Living - December 2007 | The Global Intelligencer

Whitmore Lake makes waves building Geothermal School

by Mary K. Jones - Source: iGreenBuild.com

MINNEAPOLIS, MN – The sign in the Whitmore Lake High School gymnasium says "The Home of the Trojans." Just like the Trojans of Homer's Iliad, these Trojans of Michigan have constructed an edifice to be envied. The new 150,000-square-foot high school, which opened in August 2006, is one of the first high schools in Michigan to achieve LEED® certification (Silver). Among its many sustainable features, a geoexchange system for heating, ventilating and air conditioning (HVAC) includes 67 McQuay water source heat pumps. The 430-ton HVAC system delivers conditioned air to classrooms and other spaces, helping to reduce energy costs by an estimated 35 percent compared to a conventional system.

Dreaming of a 'green' Christmas?

by Gwen Shaffer - Courtesy Greentreks.org

More household waste is produced between Thanksgiving and New Years than any other time of the year - as much as six million additional tons. The 2.6 billion holiday cards sold each year in the United States could fill a football field 10 stories high. And then there are the mountains of gift-wrap, Styrofoam peanuts, Christmas trees and candy boxes that generally end up in the landfill. But it doesn't have to be that way. There are alternatives to highly packaged gifts and prepared food trays.