According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA), healthcare facility owners and organizations spend nearly $8.8 billion on energy each year to meet patient needs. To improve energy efficiency, thousands of hospitals rely on the EPA’s Energy Star tools to help track consumption and prioritize facilities for energy upgrades.
Last week, EPA released an important
Earlier this week, I received an alert that "Five AIA Contract Documents are going green!" Developed using AIA’s flagship documents as a base, and incorporating concepts and model language from the AIA’s Guide for Sustainable Projects, the new documents address the unique roles, risks and opportunities encountered on sustainable design and construction projects.
“The development
Timing is everything! As I was preparing for a LEED for Healthcare presentation this week, one of my partners sent me a piece about the innovative use of "pods" to cut building costs. The article by Mike Boyer focused on a team of two plumbing and mechanical contracting firms who want to transform how
My transition to a new law firm has come with a few new perks, such as working with a tight-knit group of construction and environmental lawyers who practice both nationally and internationally.
One of our bright young stars, Lauran Sturm, recently compiled a comprehensive list of global codes and standards governing sustainable design and
Initially filed as a class action suit in October 2010 against the USGBC, Henry Gifford’s lawsuit took a turn this week when he filed an amended complaint. The original lawsuit alleged violations of the Sherman and Lanham Acts for “deceiving users” of the LEED rating system. The lawsuit questioned whether "LEED buildings use less energy than conventionally-built
When asked about potential cost overruns on the Music City Center almost year ago, the Center’s representative Larry Atema stated bluntly, "There aren’t going to be any." True to that commitment, Anne Paine of the Tennessean reported this past weekend that the Center’s "green roof has grown less green."
According to the article
Today’s post is about the BBC World Service, World Have Your Say Blog series that features the Green Building in Louisville, Kentucky on September 30 and October 1.
Continue Reading The Green Building in Louisville is a Lesson in Green Building
Today’s guest post is by Angela Stephens, a fellow construction attorney in the Construction Service Group and Green Law Group at Stites & Harbison PLLC. She is a LEED Accredited Professional and is the first attorney in the Commonwealth of Kentucky to achieve Green Advantage® certification.
Sustainable Design and Construction raises unique legal issues
It really is impossible to put your arms around the number of green building and energy performance policies and codes that are sprouting up all across the nation. When a project involves private commercial development or public investment, one of the most discussed issues is whether the cost of obtaining LEED certification from the U.S.
As a follow-up to my post yesterday about the costs of LEED certification, I was not surprised to read the following lead line in a local newspaper in Cary, North Carolina:
"Cary wants to be green. Just not certifiable."
According to the article, the local town council voted to skip the green building certification process because of the high costs. "If