Along with providing an
alternative means of transportation, the two shower facilities and
five bike racks in The Buick promote a more active lifestyle.
If employees are encouraged to ride a bike to work, it will
decrease automobile use. Automobile use contributes to smoke
and air pollution. Riding a bike, instead of driving to work
will; require no demand for petroleum-based fuels, relieve traffic
congestion, and reduce noise pollution.
Based on the material costs,
17% of all materials that arrived on The Buick jobsite were
recycled. Products with recycled content reduce virgin
material use and solid waste volumes. As the number of
building products containing recycled content grows, the
marketplace for recycled materials develops.
As occupants of The Buick, August Mack employees are helping to
reduce the amount of waste generated by construction
activities. August Mack employees also participate in a
recycling program to...
Read More »
August Mack's corporate office is
located inside The Buick building, just north of "the
circle" in downtown Indianapolis. The Buick, a LEED
Gold certified building, receives 100% of its power from Wind
Farms in the Midwest. Buying Green Power may be a Little more
expensive than nonrenewable electricity, but buying Green Power
creates incentives for further development of renewable energy
facilities and makes less of an impact on the environment.
The Buick building, home of August
Mack's corporate office, diverted 71% of all the construction waste
from landfills by recycling, reusing, or donating. During
construction of The Buick 437.7 tons of clean-fill, 32.27 tons of
metal, 14.56 tons of glass, 8.09 tons of drywall, and 51.4 tons of
sheet iron were recycled.
August Mack was recently named as
the 1st & Green Challenge winner for carbon offsetting in the
business category. The 1st & Green Challenge was created by the
2012 Super Bowl Host Committee to encourage groups and individuals
to make a difference in our environment by offsetting carbon
emissions and reducing water usage. Our team of 26 individuals
helped to offset 20,767 units of carbon and saved 42,672 gallons of
water! August Mack will be recognized on stage in the Super Bowl
Village on...
Read More »
Adhesives and Sealants, Paints and
Coatings - There are many building compounds that have a negative
impact on indoor air quality (IAQ) and the Earth's
atmosphere. The most prominent of these compounds - volatile
organic compounds (VOC's) - contribute to smog generation and air
pollution. August Mack employees can breath easier knowing
that the use of low-emitting materials in The Buick positively
impacts both outdoor and indoor air quality.
Maintain Existing Walls, Floors
and Roof - This LEED® credit rewards the reuse of a building's
structural components. This reduces the energy caused by
manufacturing new materials, while prolonging the enjoyment of a
building's character and history. The Buick building has been
around since 1923 and is designated as a historically significant
building in Indiana's rich automobile history. The renovation
of The Buick building reused 97% of the existing walls, floors, and
roof.
Read More »
A white roof with a high Solar
Reflectance Index helps combat the Urban Heat Island Effect.
The Buick building has a white roof on close to 100% of the total
roof area. Also, by minimizing energy use, white roofs do
more than save money; they reduce the demand for electric power and
its resulting air pollution and greenhouse gas emissions.
At August Mack, we are always looking for ways to help preserve the
environment! Do you have any environmentally friendly
ideas that you would like to...
Read More »
The Buick building, home of August
Mack's corporate office, is on a previously developed site to
reduce pressure on undeveloped land. It is important to
choose a previously developed site because environmental damage
caused by new construction can take years to repair.
If
you have been following this blog series, you are probably
wondering, "Why is the home of August Mack's corporate office
called 'The Buick' building?" The 3-story, 54,000 square foot
building, was originally constructed in 1923 as a showroom for
General Motors’ Buick automobiles, and is listed in the Indiana
Register of Historic Sites and Structures.
When The Buick was
recently updated for tenant/office use by Shiel Sexton, the
building was renovated with the lofty goal of obtaining
LEED-CI...
Read More »
To achieve LEED credit for
Water Use Reduction, one must first calculate the baseline
water consumption for a building then install more efficient water
fixtures to achieve a 20% reduction. The Buick has realized a
22% water use reduction. This means that August Mack
employees are making less of an impact on the environment by
conserving water at the workplace!
Green building is an approach
toward building design, construction, operation, and removal that
seeks to reduce human impact on the environment while fostering
healthy and comfortable communities. LEED gives building
owners and operators the tools they need to have an immediate and
measurable impact on their building's performance by recognizing
six (6) key elements:
- Sustainable Site
- Water Efficiency
- Energy and Atmosphere
- Materials and Resources
- Indoor Environmental Quality
- Innovation and Design
A...
Read More »
August Mack's corporate office
is located inside The Buick building in downtown Indianapolis,
which has recently been certified as LEED Gold by the U.S.
Green Building Council. Stay tuned to this blog to learn more
about how The Buick is making less of an impact on the environment
by going Green!
Although most everyone loves to rip
in to a brightly wrapped present, wrapping paper is a not a very
earth friendly element of the holidays. Actually according to a
publication on recycling, "close to half of the paper American uses
each year is use to wrap and/or decorate consumer products."
Consider re-using gift wrap paper.
Have you ever considered buying a live tree for the holidays so
that you can replant it after the festivities are over? One
advantage is that you will have a long term reminder of your
favorite holiday memories from this year right in your yard.
Another advantage is that you don't have to plan how to recycle or
dispose of your tree after the holidays are over.
If you are behind on sending out your Christmas cards, no need
to fret. You can be more environmentally friendly and get your
cards distributed in record time by sending holiday e-cards
this year. Not only are e-cards easy and "green", they also are
often times free. Consider uploading a favorite picture and sending
a photo e-card to your family and friends this year.
That's an RSS feed. Just click on it to receive content updates.
Powered by Compendium