LEED
Northwest EcoBuilding Guild Building Slam! 2011
Ten projects.
Ten slides.
Ten minutes.
Emceed by Patti Southard, of the King County Green Tools Program, this year’s Annual Green Building Slam! put on by the Northwest EcoBuilding Guild is sure to be interesting.
| What: | Annual Green Building Slam! |
| Where: | Bastyr University Auditorium |
| When: | Saturday, September 10, 2011 from 4 p.m. to 9 p.m. |
| Cost: | $20 Advance (before 9/8)/ $30 (after 9/8) |
Hosted by Northwest EcoBuilding Guild’s Seattle Chapter, this event features architects and builders showcasing their green construction projects in a 10 minute, 10 slide presentation.
In celebration of the 100-year anniversary of the International Women’s Day, a number of remarkable projects by top women green building professionals will be highlighted. › Continue reading
USGBC’s Green Home Guide Beta
Margarido Home, LEED Platinum Certified.
Many of us are familiar with the LEED rating system from the United States Green Building Council (USGBC), which is a third party green building rating system for commercial and residential buildings. The LEED rating system has been adopted by the U.S. government and is used with all new construction and major renovation of federal buildings. LEED certifies buildings on a point based system in the areas of Sustainable Sites, Water Efficiency, Energy & Atmosphere, Materials & Resources, Indoor Environmental Quality, Locations & Linkages, Awareness & Education, Innovation in Design, and Regional Priority. Points are then added up to achieve Silver, Gold, or preferably Platinum certification. While mainly regarded as a tool for commercial building, there is also a LEED for Homes section that allows you to certify your home or neighborhood.
Recently, USGBC has launched a Green Home Guide. The site is an awesome resource for those of you looking to remodel or build a home in the near future. The site contains a myriad of resources for the casual and the serious green homemaker alike. The “Know How” section guides you through green building advice and educational articles to help you make better-informed decisions. They cover a diverse range of topics, and the content is growing everyday. With the rapid growth in the green building world, it’s a great resource if you need to get an idea of what’s out there.
› Continue reading
Greening of Seattles Paramount Theater
Seattle is a pretty green city, both in vegetation and environmental awareness (although the lack of public transportation situation is mind boggling), so it is only fitting that one of the most recognizable entertainment icons is getting a green revamp. The Paramount Theater near the heart of downtown Seattle is in the process of a green upgrade, starting with the signature marque sign.
The newly replicated sign will be approximately 90% more energy efficient. Currently The Paramount vertical sign has 1,932 incandescent bulbs using 11 watts per bulb, driven by several large mechanical chasers. The replacement consists of .75 watt LED bulbs with electrical chasers gaining the largest energy efficiency increase. Magnetic transformers will be replaced with Ventex High Power Factor (HPF) electronic transformers to power the neon portions of the sign. These units will save up to 66% of the energy currently being consumed by the neon lights.
Green Flooring – Eco-Leader Tile by Refin Ceramiche
Let’s face it keeping up with the “green movement” is not easy especially when replacing your tile floors. However with companies like Refin Ceramiche and new product like Eco-Leader and X-Stone, the search just became a whole lot easier.
Eco-leader is a color-body porcelain tile; manufactured using 40% pre-consumer recycled material. It is this 40% recycle content which enables Eco-Leader to meet the requirements for LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certification, the most important and strict American certification for conservation of energy and the environment.
Although many have tried, Refin is the first Italian factory to create a tile awarded LEED certification. It is this first step–and Refin’s commitment to their mission of becoming a forerunner of environmental policies through conscious consumption and production–which sets them apart from other tile manufacturers.
