In December 2005, the Village of Oak Park began construction on what will be the first LEED certified public works facility in the state of Illinois. Completed in September of 2007, the $26 million facility maintains an array of environmentally friendly features and systems, and is presently in the process of acquiring LEED Gold Certified rating from the U.S. Green Building Council. Green materials of the building include low-emission paints, adhesives, coatings, sealants and carpeting, while energy features include taking advantage of large windows for passive solar heat and installing an ultra-efficient HVAC system. What is more, the top of the building will be outfitted with a green roof.

Since 1877, the Pacific Garden Mission has been helping the homeless find a safe haven. The Pacific Garden Mission aims to get homeless men and women back on their feet and back into the working world. Last October, the mission relocated to a facility that combines the men’s and women’s into one, 156,000 square foot mission, located on 14th and Canal. The Mission will house 1,000 nightly occupants and serve food to 1,800 people over three shifts per meal.
In addition to being a socially responsible agency, the Mission is taking steps to make the new mission environmentally responsible as well.

The warm and caring people of the Jewish Reconstructionist Congregation (JRC) in Evanston follow a line of thinking spoken in depth in the book of Genesis, which states that the children of Abraham must follow the code of Tikkun Olam, or repairing the world. They believe that it is their duty to improve the condition of the world which they have inherited. JRC’s commitment to Tikkun Olam is readily apparent in their LEED® Platinum certified congregation center on Dodge Avenue.

PCC Community Wellness Center is a non-profit network of health care centers that has provided affordable health care to underserved west side communities for over 25 years. Now, with the construction of the Austin Family Health Center, essential services like pediatric care, diagnostic testing, women’s health care, HIV testing and family planning will be offered in a building that is healthier for staff, visitors and the environment. The 18,000 square-foot facility, slated to open next summer, will have 15 exam rooms, increasing PCC capacity by 150% and providing care for up to 32,000 patients each year.

Waste elimination is becoming decidedly less wasteful at the Museum of Science and Industry (MSI). As part of a larger capital improvement program managed by Jones Lang LaSalle, the MSI is nearing the completion of

The future of residential architecture and design is on display at the Museum of Science and Industry through January 4, 2009. Designed by architect Michelle Kaufmann and billed as Chicago’s greenest house, Smart Home is a real home built to showcase what sustainable living can truly be.