China Skyscraper Stakes Claim as World's Greenest
from Business Green
A 71-story commercial building under construction in southern China is being billed as the world's most energy efficient skyscraper, generating all the power it needs onsite. Located in China's industrial heartland in the city of Guangzhou, the 310 meter Pearl River Tower is being equipped with wind turbines, solar panels and fuel cells. The high-profile project is due to be completed in October 2010. More

U.S. Largest Solar Power Facility Approved for Austin
from Inhabitat
Texas is famous for having the biggest of everything, from the biggest capitol in the nation, to the largest population of livestock cattle. And while one may not immediately think of Texas as a green state, that will soon change, as Gemini Solar Development has been selected by Austin Energy to install the United States’ largest solar power facility. A green Texas? Why not! More

Big Brother: Are You Monitored at Your Workplace?
from The Wall Street Journal
With the development of new computer technologies, Internet and mobile telecommunication systems, monitoring the employee’s activities at the workplace as well as tracking the employer-owned mobile phones by using special applications or GPS devices, has become a common practice among employers. More

Green Promise Seen in Switch to LED Lighting
from The New York Times
To change the bulbs in the 60-foot-high ceiling lights of Buckingham Palace’s grand stairwell, workers had to erect scaffolding and cover precious portraits of royal forebears. So when a lighting designer two years ago proposed installing light emitting diodes or LEDs, an emerging lighting technology, the royal family readily assented. The new lights, the designer said, would last more than 22 years and enormously reduce energy consumption and carbon dioxide emissions—a big plus for Prince Charles, an ardent environmentalist. Since then, the palace has installed the lighting in chandeliers and on the exterior, where illuminating the entire facade uses less electricity than running an electric teakettle. More

IFMA CSPs
from Real Estate Channel
Not generally known for constructing skyscraper hotels, the 1,000-room, 53-story, US$137 million Hilton Hotel & Suites—Niagara Falls Fallsview is turning heads after selling all 240 suites during a soft opening of its new tower. More

Green Roofs Show Big Growth in U.S., Canada
from Reuters
Green roofs in North America have been booming of late: last week, the green roof industry association Green Roofs for Healthy Cities, announced the results of a survey of its members finding that more than 3.1 million square feet of green roofs were installed in 2008, a 35 percent growth over the previous year. More

Retaining Gen Y Includes Office Arrangements and Furnishings
from Boston Herald
Generation Y, a group that approximates nearly 70 million people born between 1980 and 1995, is the most mobile and fluid of any age group, and their sheer number has implications for every kind of business organization. Gen Y may not think twice about moving on to a better opportunity if not noticed quickly enough or if an office does not engage their more open work style. Understanding what makes Gen Y tick can save a company immeasurably in turnover rates and also maximize the infinite potential found in this age group of workers. More

Heat Capture Technology Could Save U.K. 10 Million Tons of Carbon a Year, Says Study
from Guardian.co/uk
The U.K. could save 10 million tons of carbon dioxide every year if the waste heat from some of the country's biggest power stations was diverted to warm homes and offices, according to a study by engineers. More

The Zuidkas—A Sustainable City in a Skyscraper
from Inhabitat
Among the most innovative, noteworthy green designs are those which transform and upgrade ubiquitous existing structures, such as skyscrapers, by making them sustainable in composition and eco-friendly in function. The Zuidkas is a prime example of such a venture. Commissioned by the Government Buildings Agency in the Netherlands, Architectenbureau Paul de Ruiter’s design is centered around a rooftop-based ecosystem that stands to sustain and enrich the structure’s offices, homes, school and restaurants in addition to a park, a biogas electrical plant and retail facilities. More

Proposed Vending Machines Standards Cut Energy Use By Up to 42 Percent
from GreenerBuildings
Vending machines for soda and other beverages would sip energy rather than guzzle it under new standards proposed by the U.S. Department of Energy's Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy. The proposed rules (PDF) set energy conservation standards and consumption thresholds for refrigerated vending machines that dispense bottled or canned drinks. More