Chicago Sustainable/Green Buildings & Parks Info Resources About LEED Certification The Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Green Building Rating System™ encourages and accelerates global adoption of sustainable Green building and development practices through the creation and implementation of universally understood and accepted tools and performance criteria. LEED is a third-party certification program and the nationally accepted benchmark for the design, construction and operation of high performance Green buildings. Commercial real estate programs exist for: • New Construction (LEED-NC) • Existing Buildings Operations & Maintenance (LEED for Existing Buildings: O&M) • Core & Shell (LEED-CS) • Commercial Interiors (LEED-CI) LEED promotes a whole-building approach to sustainability by recognizing performance in six key areas of human and environmental health: 1. sustainable sites 2. water efficiency 3. energy and atmosphere 4. materials and resources 5. indoor environmental quality 6. innovation and design Source : From the U.S. Green Building Council: w ww .usgbc.org
Chicago Center for Green Technology : http://tinyurl.com/qnuhx3 The Chicago Center for Green Technology is located at 445 North Sacramento Boulevard in Chicago. It is open to the public Monday, Wednesday, and Friday from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., Tuesday and Thursday from 9:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m., and Saturday from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. The Center is closed on Sunday. Visitors are welcome to explore the public areas of the building and campus. Brochures for self-guided tours are available at the building. • A m odel for the nation. Chicago Green Tech is only the third building in the United States to be designed according to the LEED rating system using the highest standards of green technology available. It is the only one of the three that is a renovation of an existing building and the only one accessible by public transportation.
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Hom e to organizations and businesses com m itted to the environm ent. Tenants who occupy Chicago Green Tech provide environmental products and services. Green corps Chicago, the city's community gardening and job training program and WRD Environmental, an urban landscape company, all have offices at Chicago Green Tech. A place to learn. Chicago Green Tech's building and campus are open for visitors to explore and to learn how green buildings are good for people and good for the environment. Visitors leave knowing how to incorporate environmentally friendly, cost saving features into their home or business. CCGT also offers free seminars for the public 2-3 times per week. CCGT's Green Building Resource Center also has a small library that includes green product samples. The library opens to visitors whenever CCGT is open.
Chicago Green Alleys : http://tinyurl.com /greenalleyschicago Chicago's Green Alley program is the latest in a long line of environmentally friendly initiatives put forth by Mayor Daley. Green alleys incorporate a variety of characteristics: • Permeable pavements (asphalt, concrete or pavers) that allow stormwater to filter through the pavement and drain into the ground, instead of collecting on hard surfaces or draining into the sewer system. The pavement can be used on the full width of an alley, or simply in a center trench. • Open bottom catch basins--installed in alleys to capture water and funnel it into the ground • High-albedo pavement, a lighter-colored surface that reflects sunlight instead of absorbing it, helping reduce the urban heat island effect • Recycled materials, such as concrete aggregate, slag and recycled tire rubber Other green alley techniques include using proper grading and pitch to facilitate drainage, and using dark sky-compliant light fixtures to reduce light pollution and provide uniform illumination.
Green Alleys are part of CDOT's "green infrastructure" -- which includes recycled construction materials, permeable pavement, recycled rubber sidewalks and other efforts. The program began as a pilot in 2006, and through 2008, more than 80 Green Alleys have been installed.
Timeline: Key Moments in Green Building Planning June 10, 2004: Chicago set a standard for public buildings that any new building would need to be LEED certified. Approved by the U.S. Green Building Council.
Green Buildings in Chicago: In the news (excerpts from The Chicago Tribune )
Get Smart; Take a Tour of What Could Become your green dream home. It is already built-at the Museum of Science and Industry by Lisa Skolnki, June 15, 2008. “In the not-too-distant-future, your home may do all sorts of things on its own, such as controlling its heating, cooling, lighting and security systems-right down to turning them up and down or on and off as you go from room to room or enter and exit the house. It may also generate enough energy for most or all of your needs, track what you do use, open shades and skylights when detectors sense sun or breezes and cue wake- up tunes from a digital music server. And your plants may even call you up to tell you when they're thirsty and need a good watering. The future is here right now at Chicago's Museum of Science and Industry (MSI), where the Smart Home, a 2,500-square-foot looker loaded with all the features mentioned above, and more...”
Greener pastures for the city by Anneke Leurdijk, March 13, 1992. “Believe it or not, there are about 30,000 empty lots within the city of Chicago. That spells out about 30,000 opportunities to make the city a little greener, and about 30,000 ways to improve the view from the Sears Tower. The focus of "Green and Growing ... An Urban Gardening Fair" is on transforming Chicago's wasted space into useful gardens, says Betty Tyler of Green Chicago. "It's about making our city more beautiful and our neighborhoods more livable," she says. But the fair is open to anyone with an interest in gardening in the city. Sessions will address gardening techniques for those with disabilities and older adults.”
In the news (excerpts from Building Design & Construction )
What other cities can learn from “Green Chicago” by Robert Cassidy, October 2008. “Four years ago, Richard M. Daley brought in a 29-year-old environmentalist, Sadhu Johnston, as his green guru. By 2005, Johnston and his team in the city's Department of Environment had crafted a 150-page Environmental Action Agenda. It is the most sweeping plan of its kind for any major city in the US, and, with Daley's emerging role in climate change issues, has put Chicago on the map as a leader in environmental improvement worldwide. This is not to say that everything in Chicago is hunky-dory. The city's air quality needs a lot of work. Its "blue bag" recycling program flopped; it has been replaced by a much better "blue cart" program. Yet despite these missteps, important lessons can be drawn from the Chicago green effort.”
