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"Pretty soon there will be no more 'green buildings' because all buildings will be green. People are willing to pay up to live in a healthier environment."
-James F. Gill, Chairman, Battery Park City Authority, New York City New York Times Special Section, "The Business of Green," May 17, 2006

Georgetown Will Be Built "Green"

Georgetown is joining hundreds of other towns and cities all over the United States that are building and rebuilding their communities "green."

The Wire Mill Redevelopment will be designed, constructed and renovated using the latest in "green technology."

All our buildings, new or renovated, will incorporate state-of-the-art technology and design, as well as energy-efficient systems such as photovoltaics (which capture heat from the sun and turn it into electricity) and green roofs where applicable.

We are reinstalling the turbine on the site's 18-foot waterfall that powered the wire mill for many years. The resulting hydroelectric dam will provide electricity for one of the commercial buildings.

A fuel cell system (which relies on chemistry, not combustion, and results in fewer emissions than even the cleanest combustion process) will generate clean electric power. The heat from the fuel cell's generation of electricity will be utilized for other buildings-for example, to heat the pool at the health club facility.

We are aiming to be one of the first developments to be LEED-certified by the U.S. Green Building Council as an entire community.

The LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) rating system for buildings was established by the U.S. Green Building Council to evaluate a building's efforts to use renewable resources, conserve energy and water consumption, and enhance indoor air quality. It is a nationally accepted standard.

The council is preparing to launch its first national standard for neighborhood design, called LEED-ND, which will integrate the principles of Smart Growth as well as important green building practices. The standard will be guided in part by the 10 Principles of Smart Growth.

Because the Georgetown project meets strict criteria, including the developing of LEED-certified buildings, the Georgetown Special Taxing District (established by a special act of the state legislature in 2005) was designated by the U.S. Treasury Department as a qualified Green Building and Sustainable Design Project in January 2006-one of the first in the country to receive that designation-making it eligible to issue $72 million in tax-exempt bonds.

Why Go "Green"?

Building "green" makes both economic and environmental sense. And the technology, science and methods are available to designers, builders and property owners to do it.

According to the U.S. Green Building Council, a coalition of building industry leaders that promotes environmentally responsible and sustainable design, buildings in this country account for 36% of total energy use/65% of electricity consumption, 30% of greenhouse gas emissions, 30% of raw materials use, 30% of waste output/136 million tons annually, and 12% of potable water consumption.

These startling statistics hint at the impact our "built environment" has on our natural environment, economy, health and productivity.

Here are just some of the benefits of building with green technology:

Environmental: Improve air and water quality, reduce solid waste, conserve natural resources.
Economic: Enhance asset value and profits, reduce operating costs, improve employee productivity/satisfaction.
Health and community: improve air and noise environments, minimize strain on local infrastructure, contribute to overall quality of life.