Green Monster: Red Sox Cash In With Car-Focused Spring Training Park

Remember how the otherwise-green-conscious Red Sox moved to a new spring training facility called JetBlue Park in Fort Myers, FL that virtually forces you to drive there? Turns out there's plenty of green motivation behind the lack of transit and bike parking - the cash kind:

Fort Myers’ coffers retained parking fees collected from Red Sox games under the terms of the city’s 1991 contract.

Today, the teams keep all the money generated from game day parking, tickets sales, concessions and advertising, while the county pays for expansions that increased the teams’ ability to sell those items.

As the article details, Lee County is on the hook for hundreds of millions of dollars in ballpark costs while the Red Sox and nearby Twins owe only a small fraction of that in lease payments - and that doesn't cover the cost for road expansion & maintenance to bring all those cars to JetBlue Park.

But even with the driving mandate and JetBlue Park's total lack of solar energy despite the park's Sunshine State location, the Red Sox still got a baseline LEED green building certification, because the U.S. Green Building Council apparently is now giving them away to anyone who recycles.

Virginia General Assembly Takes Step Forward on Green Public Buildings

Even through the GOP's war on women's rights down in Richmond, a few rays of sunshine are emerging from the smoke:

Today the Virginia House of Delegates unanimously passed Senator Chap Petersen's “Cost Effective” Public Buildings Act (SB160) which requires state agencies to use environmentally-friendly protocols, such as LEED design and recycled materials, in constructing or renovating state buildings.

"This bill is about saving taxpayer money. It does that by using natural light, conserving electricity and water and reusing materials in new construction. Using these techniques, we will save money," [said Petersen.]

SB160 will require new state buildings to achieve standards such as the LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) 'Green' and 'Silver' ratings. LEED buildings use modern technology to recycle materials, conserve energy and water, and lower operational costs. According to Petersen, LEED design techniques increase construction costs by 1-3%, but deliver immediate savings through cheaper utility costs.

Congratulations to Sen. Petersen for sticking with this effort through five frustrating years of inaction in Richmond, and congratulations to Virginia taxpayers, who (assuming Gov. McDonnell signs it) will start saving money soon.

June 7: Screening of "The Greening of Southie"

The Green Miles grew up in Boston, so I was excited to hear about this documentary about the first green building in Southie. A screening will be held on Monday, June 7th at 7pm on George Washington University's campus in DC, you can RSVP on Facebook. Should be wicked pissah:

Trailer - The Greening of Southie from Wicked Delicate Films on Vimeo.

Arlington Free Clinic Sets the (LEED) Gold Standard

Arlington's free clinic has become the first in the nation to become a LEED Gold certified green building:

The facility was designed by Perkins+Will in collaboration with the engineering firm Integral and builder Bognet Construction Associates.

“We wanted a space that would be welcoming and reflect our core values of excellence and respect,” said Free Clinic executive director Nancy Pallesen.

Building green “was the right thing to do,” said Mark Silverwood, a member of the Free Clinic’s board and an adviser during the design and construction process. “Earning LEED Gold shows that even a small non-profit can set the bar high and build a space that benefits the entire community.”

Congrats to the Arlington Free Clinic!

New Loudoun County Facility to be a Green Hospital?

From the Loudoun Times:

The Broadlands Regional Medical Center, if approved by the county and built, will seek LEED Certification for Health Care.

The U.S. Green Building Council's LEED program – Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design – recognizes environmentally friendly design, construction and operation.

HCA Virginia, the project's parent company, said if certified, the Broadlands hospital will be the first in its nationwide chain of 166 hospitals to be so recognized.

LEED awards points for site development, water savings, energy efficiency, construction materials and indoor environmental quality. The Broadlands hospital has pledged to treat storm-water runoff to reduce phosphorous and the amount of light that escapes from the site, to use water-saving bath fixtures, to hire an energy management consultant, and to seek National Wildlife Federation designation as a Backyard Wildlife Habitat.

