Keep your eyes out for the newest tool designed to rate cities in their efforts to push environmental stewardship.  The STAR Community Index is like LEED, but it’s designed to rate local governments.  With myriad green city rankings and websites trying to calculate the sustainability of local governments,* it’s high time for a highly respected, standardized formula for measuring a community’s sustainability.  According to ICLEI, the STAR Program will create a process, not unlike LEED, to bring in leaders in the field toward the goal of establishing shared measures and processes for greening communities.  STAR will have tiered levels, with the aim to accomplish the following:

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River North Properties LLC is planning to develop a LEED Certified, condo/retail project for Denver’s River North ("RiNo") neighborhood.  Named Beleza, a Brazilian Portuguese word for "beauty", this luxurious green community is modeled after the Brazilian city of Curitiba.  Like Curitiba, Beleza will focus on sustainable lifestyle, eco-friendly development, and planning that cuts pollution and waste while improving the quality of life for residents.  It will also have smart amenities, such as biometric fingerprint access, climate-controlled window blinds, power outlets in parking spaces, and digital screen controlled integrated lighting, communications, and A/V systems. 

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Just one mile from downtown Seattle in Madison Valley, Cascade Built has finished their latest green home, the Alley House.  This high-performance home just received LEED Platinum certification last week and, for those that are interested, is on sale for ~$770,000.  The home is on an advantageous urban infill lot and features some high-end finishes such as Caesarstone countertops, Kirei doors, and a Liebherr refrigerator.  In addition to a private bamboo garden, this home has some of the following green features:

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This 5 story, 9 unit condo building is 2800 Lincoln and is planned for the corner of Diversey Parkway and Lincoln Avenue in Chicago, Illinois.  Designed by Product Architects, this contemporary green building is aiming for LEED Silver, and might even catch LEED Gold.  2800 Lincoln has a green roof, large terraces, solar panels, solar thermal hot water heating, and will be powered, in part, by geothermal energy (see diagram below).  Yo Chicago reports that the developer, Helios Realty and Development, plans to break ground in the next month or two and has a lease for the ground-floor retail space in the works. 

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The following is taken from an email from the USGBC relating to taking comments in relation to certified wood.  Friday August 8, 2008, the USGBC opened the first 30-day Public Comment Period for proposed revisions in how the LEED Green Building Rating System awards points for the use of certified wood.  Comments are being sought on: (1) the proposed revisions to the credit’s intent and requirements and (2) the criteria proposed in the USGBC Forest Certification System Benchmark.

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