The region’s investment in a green convention center is paying off. Pittsburgh-based consulting firm, evolveEA performed a ground-breaking study to evaluate the David L. Lawrence Convention Center’s (DLCC) operations, marking the first time a prominent LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) Certified building has undergone a comprehensive evaluation for green operations, which has culminated in the facility becoming the first LEED Platinum convention center certified under the Existing Buildings Operations and Maintenance rating system. Christine Mondor, Principal... 

Part III of our series, Navigating the Sea of Sustainability Standards, will round out our overview of the complex framework and standard marketplace. While this series may not be fully comprehensive, it presents food for thought concerning leading framework and sustainability evaluation tools across a number of relevant industries and trades. Others continue to compile more complete databases, including very sector specific standards and certifications—one such database can be found at ecolabel index. We prefer to simply illustrate the importance for an organization to evaluate... 

Part one (Places) of our three part series, Navigating the Sea of Sustainability Standards explored the role of standards within an expanding green building market. In summary, certifications and standards have ushered in a new era of green building development, by establishing a set of shared principles, which has led to rapid market uptake. Given the success and widespread expansion of rating systems such as LEED and Energy star into the design, construction and operations industry, we ask next what certifications and standards might best apply to an organization and its... 

We may not realize it, but we rely on the process of benchmarking every day. Whether we’re in the market for a new car or simply choosing between cereal options, reviews and product information (think Consumer Reports, Angie’s List, and nutrition labels) help us analyze goods or services. Information shapes our decision making processes and is a powerful tool for consumers and businesses alike. The concept of benchmarking, a term commonly used in the design, construction and building operations industry, involves comparing building performance against industry standards... 

I bet you didn’t know that we are able to use a planet’s gravity as a slingshot to send things into space. It’s true. Spaceships regularly use Gravitational Assist in order to save fuel, time and expense on their journeys. Although not orbital mechanics, we have noticed an interesting phenomenon of gravitational assist with our green building clients. Green building initiatives, the tactile environmental representations of sustainable principles that house their employees round-the-clock, can be used to launch strategic sustainability pursuits and integrate sustainability... 

This study was commissioned by the Heinz Endowments in tandem with the David L. Lawrence Convention Center (DLCC) in Pittsburgh, and led by evolveEA as part of our Building in Operation Case Study for the DLCC. The purpose of the benchmarking study was understanding how increased demand for sustainability has affected the industry. The study’s focus is on the actions individual facilities are taking to address these demands while increasing their overall performance. We have gathered this information with the intention of sharing best practices and understanding the... 

Upon its completion in 2003, the David L. Lawrence Convention Center (DLCC) received LEED-NC Gold certification, was the world’s largest green building (at 1.5 million sq-ft), and was the first LEED certified convention center. Since its opening in 2004, the DLCC has generated more than $673 million in direct local spending1 to Pittsburgh businesses, much of which has resulted from events attracted by the DLCC’s sustainability focus. To capitalize on the support of the Convention Center’s operations, evolveEA and its consultant team was hired by the Heinz Endowments... 

When it comes to sustainability there’s a vast sea of information available—and it’s not always easy to parse out accurate claims vs. marketing hyperbole. Phrases such as ‘all natural’ or ‘environmentally friendly’ have been slapped on about everything and anything we buy. First let us acknowledge that everything is relative, and that these claims often exist somewhere along a spectrum, but beyond that, how might an individual better determine the accuracy of a particular claim or make a more informed choice?  One common and effective way to verify such claims... 

Greening Existing Buildings on College Campuses | evolveEA Attending this year’s annual AASHE conference at the David L. Lawrence Convention Center in downtown Pittsburgh supported our ongoing efforts in the realm of higher education, one of the leading sectors in sustainability thinking and implementation. We have been particularly interested in helping schools improve their overall performance by way of LEED certification for Existing Buildings: Operations & Maintenance (EBOM). The presentation above explores this concept in-depth, as a method of engaging college... 

Nobel Prize Winning economist Milton Friedman was famous for his statement that, “the business of business is business. “  He believed the best thing a company could do for society was to maximize its profits, and any other activities related to social or environmental causes were unnecessary and possibly detrimental to business and society. Yet, if you have been following the latest business and sustainability related news, you are probably inundated with daily headlines like: “Why Employee Engagement is Critical to Sustaining Sustainability”, “Private... 

IBM Corporation located their new 1300-person Global Technology Service Center in downtown Dubuque, Iowa because of the local region’s commitment to triple bottom line sustainable redevelopment. Working with Dubuque’s public private partnership was consistent with IBM’s corporate values and cutting edge data driven technology aimed at initiating sustainable urban change. The collaboration dramatically improved regional employment opportunities, repaired the historic town fabric, and reduced Dubuque’s environmental footprint while creating over 130,000 SF of LEED Gold... 

Carnegie Mellon University (CMU) has a strong record of creating and implementing environmental initiatives that come from both top-down mandates and bottom-up efforts. These initiatives result from the creative collaboration between the faculty and students, the facilities team, and leading professionals in the field. evolve has been a strong partner in these efforts, working with the University since 2004 to be a significant driver of University-wide environmental change. evolveEA has helped in the design, construction and operation of over 300,000 sf of facilities renovation...