GreenBuild Blog

Centralized Solar Power Plants Threaten Environment in the West

Tuesday, June 16, 2009

The most obvious place to put solar power plants is in the deserts of the Western U.S. Problem is, the desert environment is fragile and any projects that use large amounts of water, such as concentrating solar power, are not much better for the environment than the coal plants already there.

Global Green Building Rating System Promoted by Large Property Owners

Thursday, June 11, 2009

A coalition of large multinational property owners have developed their own green building rating system, giving a way to compare building performance across countries, all in the name of greater transparency in sustainability reporting.

Learning from European Green Buidings

Wednesday, June 10, 2009

Future green development in the U.S. is going to look a lot more like the European models I profile in “Learning from Europe,” my article in Urban Land Green, Spring 2009 issue.

Sustainability Focus Makes You Money, Says New Report

Saturday, June 06, 2009

The latest Sustainability Report from large UK retailer Marks & Spencer says that their sustainability programs are cash-flow positive. This proves once again what we’ve been saying about green buildings and related sustainability programs: you’d be stupid not to make the investment.

Greening existing buildings takes off like a rocket

Thursday, June 04, 2009

My new book, Greening Existing Buildings

, will be published in October by McGraw-Hill. In researching the book, I’ve taken a close look at LEED for Existing Building Projects, and I’m amazed by how rapidly this program is taking off.