4.30.12: Seven World Trade Center, the Empire State Building, and 41 Cooper Square are all LEED certified. LEED, Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design, is a point-based rating system established by the U.S. Green Building Council to drive energy and resource efficiency innovation in the  construction and building industry. LEED certification has become a proxy mission statement for energy efficient buildings made with sustainable materials, nontoxic components, and airy, daylit working environments. But LEED is often criticized for encouraging “point chasing.”

NNR producer Sarah Bacon spoke with four LEED industry experts to understand the differences between certification levels; why developers would seek LEED certification and why some choose not to, and the importance of a post-occupancy performance. She met Jody Grapes, Director of Facilities Management at The Cooper Union’s LEED Platinum 41 Cooper Square; Chris Garvin, Partner at planning and design firm, Terrapin Bright Green; Brooks Perlin, CFO of ECO Supply, a green building materials vendor, and green developer Seth Brown, CEO of Aspen Equities.

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Tags: 41 Cooper Square, Aspen Equities, Cogen, cogeneration, Cooper Union, Eco Supply, Empire State Building, forest stewardship council, FSC, green buildings, green developer, LEED, LEED accredited, LEED certification, LEED platinum, Pritzker, rainwater harvest, richlite, sustainable design, Terrapin Bright Green, Thom Mayne, USGBC

Designed obsolescence, toxic e-waste, the power demands of search engine servers…there are a lot of carbon strikes against internet and software companies. What can they do to reduce their carbon footprint and are they doing it?  Producer Ben Pomeroy talks with Climate Counts‘ Wood Turner about Microsoft and Google. Check out the Climate Counts Internet/Software scorecard for reports on eBay, Yahoo! and Amazon too.

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Tags: carbon neutrality, data, designed obsolescence, ewaste, Google, internet, IT, LEED, Microsoft, offsets, renewable energy, search engines, servers, software, technology

What are those green collar jobs we’ve heard about from the White House and pundits and who’s getting them? Think Progress and Wonk Room Climate Editor, Brad Johnson, explains it all to Producer Sarah Bacon.

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Tags: green collar, green power, LEED, recovery act, renewable energy, retrofitting, solar panel, wind power

Is the hospitality industry doing more to reduce its carbon footprint than the little card in your hotel bathroom imploring YOU to reuse the towel?

Producer Sarah Bacon speaks with  Climate Counts’ Wood Turner who explains that even with Marriot’s LEED certified properties (energy and resource efficient buildings), hotels have a long way to go. Guests need to push them to do better.

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Tags: accomodations, hospitality, hotels, LEED, Marriott, Travel, vacations

By Genevieve Joy

Sports have never been “green”. The equipment, the facilities, the water bottles and the crowds all add up to huge amounts of waste. Recently, however, the pressure to green up its act has caused major changes in the sports world.

It started with basketball: four NBA teams have earned LEED certification on their arenas since April 2009. And this year, NBA players will be sporting “eco-friendly” jerseys made from 60% recycled materials.

In the MLB, the Minnesota Twins and the Washington Nationals have both earned LEED certification. This fall, the Pittsburgh Penguins successfully completed their quest to have the first LEED Gold stadium in the NHL. Not to be outdone, Los Angeles is following the “If you build it, they will come” example by constructing an NFL stadium that follows LEED standards before there is a team to play there. And this week, the New York Jets finished the installation of over 3,000 solar panels on their training facility in New Jersey.

Sports require energy. Sports create waste. But sports are here to stay; and luckily, it looks like the green trend is too.

Photo: Sports Desktop Wallpaper

Tags: LEED, sports