Green Ump

USGBC Members Ballot on LEED v.4 April 1-30th

REGISTER TO BALLOT LEED v4

USGBC members can register to ballot on the latest draft version of LEED v.4 April 1-30. One of many changes are those regarding building materials for LEED credits, including product disclosures and optimization (Environmental Product Declarations), supply chain/source materials, and material ingredients disclosures.

Substantially reworked, the Materials & Resources section of LEED v4 is different from LEED 2009 in that it applies lifecycle thinking at the whole-building and product level. Proposed credits reward projects for reusing as much material as possible and optimizing design to use less material overall. LEED 2009 credits were based on single attributes of materials, such as recycled content. This approach only tells part of the story; a product could have higher than average performance on that one attribute but far lower than average performance on others. The LEED v4 approach paints a more complete picture of materials and products, enabling project teams to make more informed decisions that will have greater overall benefit for the environmental, human health, and communities.

 

More Information on LEED Building Certification : http://www.usgbc.org/leed

Las Vegas Fashion Turns Green! The newest fine art exhibit at the Las Vegas Springs Preserve, Sustainable Style: Fashion & Photography, showcases Eco-Fashion created and made with consideration to the environmental and social impacts.

This new generation of designers have not only designed with the three R's, reduce, reuse, recycle, but have created fashion clothing and accessories that are biodegradable.

Local Las Vegas eco-fashion designers, Elizabeth Calderon, and Amy Bonds, have been invited to show their collections in Miami and New York.

Green Building Pages has embarked on a four month GREEN USA TOUR visiting and documenting green building product manufacturing and green building case studies across the country. We look forward to bringing you many insightful and personal green stories as we make our way to the East Coast and back again to California.

 

LAS VEGAS - TURNING GREEN?

 

First stop on the Green USA Tour is Las Vegas, what most consider the least sustainable city in the U.S. and possibly beyond. However, there are some glimmers of change on the horizon.  For starters, there is the Desert Living Center, a LEED Platinum building which one should plan to spend at least a day touring the buildings, exhibits, and fabulous gardens. 

The sun screens are beautifully integrated to protect the building from the intense heat gain from the sun, thus saving energy on keeping the interiors cool in 100+ degrees.  Just about every sustainable building material was used somewhere in this complex.  Some walls are strawbale, others are rammed earth or concrete - all suited for this climate of extremes, particularly on the hot end.

Strawbale walls

Rammed Earth Walls

The important mission for this center was to educate the public about the increasingly critical water issues in the Las Vegas region, famous for its luxurious expanses of golf courses and extravagant landscaping, which like other regions of the west, is now running short on water.   The buildings in this complex collect the rainwater with butterfly type roofs and underground cisterns.

Butterfly Roofs Collect Rainwater

These roofs are beautiful from the inside as well as spectacular from the outside.

Interior Butterfly Roof

Many of the buildings have natural ventilation cooling towers integrated into the design to keep the interior spaces cool, minimizing the use of electricity to cool the spaces.

Cooling Tower / Rain Catchment & Cistern

Education is infused everywhere, but particuclarly in the Sustainable Living Resource Center.

Even the walk-off mats as you enter the Sustainable Living Center sport art and science, integrating a stream of water meandering through the mats which help keep the interiors clean.

Walk-Off Mats & Integrated Concrete 'Stream'

Yes, this facility is changing the culture of Las Vegas, showing visitors how to save water, make electricity, and live sustainably and artfully in the Mojave Desert

Solar Shaded Parking