Last Friday (22 January) we blogged about some of the ways money from the “American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA)” was being put into the greening of standing buildings and the creation of green public and government buildings.
There was a very positive response to the posting, so this week we are starting an occasional “Top 10” series where we drill-down on a particular subject. The first series focuses on a list compiled by the U.S. Green Building Council.
We begin this series Letterman-style (but leave it up to you to create your own theme song): “The Top 10 Ways to Use Recovery Funds for Green Buildings!”
No.10: ‘Greening Piece-by-Piece: Laying the Groundwork for Future Holistic Measures’
The standard to measure a building’s environmental impact is the ‘LEED’ certification. “The LEED green building certification system is the preeminent program for rating the design, construction and operation of green buildings. 35,000 projects are currently participating in the LEED system, comprising over 4.5 billion square feet of construction space in all 50 states and 91 countries. By using less energy, LEED-certified buildings save money for families, businesses and taxpayers; reduce greenhouse gas emissions; and contribute to a healthier environment for residents, workers and the larger community.”
Education, not surprisingly, is a key component of what ARRA hopes to achieve through its grants, and the LEED program embodies that commitment (‘Linking Education and Economic Development’). ARRA wants to encourage education on sustainable building, of course, but so too does it sponsor the building of sustainable education. See, for example, the report on Sidwell Friends Middle School in Washington, DC.
Progress can be made on greening older structures as well: the new ezStorage facility at 2600 N.Charles Street in Baltimore has received ‘Silver’ certification, despite being a much older building than many others on the list.
The emphasis for Number 10 is ‘laying groundwork.’ Creating a working or living environment that is good for the human and for the environment requires forethought and planning beyond saving on the monthly bills. ARRA is helping to fund such development.
See you next week, when the series continues…
