Milliken Joins Georgia P²AD's BLUE Level
Three Milliken & Co. carpet manufacturing plants have joined the Georgia P²AD Partnership Program at the Blue Level—the highest level available under the state-sponsored voluntary environmental leadership initiative. As P²AD partners, these three Milliken facilities—the Alma, Hillside and Live Oak plants—will work to improve current environmental efforts and identify potential cost saving measures, while at the same time helping to protect Georgia's natural resources. With a rich heritage of stewardship, Milliken (www.sustainablecarpet.com) maintains a commitment to reduce waste and resource consumption throughout the product life-cycle and the supply chain. By joining the P²AD Partnership Program, these Milliken plants will become part of a group that leads by example— setting the standard for environmental excellence in Georgia. For more information about the P²AD Partnership Program, visit www.p2ad.org.
Building Performance a Key Issue in New Executive Order
President George W. Bush recently released an Executive Order strengthening the federal government's environmental and energy strategies. The order calls for the head of each federal agency to reduce "energy intensity"—energy consumption per square foot of building space—by 3 percent annually through the end of fiscal year 2015, or 30 percent by the end of fiscal year 2015. Additionally, the Executive Order establishes goals for all new construction and major renovations of agency buildings in accordance with green building strategies such as resource conservation; use of recycled materials; building site selection; and indoor environmental quality. The Executive Order comes on the heels of USGBC's eight-step action plan on climate change. The plan includes a series of proposals and recommendations that will increase the role of green building and the building sector in reducing climate change. To date, USGBC's LEED Green Building Rating System™ has been adopted by 11 federal government agencies, and dozens of state and local governments.
Kohler Joins Alliance for Sustainable Built Environments
Kohler Co., a global leader in kitchen and bath design and technology, has joined the Alliance for Sustainable Built Environments. Founded in 2003, the mission of the Alliance's international corporate members is to educate the marketplace and top management on the benefits of reducing the overall impact facilities have on the natural environment and on building occupants. Members include Johnson Controls, Milliken & Co., Forbo Flooring, Philips Lighting, JohnsonDiversey, Owens Corning, USG Corp., and now Kohler. The Alliance invited Kohler to join based on the company's commitment to water conservation through its product offerings, its recognition of sustainability as a critical part of its business strategy, and its efforts to green its facilities. Alliance programming and activities include education and promotion of a number of environmental metrics, including USGBC's LEED® programs, EPA's Energy Star, WaterSense and Climate Leaders programs, and others. For more information, visit www.kohler.com or go to www.greenerfacilities.org.
Schools Identified as the Hottest Market for Green Building
McGraw-Hill Construction (MHC), part of the McGraw-Hill Companies, released the latest issue of its SmartMarket Report™ series, detailing its findings from market research into green building in the education construction sector. The Council of Educational Facility Planners International and the U.S. Green Building Council were co- sponsors of the report. MHC found that the education sector is the fastest-growing market for green building—good news for the industry given that education construction is the largest construction sector, by value, at $53 billion for 2007. MHC focused on the education sector because of the specific sensitivities children have to indoor air pollutants and environments, as well as the amount of time students (at the K-12 and university levels) spend in educational facilities. For more information on the Education Green Building SmartMarket Report or other MHC studies, go to www.analyticsstore.construction.com.
Owens Corning's Headquarters Earns Silver LEED-EB
The world headquarters of Owens Corning has joined just 36 other buildings in the United States to earn the prestigious Silver certification under the USGBC's LEED® Existing Building (EB) program. To achieve the award, the building's design and operation met stringent standards as an energy-efficient, environmentally responsible and healthy place to live and work. The LEED certification of an existing building is a significant achievement because it is generally easier to design these features into new construction. The Owens Corning world headquarters is the first building in Toledo, OH, to earn this important benchmark. The building has already earned an Energy Star rating—placing it in the top 25 percent of energy-efficient buildings in the United States. Additional information is available at www.owenscorning.com.
Perkins+Will Designs Sustainable Facility at Georgia Tech
Perkins+Will, a global leader in sustainable architecture and design, recently announced the debut of the Christopher W. Klaus Advanced Computing Building at the Georgia Institute of Technology in Atlanta. The Klaus Building will house research and teaching facilities for Georgia Tech's College of Computing and School of Electrical and Computing Engineering. Perkins+Will envisioned and designed the building to integrate with the site's natural environment and to function as a campus model for sustainable architecture. The 414,000-square-foot facility is a study in how innovative design can maximize resources to minimize environmental impact. The new Klaus Building has received USGBC LEED® Silver certification—a designation granted to buildings that meet the USGBC's stringent design criteria for environmentally sustainable architecture. For more information, go to www.perkinswill.com.