Water Efficiency Success Stories

• 04.20.11
  First LEED-certified building in Valdosta, Ga. –

  A new building at Veolia Evergreen Landfill, Inc. is the first LEED certified building constructed in Valdosta, Georgia. The Veolia building was designed and built to achieve certification through U.S. Green Building Council's LEED® Rating System™. Certification was based on a number of green features, including operating with 35% more water efficiency than a similar non-LEED building. Click here for a news release on the building and its conservation tactics.

• 04.15.11
  Fast food restaurant turns green –

  A quick service restaurant chain that specializes in chicken menus is now going to the greener side of the food industry. The Chick-fil-A location in Fort Worth, Texas, is seeking a LEED certification from the U.S Green Building Council. Green features in the location include storm water collection for landscape irrigation, low-flow plumbing fixtures in the bathrooms and kitchen, and energy-efficient light system with light sensors. The fast food restaurant could save up to 14% on electric costs and 40% on water. Click here for more on the project.

• 03.24.11
  Forida’s Cooper City Uses 9% Less Water –

  Cooper City, Florida's "You Win-We All Win" conservation program has exceeded its original goal of 5% water reductions by the year 2013. As of Feb. 1, 2011, the city has realized a 9.26% water usage reduction, nearly double its original goal. The campaign had many phases, including a contest amongst homeowners associations to see which one could save the most water, and auditing the water usage of the largest water consumers to see how they could improve their habits. The final, ongoing phase targets residents and provides tips and solutions to improve their water savings. For the savings tips and more, please read the article in Environmental Protection.

• 03.21.11
  NJ’s 1st LEED hospital saves 3600 gallons/day –

  Jersey Shore University Medical Center's is the first hospital in New Jersey and the largest on the east coast to seek and receive LEED certifciation through the U.S. Green Building Council. In the new Northwest Pavilion of the hospital, water consumption has been reduced by 30% - saving 3,600 gallons per day or 1,314,000 gallons per year. Click here to read more.

• 03.17.11
  Sustainable twist on rural, Alabama farmhouse –

  EcoHome magazine showcases an Alabama custom home designed by Hinson+Dagg Architects with WaterSense-labeled toilets and faucets to help reduce water usage. The toilets alone are estimate to provide anual water savings of up to 16,500 gallons per toilet compared to traditional toilets.

• 03.03.11
  First WaterSense-Labeled Production Homes –

  Los Angeles-based builder KB Home has completed four houses in its Springwood neighborhood near Sacramento, Calif., the first production community in the country to earn the EPA’s WaterSense label for new homes, reports ecohome magazine. According to the article: "WaterSense-labeled homes, designed to use 20% less water than a typical new home, are independently inspected and certified to ensure EPA criteria are met for water efficiency and performance." Homes in the Springwood development will feature a range of water-saving products including 1.28-gpf toilets, water-efficient showerheads, and kitchen and bath faucets.

• 02.10.11
  FedEx pursues LEED, water savings –

  FedEx Express has made LEED Certification the standard for their newly-built U.S. facilities. LEED® Green Building Rating System™ is the leading benchmark for buildings that are designed, constructed and operated sustainably. The newly-constructed FedEx Express Las Vegas facility is the first building in the company to receive LEED certification, followed closely by FedEx Memphis-based World Headquarters' LEED Gold certification.
  The FedEx Express Las Vegas facility reduces indoor water use by 49% with the installation of low-flow plumbing fixtures. Click here to read more about the facility in Green Real Estate Daily.

• 01.28.11
  CA’s Culinary Institute of America conserves water, certified LEED Gold –

  The student dorms at the Culinary Institute of America in St. Helena are LEED Gold certified and house more than 60 students. Vineyard Lodge is one of the few LEED-rated dormitories in the country, and the Culinary Institute was adamant about constructing a dormitory that had as little impact on the environment as possible. Water conservation is one of the major goals of the project with the installation of low-flow sinks, toilets and showers. Water will be recycled through a membrane bio reactor, which will treat used water to a tertiary standard, then be used to irrigate the landscaped yard, wash clothing in the machines provided and for flushing toilets. Read more how the building is making a difference.

