The Animal House Fund is a public private partnership whose mission is to replace St. Louis City's Animal Care and Control facility with one that is more adoption friendly, thereby reducing the number of strays that are put to sleep.  As a public/private partnership, the funds to build the facility are privately raised, and the new facility will then be handed over to the City of St. Louis.  The current building was built in 1941, and intended to stand a mere two years as a place to gather and put down animals that had been abandoned during World War II.  The new building will set a new standard. 

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Chicago's Hotel Felix, formerly known as Wacker Hotel, re-opened its doors in April 2009.  Felix is a 225-room, boutique hotel that's been designed (not yet certified) to receive LEED Silver certification.  The lodging also received four out of five Green Eco-Leafs, which indicates that the hotel has been audited and complies with 38 (of 70) unique eco-initiatives.  Some of these green features and initiatives include the following:

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The Henry Miller Theatre on 43rd Street in Times Square is pursuing LEED Gold certification.  The broadway theater is located inside Bank of America Tower at One Bryant Park and will have 1,055 seats.  But what's interesting about it is how the facade was braced from the front while everything behind it was demolished (see below).  The 1918 Georgian facade fronts a brand new 50,000 square-foot facility with 95% air filtration, FSC-certified wood products, locally-sourced marble, and waterless urinals, etc. 

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Zac Blodget, designer and owner of Portland’s first LEED Platinum home, sent me an email recently.  His smartly designed home lacks the fuss usually associated with LEED Platinum palaces – no pun intended, but it’s down-to-earth – and Blodget has the green house listed for sale at $340,000.  Located two blocks from Concordia University, the 3-bedroom, 2-bathroom, 1680 square-foot residence sits on a tight footprint on a corner lot.  I’ve explained a number of its green elements below, but we also have a one-question poll at the end of the article (scroll down).

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Named for the father of the modern environmental movement, the David Brower Center reflects its namesake's commitment to the environment.  The center is expected to receive LEED Platinum certification and hopes to bring together people committed to environmental and social action under one roof.  The 24,000 square feet of office space will house a number of nonprofits, including the Earth Island Institute, which was founded by Brower in 1982.  In addition, ground level retail space will have a public gallery, a state of the art theater, and an organic restaurant with locally sourced California cuisine.

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