|
|
By Gregg McManners
In the fall of 2005, Monona Terrace’s staff
decided to pursue the U.S. Green Building Council’s Leadership in Energy
and Environmental Design for Existing Buildings (LEED-EB) certification.
Much discussion preceded the decision, but in the final analysis,
LEED-EB made sense for Monona Terrace. Here’s a look at the
decision-making process.
Madison Minutiae
Prior to diving deep into the details of how and why the decision made
sense, it’s important to understand a little about the community in
which Monona Terrace resides. The venue is situated in the heart of
downtown Madison, Wis., which is the state capital and home to the
University of Wisconsin.
Downtown Madison sits on an isthmus between two large lakes offering a
wide variety of recreational opportunities. The city has made it a
priority to offer on-land recreational opportunities, and it has more
than 150 miles of bike trails for all levels of enjoyment. Surrounding
Madison, throughout Dane County, is some of the most fertile
agricultural land in the country.
Although the city has a population of less than 250,000, it boasts 6,000
acres of park land, including 240 parks and 14 conservation parks. In
fact, Madison has approximately one acre of park land for every 35
residents, whereas the national average is only one acre for every 140
residents.
The community and city pride themselves on a reputation for being
environmentally friendly and progressive. Madison and its political
leaders are proud of their environmental heritage and initiatives
undertaken over the years that have preserved and sustained local
resources and environ environment. In other words, government officials
make sustainability practices a priority.
Madison’s Major Move
In 2004, Madison Mayor Dave Cieslewicz released a report called
“Building a Green Capital City.” The Mayor’s vision was to make Madison
a green capital city, a national leader in energy efficiency and
renewable energy that supports the city’s economic vitality. (“Green”
has become the shorthand term for the concept of sustainable development
as applied to the building industry. Also known as high performance
buildings, green buildings are intended to be environmentally
responsible, economically efficient, and healthy places to live and
work.)
One could naturally assume that the decision to become a LEED-EB
certified facility was a byproduct of the Mayor’s initiative. However,
this report only played a minor role and was independent of the internal
discussions that led to the decision. The decision to pursue LEED-EB at
Monona Terrace came down to these factors:
• Best practices
• Enhanced marketability
• Expense reduction
• Future planning
LEED-EB Advantages
LEED-EB is specifically designed to be used by those responsible for the
day-to-day operations of buildings. It provided a framework for Monona
Terrace to audit existing practices in the areas of energy and waste
stream management, preventative maintenance, recycling and indoor air
quality. LEED-EB became a blueprint for addressing current and future
improvements to policies, procedures and systems.
Another advantage of LEED-EB for Monona Terrace is the economic benefit
of having an environmentally sensitive facility. Monona Terrace already
has a fine reputation, having been designed by Frank Lloyd Wright, who
sited the facility on the banks of Lake Monona. However, LEED-EB has
only enhanced our marketability.
Amid a shift in global attitudes toward environmental protection, the
amount of local, state, regional and international esensitive
organizations has increased dramatically. Those organizations are
looking to meet to discuss common issues, and they would prefer to meet
in environmentally sensitive facilities. By becoming LEED-EB certified,
Monona Terrace improves its marketability to these types of groups.
LEED-EB Considerations
It may not be enough to become certified if your community isn’t
prepared to communicate the same message. It’s important that key
support businesses, including hotels and restaurants, also take steps to
sustain your effort. While your facility may be committed to becoming
more environmentally sensitive, that message is lost if the headquarter
hotel cares little about environmental initiatives. The Monona Terrace
Hilton, for example, just applied and received its Travel Green
Certification. The message must be consistent within the community and
from facility to facility.
 There’s
obviously a cost associated with LEED-EB certification, ranging from the
application fee to hiring LEED-EB certified engineers to assist in
documenting the process to retrofitting your facility to meet a
particular criterion. It’s also time consuming, as the process requires
everything from the implementation of written policies on recycling,
green purchasing and green cleaning to collecting data in areas where
monitoring is required.
While many facilities may not have the capital to support new
initiatives, there are a variety of ways to complete this project
without compromising your budget. For example, contracted service
companies are now commonly offering performance contracts — where the
contactor bears the upfront cost and secures the dollar savings of the
cost reduction — because of the identified savings they could reap over
time. Additional options available are state and local grants as well as
pursuing corporate partners who want to be part of an environmental
project at a high-profile facility.
Also, the payback from reduced energy or water usage typically more than
pays for the upfront costs of LEED-EB certification. At Monona Terrace,
for example, recycling has increased from 16% of the total waste stream
generated to 40%. Utility costs hover around $1 per square foot, and
green cleaning products are being used without increase in cost or
reduction in standards.
Therefore, the cost associated with becoming certified dwarfs in
relationship to the amount of business, as well as the cost savings your
facility could capture — simply by adapting policies that enhance our
environment. More and more socially and environmentally responsible
companies are predisposed to choose a green venue over a traditional
one.
In the final analysis, the decision to pursue LEED-EB certification was
a natural progression. It truly made sense — and cents — for Monona
Terrace.
Gregg McManners is
director of operations for the Monona Terrace Community and Convention
Center in Madison, Wisconsin. |
|
Back to Facility Manager
Contents