Further Reading Big Plans: The allure and folly of Urban Design by Kenneth Kolson. Call number: HT153.K64 2003 Kolson’s perspective takes into account the most important variable to successful urban planning—the human factor. City Life by Witold Rybczynski. Call number: NA9105.R93 1996. Architect and author Rybczynski writes an insightful history of the American urban environment, emphasizing the need for inclusion of community within the planning process. The death and life of great American cities by Jane Jacobs. Call number: HT167.J33 1992. Jacob’s classic work reflects the history of urban planning in America and challenges contemporary urban planners with the question, “What makes cities work?” She argues that when it comes to our cities’ futures, tearing down and rebuilding is the wrong tactic. Deep Economy: The Wealth of Communities and the Durable Future by Bill McKibben. Call number: HD75.M353 2007 In this thoughtful work, prolific environment author McKibben encourages readers to invest their money in projects that will enhance their communities, enrich their neighbors and encourage self-reliant and value-based local cultures. design e²: the economies of being environmentally conscious by PBS Home Video. Call number: GE 195.D4754 2006 This documentary runs down many cities in the US and highlights Chicago’s contribution to green city planning including biking infrastructure, planters & new
trees, City Hall, Millennium Park, Chicago Center for Green Technology, Chicago Police Department,“Green Homes for Chicago” a.k.a Factor 10 homes and businesses such as the Addison Target, downtown Apple store, Rock and Roll McDonald’s with green tops.
Design like you give a damn: architectural responses to humanitarian crises , edited by Architecture for Humanity. Call number: NA2543.S6D47 2006. An incredible variety of innovative projects and socially responsible planning options from around the world are presented by the internationally lauded organization Architecture for Humanity in the search to design sustainable environments for communities in need. Edens Lost & Found. Episode: “Chicago: City of the Big Shoulders by Bullfrog Films. Call number: F548.52 .C43 2006. Explores Chicago’s places of green interest such as Northerly Island form erly Meig’s Field (the park part of the original Burnham & Olmsted plan for Chicago that included 5 man-made islands and 7 miles of lakeshore public parks), Neighborhood Technology Center & Center for Neighborhood Technology, Hom an Square Com m unity Center in Law ndale, Chicago W ilderness Coalition, Southeast Environm ental Task Force in Calum et & SE Chicago (who encourage the planting of “biodiversity gardens” with native plants to bring in more wildlife to previously barren areas). The Great Neighborhood Book: A Do-It-Yourself Guide to Placemaking by Jay Walljasper. Call number: HT166.W234 2007. Despite current economic challenges, struggling communities can be revived, not by funding or the government, but by the people who live in the neighborhood. This book highlights feasible options that any community can implement to make their neighborhood a welcoming place. Living Green: A Practical Guide to Simple Sustainability by Greg Horn. Call number: GF77.H67 2006. A thoughtful, positive guide to making changes that help protect the environment, this book provides an excellent starting point for improving health, home and community. Myspace/OurPlanet: Change is Possible by MySpace Community, Jeca Taudite & Dan Santat. Call number: GE195.A53 2008.
Full of quick tips, important facts and inspiring eco-ideas from teens across the country, this book breaks down the many aspects of life that can be made more “green.”
The Option of Urbanism: Investing in a New American Dream by Christopher B. Leinberger. Call number: HT384.U5L45 2008 What would cities look like if people could live, work and play in the same area, with close access to footpaths and other transportation options? Acclaimed urban planner Leinberger shows how today’s cities leave people feeling isolated, and ask how tomorrow’s cities can be different. Resilient Cities: Responding to Peak Oil and Climate Change by Peter Newman. Call number: HT241.N495 2009. The world faces an estimated urban population of five billion within the next 20 years. Newman’s book highlights practical and successful ideas currently implemented in many cities and explains why the time to begin solving the climate crisis is now.
Other Green Buildings in the Chicago Area • • • • • • • • • •
111 South Wacker (LEED Gold certified)1 Chicago’s FBI Building (LEED Platinum Certified for an existing building)2 PepsiCo Chicago Plaza (Energy Star Certification for an existing building)3 Humana’s Chicago Offices at 550 West Adams Street (LEED Silver Certification)4 Wrigley’s Global Innovation Center (LEED Gold Certification)5 190 S. Lasalle (LEED Certified)6 Citi – Chicago Office (LEED Gold Certification)7 Center on Halsted (LEED Silver Certification)8 Access Living Headquarters at 115 West Chicago Avenue (LEED Gold Certification)9 Merchandise Mart (LEED Silver Certification for an existing building)10
Other Resources Architectural Record: http://greensource.construction.com / Autodesk: www.autodesk.com/green Green Bean Chicago: http://w ww .greenbeanchicago.com / Google Maps of Green Areas in Chicago:
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http://www.jetsongreen.com/2007/02/skyscraper_sund_3.html http://www.environmentalleader.com/2009/01/07/chicago-fbi-building-earns-leed-platinum-certification/ 3 http://www.environmentalleader.com/2009/08/19/pepsicos-chicago-plaza-earns-energy-star-certification/ 4 http://www.environmentalleader.com/2007/09/11/humanas-chicago-offices-receive-leed-certification/ 5 http://www.reuters.com/article/pressRelease/idUS117687+09-Mar-2009+PRN20090309 6 http://www.globest.com/news/1466_1466/chicago/180225-1.html 7 http://www.allbusiness.com/science-technology/earth-atmospheric-science/11724980-1.html 8 http://www.chicagopride.com/news/article.cfm/articleid/6300064 9 http://www.accessliving.org/index.php?tray=release&tid=top850&cid=484 10 http://www.midwestbusiness.com/news/viewnews.asp?newsletterID=18567 2