There's a new, state-of-the-art green spa that just opened its doors in Albany, New York.  Complexions Spa & Salon, owned by Denise Dubois, received LEED Gold certification in May 2009, and the owner shared her excitement on her blog, A Green Spa.  Denise tells an interesting story.  Rather than pay someone else (i.e., the consultants) to obtain certification, as a small business owner, she recruited her family to help pick the right strategies and to document the points.  And despite the daunting amount of paperwork required, she was able to get it done, making it an enormously rewarding experience. 

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The Open Architecture Challenge is an international design competition that's hosted every two years.  This year, Architecture for Humanity and Orient Global hosted the competition to bring the architecture, design, and engineering community together with students and teachers to envision the classroom of the future.  After receiving over a thousand designs, each submission was rated on feasibility, sustainability, innovation in design, and overall design quality.  Now, after four rounds, there are eight finalists and one of these will win in September.  Check these designs out and tell us which is your favorite:

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Unless you live in a cave, you’ve probably heard about McKinsey & Company’s new report called Unlocking Energy Efficiency in the U.S. Economy.  Starting in 2008, a research team from McKinsey began working with companies, experts, agencies, and NGOs to (1) understand the net present value (NPV) positive potential of energy efficiency gains, (2) identify barriers to realizing these gains, and (3) outline practical solutions to unlock the potential energy efficiency gains.  This comprehensive report documents that effort.

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We're giving away a copy of this book to one commenter below, so make sure to comment with a valid email before midnight on Friday, August 7, 2009.*

Harvard Business Press was kind enough to provide an advance copy of Green Recovery: Green Lean, Get Smart, and Emerge from the Downturn on Top, which was written by Andrew Winston, coauthor of Green to Gold.  As you might imagine, the book is perfect for executives, managers, and business professionals looking for a way to juggle both environmental strategy and business profitability.  Winston explains that investing in green strategy, if done properly, can save money quickly — therefore, it should be a core strategy of economic survival. 

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This is the first detached, single-family home in Illinois to obtain LEED certification.  The modern residence received certification a little over a year ago in May 2008, so there's no new news, but the home is beautiful and worth sharing.  Designed and owned by Alphonso and Michelle Peluso, co-founders of Vertex Architects, LLC, the home is support by six, exposed steel columns that complement the exterior glass and stained cedar cladding.

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