Fire Station 7

In July the Chattanooga Fire Department opened the doors to their first LEED Certified fire station. The fire hall serves as a second home to its firefighters, so the architects and designers at Franklin Architects designed a comfortable space that minimized toxic materials and maximized natural light.

“We’re honored to receive this recognition for building an environmentally friendly fire station,” said Chief Parker. “In addition to being green, achieving LEED certification also means we’re saving money through improved energy efficiency.”

Northwest Georgia Bank

The 105-year old community bank was the fifth LEED Certified project in Chattanooga. Working with Scott Smith, Northwest Georgia Bank president and COO, was a delight. Mr. Smith and his team learned quickly the importance of gaining this environmental certification for business and their bottom line. Besides being great for business, employees enjoy a lot of natural light and a comfortable office space.

"Northwest Georgia Bank's LEED Certification demonstrates tremendous green building leadership," said Rick Fedrizzi, president, CEO and founding chair, USGBC. "The urgency of USGBC's mission has challenged the industry to move faster and reach further than ever before, and Northwest Georgia Bank serves as a prime example of just how much we can accomplish."

Majestic 12 Theatre

Green buildings are designed and operated to reduce the overall impact of the built environment on human health and the natural environment. Carmike Cinemas' first LEED Certified theatre, Majestic 12, offers a healthier environment for movie goers while leaving a smaller carbon footprint in Chattanooga's downtown. Low VOC paints, carpet, and glues were chosen for the theatre. During construction 90% of project waste was diverted from landfills, this added up to more than 1400 tons.

Outdoor Chattanooga

Born from a strategic Outdoor Plan for the Chattanooga Region, Outdoor Chattanooga promotes recreational use, education, and stewardship of the area's natural resources. This renovated facility is located in Coolidge Park and was green|spaces first construction project with The City of Chattanooga.

2 North Shore

Over the next few weeks I will be posting case studies of the projects we have incentivized. Click on the image for a larger version. Each case study provides an overview of the project as well as points earned in the LEED rating system.

The first one is 2 North Shore, home of Greenlife and Rock/Creek Outfitters. 2 North Shore was already in the planning phase when green|spaces started and we were thrilled about how open the owner and developer were regarding reaching for LEED Certification. This project was completed and certified in 2009. 2 North Shore has recently added a solar array in their parking area that is part of the Green Power Switch program. This array also offers a nice shady place to park.

Inspiring Change

We started this blog to share good news. We do talk about scary things from time to time – we look for reliable answers and options, and present them. Today, we're talking about sad news, but with a real sense of hope for the future.

When we started green|spaces in 2007, we were selling a vision of what Chattanooga could be. We talked candidly about Chattanooga's industrial past, and pinpointed the current problems that keep us from being a cleaner city. We're still working for Chattanooga to become a true environmental city.

This idea of vision (not yet) and reality (already) was influenced by many voices, one of which was Ray Anderson, the founder of Interface, Inc. and author of two books on sustainability. He passed away earlier this month.

I first heard him speak in 2005, and – like many people – was inspired. He believed that sustainability as a movement, at its core, was about doing just that. Inspiring people to change.

Martin Melaver recently wrote this about Ray:

“Ray was one of those rare individuals who somehow touched the core of what human-ness is all about – a blend of ambition and selflessness. He would begin most every talk he gave with the statement that he was as driven and as competitive as any businessman you would ever meet. And yet somehow, he would “flip” this all-so-common human trait, one most of his audience identified with, into something filled with a higher purpose: stewardship of planet earth. He was a self-proclaimed plunderer of natural capital, a sinner – but then by implication so weren’t we all? And his hope and undiminished optimism gave us all a clear path toward redemption.”

“A sustainable society into the indefinite future...depends totally and absolutely on a vast re-design triggered by an equally vast mind-shift - one mind as a time, one organization at a time, one technology at a time, one building, one company, one university curriculum, one community, one region, one industry at a time, until the entire systems of which we are each a part has been transformed into a sustainable system, existing ethically in balance with Earth’s natural systems, upon which every living thing utterly depends - even civilization itself.”

We are inspired by change. We are inspiring change.

Click here to hear a two-minute video where Ray talks about what was most important to him.

A tightly sealed house is a safer house.

If you are thinking about buying or building a house, or even just making improvements to your existing home, what should you look for when it comes to sustainable construction?

Energy efficiency is a practical goal, to reduce energy bills and improve comfort. You might also consider a tightly sealed home, to impact indoor air quality and keep the air inside your home safer.

But be sure that your contractor knows best practices. For example, proper ventilation systems are key, and windows don't count. We found a wonderful article on Energy Recovery Ventilation - showing how you can control the amount of fresh air coming into your home, while minimizing energy loss.

Read by clicking this link to the EnergySavers website.