to optimize the penetration of natural lighting into the building, the building also features a host of other measures that enhance its sustainability, including the integration of local materials into the building’s construction; high-efficiency windows; the recycling of 75 percent of the project’s waste during construction; an onsite helix turbine that helps light the lobby and corridors when light levels are low; a white reflective roof that reduces the building’s heat island effect; and an ice storage unit that allows the school to utilize ice as part of its cooling system.

Outside, a rain garden and bioswale filters storm water runoff, while inside the school utilizes low-flow water fixtures and waterless urinals. Together, these two water conservation measures allow Hawkins to save 40 percent of the water than a similar conventionally built facility would.

School officials hope that the building’s green features, as well as its location adjacent to the Toledo Botanical Garden, will help it act as a laboratory, educating students about environmental science and energy efficiency.

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Chris Timmerman
Contributing Writer
Green Education Services
www.greenedu.com

Wednesday
10Mar2010

California Prison Goes Green

A $20 million mental health care facility at the high-security Salinas Valley State Prison in California recently received a Silver certification under the auspices of LEED for New Construction (LEED-NC), according to a recent article.

The 36,000 square foot facility is the first new building in the state prison system to receive a LEED certification. The facility was recognized for both its green a cost-efficient features. For example, the facility is projected to reduce its water consumption by 56 percent compared to a similar conventionally built facility, while simultaneously reducing energy use by 37 percent and lower sewage conveyance by 70 percent through a state-of-the-art vacuum plumbing system.

The facility, which provides housing and inpatient mental health care for 74 residents, opened in April, 2009. The facility earned a score of 33 points from the LEED rating system, out of a possible 69 total points.

The facility’s LEED certification is part of a larger statewide initiative, spearheaded by Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, to certify all new state-owned facilities. In addition, though the construction of the facility predates the adoption of CALGREEN in January of this year, the building integrates measures that are compliant with both LEED and CALGREEN. Specifically, energy performance measures, construction waste management plans, and the reduction of water and material resource use, and building commissioning satisfy both certification systems, according to a California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR) press release.

“CDCR has shown leadership in conserving energy on a grand scale, through reducing electricity usage to saving water,” said CDCR Secretary Matthew Cate, in the press release. The Salinas Valley State Prison staff and contractors worked hard to make sure this new facility was LEED certified, our first prison to achieve such a designation in California. Our goal is to make all future prisons LEED certified, a standard.”

The facility was designed by Nacht & Lewis Architects of Sacramento.

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Chris Timmerman
Contributing Writer
Green Education Services
www.greenedu.com

Monday
08Mar2010

Going Green, Orange County Style

Offering further proof that "sustainable" need not mean "spartan," a recently constructed luxury single-family home in the Southern California city of Costa Mesa has become the first custom residence in Orange County to receive LEED Platinum certification, according to a recent Jetson Green article.

Despite its generous size (5,000 square feet), the home exceeds the California Energy code by 40 percent and is not expected to generate an electricity bill outside of standard add-on fees, the article notes.

The 7 bedroom, 7 bathroom Costa Mesa Green Home, as the residence is known, was designed by architect David Gangloff, and is the brainchild of developers Steven and Karen Blanchard. Green aspects of the home’s design include durable, sustainable, and non-toxic materials; ventilation design that optimizes indoor air quality; use of high-efficiency HVAC equipment and Energy Star-rated lighting; construction with highly insulated walls and windows; a no-water, native landscaping scheme; and reuse of shower gray water for toilet and irrigation purposes. On the roof, solar photovoltaic panels power the home’s entire electrical load.

A showcase worthy of even the most discriminating buyer, the home is currently available for purchase.

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Chris Timmerman
Contributing Writer
Green Education Services
www.greenedu.com

Monday
08Mar2010

Wind Energy Keeps Iowa Power Costs Low

Wind energy accounts for up to 20 percent of Iowa’s total electricity production, and is helping maintain the state’s low energy costs, according to a recent article. A recent study holds Iowa up as a prime example of how alternative energy and other measures to combat climate change can be accomplished affordably.

The study was conducted by the Iowa Policy Project (IPP), a nonpartisan, nonprofit research organization based in Iowa City. IPP researcher and co-author of the study David Osterberg points out that Iowa’s example proves that action can be taken on climate change: “Those people who tell us we can't do anything about global climate change because it will be too expensive are wrong, Iowa is proving it wrong.

According to the study, wind power produced 3,670 megawatts of electricity in the state, enough power to run 940,000 homes. This makes Iowa the second-largest wind producing state in the country, after Texas. If the power were used solely within the state’s confines, three quarters of the state’s homes could run on wind.

The state’s unique combination of weather and geography play in its favor: nearly three quarters of the state consistently has enough wind at 80 meters above the ground to reliably produce wind energy.

