www.greenbuildermag.com 07.2012
10 Game-Changing Initiatives
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ProActive Design
Instead of waiting for their end users to smarten up, some fi rms do the hard work up front, turning their establishments into examples of conservation through design principles. “We’ve used basic building materials in the design and construction of our restaurants, but in unusual ways to create an environment that is more unique and interesting,” says Chris Arnold, a spokesperson for Chipotle. The company’s Gurnee, Ill. store includes a wind turbine, and is the fi rst- ever restaurant to receive Platinum LEED certifi cation. Chipotle’s other stores share similar features: drywall from 100% recycled material, low-E insulated glass and construction waste management techniques. PNC bank, too, has been a leader in green design, with over 100 branches that are LEED certifi ed, and feature elements like countertops made from compressed sunfl ower seed hulls and fl oors from recycled rubber.
Open Book Labeling
“Truth in labeling” is a fi eld that’s big and growing. Of course, not every company that provides a sustainability scorecard is going to be fully forthcoming. And determining a product’s environmental costs throughout its production maze is hugely tricky: how do you weigh a product’s use of recycled materials versus its emissions output? Walmart is the biggie in this fi eld; in 2009, the mega-retailer announced a plan to put “eco-labels” on all of its products. But don’t expect to see them for another few years—together with 90 other organizations, the company formed a Sustainability Consortium to fi rst study the range of inputs and outputs that need to be addressed and weighted. The website shown at right (
ecolabelindex.com) allows you to compare and evaluate various systems of green labeling.
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