Indoor Study Lawns at Cornell

Cornell University students finding solace on indoor library lawns

Video and photos: https://cornell.box.com/grassmedia

ITHACA, N.Y. – Students studying for finals at Cornell University are finding solace from a little piece of the outdoors that came inside this week, thanks to some creative minds at the school's Department of Design and Environmental Analysis.

Sections of turf are creating grassy oases of calm in the lobbies of Olin and Mann libraries, as well as Duffield Hall and the Physical Sciences Building. Potted plants and comfortable chairs are placed around the grass, encouraging students to lounge there during one of the most stressful times of the academic year.

Senior Ryan Allen-Parrot and junior Gilad Meron installed the projects, along with a "small army of people working with them," said Eveline Ferretti, the library's public programs and communications administrator.

"Being in touch with nature helps people be calmer, and they feel refreshed and productive," Ferretti said. "The library is the perfect place for it."

Meron first installed a lawn in Mann Library in the fall, noting that "it's great to see people willing to lay down in the grass and just relax there. The main goal is really to make people happy."

Marcia Eames-Sheavly, a senior extension associate at Cornell and director of the Garden-Based Learning program, said she understands the sod's calming lure.

"Sod furniture is thrilling, since, unlike other horticultural art, which may require a long period of time to come to life, it offers instant gratification. Students have responded to the joy of working hard and collaboratively, shoulder to shoulder, to plan and implement them, and then, to enjoy the seating, and witness others doing the same," Eames-Sheavly said. "We know from research that time spent in nature fosters diverse facets of our well-being, from cognitive function, to lower stress levels. They are easy to create, and do not require elaborate materials."

For tips on how to create your own indoor sod furniture or lawn, go to:

Association of Energy Engineers Upcoming Events

Association of Energy Engineers

www.aeecenter.org

AEE's industry trade shows (GLOBALCON, Energy Management Congress West, World Energy Engineering Congress) allow you to network with professionals and colleagues in the energy field, get up to speed on the latest energy management strategies and applications, and see the newest technologies first hand. AEE conference/expo events span the continental U.S., and explore innovations in energy efficient technologies for facilities, renewable and alternative energy, automated building systems, efficient HVAC and lighting systems, energy services, project financing options, and much more.

24th GLOBALCON 2013 - Energy, Power & Facility Management Strategies & Technologies

March 6-7, 2013 - Pennsylvania Convention Center, Philadelphia, PA

Contact: Ashley Clark, 770-279-4392  ashley@aeecenter.org / http://www.globalconevent.com

Decision makers from business, industry and government must now seek integrated energy solutions — solutions which assure both a secure and affordable power supply, and effective management of both energy and overall operational costs. Globalcon, presented by the Association of Energy Engineers, is designed specifically to facilitate those who need to get up to speed on the latest developments in the energy field, explore promising new technologies, compare energy supply options, and learn about innovative and cost-conscious project implementation strategies.

 

 

31st ENERGY MANAGEMENT CONGRESS WEST 2013

June 19-20, 2013 - Las Vegas Convention Center, Las Vegas, NV

Contact: Ashley Clark, 770-279-4392  ashley@aeecenter.org / http://www.energyevent.com

The Energy Management Congress West (EMC) is the largest energy conference and technology expo held on the U.S. West specifically for business, industrial and institutional energy users. It brings together the top experts in all areas of the field to help you set a clear, optimum path to energy efficiency, facility optimization and sustainability, as well as innovation solutions to improve your ROI.
You can explore promising new technologies, compare energy supply and alternative energy options, and learn about innovative project implementation strategies. The multi-track conference covers a variety of topics, many specific to the region.

 

36th WORLD ENERGY ENGINEERING CONGRESS 2013

September 25-26, 2013 – Washington Convention Center, Washington, DC

Contact: Ted Kurklis, 770-271-7869  ted@aeecenter.org / http://www.energycongress.com

We invite you to be a part of the nation's largest, most active buying venue for end user energy products and services – the World Energy Engineering Congress (WEEC). There's no better opportunity for your sales team to directly reach thousands of top energy management decision makers from throughout the U.S. and abroad. The WEEC expo is attended each year by the nation's leading energy professionals in business, industry, and government who seek the best solutions for all aspects of today's energy cost and supply challenges.
As an exhibitor at the WEEC, you’ll meet face to face with key buyers representing the commercial, industrial, institutional, and governmental segments of the energy marketplace. There's no better opportunity for your sales team to directly reach thousands of top energy management decision-makers from throughout the U.S. and abroad.

