Chicago

Why Waste A Ribbon When You Can Plant A Tree...

San Diego, CA- Walgreens celebrated the opening of the nations first green drugstore yesterday not with a traditional ribbon-cutting ceremony but with the planting of a native tree. "We felt that planting a tree was much more appropriate then cutting a ribbon and then throwing it away" said Jamie J. Meyers, The LEED AP Project architect who was there for the celebrations.

Walgreens, the nations largest drug store chain is once again changing the landscape for the American consumer, this time for the greener. The store in question was designed from the ground up around the dual mission of efficiency and sustainability. Not only is it the first drug store in the U.S. to meet the USGBCs stringent LEED design standards but the 24-hour store also sells a host of environmentally friendly products. By exceeding LEED requirements and integrating eco-friendly product lines into their inventory they have taken steps that cannot simply be attributed to the common corporate "greenwashing"

A Serious Commitment...

With this project and future plans for many more like it, Walgreens has made a serious commitment to sustainability. Here are just a few of the things they have built into this store on the architectural side;

-Take for instance the landscaping: They used all native plants which will require no watering whatsoever once they have adjusted to transplanting. Here in San Diego that's a pretty big deal as we are in the midst of a level two drought emergency...

-They took great pains to reduce lighting energy waste by utilizing 75% natural sunlight during daytime hours. This was achieved with the installation of solar tubes and skylights that shine down from the ceiling. This combined with LEDs in their signs and coolers reduces lighting related energy use by 50%

-They are mitigating storm water pollution from the surrounding buildings by collecting and filtering water as it flows onto their lot.

-Water use is estimated at 50% below LEED standard levels.

-75% of materials were architectural salvage from the previous structure that existed on the lot.

-A white roof was included to reduce cooling related energy use as well as to mitigate the urban heat island effect.

-There are many other green details as well, such as hybrid car parking spaces, a bike rack, and a site in part chosen for it's close proximity to public transportation.

While other companies have made token gestures to the green movement Walgreens really seems to get it. While there is still room for further improvement, the significant steps they have taken to "go green" far surpass the typical dog and pony show that passes for environmentalism these days in many companies.

At some point the question was seriously posed- "How can we make ourselves more efficient and sustainable?" And someone took the time to find some awnsers. Yet here we find the question that all modern companies will be faced with as energy prices soar and the public becomes more aware of their own effect on the planet. Whether it's the product they produce, the service they provide, or the goods that they sell companies large and small cannot escape the changes that are occurring in our environment. Those who don't respond to these changes will end up like Walgreens competitors such as Eckerd; just struggling to keep up with the pack.

Started in 2002 by the infamous United States Green Building Council (USGBC), the GreenBuild Expo has quickly become the largest conference and exhibition focused solely on green building (both practices and products).

Nearly 20,000 people are expected to attend this year's GreenBuild in Chicago. In recent years, Chicago has been working to become on of the top sustainable cities in the country - in 2006, the city was named #4 in SustainLane's Top 10 Green U.S. Cities, and they're aiming to make it to #1.

Pulling out all the stops this year, the USGBC has an unprecedented number of awards, workshops, events and more planned for the three short days of this year's conference. Former President Bill Clinton will be giving the opening keynote speech on November 7th and the newest LEED for Homes program will be a major focus. Also available to attendees are detailed educational seminars, LEED workshops, local Chicago green building tours, the sixth annual USGBC Leadership Awards, and beautiful outdoor activities (including a picnic, yoga, and a bike tour).

Having been hosted previous in Austin, Pittsburgh, Portland, Atlanta and Denver, we are keeping are fingers crossed that they come to beautiful San Francisco next year (hint hint). Keep your eyes tuned to Building Green TV for details on exciting new products and programs featured at the expo.

The U.S. Green Building Council's http://www.usgbc.org/ Greenbuild Expo http://www.greenbuildexpo.org/ will be held in Chicago November 7-9. I talked about the conference in a prior post but the venue for the conference is also worth noting given its size and LEED certification. It will be held in the new addition to the existing McCormick Place, which itself totals about 2 million square feet, just south of Chicago's downtown. The addition, called McCormick Place West, was completed in August 2007, eight months ahead of schedule and on budget. It includes an expansive roof top garden, 470,000 sq ft of exhibit space, 250,000 sq ft of meeting space and a 100,000 sq. ft. ballroom. The LEED certified addition was built at a cost of $882 million by TVS Architects. http://www.mccormick2008.com/ Its environmental and innovative design adds another dimension to Chicago's rich architectural history.

The U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) http://www.usgbc.org/ will hold this year's Greenbuild Expo in Chicago on November 7-9. http://www.greenbuildexpo.org/ The move to Chicago was made in part to accomodate its growing attendance and given this year's keynote speaker, former President Bill Clinton, it was probably a good idea. Apparently the "Clinton Climate Initiative" has decided that green building is key to reaching its goals of reducing CO2 emissions that lead to climate change.

What does all this mean? I think it points to how far the green building movement has come in recent years. The interest and commitment to building, both commercial and residential, in a sustainable manner has reached new levels.

USGBC initiated the LEED system http://www.usgbc.org/DisplayPage.aspx?CategoryID=19 that rates buildings according to specific criteria pertaining to green building practices. It has been beta-testing "LEED for Homes" for nearly two years as I mentioned in a prior post. USGBC started Greenbuild in 2002 and in 2006 attendance was much higher than anticipated. The conference consists of educational sessions and workshops, an exhibition floor, networking events and even guided tours of local green buildings. Attendees include building professionals, i.e. architects, designers, engineers etc. as well as anyone interested in green building.

Why hold it in Chicago? "Chicago is committed to becoming the most environmentally friendly city in the world," said Mayor Richard Daley. "Chicago was one of the first cities to adopt LEED for the construction of all new city facilities and to develop an expedited permit process for LEED certified green buildings. As a signatory to the U.S. Mayor's Climate Protection Agreement and a member of the Clinton Climate Initiative, Chicago is also a leader in reducing greenhouse gas emissions." Also, the site of the conference is a LEED registered project. Given Chicago's rich architectural history, perhaps an appropriate place to hold a conference on building green.