The Haworth Merchandise Mart showroom was chosen as one of 104 projects to participate in the U.S. Green Building Council’s nationwide LEED-CI pilot program. In 2005, the Haworth showroom became the first LEED-CI Gold certified showroom in the Merchandise Mart. This project set the bar for at least eight other showrooms seeking LEED-CI or LEED-EB certification within the Merchandise Mart.

Philosophically, green design and preservation hold common values and goals. Both movements are comprised of stewards, protectors of environmental and cultural resources for future generations, and both strive to reduce energy consumption. Preservation is about more than keeping pretty marble foyers and handsome facades intact. It is about retaining a cultural resource that was inherently respectful of the environment, and was built to last hundreds of years. It’s about life cycle costing, and building for future generations.

“We’ve got about 5,000 days to figure it out,” Makower says. That’s just over 13 years before the planet’s environment is damaged beyond repair. “Where’s the urgency,” he asks. “Where’s the audaciously big thinking?” From 5-8 p.m. on June 17th, 2009, The Delta Institute will host Governor Pat Quinn and celebrated author of Strategies for the Green Economy and founder of Greenbiz.com, Joel Makower for it’s annual event, Partners in Change.

Among the most innovative of the home’s green features is the use of insulating concrete forms (ICFs). According to the Insulating Concrete Forms Association’s website, the use of ICFs results in sturdier, quieter, more energy efficient homes. Instead of being made of wood paneling like traditional houses, ICF homes are built with concrete containing two layers of insulation, and are built to withstand the damages of fire, wind and time. The use of ICF should result in lower heating and cooling expenses.

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.