At the moment, coal-powered plants produce about 75 percent of the state’s electricity, and there is one nuclear plant in the state, the article said.

The study found that Iowans paid about 6 cents per kilowatt hour in 1998, climbing to to 7 cents per kilowatt hour by 2008. Over the same time period, national average electricity costs went from 7 cents per kilowatt hour to nearly 10 cents.  “Amidst Iowa's massive expansion of wind power, our average electricity prices have remained below the national average and in fact have not increased as quickly as the national average price in the last four years,” the study’s authors noted.

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Chris Timmerman
Contributing Writer
Green Education Services
www.greenedu.com



Sunday
07Mar2010

USGBC, Clinton Climate Initiative Team to Make Cities “Climate Positive”

The Clinton Climate Initiative, an offshoot of the Clinton Foundation, recently launched a new program to guide cities and towns toward becoming “climate positive,” meaning that they would reduce carbon emissions below zero. According to a recent BeGreenNow post, the concept behind making cities climate positive lies in getting developers and government officials to work together holistically to enact large-scale energy saving strategies. The effort is being undertaken in conjunction with the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC), originators of the LEED building certification system.

Climate positive strategies include clean energy generation, sustainable building techniques, enhanced waste management, transportation, water management, and outdoor lighting systems.

Below, a video featuring former President Bill Clinton explains the Climate Positive Development Program effort.

Thus far, a number of significant development projects around the world—from Florida to India to South Africa, Canada, and Sweden—have committed their efforts to becoming "climate positive."

For more on the Climate Positive Development Program, visit the Clinton Climate Initiative’s website.

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Chris Timmerman
Contributing Writer
Green Education Services
www.greenedu.com

Sunday
07Mar2010

7-Eleven, LEEDing By Example

A new 7-Eleven in the central Florida town of DeLand aims to be the first outlet of the convenience store chain to achieve a LEED rating, according to a recent Creative Loafing article.

An adaptive reuse of an auto mechanic shop, the site surrounding what is now the 7-Eleven was previously covered in an impermeable asphalt surface. However, a third of the site now includes landscaping that includes drought-tolerant, native plants, and permeable surfaces. The plants are fed by an efficient drip irrigation system, while an outdoor eating area with cypress pergolas and arbors allows customers to enjoy the store’s leafy surroundings.

In addition to the building’s landscaping and irrigation system, DeLand’s new 7-Eleven stands out for other sustainable features, including light-colored concrete parking areas and roofing surfaces that work together to reduce the heat island effect; a high-efficiency HVAC system with a UV system that eliminates viruses, bacteria, and mold from interior air; LED signage and lighting that minimizes energy demand and heat output; skylights that bring natural light deep into the store’s interior; high-efficiency restroom fixtures; low-VOC interior finishes; and high-efficiency Greenblock Insulated Concrete Form walls, which also protect the building under extreme conditions, such as hurricane-force winds. In addition, many of the store’s construction materials were sourced from an area within a 500-mile radius, and much of the store’s construction contains recycled content. Half of the word used in the store was certified by the Forest Stewardship Council, the article notes.

The store was designed by architecture firm Burke Hogue Mills and TLC Engineering for Architecture of Orlando.

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Chris Timmerman
Contributing Writer
Green Education Services
www.greenedu.com

Thursday
04Mar2010

Coming Soon To China: The World’s Greenest Skyscraper

A new building in the southern Chinese city of Guangzhou that claims to be the world’s greenest skyscraper will open this coming fall, according to a recent EnergyBoom article. The 71-story, 2.3 million square foot Pearl River Tower aims to be the most energy-efficient tall building ever built.

In fact, it plans to be so thoroughly energy-efficient so as to capture the title of tallest Zero Energy Building (ZEB) in the world. Creating more power than they take from the energy grid, ZEBs are usually quite small. The Pearl River Tower will be the first ZEB at such a large scale.

Two examples of the Pearl River Tower’s commitment to the ZEB title: the building’s rainwater collection system utilizes solar heating to provide hot water for the building, while the body of the building incorporates wind turbines into its design. These wind turbines are uniquely designed to operate at lower wind speeds, doing more than just generating electricity: the openings help reduce the overall wind load on the skyscraper.

Another green attribute is the building’s cooling system. Upon completion, Pearl River Tower will become the largest radiant-cooled office building in the world, with raised floor ventilation, heat sinks, and vertical vents.

Throughout the building, solar panels will feed power to window blinds that open and close automatically in sync with the sun. The exterior walls are designed with an 8” gap, wherein heat that enters through the building’s windows will be trapped and rise to heat exchangers located on upper floors. Working in tandem, these features enabled building architects SOM to install a heating system that is 80 percent smaller than in conventionally built skyscrapers.

