GSA to Green-Up Portland, Oregonm Federal Building
The GSA is renovating the 18 story federal building in Portland, Oregon. Green features include a vertical green wall and reduced water usage with low flow fixtures and recycled roof water.
"... part of a $133 million renovation, the General Services Administration wants to grow “vegetated fins” on the western facade of the Edith Green-Wendell Wyatt Federal Building ... save energy year-round using one of Mother Nature’s own tools."
" ... will use 60 to 65 percent less energy than comparable buildings. That translates to an energy cost savings of $280,000 per year."
"Solar panels could also provide up to 15 percent of the building’s power needs. Energy use for lighting will be halved."
"... building in question was already slated for an energy efficiency upgrade, but funds from last year’s federal stimulus package stressed projects that were environmentally friendly."Via: SmartPlanet LINK
Puppy Toys have gone GREEN. 
Along with Net ZERO energy houses folks are now talking about Net ZERO Water homes. The idea is to be self sufficient - self sustaining and off the "water grid".
Here is an interesting approach toi reducing waste and CO2 at the same time. Using fly ash (waste and high in CO2) to make bricks solves both. 
White roofs are the "hot" thing in roofing ... allowing for a lowed burden on a/c systems.
"
Oberlin College's Living Machine® is a waste water treatment system that teaches students how nature purified water for years ... but is unlike most modern systems.
DOES NOT ITCH and is very easy to handle and work with."
the highest ASTM testing standards for fire and smoke ratings, fungi resistance and corrosiveness. ... contains 85% post-industrial recycled natural fibers making it an ideal choice for anyone looking to use a high quality sustainable building material."
production by 83 per cent over the next 40 years." 
The Dow Chemical company is active in the green energy space with several innovative products. They recently announced their entry into the solar cell market with the " ... POWERHOUSE™ Solar Shingle, ... panels in the form of solar shingles that can be integrated into rooftops with standard asphalt shingle materials. ... expected to be available in limited quantities by mid-2010 and ... more widely available in 2011, ..."
Philadelphia is a city of row houses ... unfortunately many are in blighted condition and when they are town down the newly created "end units" are poorly insulated. Cleaning up the blighted homes causes the other homeowners to have basically little or no insulation on a large surface of their home.
hts on.
One possible way to save energy is to paint your roof white ... or some other light color. This would keep buildings cooler and lessen the need for air conditioning. Same for roads and other dark surfaces ... which would reflect heat back into space instead of warming the earth. Concrete could be used instead of painting road a lighter color ... 
vironmental responsibility."
The former Strawbridge and Clothier flagship department store in Philadelphia is being remodeled in a green way. PA. REIT has posted window signs and made green dioramas in the store's street side display cases (most of the building has been closed for some time).
eBay has many green aspects to its business model ... including the basic eBay design - helping people sell unneeded / unused stuff ... 
Comcast's HQ in Philadelphia is now LEED Gold certified ... and the tallest such building in the US.
I was in Washington DC this past weekend and saw some small buses with the Smithsonian log on the side - promoting them as green hybrids. This prompted me to see what else our nations museum is up too in the green space. 
Check out this BBC video of a prefab house ... some neat ideas that make for green living ... 
"Greenbuild365 expands USGBC's Greenbuild Conference to a year-round interactive green building learning portal. Educational opportunities ... are now available to anyone, anywher
e. It is through green building education, outreach, and the sharing of best practices that USGBC's mission of a sustainable built environment within a generation will be achieved."
Timberland has a solid green business policty and their store on Broadway in NYC is another good example ...
"Located at 474 Broadway,... our newest specialty store incorporates salvaged industrial elements with a modern, sustainable aesthetic. ...Green building practices included using materials salvaged or reclaimed from previous occupants, energy-efficient lighting, a more eco-conscious HVAC system, and wall paints and sealants containing reduced chemicals.
Via: Timberland 
Want to become certified in Green Building or looking for a Green Certified Contractor?
s client prefers structures that are ... energy and water efficient, ... healthier and environmentally friendly. Green Advantage® certifies your knowledge of the latest in "green" building practices, technologies and techniques. ..." 
" ...20 percent – of building materials were from recycled content and over 75 percent of construction waste was recycled. ... drought tolerant landscape and a portion of the power used for operations will be green power supplied by wind energy."
Starbucks opens green roasting plant in South Carolina. The new facility has achieved the level of LEED Silver for New Construction. ...
Radnor Township has a number of "green" sites: a new school has a green roof, restored wetlands at Villanova University and leaf pick up / composting by the township. Now they are presenting a series of lectures on Sustainability in Radnor. 
As part of their 2020 Low Carbon Roadmap .... PECO opened their first "green" building in West Chester (Chester County) Pa. 
renovating to become GREEN.
The California Academy of Sciences is an example of GREN design - from solar cells, to green roof, to skylights to reused literature ...
See the Video for more ...
Via: ZDNet 
Newly opened condominiums in the Western Suburbs of Philadelphia combine energy efficiency, LEED design standards, a green roof and is within easy walking distance of 2 t
rain stations.
" ... buildings have heating and cooling systems that employ heat pumps connected to extensive underground thermal pipe systems for tremendous energy efficiency. ..."
Today Pittsburgh has one of the nation's greenest buildings ... " ... trying to shed its image of a gritty, grimy steel town one building at a time. Its convention center is one of the most environmentally friendly buildings of its size in the entire country. ... boasts an organic garden, its own water reclamation plant, and a smart cooling system. The building was awarded gold-level certification on the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design ratings scale set up by the U.S. Green Building Council."
See the video for more information
Via: ZDNet 
One of Roofscapes "green roofs" is at the Schuykill Valley Nature Center - just outside of Phyioladelphia PA. The roof is not irrigated and covers 2,000 sq ft.
Radnor Township (Delaware Country, Pa) recently opened their new Middle School. It was designed from the ground up to be environmentally friendly as well as to provide a healthy environment for the students and staff.
now a lot and just want some ideas?