 

Starwood Hotels & Resorts Joins ULI Greenprint Center for Building Performance Alliance

WASHINGTON (November 27,  2012) -- The Urban Land Institute (ULI) Greenprint Center for Building Performance, a worldwide alliance of leading real estate owners, investors and financial institutions committed to reducing energy consumption and carbon emissions across the global property industry, has announced the addition of Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc. as a new member.

"At Starwood, we believe that economic growth and the well-being of society are inextricably tied to the health of the environment," said Frits van Paasschen, chief executive officer for Starwood Hotels & Resorts. "As one of the leading hospitality companies in the world, we have an obligation to be good stewards to the planet, as our guests choose our hotels both for what is on the inside as well as to experience the communities in which they exist. It is not only good for our environment, guests, associates, partners and shareholders, it also has well-proven economic rationale."

Simon Turner, president of Global Development for Starwood Hotels & Resorts, has been appointed to Greenprint's Advisory Board. "We are delighted to join forces with the ULI Greenprint Center to help advance our common goal of creating environmentally sustainable communities across the globe," Turner said. "As a company, we are committed to integrating leading environmental practices and sustainability principles into our core business strategy, and we leverage our people, brands, and global reach, while working closely with our hotel development partners and suppliers, to achieve these goals. We encourage other hotel management and ownership companies to join this effort and work with us to collectively improve the sustainability of the hotel and real estate sector around the globe."

Long known as an industry innovator, for the past five years, Starwood has reported and publicly disclosed its carbon footprint through the Carbon Disclosure Project Survey (CDP) for all its hotel and corporate office operations.  Additionally, in 2011, Starwood also began reporting critical water-related and supply chain related data to the CDP.  The company is committed to reducing the environmental impact of its business and creating a company culture committed to sustainability.  To that end, Starwood is working towards its goal of reducing energy consumption by 30% and water consumption by 20% by the year 2020.

Starwood joins existing Greenprint members Aetos Capital; AvalonBay; Beacon Capital Partners; BlackRock; Blackstone Group; CalPERS; Commonwealth Pacific; Equity Office Properties; First Washington Realty; GE Capital Real Estate; GI Partners; General Investment and Development Advisors, Inc.; GID Investment Advisors LLC, GLL Real Estate Partners; Grosvenor; Hines; Jones Lang LaSalle; LaSalle Investment Management; Miller Capital Advisory, Inc.; Paramount Group; PATRIZIA Immobilien; Prologis; Prudential Real Estate Investors; RREEF, a member of the Deutsche Bank Group; Silverstein Properties; Sonae Sierra; Thomas Properties; TIAA-CREF; Tishman Speyer, and UDR. 

About the ULI Greenprint Center for Building Performance

The ULI Greenprint Center's mission is to lead the global real estate industry towards improved environmental performance, focusing on energy efficiency and reduced carbon emissions. Greenprint is a member-driven organization that achieves its goals through measurement, action and education. The Greenprint Foundation, founded in 2009, was acquired by ULI in 2012 to form the ULI Greenprint Center for Building Performance.

Greenprint's flagship product is the Greenprint Performance Report™. The international scope and size of the report makes it one of the real estate industry's largest, most transparent and comprehensive environmental benchmark. The report is a consolidated view of participating properties, detailing their energy, water and waste performance by geography and asset class. For additional information, visit www.greenprintfoundation.org.

About the Urban Land Institute

The Urban Land Institute (www.uli.org) is a nonprofit education and research institute supported by its members. Its mission is to provide leadership in the responsible use of land and in creating and sustaining thriving communities worldwide. Established in 1936, the Institute has nearly 30,000 members representing all aspects of land use and development disciplines.

About Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc.

Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc. is one of the leading hotel and leisure companies in the world with 1,128 properties in nearly 100 countries and 154,000 employees at its owned and managed properties. Starwood is a fully integrated owner, operator and franchisor of hotels, resorts and residences with the following internationally renowned brands: St. Regis®, The Luxury Collection®, W®, Westin®, Le Méridien®, Sheraton®, Four Points® by Sheraton, Aloft®, and ElementSM. The Company boasts one of the industry's leading loyalty programs, Starwood Preferred Guest (SPG), allowing members to earn and redeem points for room stays, room upgrades and flights, with no blackout dates. Starwood also owns Starwood Vacation Ownership, Inc., a premier provider of world-class vacation experiences through villa-style resorts and privileged access to Starwood brands. For more information, please visit www.starwoodhotels.com.

Green Gets Google Grant

U.S. Green Building Council Announces Grant from Google to Catalyze Transformation of Building Materials Industry and Indoor Health

Focus is on healthy building materials to promote indoor environmental quality and human health

San Francisco, Calif. (Nov. 14, 2012) - The U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) announced today, on the main stage at its annual Greenbuild International Conference and Expo, a $3 million grant from Google that will catalyze the transformation of the building materials industry and accelerate the creation of healthier indoor environments.

"Healthy, non-toxic building materials are a critical component in green building," said Rick Fedrizzi, President, CEO & Founding Chair, U.S. Green Building Council. "Fostering awareness of the materials we put into our buildings is of paramount importance, since many materials can link to a host of environmental and health issues. Working with Google enables us to broaden our efforts in the materials industry as we prepare for the next version of the LEED green building program, LEED v4. This updated rating system will paint a more complete picture of materials and products, enabling project teams to make more informed decisions."

"The idea for this project emerged from our own work at Google, where we're committed to creating the healthiest work environments possible that help employees perform at their best," said Anthony Ravitz, Google's Green Team Lead. "USGBC has a deep background in spearheading research, developing a rating system spanning the globe and engaging with the many stakeholders in the building industry, making them the perfect partner to help spur real change on the healthy materials front."

The grant will focus on three areas that will spur the creation of healthier indoor environments and encourage market transformation in the building materials industry: supporting research on building materials and health, developing new transparency tools and engaging stakeholders from across the industry.

"Improving the indoor environment, increasing materials transparency and advancing the understanding of materials' impact on health are critical targets for the LEED program as it continues to evolve," said Scot Horst, Senior Vice President, LEED, USGBC. "Ultimately, we are looking to create overall benefit for the environment and for human health."

The new initiatives will be developed over the next two years.

About U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC)
The U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) is committed to a prosperous and sustainable future through cost-efficient and energy-saving green buildings. USGBC works toward its mission of market transformation through its LEED green building certification program, robust educational offerings, a nationwide network of chapters and affiliates, the annual Greenbuild International Conference & Expo, and advocacy in support of public policy that encourages and enables green buildings and communities. For more information, visit usgbc.org and follow us on Twitter @USGBC , and Facebook at facebook.com/USGBC.

LEED
As the most widely recognized and widely used green building program across the globe, LEED is transforming buildings, homes and communities in all 50 states and 135 countries. LEED guides the design, construction, operations and maintenance of nearly 50,000 projects worldwide, comprising 9.3 billion square feet of commercial and institutional construction space, and nearly 117,000 additional residential units. By using less energy, LEED-certified spaces save money for families, businesses and taxpayers; reduce carbon emissions; and contribute to a healthier environment for residents, workers and the larger community. Learn more at usgbc.org/leed.

About Greenbuild
The U.S. Green Building Council's Greenbuild International Conference & Expo convenes the industry's largest gathering of representatives from all sectors of the green building movement. Three days of extensive educational programming, workshops, a vast exhibition floor and ample networking events provide unrivaled opportunities to learn about the latest technological innovations, explore new products, and exchange ideas with other professionals. Greenbuild is the four-time recipient of IMEX Green Meetings Award and the 2012 show will be held on Nov. 14-16, in San Francisco, Calif. Last year's conference in Toronto, Ontario, drew more than 23,000 attendees and featured a sold out exhibit hall floor with more than 1,700 exhibit booths. For more information, visit greenbuildexpo.org and follow us on Twitter @Greenbuild, and Facebook at facebook.com/Greenbuild.

