The Live Oak Family Resource Center in Santa Cruz, CA, courtesy of Google Street Views

Today the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) announced a milestone!  They have officially certified the 10,000th LEED commercial project!  Whoot whoot!

I don’t get the chance to quote Bruce Lee very often, so I’ll keep it short. 

In the immortal words of Bruce Lee,“I fear not the man who has practiced 10,000 kicks once, but I fear the man who has practiced one kick 10,000 times.”

LEED is the one kick, and now it has not only been practiced but implemented 10,000 times! 

10,000 buildings certified is a huge accomplishment, not only for the USGBC, but for all the project teams and building owners that made the commitment to this market changer. 

It is also a great thing for the occupants out there enjoying these buildings!  The 10,000th certified building was The Live Oak Family Resource Center in Santa Cruz, Calif., which was awarded LEED Platinum today.  The local paper, the Santa Cruz Sentinel, did an article about the opening of the building in March of this year.  Writer Jenna Brogan interviewed volunteers and community members that are utilizing the center.  They told stories of their previous building being cramped, inefficient and rundown. Susan Cabrera, president of the board for the Volunteer Center, reminisced about brushing the termite dust off her desk every morning in their old building and Karen Delaney, executive director of the Volunteer Center, has already seen a significant decrease in power costs. “I can’t believe it costs less to be here than in our leaky old trailer,” she laughed.   

The Live Oak Family Resource Center is not only a LEED milestone but an embodiment of the USGBC's Vision to create “buildings and communities [that] will regenerate and sustain the health and vitality of all life within a generation.” The center is a place for families to find guidance, information and referrals on childbirth and parenting, health education and services, youth and senior programs, food distribution and other community needs.  All this under a roof that doesn’t leak, but collects water and generates solar power. 

“We’ve just scratched the surface of what’s possible in the green building field,” said President, CEO and founding chair of the USGBC Rick Fedrizzi, in their press release today. “In 10 short years, we’ve fundamentally changed how we construct and operate buildings and communities, and during that time LEED has continued to evolve, pushing sustainable building practice forward with each evolution. But there’s much more to do. The market continues to embrace LEED as the leadership standard it was meant to be and our kids deserve the outcomes that green buildings contribute to their future.”

As Canadians we should be proud that 101 of these USGBC projects are actually in Canada!  They were registered and in some cases certified before the different LEED systems were available in Canada from the Canada Green Building Council - 4 of which received the highest certification of Platinum.

To end the way we started, I might as well throw in some more Bruce Lee, “There are no limits. There are plateaus, but you must not stay there, you must go beyond them.”

So lets go beyond 10,000 certifications, and look forward to the day when LEED is integrated into our building code and considered best practices.  We can all dream of that day and work hard towards it.

 

We are excited to be a pert of this years Sustainable Building Symposium (SBS)!

Both Brandy and Stephani will be presenting on" Solving the Mysteries of Product Specs on LEED Projects" and introducing our team as providers of the LEED Canada for Homes program in Edmonton.

For more information on the SBS and to register, visit www.cagbc.org

Product Profile by Andrea Pelland and Stephani Carter, of EcoAmmo & Green Alberta

 

High density expanding polyurethane foam is being used in many ways in the building industry, from spray insulation, to concrete raising, soil stabilization, rigid paving repair, foundations, piles and even load bearing elements.

But how ‘green’ is it? It’s a chemical resin, right? Polyurethane foam is lightweight so it won’t overburden soil or foundations, yet it is extremely strong and durable. Most installation methods are quick, efficient, and require very little construction activity.

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Some polyurethane foams can also aid in achieving LEED^® credits and prerequisites such as minimum and optimum energy performance (products can have high thermal characteristics of R5.5 to R6 per inch of thickness), management of construction waste (the waste, if any, generated from installation can be recycled), indoor environmental quality – specifically due to its typically low to zero VOC lab tests, and, depending on where your project site is located, regional materials.

For those looking to use high density polyurethane foam, Alberta has a few local manufacturers. Uretek in particular formulates their product on site, reducing the carbon footprint associated with plant manufacturing and transportation. For more information, see www.uretek.ca or www.greenalberta.ca.

by Stephani Carter of EcoAmmo and Green Alberta

Permeable pavers have had mixed reviews in Alberta in recent years.  However, more and more project teams are deciding to add permeable surfaces to their projects. Permeable pavers, available in many different varieties, allow rainwater to flow through to the soil beneath, aiding storm water management and pollutant removal, among many other environmental benefits.

I was recently part of an Alberta Government delegation visiting China's green building industry. There is still much to be done to reduce environmental impacts there, but in some cases the Chinese have been quick to implement green strategies. For example, sun shades, operable windows, grey water treatment and reuse and the use of permeable pavers appear to be standard practice.

This photo, taken in Shenzhen, illustrates how permeable pavers are used in parking stalls, while the driveway portions of the parking lot remain concrete or asphalt. This same mixed composition of surfaces is a growing trend in Alberta.

For those looking to use permeable pavers on their local LEED® projects, Alberta has a local manufacturer who includes recycled content in their products, which can aid in achieving both regional materials and recycled content credits.