New Features at U.S. Airports
from USA Today
Many U.S. airports have been busy building and renovating to become LEED®-certified, and to provide brand new features for traveling passengers. More

AT&T Claims Social Networking Improves Efficiency in the Workplace
from Social Media Portal
A new study commissioned by communications giant AT&T claims that social networking in the workplace can increase efficiency. The pan-European study, which was conducted by Dynamic Markets, found that 65 percent of respondents said social networking made them and/or their colleagues more efficient and almost half saying that it helped them creatively. The ‘Business Impacts of Social Networking’ study was conducted in the U.K., France, Germany, Belgium and The Netherlands, with social network adoption in the workplace being most prevalent in Germany and least in the U.K. More

Dynamic Tower Named one of TIME Magazine's 'Best Inventions of 2008'
from AME Info
Created by renowned Italian architect David Fisher, the Dynamic Tower was one of the top selections in a list of groundbreaking inventions. Each floor of the Dynamic Tower rotates independently to create a building that constantly changes its shape and appearance, resulting in a unique and ever evolving architectural landmark. The Dynamic Tower is environmentally-friendly and the first building designed to be completely self-powered, with wind turbines positioned horizontally between each floor, and photovoltaic cells placed on the roof of each rotating floor to produce solar energy. More

Venues Turn to Recycling for Long-term Savings
from Sports Business Journal
The Memphis Grizzlies are making money selling cardboard. The NBA team’s recycling efforts at FedEx Forum have paid off four years after expanding the number of waste items put back into circulation for further use. Recycling is an easy and obvious way to go green, and it carries a lot of weight for arenas and stadiums pursuing LEED status for existing buildings, said Mike Wooley, HOK Sport’s LEED operations and maintenance consultant. More

Going Beyond Net-Zero Energy Buildings
from Globe & Mail
It may seem the stuff of a filmmaker's fantasy, but some architects believe buildings that require zero energy from public utilities—and might double as power plants in their own right—will become common over the next decade. "This is a realistic goal," says Birgit Siber, project architect at Diamond and Schmitt Architects Inc. in Toronto. "Mechanical engineers anticipate net-zero buildings within the next five years, and big-box buildings are the perfect candidates because of their large roof area and low energy requirements. So there's no reason why they can't start generating energy beyond their own needs.” It’s a goal that already has been embraced by a Toronto-based furniture retailer. More

Survey Reveals Nearly Half of Adults Won’t Get a Flu Shot
from Infection Control Today
According to a new survey from Consumer Reports Health, just 52 percent of Americans plan to get the flu vaccine this year, despite its being the best option for prevention. The Consumer Reports Health survey uncovered a long list of poor excuses for not getting the vaccine, including 5 percent of people who say they would rather get sick than go to work. The vaccine is available for free for many (65 percent of those who have already been vaccinated reported no out-of-pocket expense for the vaccine), and at nominal cost for others, and requires very little time. More

Global Green Trend Highlighted by 2008 "Best Tall Building" Awards
from New Civil Engineer
On Nov. 20, 2008, the awards will honor one exceptional tall building from each of four geographical regions around the globe for seamless integration of sustainable design strategies, architectural form, structure, building systems and life safety for the building's occupants. More

U.K.'s Greenest University Campus Opens Its Doors
from Business Green
Queen Margaret's University in Edinburgh has taken advantage of the opportunity presented by its move to a new site to develop one of the greenest campuses in the UK, bolstering its sustainability credentials and saving more than £1m a year in energy costs in the process. Saving energy wherever possible was key to the project, says Stephen Blowers from Dyer, the architects that worked on the project. "The university made energy saving such an important part of the brief, that we were able to do it from the start holistically," he explains. More

A Pragmatic Approach to Green Air and LEED
from Facility Care
The term “going green” has been get-ting a lot of airplay and is the buzz phrase of today. A look at the bigger picture of practical steps that can betaken to improve facility maintenance and the financial/safety rationale for adopting them can help facility managers turn this phrase into reality. Facility managers that haven’t already looked into upgrading faucets and toilets, using energy-efficient lighting, and upgrading systems that manage energy should consider doing so. But remember to take usage into account when making any changes that will impact staff performance and comfort. This is a fertile and well-documented domain for green improvements. More