First LEED-Platinum office building in D.C.

BETHESDA, MD — Lafayette Tower recently became the first commercial office building in the District of Columbia to achieve Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Platinum certification from the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC), according to Building Construction and Design.

The $48 million, 327,500-square-foot building was completed by Clark Construction Group LLC earlier this year and is cleaned and maintained in an environmentally friendly manner through its green housekeeping program, the story stated.

Sustainable elements of the building include: Use of recycled construction materials; low volatile organic compound (VOC) paints; a green roof; maximization of natural light; and public transportation access, the story noted.

Lafayette Tower is the first project certified under the LEED for Core & Shell rating system, which works to set up a synergistic relationship that allows future tenants to capitalize on green strategies implemented by the developer, the story added.

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Law: Green roofs on all new buildings

TORONTO, ON, Canada — The City of Toronto recently passed a bill into law that requires mandatory green roof construction on new buildings of all classes, according to a press release.

According to the release, the law requires up to 50 percent green roof coverage on schools, non-profit housing, commercial and industrial buildings and multi-unit residential dwellings over six stories, and requires larger residential projects to have green roof coverage ranging anywhere from 20 to 50 percent of the roof area.

Toronto already requires green roofs on city-owned properties, has established an Eco-roof Incentive Program of up to $5 per square foot for existing buildings and is currently building a publicly accessible green roof on its city hall.

The new law is expected to produce upwards of 75 new green roof projects each year, the release stated.

Deputy Mayor Joe Pantalone said: "The City of Toronto’s leadership on all things green took another major step by making it obligatory to have green roofs for all types of new buildings. This law is a major part of the solution to climate change, the creation of green jobs and it represents a whole new mindset on how our cities approach the 20 percent or so of surface area that are roofs."

According to the Annual Green Roof Industry Survey by Green Roofs For Healthy Cities (GRHC), the City of Chicago remains North America's highest concentration of green roofs, the release noted.

Toronto city officials hope the move to make green roofs mandatory will serve as a guide for other cities striving to become more sustainable, the release added.

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Green cleaning in Hawaii schools bill

HONOLULU — Hawaii House Bill HB 1538, which passed both the State House of Representatives and the State Senate in early May, would require all public school facilities to "…give first preference, where feasible, to the purchase and use of environmentally sensitive cleaning and maintenance products that have been approved by the Green Seal program," according to a press release.

Hawaii Governor Linda Lingle has until July 15 to sign, veto or allow the measure to become law, the release stated.

If the bill becomes law, the Hawaii Department of Health would be required to "…review and evaluate existing research regarding environmentally sensitive cleaning and maintenance products, including any research and guidance issued by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)," the release noted.

The Governor’s office is reviewing the proposed legislation and is accepting comments on the bill before acting one way or another, the release added.

According to the release, HB 1538 would require the Hawaii Department of Health to maintain an up-to-date list of products that have been approved by Green Seal.

First LEED-Silver certified building in Minneapolis

MINNEAPOLIS, MN — The Ameriprise Financial Center has been awarded Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Silver certification from the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC), making it the first building in the City of Minneapolis to receive the honor, according to the Midwest Real Estate News.

The Ameriprise Financial Center previously received the Energy Star award from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in 2007 and 2008, the story stated.

Kathy Stalwick, vice president of enterprise real estate at Ameriprise Financial, said: "Ensuring that our buildings operate at maximum efficiency is the right thing to do for our business and for the environment. Pursuing Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design for Existing Buildings (LEED-EB) certification underscores our dedication to implementing continuous sustainability measures and achieving minimal environmental impact from both of our Minneapolis buildings."

Ameriprise Financial worked in conjunction with CB Richard Ellis facility managers to perform a comprehensive review of all building operations, the story noted

The review focused on energy reducing functions, environmental sustainability and green cleaning practices, the story added.

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Workers protest over non-union janitorial services

KANSAS CITY, MO — A demonstration was organized last week by Kansas City Jobs With Justice to protest plans to hire a non-union janitorial company to maintain the upscale Briarcliff Village shopping center, according to the Kansas City Star.

ISS Facilities Services Inc., whose workers are represented by the Service Employees International Union (SEIU) Local 1, was previously contracted to perform janitorial duties, the story stated.

The picket at Briarcliff lasted about 90 minutes and protesters distributed flyers touting the benefits of union labor, the story noted.

Aaron Jones, representative for SEIU Local 1, said: "There are 11 very reputable janitorial contractors that give their employees a voice in the workplace through union representation. These are not high-paying jobs, but in this economy, these people are entitled to a living wage and access to health care benefits."

Protesters were not demanding that Briarcliff renew its contract with ISS Facilities Services; however, they were urging the Briarcliff property manager to stay with a union cleaning firm, the story added.

Horror story printed on toilet paper

TOKYO, Japan — Koji Suzuki, author of the horror story made into a movie, "Ring," has taken his most recent tale of horror from the big screen to the big roll, according to the Associated Press.

"Drop," a story set in a public restroom, takes up about three feet of a roll of toilet paper and can be read in just a few minutes, the story stated.

The company manufacturing the toilet paper, Hayashi Paper, is advertising the venture as "a horror experience in the toilet," the story noted.

According to the story, toilets in Japan were traditionally tucked away in a dark corner of the house due to religious beliefs and parents would tease children that a hairy hand might pull them down into the dark pool below.

The nine-chapter story is printed several times on each roll and will sell for 210 yen or $2.20 a roll, the story added.

Doctor's offices are germ havens

OKLAHOMA CITY — The very place you go to seek refuge from and treatment for germs, viruses and bacteria — the doctor's office — may the easiest place to get sick, according to KOCO-TV.

Infectious disease specialist Dr. Doug Hardy said: "Definitely, you can. A health care environment is a place where there's lot of germs and infections and there's sick people. Many of those viruses that people have, particularly the flu, are easily transmittable."

Swab tests show that high-traffic areas in the office, including magazines, restrooms, door handles and elevators are havens for germs, the story stated.

Tests show that the most commonly contaminated areas in a doctor's office are the buttons on elevators and the check-in desk; armchairs in waiting rooms are the least contaminated, the story noted.

While proper hand-washing is crucial in the fight against spreading germs, proper cleaning of high-touch surfaces is also a necessary precaution, the story added.

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