Logan Square Kitchen is more than a commercial kitchen and 75-seat event space that happens to be designed sustainably; it is a community incubator that will provide social and public health benefits that are beyond the scope of LEED. The project intends to set the bar for a LEED Gold Commercial Interior renovation.

As part of an effort to stimulate sustainable and equitable economic development in one of the more socioeconomically distressed areas of the region, the City of Chicago is sponsoring one of the largest sustainable neighborhood revitalization developments in the country. Consisting of 1,140 acres in the South Chicago neighborhood, the Leadership for Energy and Environmental Design for Neighborhood Development (LEED ND) plan will serve as a guide to the city for sustainable redevelopment on the south side for the next 25 years.

The Grossinger City Autoplex at 1500 N. Dayton is, first and foremost, an example of large-scale, urban adaptive reuse. The project is the reimage a building that once played host to a jukebox manufacturer and most recently a Home Depot EXPO Design Center. The new Grossinger City Autoplex, currently under construction, will house a multi-line automotive retail sales and service center for three manufacturers, including Toyota, Cadillac and Chevrolet. Thanks in part to TIF requirements, the facility has been designed to meet LEED-NC Version 2.2 LEED Silver certification, and has successfully participated the City of Chicago Green Permit process.

Jewel-Osco is seeking LEED® certification for its first green grocery and drug store. The store opened on September 26, 2008 at 370 N. Desplaines St. in Chicago’s Fulton Market District. The store has been in development for 5 years due to the complexity of the design and pre-qualification requirements for LEED® Certification. The completed building features energy-efficient heating, ventilation, and air conditioning systems, water-saving features, energy-efficient lighting, and even an on-site chef who cooks with locally-grown and produced foods.

The Gurnee Chipotle sucessfully achieved LEED® Silver Certification by opening day, and is now among the first LEED®-Certified restaurants in the nation. In addition to the wind turbine, the building includes green construction materials including fly-ash in the concrete. Fly-ash, a byproduct of coal combustion that is usually disposed of as waste, is used to strengthen the concrete and make it more durable.

Come February, the non-profit ReBuilding Exchange will open its doors in the Brighton Park neighborhood, just a few blocks from the Kedzie Orange Line stop. The organization’s facility will serve as a clearinghouse for salvaged building supplies that will, among others, divert waste from landfills, conserve energy-intensive resources, create jobs for the underemployed and provide affordable materials to an underserved community.