green dc

It's fitting to find such a passion for environmentalism in Washington, DC; there are 234,000 acres of parkland in the metro area, with more than 70 percent of land in the District itself controlled by the National Park Service, and the city is home to the headquarters of the National Geographic Society, the Nature Conservancy, the Environmental Protection Agency and the American Association of Landscape Architects, which boasts a green roof on its downtown building. The spirit trickles down to public services as well. You'll find many of the vehicles in the Metrobus and the DC Circulator fleets running on clean fuel.

Green Building in Washington, DC
In late 2006, City Council passed an initiative making the nation's capital the first major city to require developers to adhere to guidelines established by the U.S. Green Building Council. In fact, the new Washington Nationals ballpark will be the country's first green-certified stadium when it opens in 2008.

Photo Credit: Courtesy of the American Society of Landscape Architects. Photo by Paul Warchol.

A Green Convention Center
Meeting planners will also find one of the most eco-friendly meeting facilities in the country in the Washington Convention Center. The Center staff will work to meet the green requirements of any group in a building with a rich index of green features:

• Exterior walls composed of clear low-emission glass that controls heat gain and loss in order to boost the Center's energy efficiency and maximize opportunities for natural lighting.
• State-of-the-art computers that manage the building's lighting and heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) systems, all of which operate in zones to reduce overall energy consumption.
• High-efficiency lighting in the Center's public spaces and compact fluorescent bulbs and automatic controls on restroom fixtures to help conserve electricity and water.
• A low surface area-to-volume ratio, with much of the structure underground, directly affecting the loss and gain of heat for greater energy efficiency.
• A location atop Metro's Green/Yellow lines, in close proximity to the Red, Orange and Blue Lines and the DC Circulator bus, which serves downtown's hotels and major attractions to minimize vehicular emissions associated with getting people to and from events in the building.
• A food service program offering fruits, vegetables and meats raised via sustainable farming practices.
• Use of environmentally friendly cleaning supplies and products.
• Active recycling programs to ensure that as much trash as possible generated by the Convention Center and its customers is kept out of the waste stream.

Sustainability Initiatives in DC Hotels
Many DC properties are recognizing their responsibility to go "green" with major environmental initiatives:

• The Four Seasons Washington: In January 2007, the Four Seasons Washington transitioned from a chlorine pool to one that features a salt system that creates its own chlorine, thus eliminating the need for packaged chemicals. The salt water system provides a safe, clean swimming environment with the added benefits of increased buoyancy and no chemical smell. And by this May, the hotel will have transitioned to a green dry cleaning system that uses only environmentally-friendly products.

Photo Credit: Courtesy of The Four Seasons Washington.

• The Fairmont Washington, D.C.: This month, the Fairmont will use wind power from wind farms in the Mid-Atlantic region to supply ten percent of its energy needs. The hotel also uses an eco-friendly hydrocarbon-powered dry cleaning machine and energy-saving ovens in the main kitchen and pastry kitchen. In guest rooms and in banquet spaces, the staff recycle cans, newspaper, cardboard and glass. The Fairmont also partners with a neighborhood school to host an annual Earth Day clean up event.

Photo Credit: Courtesy of The Fairmont Washington, D.C.

• Hotel Madera: Kimpton Hotel Group's Hotel Madera makes being environmentally-conscious fun with a variety of programs and amenities including rewarding guests with free parking if they drive hybrid cars, placing recycling bins in all rooms and providing environmentally-friendly Aveda products in each bathroom. The hotel even offers special overnight packages – including the Green Goddess Package, which includes an array of organic wines and chocolates, organic products from LUSH, and Danny Seo's book, "Conscious Style Home: Eco-Friendly Living for the 21st Century."

Photo Credit: Courtesy of the Hotel Madera.

• Marriott Hotels Washington, DC: The Marriott Corporation announced this month that it has reduced greenhouse gas emissions by 70,000 tons in one year - the equivalent of removing 10,000 cars – from U.S. streets. In addition, the corporation (including its DC properties) is undertaking many environmentally-friendly initiatives including a program encouraging guests to reuse their linens and a "re-lamp" campaign – an initiative where Marriott replaced 450,000 light bulbs with fluorescent lighting in 2006, saving 65 percent on overall lighting costs and energy usage in guest rooms.

• The Willard Intercontinental: This hotel has embarked on a sustainability program entitled, "Willard InterContinental - The Next 100 Years." The holistic plan lays the foundation of a long-term effort for future generations of Willard employees, guests and stakeholders. It includes initiatives such as a plan to move to a 100 percent wind-powered electrical system, "Project Blue," which focuses on conserving water and the Willard’s acquisition of a Pershing Park, a nearby green space that employees are working together to revitalize.
  

Green Exhibitions
The growing mandate for environment-friendly design goes beyond commercial development. Green trends in home building are comprehensively explored in the National Building Museum’s exhibition, The Green House: New Directions in Sustainable Architecture and Design, on display through June 3, 2007. The exhibition focuses on homes that were built with green principles in mind. Of the many thousands of houses constructed according to green design principles within the last five years, The Green House highlights 21 homes considered by the curators to be especially interesting and beautiful. One of actual homes – lock, stock and barrel – is actually on display at the museum. For more information, visit nbm.org.

Photo Credit: The Green House: New Directions in Sustainable Architecture and Design Exhibition. Courtesy of The National Building Museum.

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