YOU ARE INVITED TO TWO BUSINESS OPEN HOUSES!
As the world becomes more interested in conserving the earth’s natural resources and reducing carbon footprints, more companies are making an effort to build their office buildings with an eye toward the “Green” movement.
We are very proud to have two neighboring companies who are leading by example in their building construction and sustainable use. The two companies are:
HSBC – The world’s local bank
Grainger – For the ones who get it done
To see first-hand the latest uses of construction and energy conservation techniques used in construction, we have arranged two open houses specifically for you and your family.
Examples of how these conservation concepts were designed into these buildings to make them low-carbon producers and low-energy users include:
1. Sustainable Sites – Preserving open space
- Native vegetation/wetlands/ponds/berms used to fit with the character of Mettawa
- Storm-water management and water efficiency
- Water-efficient landscaping
2. Indoor Environmental Quality
- Reduce formaldehyde off-gassing of volatile organic compounds (VOC’s)
- Innovative use of natural sunlight for lighting
3. Energy and Atmosphere
- Innovative ways to reduce air conditioning and heat island
- Collecting rainwater for use in building’s sanitation system(grey water system)
- Roof materials to reduce heat reflection, use of pervious surface materials, reflective roofs
- Vegetative roofs
- Alternative transportation and more…
4. Materials, Resources, Innovation and Design
- Use of local/regional materials and/or post-consumer recycled content that go beyond required performance minimums
PLEASE TAKE TIME TO ATTEND THESE TWO OPEN HOUSE PRESENTATIONS of GOLD Certified Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Buildings:
HSBC Open House: Thursday October 29, 2009, 5:00 to 7:00pm. The HSBC main entrance is on 26525 N. Riverwoods Blvd., Mettawa, Ill. 60045. Select community organizations will be on-site to share information.
Grainger Open House/Presentation: Wednesday November 18, 2009, main entrance off Route 60; 6:15pm to 7:15pm
Holly Hirsch, a Mettawa resident and an active member of the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) has agreed to help with this project by coordinating these events for residents and their quests.
Please RSVP your attendance to each of these events with Holly by email: hhirsch18@yahoo.com or on her cell phone at 847-609-9411. Please reserve your spot soon as space will be limited.
Green Construction Background:
In an effort to guide businesses in their construction of “green facilities” an organization called the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) www.usgbc-chicago.org was founded with a mission to help encourage the development and maintenance of “green” buildings. USGBC and newly formed Green Building Certification Institute (GBCI) designed a rating and certification system for new and existing buildings called LEADERSHIP IN ENERGY AND ENVIRONMENTAL DESIGN or “LEED” for short.
Certification levels range from certified on the beginning level to Platinum on the high end. LEED Gold is the third highest level and only 57 buildings have received this certification with the state/local level.
We are fortunate to have two GOLD certified buildings in our midst, HSBC and Grainger. HSBC received theirs for new construction and Grainger received theirs for an existing building operations and maintenance. Why do these companies make these extra investments in the buildings? Because of:
- Employee benefits for attracting and keeping employees
- Increased building value
- Energy savings
- Reduced liability and improved risk management
- Enhanced productivity
Mayor Jess D. Ray – 847.482.1630
jray@mettawa.org