Beyond Green Buildings: Excellence in Sustainable Architecture

Two of my minor gripes about Arlington is that there aren't enough green buildings and that there isn't enough outstanding architecture, so it's nice to see a forum that addresses both:

Architectural Speaker Series in Arlington:
Making Green Beautiful - Excellence in Sustainable Architecture and Design

Thursday, June 14, 7 - 9 P.M.
Rosslyn Spectrum Theater
1611 N. Kent St.

Third installment of the Architecture Speaker Series program will explore excellence in sustainable architecture and green design.

This program will feature two well known design professionals and explore how sustainable architecture can contribute to design excellence in the civic realm, while creating energy efficient, resource efficient, and environmentally sensitive buildings where people live, work, and play.

For more information, please visit the Arlington County Architecture Speaker Series.

The Army Corps of Engineers: Destroying Once & Future Cities

Some good and bad stories when it comes to design & the environment. As the title indicates, we'll start with the bad.

The same Army Corps of Engineers that oversaw billions of dollars worth of projects that ended up worsening the impact of Katrina on New Orleans now wants to spend billions of dollars on projects that scientists say will worsen the impact of future hurricanes. A dozen coastal scientists have written the National Park Service to object to one element of the plan, saying, “This is not science-based management."

Now to the good! Newsweek takes a look at "7 Simple Steps" that result in major energy savings. It concludes, "If saving energy is so easy and profitable, why isn't everyone doing it? It has to do with psychology and a lack of information."

XCurmudgeon details his recent efforts to conserve energy, and their immediate impact on his energy bills. He inspired me to rearrange the power configuration of my home computer, which freed up a power strip to go to my TV/DVD player/Xbox, which will now not be sucking power when I'm not using them.

To learn more about what you can do in your daily life to reduce your impact on the environment, check out Arlingtonians for a Clean Environment's Green Living Challenge! And don't forget, you can become a Friend of ACE by contributing at least $20 using the SixDegrees link on the right side of this page.

My friend Myra tipped me off to the National Building Museum's frequent events focused on green building design, with two coming up in the next month or so. On February 22nd at 6:30pm, the museum will host Educating the Green Way: The Children’s Museum of Pittsburgh. Then on March 7th at 6:30pm, there's Green Design: The Myth and Reality. Check out the museum's website to learn more!

One other tidbit ... an interesting story from ABC News about how more Americans are taking volunteer vacations.

Good News on Green Buildings

The DC Council has given final approval to landmark new law requiring private developers to adhere to the standards of the U.S. Green Building Council:

Environmentally friendly buildings can include simple design elements such as abundant natural light -- which can save energy by minimizing the need for artificial light. They can feature windows that open to allow in fresh air, unlike those in most office buildings. Low-emitting carpet and paint can be used to improve indoor air quality.

Green buildings are likely to be equipped with low-flow water fixtures and even, perhaps, no-flush urinals, which use a chemical trap instead of water, Moore said.

Builders can also earn points by recycling materials. Carpet, for instance, is typically replaced in a building every seven years and lasts 20,000 years in a landfill, Moore said. But it can be recycled by shaving the nylon off the top and reusing the backing, she said.

Mayor Williams is expected to sign the bill. You can learn more by visiting the U.S. Green Building Council.

Green Buildings, A Slam from John McCain, and An Eco-Thug

* Extraordinary news from DC, where city officials are moving towards requiring green building practices. The city has already done some neat things, like putting in recycled rubber sidewalks. I know Virginia communities are restricted by the state's status as a commonwealth, with local governments only granted the specific powers given to them by the state. But again, I have to ask, if DC can do it, why can't Arlington?

* More election analysis: An eco-thug's demise.

* As I covered back in July, even though not many green candidates were directly elected this year, the shift to Democratic control of Congress could mean big things for environmentalists.

* 30 months after it was due, environmentalists sue the Bush administration for failing to produce a required report analyzing global warming's impact on America. Great quote by Sen. John McCain to an administration official: "You know, you are really one of the more astonishing witnesses that I have [faced] -- in the 19 years I've been a member of this [Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation] Committee."

* How did the Bush administration end hunger in the blink of an eye? It stopped calling it hunger.