• 01.27.11
  UC Davis winery, brewery earns LEED Platinum –

  University of California-Davis achieved a prestigious milestone in the green community: Its 34,000-square-foot teaching and research complex is the first winery, brewery or food-processing facility in the world to earn LEED Platinum. Remarkably, the center expects to become even more environmentally-friendly than the current LEED standards. Right now, the building recycles rainwater for landscaping and uses high efficiency toilets, which help save thousands of gallons of water a year. Food and beverage processing is water-intensive, and the university is raising funds to complete a system that will make it possible to also use the rainwater as the source of processing water for the facility. As planned, this reclaimed water will be captured and reused up to 10 times, reducing total water use by 80% compared to a typical winery. Read more here.

• 01.21.11
  Canadian Office Tower Earns LEED Platinum Credentials –

  One of Calgary's newest office towers, Eighth Avenue Place, was pre-certified as LEED Platinum. The building is slated to become Canada's first, and North America's second, LEED Platinum, high-rise office building. While the project originally was pre-certified as LEED Gold, it was pre-certified for the second time at the Platinum level as a result of a series of building innovations during construction. Among the water-saving and energy-saving features are a 40% reduction in water use through efficient, plumbing fixtures including ultra-low-flow urinals and Canada's largest green roof, encompassing 30,000 square feet. Click here for the Calagary Herald's full article.

• 01.14.11
  NE Public Power facility conserves water, energy resources –

  Nebraska Public Power District’s new Norfolk Operations Center has earned LEED Gold certification by U.S. Green Building Council for reducing energy and resource use. The operations center, designed to conserve energy and water and minimize its environmental impact, includes many green amenities. The focus on saving water includes toilets that reduce water usage by 50 percent and a facility design that reduces total water usage by more than 40 percent. Read more about how the center is saving resources.

• 01.11.11
  Hotel proves luxury, sustainability are not mutually exclusive –

  The brand new, award-winning h2hotel in the Sonoma wine country of California, opened its doors in June 2010. The project opened ahead of schedule and well within budget to rave reviews, creating a sustainable luxury hotel that also achieved LEED Gold certification. Among the many conservation-based designs encompassed in the building, the hotel uses its wavy roof to filter rainwater, solar heating for showers and the pool, and has demonstrated that luxury and sustainability are not mutually exclusive. Read more.

• 12.30.10
  Marriott’s LEED-certified, Atlanta hotels conserve water, energy –

  Contractor magazine reports, "The SpringHill Suites Atlanta Airport Gateway and the Atlanta Marriott Gateway, located here at the Gateway Complex, adjacent to the airport and home to the Georgia International Convention Center, are both using 30% less water and 28% less energy than a non-LEED rated hotel thanks to low-flow toilets and plumbing fixtures... among other sustainable features." Read the full article.

• 12.21.10
  EPA’s Green Team reduces environmental impacts –

  Since 2006, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's Regioni 2 "Green Team" has signed agreements with local professional sports teams, major real estate firms and developers, and colleges and universities to reduce the environmental impacts of their buildings and projects. Long Island’s Southampton Hospital is the most recent to sign as a partner.

• 12.13.10
  LEED-Gold Center for Global Conservation’s design reduces water consumption –

  Wildlife Conservation Society’s global headquarters, known as the Center for Global Conservation, exemplifies its mission, earns LEED Gold, and wins Environmental Design+Construction's Excellence in Design Award in the Institutional category. Strategies include innovative, water-efficient designs including low-flow fixtures that reduce potable water use 30% from a calculated baseline design. Dual-flush (1.6/0.8) toilets and automatically controlled faucets were also installed.

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