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Ingersoll Rand Security Technologies Assembles "Quiet Suite" of Door Hardware

                                                                                   

Ingersoll Rand Security Technologies Assembles

 “Quiet Suite” of Door Hardware

 

Created for Hospital Patient Areas, Libraries, Classrooms, Auditoriums, Theaters, Churches, Chapels, Ballrooms and Large Conference Areas

 

CARMEL, Ind., October 31, 2012 – For areas that are used for sleeping, healing, study, concentration or the overall reduction of auditory disturbances, Ingersoll Rand Security Technologies has brought together a suite of products that provide customers with whisper quiet latches and sound reducing exit devices. The suite includes a collection of Von Duprin products comprising push pads, latches and exit devices.

            “The right environment helps everyone do a better job and noise reduction can be a key component for many environments,” explains Joseph Vaida, Ingersoll Rand Security Technologies, portfolio marketing manager-mechanical.  “For these applications, the same door hardware that’s used in one place in the facility may not be appropriate for areas that need to minimize noise. Therefore, for a doorway that is not intrusive, we created this suite of Von Duprin products with quiet options.”

            The quiet suite eliminates the sounds of door hardware not noticed in standard locations. For instance, by replacing magnetic solenoids that require high voltage inrushes for traditional noisy electronic latch retraction with motor-driven latch retraction, a much quieter solution with fewer disturbances is possible. In hazardous areas where electronics are not permitted but still require quiet latch retraction, pneumatic latch retraction is ideal. 

By incorporating an innovative, mechanical damper to decelerate mechanical push pads on the push and return stroke, most of the noise associated with push pad exit devices is eliminated. Lastly, concealed vertical cable system exit devices eliminate the rattles of rods in the door and the clanking of rods on the floor. 

The quiet suite of Von Duprin door hardware is available now.  More information is available at www.securitytechnologies.ingersollrand.com. Click Products/Exit Devices/Solutions.

2012 Design Build Expo November 7-9

Design-build is the fastest growing project delivery method and the Design-Build Institute of America provides a forum for owners and practitioners committed to design-build done right. Over 100 private and public owners, representing every sector and every level of government are registered to attend the 2012 Design-Build Conference & Expo being held November 7-9 in New Orleans.

More Progress in Natural Gas

Genscape Completes Acquisition of Spring Rock Production 

Launches next era platform of highly accurate natural gas analytics; High value offering fuels rapid acceptance by traders, analysts & hedge funds

October 1, 2012 Houston, Texas – Genscape, the company that pioneered the placement of thousands of in-the-field energy monitors to measure energy market fundamentals in real-time, today announced the next era in natural gas analytics and reporting based on its acquisition of Spring Rock Production.

Genscape is accelerating the launch of its new Natural Gas Production Forecast service based on the high degree of consistent forecast accuracy and rapid acceptance in commercial test markets. 

This new service will deliver over 30 regional forecasts in the continental United States, 3 regional forecasts in Western Canada, a Forecast Summary report (8/year), a weekly Natural Gas Production forecast, a Rig Breakout & Actualization report (showing trends and new plays), a weekly Pipe Flow Analysis update, and a monthly report on the EIA 914 filing.

"By leveraging Genscape's network of in-the-field monitors that measure pipeline actuals to feed our fully integrated natgas production model, we will consistently and accurately tie what is expected from the supply side of the industry to market prices," said Randall Collum, CEO of Spring Rock.  "It's a great leap forward in natgas analytics."

Genscape is keen to note that with the elimination of intrastate data due to FERC 720, Genscape, with its vast network of proprietary energy monitors capturing natgas pipeline data in real-time, is now the only company capable of producing this data.

"Spring Rock has a unique approach to tying supply side natural gas economics to market prices," said Matthew Burkley, CEO of Genscape, Inc.  "Customers can now replace the supply side of their model with our measured pipeline data to test for imbalances and better inform their price strategy."

