Green Roofs in New YorK City

Another way that building owners in NYC are looking to reduce their energy costs is by planting plants such as purple and green sedums on their roof tops. Sedum is an absorbent plant typically found in many deserts.

When the sun hits these plants on the roof, the sedums not only absorb the sunshine but cool the air when the water in their leaves evaporates. Temperatures on buildings with green roofs are up to 30% lower during the daytime in the summer than they are on conventional roofs. This means that tenants directly below these roofs do not have to run the air-conditioning as much.

These green roofs also absorb as much as 70% of rain water that might otherwise overwhelm the city's sewage system during heavy rain storms. By diverting the runoff of this water from entering the city's rivers, the city prevents millions of gallons of polluted water from reaching it's waterways.

Con Ed recently installed a 10,000 square foot green roof in July 2008. The plants sit in a mixture of volcanic rock , sandstone and other light stones capable of absorbing water.

Con Ed has teamed up with Columbia University's Climate Systems Research to evaluate the benefits and costs. Con Ed has installed roof top sensors to measure the temperature, wind and water runoff. They hope that the benefits will encourage Con Ed's client to consider green roofs.

Let's hope that they are successful.

60 chairs reupholstered using recycled fabrics

Recently the reupholstery division of Furniture Rental Associates worked with FK International by having 60 of their Geiger wood frame side chairs reupholstered using recycled fabrics from United Fabrics.

In addition to having their chairs reupholstered, FK International decided to have the wood frames refinished as well.

The reupholstery and refinishing process gave these chairs another 10 years of life and kept them from being thrown out into our city's landfill.

To see the "before" and "after" pictures of these chairs please visit www.seannoble.com

8 ways to save the planet from work

Most of us know how important it is to think about how our everyday lives effect the environment, but often we feel we just don't have the time to make some of those changes.

Here are some changes AT WORK that you can do to make your world and hopefully your office a little greener.

1. Ride your bike to work or ride your bike to the train station. That will cut down on CO2 emmisions and more importantly it will lower your blood pressure.

2. At the water cooler eliminate plastic or paper cups. Have your employees bring in their own water bottles.

3. Be a telecommuter. To cut down on the pollution caused by your daily commute, find out from your employeer if working from home is a possibility. Email and cell phones make this possible.

4. Have your employeer conduct an energy audit. The audit will show problems, that when corrected, can save money.

5. Turn off the lights in unused rooms!

6. There is no need to keep your computer screen running if you're at a meeting or at lunch. Turn it off if your not using it.

7. Use sensor hand dryers in the bathroomss. Throw-away paper towels are a major waste of paper .

8. Switch from those old light bulbs to energy saving fluorescent light bulbs. They use less energy and last longer.

Do you know of any other ways to save energy and reduce waste at work?

Let me know!

Sean Noble

New York City's First Green Building

Later this year New York City will be home to the Bank of America's Tower headquarters located in midtown. It is being called the most sustainable skyscaper in the country. The design of this "green" building has earned it the highest LEED rating possible from the U.S Green Building Council.

A platinum rating was based on several features that were built into this grand building. Some of them are:

1.The building is able to produce, on-site, about two thirds of its own annual energy needs by usage of it's own cogeneration plant. The plant is three times as efficient as using energy from an outside power grid.

2. The men's urinals will be waterless. Three million gallons of water will be saved now that the flush handle has been elimated.

3.The building has been designed with floor to ceiling glass so that people can work within naturally lit work environments. The floor to ceiling glass is also able to take advantage of solar heat.

4. Conveniently located near mass transit, the Tower will keep hundreds of people from using their cars as they waste fuel and spew thousands of chemicals into the atmosphere.

5. Opened office windows will now filter out airborne particles bringing in air that is 95% fresh.

The architects, Cook + Fox, should be commended for designing this 55 story glass and steel structure with such innovative green designs.