As the Denver Zoo prepares to open its latest addition, a 10 acre exhibit dedicated to the Asian Tropics, they have incorporated a number of eco-conscious features. As part of the new construction, the entire complex is striving for LEED certification, the first large animal exhibit facility in the nation to be certified as such. In [...]
Archive for the ‘Green Building’ Category
Denver Zoo Lays Claim to Greenest in Country
May 24th, 2012 
Eric Wilson Itron: A Global Leader in Smart Meters
May 21st, 2012 John Basalla For today’s company spotlight, I wanted to look at smart meters. Smart meters have been in use since 2006 in the United States and have gained wide penetration in some areas and caused backlashes in others. In the near future many utilities will be switching their customers over to this technology. So what exactly are [...]
Five Friday Facts: The New World Trade Center
May 18th, 2012 Justin Manger The following facts come from a pamphlet sent to me by a relative who visited the construction site and memorial pool at the World Trade Center in New York City. The 1 World Trade Center (WTC) building is expected to reach it full height soon, whereupon its 408-foot (124 m) radio antenna will be installed [...]
DOE’s SunShot Initiative Announces Funding Opportunity for “Plug and Play” Photovoltaic Systems
May 4th, 2012 Chris DeArmond The Department of Energy’s (DOE’s) SunShot Initiative is an ambitious program that aims to dramatically reduce the cost of solar energy. By the end of the decade, one of SunShot’s official goals is to cut the cost of photovoltaic (PV) systems by 75 percent, or to about 6 cents per kilowatt-hour. Besides making the cost [...]
Axion: Turning Bottles into Bridges
May 2nd, 2012 Justin Manger Using a technique developed at Rutgers Universtity, Axion International from New Providence, N.J. is building small bridges from recycled plastic bottles. Aside from reusing the bottles, the company says the I-beams, rail ties, and other structural building products it makes are rust and corrosion proof, cost competitive, and won’t become food for termites. Take their [...]
Posted in Business, Conservation, Green Building, Green Products, Justin Manger, News, Recylcing, Sustainability, Transportation 
Tags: Green Product 
No Comments »2012 HGTV Green Home Unveiled
April 28th, 2012 Eric Wilson This year’s 2012 HGTV Green Home, a sweepstakes give away, is located just south of Atlanta, Georgia. Individuals may enter twice a day at either HGTV.com/greenhome or HGTVremodels.com. June 1st at 5pm ET is the deadline for entering the sweepstakes, valued at roughly $800,000. A car (from sponsor GM), the house, and $100,000 comprise the [...]
Posted in Eric Wilson, Green Building, Local Energy/Food, Real Estate, Renewable Energy Tags: HGTV, Organic, Photovoltaic, Wastewater No Comments »Another Baseball Season, Another New (LEED) Ballpark
April 21st, 2012 Eric Wilson Last year I came across a story in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution about the possibility of replacing the Georgia Dome, a structure that opened in 1994. As a result I wrote about the debate of whether to build open-air or closed stadiums for sporting venues. This idea of stadiums has been on my mind quite a [...]
Posted in Eric Wilson, Green Building Tags: Colorado, Cradle to Cradle, LEED, Los Angeles, Minnesota, Sports Facilities, Washington DC No Comments »Building for the Next 500 Years
April 8th, 2012 Eric Wilson While attending a United States Green Building Council (USGBC) meeting recently, someone mentioned that a local university was building to a 500 year standard. I had never heard the term prior, but the idea was all too familiar. The university was constructing buildings to last the next 500 years. This is incredibly difficult to fathom [...]
Geothermal Air-Conditioning Systems for Japanese “Combini”
March 19th, 2012 Justin Manger Seven-Eleven is the largest of the combini (convenience store) chains that can be found on nearly every block in large cities around Japan. Selling everything from juice and rice balls to beer and fish, underwear and band-aids, niku-man (meat stuffed steamed dumplings) and adult magazines, the combini is a uniquely Japanese experience. They are also [...]
Army Not Messing Around with $7 Billion in Energy Projects
March 5th, 2012 Justin Manger Over the next 30 years, the U.S. army is aiming to buy solar, wind, geothermal, biomass and other alternative fuels to the tune of $7 billion dollars. Here is the draft proposal in which they are looking for 99 large-scale renewable projects. This is all part of a plan to have renewable energy at or [...]
