[SustainableNC] AS GREEN AS IT CAN BE

Tue Nov 12 12:47:45 EST 2002

The News & Observer 

November 8, 2002 

AS GREEN AS IT CAN BE 

Author: Catherine Clabby; Staff Writer 

Edition: Final
Section: News
Page: B1

Index Terms: 
ENVIRONMENT 
EPA 

Estimated printed pages: 3 

Article Text: 

RESEARCH TRIANGLE PARK -- On a recent morning, 50 visitors as alert as art
lovers in a museum toured the new EPA research campus looking for ways to
improve their lab buildings. 

On a break from a national conference in Durham, they took note of how the
Environmental Protection Agency built labs out of modules to permit easy
expansion or downsizing without costly renovation. They listened closely to
how dimmers and motion detectors turn off unused lights on campus. And they
took note of how tons of cafeteria waste at EPA, even plates and utensils,
end up in compost heaps rather than buried in overburdened landfills. 

"There's a buzz that they're doing things right here," said Sharon Coleman,
a real estate development manager with Seattle-based builder Vulcan Inc., 30
minutes into her first look around. 

The largest complex that EPA ever built probably won't ever join the old
Capitol or Duke Chapel in Triangle tour guides. But the Research Triangle
Park campus has become a hot destination for the green building crowd, a
growing movement attempting to reduce environmental harm by altering
construction habits. 

Since the closely packed campus opened in mid-2000, EPA workers have
conducted close to 100 tours for people curious about the
conservation-minded strategies behind 1.2 million square feet of new office
and lab space. Recently the agency had to print an additional 1,000 copies
of a booklet -- on recycled paper, of course -- detailing lessons learned
during its design. 

Normally, people blame pollution or waste of natural resources on cars,
power plants or factories, said Chris Long, project manager for the EPA
campus. But today's buildings have huge negative environmental impact, too. 

Wooded land is badly disturbed, even clear-cut, before construction. Making
wallboard, carpet or furniture gobbles up tons of raw material. The wrong
materials emit chemicals that pollute indoor air. After buildings are
completed, they can consume huge amounts of power for lighting, heating and
cooling. 

"Everything you read estimates that buildings produce one-third of our
environmental impact," Long said. "Most people think tailpipes and power
plants are the problem. But you've got to think about why the power plants
are there." 

EPA acknowledges it doesn't have a perfect record when it comes to green
buildings. In the 1990s, agency workers sued the owner of an EPA-leased
building in Washington when poor ventilation and chemical vapors made
workers sick. Closer to home, in 1997 state regulators sent EPA a violation
letter when a contractor failed to install barriers to keep mud out of
waterways at the RTP construction site. 

Still the federal agency is receiving high marks for the conservation
mind-set used in designing, building and operating its new complex embedded
in 132 acres of federal land off TW Alexander Drive. 

Last year, the White House honored the project with its Closing the Circle
Award, which recognizes environmental excellence. The Ford Foundation and
the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University have
acknowledged its innovation. So has a group called International Green
Building Challenge. 

What is different begins with the ride in. Solar-powered street lights line
the drive that snakes from Alexander Drive to the campus. EPA downsized that
road from four lanes to two to preserve more trees on its property and
reduce the need to collect and treat stormwater runoff. Plants and soil
instead of motorized equipment clean storm water. Wildflowers and tall
grasses take the place of lawns that would need frequent watering and
fertilizing. 

Initially envisioned as three stories spread over a greater area, the
buildings were clustered close and made taller to save more trees. Recycled
cement blocks make up much of their shells. 

Rebar from recycled steel reinforces walls. Natural light streams through
windows and an atrium, reducing the need for artificial light. Shade from
preserved pines and hardwoods helps cool buildings. 

Inside, only carpets, ceiling tiles and furniture known not to emit even low
levels of hazardous chemicals were installed. The agency's 2,500 workers
have easy access to receptacles to recycle paper. Coffee makers with
energy-wasting heating elements under pots are forbidden. Insulated carafes
are welcome. 

Employees who carpool get premium parking spaces. EPA subsidizes bus tickets
for those willing to take public transportation. And the agency continues to
look for greener ways, said William Laxton, director of EPA's administration
and resources management at RTP. 

Recently, Laxton announced plans to bring in an independent auditor to judge
whether the local campus meets its environmental goals and other steps. 

"We've been focused primarily on getting people into the buildings," Laxton
said. "Now we want to help them live in more environmentally responsible
ways inside the buildings." 

Caption:
Employees have their pick of unique utensils at the EPA research campus
cafeteria in Research Triangle Park. The utensils are made from a corn
compound and the plates and cups from potatoes. 
Staff Photos by Chris Seward 

****************************
Diana Kees
Public Information Officer
N.C. Dept. of Environment and Natural Resources
Div. of Pollution  <http://www.p2pays.org/> Prevention and Environmental
  Assistance
1639 Mail Service Center
Raleigh, NC 27699-1639
(919) 715-6515/6500
(919) 715-6794 (fax)

Check out DPPEA's new marketplace
for waste materials: www.ncwastetrader.org <http://www.ncwastetrader.org/>  

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