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Chris Timmerman
Contributing Writer
Green Education Services
www.greenedu.com

Tuesday
02Mar2010

Qatar Convention Center to Seek Gold

The 177,000 square meter Qatar National Convention Center, currently under construction, will be seeking a Gold certification under the LEED for New Construction (LEED-NC) rating system upon its completion next year, according to a recent Inhabitat article on the building. If granted the certification, it will earn the distinction of being one of the world’s first high-performance green convention facilities.

The dramatic building—instantly recognizable for its superscale depiction of the sidra tree, a traditional Qatari symbol, along its front façade—will feature a whopping 3,700 square meters of solar panels, in addition to its other resource-saving features. Designed by Yamasaki Architects, the building is based on a concept by well-known Japanese architect Arata Isozaki, and has a total budget of $720 million.

The building will contain 40,000 square meters of exhibition space; a conference hall for 4,000 delegates; a 2,300-seat lyric style theater; three additional tiered auditoria; theatre-style seating, and banquet space for up to 10,000 people in exhibition halls; a total of 57 meeting rooms; lounges and hospitality suites; a business center; and media rooms. The massive building is located in Education City, a new global educational hub under development.

The aforementioned rooftop solar panels will provide roughly 12 percent of the building’s total power, according to the article. Inside, the center will be outfitted with occupancy sensors, water-efficient fixtures, LED lighting, carbon dioxide monitors, and variable air-volume systems that minimize the use of resources and improve the center’s indoor air quality. The center will also boast a special wireless convention management system that reduces the need for paper while providing convention delegates with free Internet access.

Learn more about the Qatar National Convention Center on its website.

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Chris Timmerman
Contributing Writer
Green Education Services
www.greenedu.com

Sunday
28Feb2010

Caterpillar Headquarters Awarded LEED-EB Gold

The world headquarters of Caterpillar, maker of construction and mining equipment, diesel and natural gas engines, and industrial gas turbines, recently received a Gold designation under the auspices of LEED for Existing Buildings (LEED-EB), according to a recent press release.

Located in downtown Peoria, Illinois, the building is the first in Illinois outside of the Chicago metropolitan area to earn the LEED-EB certification, and is the second Caterpillar building to earn the recognition, the article said. The Cat Financial Center in Nashville earned a LEED-EB certification in April of 2009.

Notable among the building’s sustainable retrofits: decreased energy consumption by 40 percent (or $800,000) through the use of improved control systems, operating methods, and lighting automation; a new irrigation system for all landscaped areas that cuts water use by 50 percent; a green cleaning program that employs new environmentally-friendly chemicals, and an improved pest management program that uses the least toxic methods available; and waste stream audits that help inform efforts toward reducing the company’s environmental impact.

“Every day members of Team Caterpillar look for opportunities to apply their expertise, technology and common sense to address environmental issues,” said Greg Folley, vice president of Caterpillar’s Human Services Division. “Successfully identifying and managing our environmental footprint reduces environmental impacts where we all live and work, makes good business sense and is simply the right thing to do for our community, employees, customers and shareholders.”

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Chris Timmerman
Contributing Writer
Green Education Services
www.greenedu.com



Sunday
28Feb2010

California Enacts Statewide Green Building Standards

A recent Architect’s Newspaper article explains CALGreen, the state of California’s new green building standards. CALGreen, announced by Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger on January 12 and due to go into effect next year, will become the first statewide green building standards in the country, the article said. Though distinct, CALGreen includes parallels with the USGBC’s LEED building certification system.

Developed by the California Building Standards Commission (BSC) over the last three years, the standards include sustainable requirements for residential, commercial, and public building construction.

Notable among CALGreen’s requirements are a provision that every new building constructed in the state will have to reduce its water consumption by 20 percent, divert at least 50 percent of construction waste from the landfill, install low pollutant-emitting materials, and include separate water meters for use in non-residential buildings. The CALGreen codes are organized into two tiers, with Tier 1 including the above basic requirements, and Tier 2 requiring enhanced commitments to these requirements, such as a 65 percent waste-diversion standard.

Cities in the Golden State that already have standards exceeding those delineated in CALGreen will not be required to change their codes to comply with the code’s Tier 1 requirements. Approximately 400 jurisdictions in California currently lack green building rules. The code will apply to all buildings in the state, with the exception of federal buildings and those constructed on Native American land, the article said.

Some building industry professionals predict a future in which buildings under construction in California will earn both designations. For example, Bryan Jackson, partner at the law firm Allen Matkins Leck Gamble Mallory & Natsis, anticipates that the CALGreen designation may become a supplement to a LEED certification:  “I predict people will pursue both CALGreen and LEED and hang both plaques with pride.”

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Chris Timmerman
Contributing Writer
Green Education Services
www.greenedu.com