"Right now we are hiring more employees to keep pace with strong demand," adds Jon Ecker, managing director of Genscape's natural gas group.  Visit http://www.genscape.com/naturalgas-natgas-production-forecast-springrock to learn more or register for a free trial.

 

About Genscape

Genscape is the leading global provider of energy information for commodity and financial markets.  Utilizing patented technologies and proprietary algorithms, Genscape provides accurate and timely data on capacities flow and utilization for all major energy commodities.  The product range includes the well-known real-time services for power and gas in North America and Europe.  Genscape also delivers fundamentals-based market intelligence services which market participants rely upon to better understand drivers, risks, and dynamics of regional power and gas markets.  Genscape is committed to enhancing the market activities of our clients through access to superior fundamental data and market intelligence.

 

 

If you would rather not receive future communications from Genscape, Inc., let us know by clicking here.
Genscape, Inc., 177 Huntington Ave. Suite 2100, Boston, MA 02115 United States

Energy Awareness Tips

Here are some good tips for anyone living in a house – whether you own a house, rent one or are building a new home. Doors are a huge source of energy loss or, if you follow the tips below, energy savings. Enjoy!

MAUMEE, OHIO – How many times have you heard someone call out, "close the door, you're letting the cold air in!" This common refrain has been heard in households for years. Now, during October's Energy Awareness Month, experts at Therma-Tru offer tips on how to keep the cold air outside while keeping energy bills low.

"Doors are a critical part of the housing envelope, so it's important to evaluate and maintain their energy efficiency throughout the year," says Derek Fielding, senior product manager for Therma-Tru Corp. "Along with your main entry door, you have side doors, sliding and hinged doors, garage doors and doors leading from the home to the garage. That's a large number of openings that need attention to maintain energy efficiency in the home."

According to Fielding, homeowners should always purchase an ENERGY STAR® rated door for their specific geographic area. In addition, there are several ways homeowners can assure their doors are helping support the overall energy efficiency of the home, including:

Tip #1 – If you're looking for door, be sure to select one made of fiberglass. A solid fiberglass door is up to four times more energy efficient than a solid wood door, plus you get the benefits that fiberglass has to offer, including resistance to rot, rust, dings and weather. Available in an assortment of styles, Therma-Tru_® Classic-Craft_® doors can come with woodgrain for staining or a smooth surface that can be painted to accent any home design.

Tip #2 – If you're replacing an entry door and want one with decorative or privacy glass in the door or sidelites, take time to research your options. Try to select doorlites and sidelites that have triple paned glass, which helps make the entire door more energy efficient. If only a two-paned glass is available, request a Low E coating on the glass that can enhance the energy efficiency of the unit.

Tip #3 – Reach out and touch your door on both hot and cold days. If you feel the exterior temperatures on the inside surface, then your door may not have adequate insulation and you should consider upgrading it with a replacement that is more energy efficient and has an ENERGY STAR qualified rating for your geographic area.

Tip #4 – Inspect the weather stripping around all sides of every door in the home to make sure it has not worn out. On a bright day, stand inside near your door and look for daylight flowing through the door perimeter. If light is coming in, then so most likely, is external air and possibly moisture. That means it's time to determine if your foam-filled weatherstripping may have lost some of its compression, cracked or has flatted out and needs to be replaced. An easy way to determine what weatherstripping you may need and order on line is to visit the door replacements parts section of the Therma-Tru website at http://www.thermatru.com/customer-support/replacement-parts/index.aspx.

Tip #5 – Open and close your doors --- on both dry and wet, humid days. If your door fits tightly on humid days, then it's most likely leaking air on dry days. You may want to consider a high-performance door made of fiberglass to prevent this type of swelling and add more energy efficiency to your home.

Purchasing a New Door

If your older entry door serves as a leaky energy drain on your home, then it's time to invest in a new high-performance entryway. Many homeowners in the past 25 years have embraced both the energy-efficiency and beauty of durable fiberglass doors.

