Celebration of Earth Day & the City of Chicago Trees
Posted by Sue Bennett
As a celebration of Earth Day, we'd like to recognize the City of Chicago for their excellent work greening the city.
The Windy City, which has won several international awards for its environmental agenda, also boasts one of the world's only municipal buildings given a platinum rating for its green design and operations by Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED).
Chicago is home to 237 square miles of land
with 552 parks! That's a lot of trees.
Chicago is home to the largest sustainability event in the WORLD, the Green Festival, which takes place this year on May 22nd and 23rd.
Now home to the Aqua Building, Chicago's newest green building.
Some of its green features include:
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Balconies of the building - not only do they provide impressive views for owners and renters in the building, but they also shade the floors from the sun, lowering cooling costs in the warm months.
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Unique shape - with its organic shape and etched glass, migratory birds are less prone to injury as they can more easily avoid flying into the building's windows.
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Forest friendly floors - bamboo is used throughout the condominium units and is recognized by LEED as a "green" method since it grows fast, regenerates without the need for replanting, and requires minimal pesticides to grow.
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Water saving appliances - efficienct appliances help to conserve water usage for all of the building's residences.
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Public car charging stations - located in the building's parking garage, Aqua offers its convenient location as a place to charge your car for residents and other electric car owners in the city.
More information on Aqua at:
http://www.newhomessection.com/blog/aqua-building/2010/03/05/
Congratulations to the City of Chicago. The Care of Trees proudly supports the greening effort of Chicago by working with the various environmental groups such as
Chicago Trees Initiative and
Chicago Wilderness.