If you’re thinking of greening your business or you just want to learn more, consider some of these facts. Commercial buildings use almost 40% of all energy in the United States. The places where we work are heavy users of natural resources and represent more than 70% of electricity consumption in the country. When you think about replacing traditional light bulbs in your home, what could the ripple effect be in your business?
 
At “g2b: practical green solutions for your business” you’ll not only learn ways you can green your worksite right away, but you’ll learn from businesses and sustainable leaders.
 
You can read more about the workshops on this website, but there are a couple you might want to explore because they feature out-of-the-box thinking.
 
Buddy Huffaker from the Aldo Leopold Foundation (www.aldoleopold.org) will speak on their new Legacy Center. This building was called “the greenest building in the world” by the U.S. Green Building Council when it opened. The Leopold Center is a net zero energy building, meeting all of its energy needs on site and it uses 70 percent less energy than a building built just to code. The building earned a Platinum LEED designation and features sustainable features not found in typical structures.
 
The building was the first LEED recognized as carbon neutral, but first it had to be a net zero building. That means the net building energy demand is calculated as the difference between building energy use and solar energy produced. In order to meet a net zero level, the building uses some revolutionary energy systems.

• A geothermal system pumps air from the ground into the building envelope. Since the air underground is always at a steady temperature, it is pre-heated in the winter and pre-cooled in the summer.
• The roof of the building uses photovoltaic solar cells. Many of us might be familiar with solar panels that heat water, but these panels use wafers that convert the sun’s rays into electrical currents.
• The building is surrounded by an envelope similar to a veranda in older homes. The windows open and close, glass heats the space in winter and an overhang protects it from direct sunlight in the summer.

 
Members of the board of directors from the Wisconsin Green Building Association www.wgba.org  will also be in attendance to discuss the cost paybacks on creating a green building. These professionals represent the fields of construction & allied trades, architecture, urban planning, energy and green industries throughout Wisconsin. Many members are LEED AP, which means they are LEED accredited professionals and well-versed in the requirements of LEED certification and the process needed to achieve it. This is the first time we’ve had so many WGBA members deliver a workshop, so if you’re wondering about the costs and paybacks of going green, you won’t want to miss this.
 
DNR secretary Matt Frank will be our luncheon keynote speaker. You may have heard about his activities leading the state’s Green Tier program. His remarks at the event will be centered on current and proposed regulations that will affect all businesses in the state.
 
Stay tuned to this space and we’ll update you as information for g2b!