Solid Waste Services Green Building
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Solid Waste Services
First Commercial Building in Tallahassee to Earn Silver LEED Certification
The City of Tallahassee's Solid Waste Services (SWS) Administration building received the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Silver certification from the United States Green Building Council (USGBC) in February 2008.. It was the second municipal building in Florida and the first in North Florida to earn the distinction.
LEED certification is the nationally accepted benchmark for the design, construction and operation of green buildings. It promotes sustainability by recognizing performance in five areas: Sustainable Sites, Water Efficiency, Energy and Atmosphere, Materials and Resources, and Indoor Environmental Quality.
When the City of Tallahassee decided to completely renovate its 30-year old Solid Waste Services Administration building, they decided that the renovated building should set a standard for environmentally responsible design and building practices.
The new building boasts a myriad of new, eco-smart features such as occupancy sensors on lights, programmable thermostats and low-mercury fluorescent lamps. Thanks to waterless urinals, drought tolerant native landscaping and low-flow toilets that use only 0.8 gallons of water per flush, the building's water usage has been reduced by 69 percent in 5 months compared to that same time frame in the old building two years ago.
Grant funds to offset the additional costs of this flagship project were provided by the Florida Department of Environmental Protection through an Innovative Recycling Grant. Grant funds for Florida friendly landscaping were provided by the Florida Organics Recycling Center for Excellence (FORCE).
The building is a living model of green building principles.
What is "Green Building?"
Green Building practices promote the construction of buildings that are healthier for the occupants and the environment by increasing the efficiency with which buildings (and their sites) use and harvest energy, water, and materials. Green building practices go beyond energy and water conservation to incorporate environmentally sensitive site planning, resource efficient building materials and superior indoor environmental quality.