Originally published February 15 2006
New Jersey corporations joining the "green" building fad
by Mike Adams, the Health Ranger, NaturalNews Editor
Scott Chrisner, a founder of the New Jersey chapter of the U.S. Green Building Council, talks about the popularity of "green" building in corporate circles, now that the practice can be sold as a money-saver.
A home in Paterson will run on two kinds of solar power.
The "green" building fad is taking off in New Jersey, and its supporters are as likely to be wearing wingtips as they are sandals.
Along with fervent environmentalists, bastions of Big Business such as Goldman Sachs and PNC Bank are now building with recycled materials, conserving energy and keeping heavy-duty chemicals out of the walls, floors and furnishings.
Both companies received a "green" rating for offices they opened in New Jersey in the past two years.
It's being sold as, 'You can make money saving the world.'" said Scott Chrisner, a founder of the New Jersey chapter of the U.S. Green Building Council.
The first New Jersey building to be officially certified as "green" by the Green Building Council - the Willow School in Gladstone - was completed in 2004.
That program offers up to $7,500 per unit in subsidies to builders of affordable homes who spend more to add solar panels, energy-efficient windows, recycled roofing materials, low-emitting paints or other green features.
Nationally, most of the green building has been commercial or public buildings, projects large enough for it to be easier for accountants to grasp the long-term benefit of spending 3 percent to 5 percent more in construction costs to have lower costs in the future.
Ramapo College is planning a Sustainable Center, which will feature a solar greenhouse and floor-to-ceiling windows on its southern exposure, a feature that will provide students with a pastoral view and warm the building in colder months.
The colleges are also being encouraged to teach sustainability concepts, said Donald Wheeler, a global studies professor at Kean University and executive director of the New Jersey Higher Education Partnership for Sustainability.
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