Go Green! Suggestions for Living Eco-Friendly

LEED-ing The Way In Building Green 
By Mary Logan Barmeyer

 The Atlanta Community Food Bank Headquarters

It’s no secret that new construction has been flying up in Atlanta over the past few years. What fewer people may know, however, is that some of this construction is designed to be energy-efficient and environmentally responsible, and that Atlanta actually ranks high – in the top 10 – on a list of cities with green building, according to information from Southface, a nonprofit organization dedicated to environmental construction.

The criteria for this ranking are determined with the term "LEED," or Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design, which the U.S. Green Building Council awards to construction projects that meet their green standards. Georgia has 27 LEED-certified projects, making the state the LEED leader in the Southeast.

Marisa Wilson, a green building services project manager at Southface, is a consultant for green building in all aspects of design — from the architect’s sketch to the interior furnishings. Every step of the process is monitored for its ecological effects, points are accumulated and reports are sent to the USGBC for LEED approval.

"We promote sustainable homes, workplaces and commercial buildings through consulting and technical assistance," Wilson said. "We’re here to teach."

All aspects of design and building are observed and reported to the USGBC. Some of the standards a project strives to meet in order to be LEED-certified include having water-efficient landscaping, maintaining water-use reduction, using renewable energy, using green power and using low-emitting materials for paint, carpet, adhesives and sealants and composite wood.

According to Wilson, even using rainwater to water a garden can get a project points toward being LEED-certified. So do daylight and views. This means that a design team, assisted by Wilson and others, would orient the building and its windows for the most efficient sunlight, collecting heat in the winter and protecting it with overhangs in the summer. A certain amount of points means a stamp of LEED certification —ranging from silver to platinum, according to how "green" it is — from the USGBC, with thanks in part due to organizations like Southface here in Atlanta.

In Georgia, one of the most prominent green efforts comes, perhaps not surprisingly, from the Georgia Department of Natural Resources.

"Because they support conservation, it’s sort of a good way for them to walk the talk," Wilson said.

As far as green building owners go nationally, the Georgia DNR ranks third, making it the No. 1 state agency in the country for LEED. One of its buildings, the Len Foote Hike Inn, is one of the first LEED-existing buildings in the United States. Another, the visitors’ center at Sweetwater Creek State Park, opened last fall with solar panels, waterless toilets and a roof for growing flowers.

Emory University is fourth on the list, and it currently has 10 prospective LEED-certified buildings, with five already with the seal of LEED approval.

Wilson said that, in addition to the environmental benefits of a LEED-certified building, an owner might benefit from having an energy-efficient building to reduce costs, especially in a building for a large permanent institution.

"For example, for our university clients, it just makes sense to be energy-efficient," Wilson said. "They’re paying the utility bills, so there are cost benefits for them [to have a LEED-certified building]."

The Georgia DNR estimates it is saving 30 percent of its annual costs on energy and 40 percent of annual costs on water, according to Chief Engineer David Freedman.

Other LEED-certified local buildings include the Interface Atlanta Showroom, which is the first recipient of the LEED-CI Platinum rating; the architectural offices of Menefee and Winer and Square Feet Studio; the office tower at 171 17th Street in Atlantic Station, which is the first LEED Silver-Core and Shell high-rise office building in the world; and Atlanta Community Food Bank.