Recycling made its way into the Western world in the 1600s, but it took Americans more than 300 years to embrace the concept. This time we’re not taking so long to catch on.
Lansing, East Lansing and Eaton Rapids are rapidly ramping up efforts targeting
Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certification for buildings in the area.
LEED is based on green building practices established by the
U.S. Green Building Council (USCBC), and LEED-certified buildings are designed, constructed and maintained with the environment in mind. Everything from the paint to the heating system to the parking lot is designed to decrease the amount of environmental impact on the surrounding area.
“LEED is sweeping across the nation, and you’re seeing a strong interests in sustainable buildings,” says Steve Willobee with engineering consultant company
NTH Consultants.
In 2008, Lansing developer Gene Townsend will break ground on what is anticipated to be the first LEED-certified new construction in downtown Lansing. Townsend is putting up a $13 million, 1.3-acre green building on the corner of Kalamazoo Street and Cedar Street. The four-story building will most likely be LEED certified and, as part of the building agreement, Townsend has agreed to help improve the nearby
Lansing River Trail access point.
Re-GreenLEED certification isn’t restricted to new construction. Existing buildings can earn LEED certification by updating existing interior systems, such as heating and lighting, and swapping the old system with one that’s more environmentally friendly.
Developer Scott Gillespie is looking at LEED components for a building he’s redeveloping on Michigan Avenue on Lansing’s Eastside. “It allows any tenant, builder or operator to reduce the cost of operating the building,” Gillespie says about the appeal of LEED certification.
Gillespie isn’t the only developer who’s adding green components to an existing building. Willobee says he frequently runs into developers, contractors and homeowners who tell him they want a LEED building. Many of them don’t even know what exactly LEED means, but they want it.
“I’ve heard people say, ‘I’ve been laying brick for years, now I need to go green,’” says Ross Smith with NTH Consultants. “Maybe that just means he needs to get his brick from a different place.”
Mid-Michigan now has its own LEED affiliate. Both Willobee and Smith are part of the group. Willobee says having a LEED affiliate in the area will help those involved in the building process understand how they can become LEED certified. Having a local affiliate gives developers, painters and other business owners a centralized, localized LEED information center.
GreenbacksConsumers are driving the LEED industry, but private companies are also seeing the economic value of having green buildings. Though it costs more up front to build a LEED certified building, the additional cost is typically recouped in energy savings within 12 to 24 months of the building’s construction, Willobee says.
“Fifty-one percent of all green buildings are owned by private companies,” Willobee says. “These are companies that have shareholders, companies that have investors. To me personally, they wouldn’t be doing this if it didn’t mean good business.”
One of the East Lansing’s largest companies, the
Michigan State University Credit Union (MSUFCU) is hoping for some type of LEED recognition for its new headquarters, now being constructed off of Cooley Road in East Lansing.
Though the building can’t get LEED certification for new construction because the LEED process was started too late during construction, components will likely be added to meet some level of certification.
The Stonehouse III development in East Lansing will incorporate green building by adding a green roof on the parking structure. This doesn’t give the building LEED certification as a new construction, but it definitely works toward a level of certification.
Tim Schmitt, with the City of East Lansing, says the city hopes to make portions of its massive Michigan Avenue overhaul, including its $110 million Michigan Museum Place project, LEED certified.
“That would dwarf most green buildings in Mid-Michigan,” Schmitt says.
Schmitt says he hopes LEED requirements will become part of the city’s zoning ordinance, requiring businesses in the area to meet at least some LEED requirements.
Green standardThe city of Grand Rapids recently passed an ordinance stating that all city buildings need to be LEED certified. While it may take a while for all Mid-Michigan cities to follow suit, Smith believes it will happen.
“I think at some point, not five years, not 10 years, but somewhere down the road, it won’t be LEED anymore,” Ross says. “It will be the building code.”
Willobee says it’s taken Lansing a little longer than Grand Rapids to get on board with LEED simply because it’s taken Lansing longer to have its renaissance. But, as Lansing Mayor Virg Bernero recently pointed out, the $500 million developers have put into reviving Lansing in the last two years shows that the area’s well on its way to a resurgence.
“We’re experiencing growth and excitement that hasn’t been experienced previously,” Willobee says.
Though Lansing doesn’t have LEED requirements in its building code, the City of Lansing is very supportive of green developments. The city’s also taking other steps to create a more sustainable environment.
The city has tripled internal recycling rates and created a Go Green! Go Lansing! campaign designed to increase public awareness of going green, says Taylor Heins, director of the Go Green initiative. As part of the initiative, the city is asking citizens and businesses to take a pledge to reduce their impact on the environment.
Smaller communities, such as
Eaton Rapids, are also propelling green development.
The City of Eaton Rapids recently finished its first porous parking lot. Unlike traditional concrete or asphalt parking lots, porous parking lots filter runoff water. The Eaton Rapids porous parking lot, which is near the Grand River, uses dual layers to filter out oil and other harmful debris before it trickles into the Grand River.
“People like to see sustainability. They like to see a revitalized area. It keeps people such as ourselves here,” says Smith.
Ivy Hughes is the development editor for Capital Gains.
Dave Trumpie is the managing photographer for Capital Gains. He is a freelance photographer and owner of Trumpie Photography.
Photos:
Gene Townsend project at Kalamazoo & Cedar
Steve Willobee of NTH Consultants
MSU Credit Union
Green roof in Grand Rapids (Photo Briam Kelly)
Eaton Rapids porous parking lot
All Photographs © Dave Trumpie