The building features solar-PV systems, recycled content insulation, water conserving landscaping and fixtures and sustainable finishes like compressed wheat countertops.

The structure is part of Bank of America’s $20 billion environmental commitment which tagged $1.4 billion worth of funds for green building initiatives aligned with the USGBC LEED program. Platinum is the highest certification possible for a green building under the LEED program.

The project was designed by Gensler, a leading global design firm specializing in sustainability. Bank of America will open a its second LEED certified banking center in Los Angeles later this year.

Via CNN Money

Post from: EveryJoe

Bank of America Goes for LEED Platinum

If you’re not familiar with the book Cradle to Cradle, it is a manifesto that has given new direction to 21st century industry, if not yet fully in practice at least in thought. The basic principle behind it being that nature and commerce are not mutually exclusive of each other and that the two can co-exist in harmony.

The author of the “hyper-green” tag line article refers to this harmonious market as almost an alternate universe using terms like “in this world, [referring the C2C world] you can flush the dirty diapers down the toilet, spray household cleaners without fear of poisoning your houseplants (or family) and was your surfboard without feeling guilty about the fish.” I’m wondering what’s so over the top about all that?

The term ‘hyper-green’ was used throughout the article several times and each instance made me pause like “these hyper-green products are coming to a shopping mall near you” or “some trend watchers predict these hyper-green products will multiply and move mainstream as more people become environmentally aware.” Hello?

The reality is that green certification has been in practice in a number of industries and applications. For instance the Forest Stewardship Council tracks lumber products worldwide to ensure that commercial forests are managed properly. USDA Organic gives standard measurement to the organic food industry. The US Green Build Council certifies green buildings with LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) standards.

What C2C does is bring standardized labels to a wider range of products, very wide, giving consumers a better idea of what actually constitutes a green product. It’s not a far-fetched, over the top idea. It is an ambitious undertaking but certainly not ‘hyper’ – which when used as a prefix implies over, above, beyond or excessive.

My point is green is green, it’s pretty simple. C2C is a new market, yes, but far from over the top. What is over the top is the amount of greenwashing that consumers have to sort through these days to filter out the goods from the wannabe greens.

I’ll be following C2C as it takes off and personally think that come next year when NuTec, the first Cradle to Cradle convention, comes to Germany (where I live BTW) there will be excitement, there will be new markets, there will be success and the only “excessive” considerations will be the products who have failed the environment.

You also might like:

• Are you being greenwashed? by Sarah Rich of Worldchanging

Post from: EveryJoe

Hyper-green or just green?