Thursday, May 8th, 2008
NPR had an interesting radio piece on a massive new development in Las Vegas called City Center that is aiming to achieve a LEED Silver rating. The piece looked at some of the purposes behind the LEED rating system (basically to standardize the environmental credentials of developments), as well as some criticisms (e.g., that since LEED ratings are based on a point system, a development that installs bike racks could receive the same credit as a development that installs a costly but efficient heating system). The radio piece runs for about five minutes and is pretty interesting, especially for anyone who has read our previous posts about LEED.
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Monday, March 31st, 2008
Baseball’s opening weekend marked the opening of the Washington Nationals brand new green ballpark. The ballpark, built in under two years, for the cost of $611 million, received a LEED certification from the U.S. Green Building Council, for its eco-friendly design. Some green highlights include: locating the stadium close to a metro stop, energy efficient light fixtures, drought-resistant plants, and water efficient plumbing.
While it appears a lot of resources will be conserved throughout the lifespan of this new stadium, an even greater achievement may be introducing the millions of ballpark visitors to the concept of green design. As a municipal facility, the new ballpark will be an example for the city of the benefits of green construction.
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Sunday, March 9th, 2008
According to the green home design site, re-nest.com, property managers and owners of buildings with more than two units are eligible for a program offered by Southern California Edison, where they will replace all of a building’s light bulbs with CFLs, and will even replace the light fixtures for free.
Re-nest indicates that the following are the requirements for participation:
1. The property must have 2 units or more
2. The owner must be an Edison customer
3. S/he must not have used this program in the last 3 years, and
4. Only owners or managers may apply.
Additional contact information and details are available at re-nest.
[Update: One of our readers sent us this link to a So-Cal Edison program for individual residential customers that allows residents to exchange up to 10 traditional light fixtures for more energy efficient units.]
Photo credit.
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Tuesday, February 19th, 2008
Two Los Angeles City Council committees adopted proposed regulations directing all new commercial and residential developments of over 50,000 square feet to meet LEED silver standards. It is anticipated that the full City Council will formally adopt these regulations within the month.
Key requirements for LEED silver, which must be followed 6 months after the law goes into effect, include:
- Use of recycled materials
- Efficient use of rain runoff
- Low emission paints
- Solar panels
- Efficient use of natural light
- Low flow toilets
According to the LA Times article, buildings in America “account for 71% of electricity consumption, 12% of potable water used and 40% of the greenhouse gas emissions” and that the average green building saves “36% in energy, 40% in water, and cuts greenhouse gas emissions by 40% and solid waste by 70%.”
(more…)
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Posted in Energy, General, Green Design, Los Angeles | 2 Comments »
