Mission Germany Lights The Way

US Consulate Hamburg is converting security lighting fixtures with halogen bulbs and voltage regulators (at 82 watts each) to OBO-approved fixtures with compact fluorescent bulbs (at 42 watts each). The change yields an annualized savings of 3,600 kWh or a 1.3% reduction in electricity consumption compared to calendar year 2009. This step builds on a total 11.9% reduction in electricity consumption achieved at the Consulate Office Building (COB) during 2009.

This change is carbon neutral because the consulate converted to a green energy utility provider on January 1, 2009 – which, coincidentally was:

• a budget neutral change, going from 9.85 € Ct./kWh to € 9.84 Ct./kWh,
• a 146-ton reduction of carbon emissions for the switch to a green source provider, and
• a 10-ton reduction of carbon emissions for the lower electrical consumption during 2009.

Via Mission Germany’s collaborative Energy Savings Initiative, post Munich is already exploring whether it can apply this approach to a similar problem of high energy consumption security lighting.

Vienna Uses Danube To Cool Homes

US Embassy Vienna is not satisfied with new Mag-Lev chillers or adding Smart cars to the motorpool fleet. They've now leased apartements that are cooled by heat exchange with Danube River water!

Conserving Water At The Valletta NEC

Reduce Demand and Consumption of Potable Water through Irrigation Techniques and Water-conserving Plumbing:

- Demand for water consumption for irrigation was reduced by 50% from the baseline case through landscaping design using native plant selections
- Drip Irrigation will be installed to deliver water directly to the plant roots and reduce losses from evaporation
- Reduce Demand and Consumption of Potable Water through Water Conserving Plumbing fixtures:
- Building plumbing fixtures reduce potable water demand by at least 20% against the baseline case
- Strategies used to reduce demand include; waterless urinals, low flow fixtures, and automatic shut-off fixtures

The New Embassy in Valletta

The New Embassy Compound in Valletta Addresses Stormwater Run-Off:
1. Erosion and Sediment control during construction including sediment traps, basins and silt fencing.
2. An underground stormwater retention tank will be permanently installed to retain 95% of stormwater runoff from the site so that it can be reused for the landscaping.

Embassy Zagreb Spreads the Word

Public advocacy – the Embassy joined a nascent Green Building Council in Croatia, helping to launch locally was is already a world-wide effort to incorporate sustainable building practices. Our involvement puts a “green” face on the Embassy’s public image and helps us promote our own greening efforts in the mission. If other posts are interested, countries with existing and prospective GBCs are listed here.

Nordic Nations Leaders in Global Trend toward LEED Green Building Program

International builders are increasingly adopting the U.S. Green Building Council’s LEED Green Building Rating System -- the United States’ primary tool for green building -- with international projects now comprising 27 percent of LEED certified and registered projects. LEED projects are underway in 114 nations, with a particularly strong presence in Norway, Finland, Sweden and Denmark.

“Currently there are 43 LEED projects under construction in the Nordics, where their commitment to consensus and collaboration mirrors exactly how LEED works best,” said U.S. Green Building Council’s Vice President of International, Tim McEnery. “Growth of LEED adoption in the Nordic region is accelerating: 36 projects have registered with LEED so far in 2009. With the increase of interest in the Nordic countries, we’re confident that LEED will be a tremendous tool to add to the leadership in sustainability that the Nordic countries embody.”