By William Olson
Introduced by the Office of Richard M. Daley in 2001, the O’Hare Modernization Program (OMP) is a plan to reconfigure O’Hare International Airport’s intersecting runways into a more modern layout and bring a new western terminal facility with additional airline gates and parking. The $6.6 billion program is intended to substantially reduce delays [...]

By Rick Prohov
Oct. 26, Evanston City Council voted 8-1 in favor of an ordinance requiring large new commercial buildings to meet the LEED Silver standard of green building. LEED, or Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design, is a comprehensive building rating and certification system maintained by the United States Green Building Council (USGBC).
The green building [...]

By Kate Yoshida
The report titled Removing Market Barriers to Green Development (U.S. EPA, Northeast-Midwest Institute and Delta Institute, 2008) grew out of earlier work done to promote redevelopment on brownfield sites. By carefully identifying obstacles at every step and in every conceivable direction, EPA Region 5, the Delta Institute and the Northeast-Midwest Institute have compiled [...]

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.