The Innovate Properties building in Leeds, by Rio Architects and King Shaw Associates, has been rated the greenest office in the UK. This rating was established using BREEAM (Building Research Establishment Environmental Assessment Method). The building is a model of innovation in energy efficiency and sustainability.

Quoted: The building that has just been awarded the highest ever BREEAM score – 87.55% – is a developer-owned speculative office in Leeds. You would probably never guess that just by looking at it, particularly as it includes such traditional office features as mechanical ventilation.

Good Earth is a group of Indian architects and engineers working together to build sustainable communities based on the philosophy of Laurie Baker, a British-born Indian architect known for his low-cost housing initiatives. Good Earth is currently working in Bangalore and Kerala.

The Belarusian Division of the International Academy of Ecology (BD IAE) has developed a successful sustainable housing program for people displaced by the 1986 Chernobyl disaster. Using wood frames and rye straw covered with stucco, they have built over 100 homes to date. Since 1998, the houses have also been equipped with low-cost solar collectors. This project was a finalist for the 2007 World Habitat Awards.

Photo from the World Habitat Awards website

Quoted: This project uses straw-bale construction methods to provide low-income households in the Chernobyl area of Belarus with healthy, low-energy and inexpensive shelter.

Slow Food International publishes information, organizes events, and provides education to promote sustainable food production around the world.

Photo from the Slowfood USA website

Quoted: Slow Food believes the enjoyment of excellent food and drink should be combined with efforts to save the countless traditional grains, vegetables, fruits, animal breeds and food products that are disappearing due to the prevalence of convenience food and industrial agribusiness.

The Center for Sustainable Urban Development (CSUD) at Columbia University focuses on the advancement of sustainable development in urban areas, with an emphasis on rapidly growing cities in the developing world. They are currently working on a project in Ruiru, on the border of Nairobi, Kenya.

Photo by Nicole Volavka

Quoted: The mission of the Center for Sustainable Urban Development (CSUD) is the creation of physically and socially sustainable cities….CSUD will send students and faculty to cities in developing countries to work with local officials, universities and community-based organizations to develop environmentally and socially sustainable strategies for urban development, land use and transportation that target the neediest residents of urban centers and to research the impacts of implementing such strategies.

An International Herald Tribune Letter from India, which addresses the need for architects and planners to help manage the effects of rapid urbanization on cities in the developing world. Organizations such as Architects Without Borders and Architecture For Humanity have the potential to address these problems, but a financial commitment on the part of government and the private-sector is essential. I wonder if there is a good way to leverage the creativity of slum residents who have been building their own dwellings for years?

Quoted: The world is racing to the city, and the one group of professionals capable of housing and sheltering the massive human influx to the urban centers – the architects and the planners – freely acknowledge that they are ill-equipped to cope.

A Wall Street Journal article about the effects of pollution from China on air quality in North America. This highlights the interconnected nature of global development and its impact on the environment.

Quoted: Nations can impose the strictest of environmental standards – but that does not stop the pollution seeping in from other nations. Plumes of “man-made sulfates, smog, industrial fumes, carbon grit and nitrates” collect over manufacturing powerhouse China and then move with prevailing winds around the globe. On some days, almost one third of the air pollution in cities like Los Angeles can be traced back to China…

Green Streets is an excellent article in the Sierra Club Magazine that focuses on sustainability in U.S. cities. It includes impressive case studies from Chicago, New York, Portland, San Francisco, Seattle, Salt Lake City, Minneapolis, Austin, Charlotte, and Pittsburgh.

Quoted: A truly green city integrates environmental sustainability into everything from its sidewalks to its skyscrapers. Its public transportation is affordable and extensive, its streets safe and pleasant for bikers and walkers. It invests in renewables and energy efficiency, protects open space, reduces waste, and provides clean air and water and access to healthy food for residents of all economic classes.

The Pacific Institute is doing exceptional work in environmental conservation and sustainable development. They are currently cosponsoring a lecture series on water conservation with the Commonwealth Club of Northern California.

Quoted: The Pacific Institute is dedicated to protecting our natural world, encouraging sustainable development, and improving global security. Founded in 1987 and based in Oakland, California, we provide independent research and policy analysis on issues at the intersection of development, environment, and security. Our aim is to find real-world solutions to problems like water shortages, habitat destruction, global warming, and environmental injustice. We conduct research, publish reports, recommend solutions, and work with decision makers, advocacy groups, and the public to change policy.

A great article on sustainable home design by Abigail Goldman of the LA Times, published on July 29, 2007. Goldman highlights simple and affordable ways to cut carbon emissions and lower energy bills.

Quoted: “Forty percent of America’s carbon emissions comes from buildings — almost half — and utility bills are a major factor in household bankruptcy,” said Carl Pope, executive director of the Sierra Club. “You can reduce your utility bill by 50% or 60% relatively easily. That’s one-fifth of the total carbon emissions today. It’s a huge part of what we have to do.” Making those eco-friendly changes at home has become simpler and more affordable.