Sustainable Development Focus
Construction & Demolition Recycling - Jan 25
The U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) released its national ranking of the top states in the country for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) green building, and California is the fifth state in the nation for 2016. The annual list highlights states throughout the country that made significant strides in sustainable building design, construction, and transformation over the past year. This year, California moved up from seventh to fifth place with a total of 632 LEED certified projects representing 2.39 square feet of certified space per resident. According to USGBC, LEED construction is projected to support 668,000 total jobs in California and have a total impact on GDP of $58.4 billion from 2015 to 2018.
Proud Green Building - Jan 23
More than two million construction workers were employed in energy-related activities in 2016, according to the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE). The department's second annual U.S. Energy and Employment Report estimated that overall energy-related employment represented 31 percent of the total U.S. construction labor force in 2016, up from approximately 27 percent in 2015. The DOE determined that approximately 1.4 million workers were involved in the energy-efficiency segment, with about 250,000 employed in the generation and fuels construction arena and almost 425,000 engaged in transmission, distribution, and storage. The DOE also projected that the number of construction workers in the energy-efficiency segment would increase by 10.6 percent in 2017. The energy-efficiency construction sector includes companies and individuals that build and design energy-efficient houses and offices, as well as the workers who actually install the features, according to the department.
San Diego Union-Tribune - Jan 23
Seeking to help San Diego achieve the goals of its ambitious climate action plan, local leaders launched last Monday a proposed “district” of commercial buildings where owners would pledge to reduce energy consumption, water use, and transportation emissions. San Diego’s district, which could include buildings all over the city not just in one geographic area, would be modeled after similar partnerships in 15 other cities across North America, including Los Angeles, San Francisco, Seattle, and Toronto. In each city, the owners of commercial buildings have pledged to make upgrades that boost efficiency and produce a 50 percent reduction in energy, water, and transportation emissions by 2030.
Puget Sound Business Journal - Jan 11
Ikea has installed the largest solar rooftop array in Washington atop the company’s store currently under construction in Renton. The store’s 244,000-square-foot solar array consists of a 1.13-megawatt system, built with 3,268 panels that will produce about 1,261,000 kilowatt hours of electricity annually for the store. Ikea said the solar power will be the equivalent of reducing 886 tons of carbon dioxide emissions, which is equal to the emissions of 187 cars or providing electricity for 131 homes yearly.
SDSU - Jan 27
San Diego State University’s Conrad Prebys Aztec Student Union has achieved LEED Double Platinum status, joining an elite group of energy-efficient buildings. The recognition is shared by fewer than two dozen facilities around the world. The newly earned LEED Platinum certification for Existing Buildings Operations and Maintenance comes just two years after the student union earned LEED Platinum status for new construction.
