The Oil Drum: Local | Green Buildings, Green Queens? Green LA?

Green Buildings, Green Queens? Green LA?

Posted by Glenn on January 15, 2007 - 8:00pm in The Oil Drum: Local
Topic: Alternative energy
Tags: green buildings, oil, peak oil, queens [list all tags]

There's so much going on these days in the sustainability movement in New York & beyond, it's hard to keep up. Green Buildings NYC notes that the Borough of Queens is getting in on the action. The Queens botanical garden's new building is looking to get LEED Platnium and draw over 17% of its electrical needs from a small solar panel array. GBNYC also notes some new solar powered trash cans and that there is enough roof space from old former industrial buildings in just Long Island City alone to make green roofs with the same square footage as Prospect Park.

One point that GBNYC has noted in it's coverage of green building laws in Boston and some proposed legislation in Nashville is that they do not slavishly follow LEED, which was always meant to be a voluntary system, not necessarily a model for legislation. I agree. LEED is a good model, but each locality must define it's own sustainability agenda and figure out how their Green Building legislation helps achieve those goals To that end, the GB blog franchise is expanding to LA.

I think New York's green building laws should focus more on reducing the urban heat island effect, reducing peak electrical demand and reducing the need to drive to the location (near mass transit and bike friendly parking). While in LA, water usage may be a bigger concern.

And if you're a huge green building buff and love talking about Insulated Concrete Forms (ICFs) or Structural Insulated Panels (SIPs), check out Green Building Talk.