Some LEED Buildings Are Only a Little Green
Aug 31, 2009 – Mireya Navarro writes in the August 31, 2009 issue of The New York Times that “Some Buildings Not Living Up to Green Label.” The Federal Building in downtown Youngstown, Ohio, features an extensive use of natural light to illuminate offices and a white roof to reflect heat. It has LEED certification, the country’s most recognized seal of approval for green buildings.
But the building is hardly a model of energy efficiency. According to an environmental assessment last year, it did not score high enough to qualify for the Energy Star label granted by the Environmental Protection Agency, which ranks buildings after looking at a year’s worth of utility bills.
The building’s cooling system, a major gas guzzler, was one culprit. Read the whole article in the Times.
