Green and Greener Buildings in Indianapolis, Indiana

Thanks to organizations such as the the Office of Sustainability and Indianapolis Mayor Greg Ballard's efforts, Indianapolis "has made significant progress in making the city greener", according to Jennifer Roberts, President of Elements Engineering, a company that provides sustainable solutions for development and land-use issues in Indiana.

Some Indianapolis buildings, such as The Nature Conservancy headquarters, have been built to meet standards by the U.S. Green Building Council. Others are becoming greener with the goal of meeting certification standards as soon as possible. Several local architectural and engineering companies focus on planning and developing green buildings in Indianapolis and surrounding cities in Indianapolis, Indiana.

Greening of the Indianapolis City - Council Building reflects commitment to greener work spaces for city officials

When the old Indianapolis City-Council building began to show its age after decades of use, Mayor Ballard decided to promote the greening of the building. Since this structure is at the center of local government in Indianapolis, greening the space serves as a model for greener office and work spaces throughout the city.

When the ultimate greening of the structure is complete, the City-County Building will use far less water, resources and energy. Not only does this save taxpayer money but it has a positive effect on the environment.

This is just one of many major moves to make Indianapolis one of the most sustainable cities in the midwest. The Office of Sustainability, a partner in the project, helps the local economy as well as keeps the city's natural environment from deteriorating. Priorities are saving taxpayer money, economic development and better, greener neighborhoods.

How does the greening of the City-Council building improve its environmental footprint? Water consumption is expected to decrease by 40 percent. Overall energy consumption should be reduced by 35 percent. The end result is a savings of at least $750,000 for 15 years. Upgrades to the outdated heating and air conditioning system and high efficiency lights are all part of the improvements. A geothermal heat recovery system will use well water to help heat and cool the building. This will automatically save on electricity.

Low-flow toilets will be used in every single public restroom in the entire building. The old toilets used 3.5 gallons of water every time they were flushed. The new ones will only use 1.6 gallons per flush. This is a significant improvement.

Indiana Nature Conservancy Moves to New Green Headquarters

It makes perfect sense that the Nature Conservancy, designed to protect plants, animals and their natural environments, would have green headquarters. They didn't just move into a greener building but also one which achieved LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) standards. LEED certified buildings can meet silver, gold and platinum standards. The Indiana Nature Conservancy headquarters focused on platinum standards, the highest possible level.

Setting a high mark for green buildings in Indianapolis, the Nature Conservancy uses geothermal methods to heat and cool the building. Parking lots allow no storm-water runoff. Whenever possible, the building was made from recycled products. These included salvaged materials such as bricks. Lumber often came from Indiana Nature Conservancy preserves using methods which are eco-friendly and don't deplete natural resources.

The Nature Conservancy was faced with leasing or buying an office building or constructing one from scratch. It turned out to be more cost-effective to build a new building, one which would meet LEED standards. Perhaps other Indiana businesses could get similar financially beneficial results if business owners consider green options for office space.

Sources:
Jennifer Roberts, Elements Engineering
Indiana Nature Conservancy
SustainIndy