According to the American Architectural Manufacturers Association (AAMA), fiberglass products are known for their reliability, customization aspects for style design, and energy efficiency. Fiberglass doors have an abundance of features outlined by AAMA at

http://www.aamanet.org/general/1/437/fiberglass-product-reliability-and-durability.

Constructed as a complete system of components, Therma-Tru fiberglass doors are designed and engineered to work together for lasting performance, security and energy efficiency. Multi-point locking systems that engage a series of locks at several places on the frame, impact-rated decorative glass options, plus the adjustable security strike plate that withstands up to three times the force of a standard strike plate, are key factors in creating Therma-Tru's dependable entry door system.

Homeowners looking for durability in their doors can also rely on the Tru-Defense® Door System. This system maximizes the seal between the door and the frame to help keep out the damaging effects of wind and rain, while increasing energy efficiency. Within this optional upgrade system, the weatherstripping, corner seal pad, door bottom sweep and profiled sill all work together to provide a door system that can withstand severe weather conditions along with day-to-day family activity.

Homeowners interested in researching fiberglass door design options for their own homes can use the free "Door Designer" program (located at www.thermatru.com/products/door-designer/) and the "My Saved Doors" tool (located at http://www.thermatru.com/MyThermaTru).

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About Therma-Tru

Therma-Tru is the nation's leading manufacturer and most preferred brand of entryway doors. Founded in 1962, Therma-Tru pioneered the fiberglass entry door industry, and today offers a complete portfolio of entry and patio door system solutions, including decorative glass doorlites, sidelites and transoms, and door components. The company also offers low-maintenance Fypon urethane and PVC products. Headquartered in Maumee, Ohio, Therma-Tru is part of Fortune Brands Home & Security. (NYSE: FBHS). For more information, visit www.thermatru.com, www.fypon.com or call (800) 537-8827.

Images at: http://thermatru.com/news-events/media-resources/entry-door-images/

Green Button Energy Saving Initiative Showing Promise

They say that knowledge is power, but when it comes to knowing how much electricity their home is using, most consumers are in the dark. 

In fact, the typical homeowner—on average—spends about 6 minutes per year interacting with his or her electric utility.  Because of that, they're missing out on opportunities to save some energy—and money.  That's beginning to change, however.

A year ago, the White House laid down a challenge to the nation's electric utilities: make it easy and fun for consumers to learn how much electricity they're using in their home.  A new report by IEE, an institute of the Edison Foundation, finds that they're succeeding.

Since October 2011, 20 electric utilities—representing almost 30 percent of the nation's homes—have voluntarily created, or have committed to create, a "Green Button" on their website.   Now, whenever they want, consumers can go to their utility's website, click on the Green Button, and download data about their home's energy use. 

To make consumers actually want to do so, Green Button also specified that participating utilities would have to use the same, standardized format to present the data.  This way, tech companies and software developers would have a large enough market to justify their investment in creating new energy saving apps for consumers. 

To further encourage app developers, the Department of Energy partnered with Itron and PG&E this past spring to host the Apps for Energy Challenge.  In just two months, the competition attracted over 12,000 followers and helped facilitate the development of 56 Green Button enabled energy saving apps.

Leafully won the grand prize for their app that helps consumers understand how their home's energy use affects the environment:  instead of displaying energy usage in dollars or kilowatt-hours, Leafully displays it in terms of trees needed to offset the resulting carbon dioxide.

If you would like more information about the new IEE report on the Green Button initiative, as well as its recommendations going forward, please let me know.

Thanks.

Keith Voight

Edison Electric Institute

www.eei.org

I Say Set New Metrics for Green Building

This is great news but if more money and effort is being invested on lifecycle costing just so that more "output" can be achieved by businesses aren't we defeating the purpose of sustainable living?

One example I have is a developer in Costa Rica. The firm is headlining itself as a green development and many aspects of the "mini mansions" are green but who needs a 6,000 square foot vacation home? 

I say let's continue down the path of sustainability but let also start "building green" in order to "live green"….not just doing it to increase our bottom lines.

