NewPage Corporation is a leading producer of coated papers, and you probably have some of their products in your mailbox or magazine rack.  Recently, NewPage moved into brand new corporate headquarters, a building that’s actually the first in Ohio to achieve Green Globes verification.  Company leaders received a plaque with the a three Green Globes rating, in recognition of the building’s minimization of harmful air emissions, its use of energy and water conservation strategies, the integration of recycled materials, and its project management practices. 

Why Verify with Green Globes?

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You’ve probably heard that Fast Company wrote a recent article about some of the potential problems with the LEED system.  Well, Bob Langert, Vice President of CSR at McDonald’s, just wrote a small response to Fast Company Magazine in an article titled “LEED = Progress for the Environment.“  Starting with the quote, “Perfection is the enemy of good,” Langert continued:

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• The Swelling McMansion backlash – tactics include energy-consumption restrictions, petitions, and outright building moratoriums. 
• Realtors Sell Green – specialized training boosts real estate agents’ eco credibility. 
• Hyper-green products go ‘Cradle to Cradle‘ – growing list of products aiming to win new eco-certification. 
• Ten principles for sustainable city governance. 
• Mass-produced green buildings: not an oxymoron – can a cookie-cutter approach speed up the pace of green building in the US?

• Most Americans and Canadians say "green" labeling just a marketing tactic.
• Harnessing the Wind to Fuel India’s Growth – as nations examine their carbon output, wind turbines provide one alternative to coal.
• Will sustainable development "shake up" architecture?
• Clean energy can’t meet growing demand, which is outstripping supply, pushing up prices, and raising the specter that some states may not meet clean-energy mandates. 
• Green Building Moves Outdoors – the American Society of Landscape Architects (ASLA) announced the development of a new rating system for landscape design. 

UMB Bank Colorado, a chartered bank of UMB Financial Corporation (NASDAQ: UMBF), is getting ready to unveil their new “green” banking center at Stapleton, which opens to the public on Monday, October 1. The UMB Bank at Stapleton is Denver’s second building to incorporate a grass roof into the structural design. The banking center is located at 3515 Quebec Street in Quebec Square at Stapleton.  Speaking of the building’s green roof, Mariner Kemper, chairman and CEO of UMB Bank Colorado, said, “Amidst growing concerns over the health of the environment and the rising cost of natural resources, there is a national trend to develop ‘green’ buildings … green buildings are designed to reduce the impact on the environment by conserving resources such as water and energy while blending with the features of the natural landscape. Our new banking center in Stapleton further supports UMB’s commitment to a cleaner, safer, and sustainable environment.” 

NOTE: I wasn’t able to find an actual picture of the building, but I know we have some JG readers in Denver on the scene.  Feel free to email me live pictures if you have them (jetsongreen at yahoo dot com).

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