There’s a lot to be said about going Green.  Often times, the benefits are accentuated. And generally speaking, those benefits inspire us to invest in what we believe will be a better and more efficient future for generations to come.  Makes sense, right?  
 
With this being an election year, my thoughts take me to the campaign process and recent debates.  Each candidate expresses their views, experience, and opinion with great passion and conviction.  For the most part, they present a compelling argument. However, I tend to wait for the Fact Check coupled with my own research, values, and beliefs to help me assess whom I believe will get the job done. 
 
Over the past 10 years, advancements in technology have supercharged our ability to get things done by a mere push of the button.  While there’s value in this and constantly moving forward, there’s also caution in becoming complacent, looking for a quick fix and not checking out all the facts before casting your vote on a purchase or investment.

The same holds true when it comes to legislating Green Code for the building design and construction community.  How far, how much, what’s exaggeration, what’s reality, what are pros and cons?  
 
If you have a chance, on November 7, 2012, from 1:00–2:30pm EST, George H. DeBose and Chuck Allen, with the Liberty Building Forensics Group, will present another perspective during their webinar titled, “What Happens When Green Becomes Code:  Do Buildings Get Better or Do Lawyers Get Richer?”.

Take a listen, do some more digging, weigh the facts, and increase your understanding. Then you decide what you believe is best for our future.  In this day and age that sounds like a lot of work.  But without it, someone else will decide for you.

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You probably already know that bamboo now comes in many gorgeous forms that you can use in flooring, paneling, and other applications. You might also know that this versatile wood is a sustainable, renewable resource.

Did you know that it's good for your horses? Not for food—for finish material in the barn.

Although panda's eat bamboo, it would be hard for your horses to digest because it's so woody. But we're talking about surrounding your horses with finished bamboo in the stall. Take a look:

We loved this idea so much we started a company around it:  Equigreen. This non-toxic material not only looks great but is safer for your horses than many treated woods. For more information on how to be good to your horses while being good to the environment, give us a jingle.

Should You Consider LEED? 

When you plan a new barn, arena, or other horse facility, should you include LEED standards in your thinking? What are the benefits of LEED when building equine facilities? 

LEED (or Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design) is a third-party green building certification that is recognized worldwide. It is primarily directed at residential, commercial, office, school, and health care buildings constructed or renovated in urban environments. Many of our clients have heard of LEED and wonder if it is something they should consider.

LEED is a voluntary certification and is primarily used for marketing purposes to show that the project meets and exceeds environmental design criteria. None of the LEED categories apply to agricultural structures, but many of the principles of environmental design can apply to agricultural structures. A larger, public facility could apply for LEED credits as a commercial building. We complete the application during design.

While LEED is voluntary, there is the new CalGreen code just implemented in California which requires all buildings, including agriculture, to be reviewed and approved for new 'green' standards and techniques. These requirements deal with water conservation in the structure plumbing fixtures and on the site, with energy conservation for heating and cooling, with construction using recycled or recyclable and sustainable materials, and with reduction of construction waste through recycling.

We are familiar with and have implemented many of these techniques on our clients' projects. We have designed equine facility projects with both active and passive solar components, rainwater harvesting, recycled products, such as the HDPE fencing and stall boards, and renewable products such as our EquiGreen bamboo lumber.

The bottom line for your equine project is to evaluate whether the additional certification process fits your schedule and future plans for your property. If you think you might sell the property, it is likely that LEED will play more and more of a factor in making a property attractive to buyers.