Better Metrics of Green Benefits Needed, According to New McGraw-Hill Construction SmartMarket Executive Brief on Decision Making for Green Building Investments

New York – September 24, 2012 – McGraw-Hill Construction, part of The McGraw-Hill Companies (NYSE: MHP), today released its latest SmartMarket Executive Brief: Determining the Value of Green Building Investments: A Perspective From Industry Leaders on Triple Bottom Line Decision Making, in partnership with URS, at the White House's 2012 GreenGov Symposium. The report provides the findings of qualitative research conducted by McGraw-Hill Construction through interviews with sustainability leaders in the education, healthcare, retail, manufacturing and federal government sectors on their perspectives about decision making for green building investments.


The report reveals that in order for green building to continue to gain market share at a comparable rate to the past decade, more far-reaching benefits need to be documented and demonstrated to organizational leadership for them to increase their level of green investments. These include benefits across the spectrum of financial, environmental and social benefits—often referred to as the "triple bottom line."


"To date, owners have acted on compelling benefits from their green investments, mainly savings in energy, water, waste and lowered operating costs," said Harvey Bernstein, Vice President of Industry Insights and Alliances at McGraw-Hill Construction. "However, these are only a fraction of the advantages offered by green buildings—missing is a quantification of the full triple bottom line benefits from these investments, especially around the social benefits to human performance and well-being."


The study includes recommendations on actions needed in the industry in order to accelerate green investments across the built environment:

• Evaluate social, environmental and financial goals together when making decisions on green building investments;
• Create green building benchmarks through standardization and disclosure of operational building costs;
• Compile data and case studies that establish the value of nonfinancial benefits of green building;
• Create better tools using a more thorough, industry-consensus definition of lifecycle costing
• based on impacts across the triple bottom line;
• Assemble a public database of green project measures across the triple bottom line.

"The data confirm that sustainability is vital to business growth, for us and for our clients. The demand for business to demonstrate its ability to create value for all its stakeholders is paramount," said Lidia Berger, Vice President, Sustainable Practice Director – Facilities at URS. "URS understands how to design, implement and measure the value of sustainable investment. Most importantly, we can provide our clients with a measurable return on investment based on projects' economic, social, and environmental impacts."
Through in-depth interviews with sustainability leaders, the report finds that organizations are using lifecycle cost analysis of operational savings to demonstrate the ROI of green and to justify green building projects. However, most respondents report there is a need for more data about the non-financial benefits of green to encourage their organizations to increase their investment in green building. This report also reveals the need for standardized measures that can fully capture the impact of green building across the triple bottom line.


The results of the study will be presented today at 3:15 p.m. as part of the Economic Valuation session at the White House's 2012 GreenGov Symposium in Washington, DC.
For a copy of the report, visit http://analyticsstore.construction.com/index.php/smartmarket-executive-brief-determining-the-value-of-green-building-investments.html.

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About McGraw-Hill Construction:
McGraw-Hill Construction's data, analytics, and media businesses—Dodge, Sweets, Architectural Record, and Engineering News-Record—create opportunities for owners, architects, engineers, contractors, building product manufacturers, and distributors to strengthen their market position, size their markets, prioritize prospects, and target and build relationships that will win more business. McGraw-Hill Construction serves more than one million customers through its trends and forecasts, industry news, and leading platform of construction data, benchmarks, and analytics. To learn more, visit www.construction.com.


About The McGraw-Hill Companies:
McGraw-Hill announced on September 12, 2011, its intention to separate into two companies: McGraw-Hill Financial, a leading provider of content and analytics to global financial markets, and McGraw-Hill Education, a leading education company focused on digital learning and education services worldwide. McGraw-Hill Financial's leading brands include Standard & Poor's Ratings Services, S&P Capital IQ, S&P Dow Jones Indices, Platts energy information services and J.D. Power and Associates. With sales of $6.2 billion in 2011, the Corporation has approximately 23,000 employees across more than 280 offices in 40 countries. Additional information is available at http://www.mcgraw-hill.com/.
Media Contact:
Kathy Malangone, Senior Director, Marketing Communications,
McGraw-Hill Construction, +1 212-904-4376, kathy_malangone@mcgraw-hill.com