APUS Building LEED Certified Academics Center
by Jessica Stasiw
The “gold standard” in the eco-friendly world now comes with a certification. Obtaining the US Green Building Council’s (USGBC) Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Platinum Certification is the top rating system for operating green buildings.
American Public University System (APUS) is raising the bar by constructing an energy-efficient academic center in Charles Town, West Virginia. The university hopes to raise environmental awareness by setting an example with the creation of the new building. The school’s goal is to achieve LEED Gold certification for the building which is currently under construction. Such certification involves the measurement of water use, CO2 emissions, energy efficiency, and more. The school anticipates the construction of the building will be complete by the end of 2010 and will be occupied by early 2011.
An APUS graduate student in the school’s Master of Environmental Policy and Management program is helping to maintain a green blog sponsored by the university to provide a discussion space for topics on environmental policy, natural resource utilization, and green building standards. With the guidance of program director, Dr. Carol A. Pollio, the student’s blog entries will document the progress of the building. Additionally, the blog will serve as a guide to explaining the LEED rating system. This blog also features a webcam which will capture images every 15 minutes to help readers visualize the construction of the building even from a distance.
To learn more about APUS’ new green academic center, watch this video.
Tags: American Public University System, APUS Academic Center, APUS Green Building Blog, Dr. Carol A. Pollio, Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design, Master of Environmental Policy and Management Program, US Green Building Council
February 13th, 2011 at 7:28 pm
This is a very amazing post. I have been employed in the solar field for over 9 years and it is crazy how rapid the game is changing. For alot of us this is a invigorating moment of history so let’s strive to keep up the pace.