Living eco-centric
WHEN ECOCENTRE, the Living Building,
opened in Lake Worth, Florida in August 2008,
it was hailed by the community, political offi-
cials and the media as a true example of en-
vironmental responsibility in the workplace.
The project is not just a “green” building, it is
what is called a “living” building, because the
entire building is its own ecosystem.
EcoCentre is lush with indoor gardens
and a 12-foot waterfall spilling reclaimed water
from the second floor down to the first floor.
The three floors above provide office space and
views into the atrium center of the building.
The building also contains, among other
things, a Living Machine®, an innovation that
purifies and recycles the building’s water.
“EcoCentre will save approximately
200,000 gallons of water a year by recycling
water from lavatories and showers, capturing
and storing rainwater, using water-efficient
plumbing fixtures and capturing condensa-
tion from the air-conditioning system,” says
Costco member John Romano, the man be-
hind this project.
The building is topped by a miniature
“wetland project” that is integrated into the
building’s water system and environmental
life cycle.
Other features include a raised flooring
system designed to maximize the efficiency
of air conditioning and air flow; individual
thermostats and windows in each office; an
exterior constructed of recycled Chicago
brick; countertops that look like marble but
are made entirely of recycled crushed bottled
glass and environmentally sensitive concrete;
a vegetable-based oil used in elevator pistons;
NANCYROMANO
Costco was the recipient of a number
of questions from members wanting to
know what the company is doing to
lessen its own impact. We put those
questions to the experts in charge of
various departments.
Lead tired
I recently visited Costco and was annoyed
by the sign at the tire shop announcing that
Costco was going green. Instead of lead wheel
weights, some other substance would apparently be used. What is un-green about lead?
But, more to the point, can someone please
explain to me how this unknown substance is
manufactured and used that makes it greener
than a pure element?
left on all night are the security lights
attached to the exterior wall of the building and a few of the lights under the
entrance canopy.
Craig Peal, Assistant Vice President,
Energy and Building Controls
Linda Hayes
Santa Cruz, CA
Blowing hot and cold
Every time I walk in or out of my Costco
warehouse, the doors are always fully open,
winter and summer. Obviously, this lets
out substantial amounts of expensive heated and cooled air into the parking lot. I’d
always assumed this indicated that Costco
was not paying attention to energy costs and
the environment.
Melissa Malkin-Weber
Durham, NC
Lead is one of 31 chemicals that are
on the U.S. Environmental Protection
Agency’s (EPA) list of “priority chemicals”
for businesses to eliminate.
There are 200 million autos and light
trucks on the nation’s roadways, and an
average of 4. 5 ounces of lead is clipped
to the wheel rims of every automobile in
the United States. One estimate suggests that 13 percent of tire weights fall
off at some point during the lifetime of
the tire.
Lead contamination can occur from
wheel weights when they fall off vehicles and get in waterways, are put into
landfills, are crushed and the resulting
dust enters the air supply, or are touched
without proper protection or hygiene
after contact. The new weights at Costco
are a combination of steel and zinc.
Within a few months they will be 100
percent steel. For more information on
the EPA’s lead-elimination requirements,
visit
www.epa.gov/epaoswer/hazwaste/
minimize/ leadtire.htm.
Robert C. Moyer Jr.
U.S. and Canada Tire Director
The entrance and exit doors create
quite a challenge for our type of retail format. What we have opted for to date is to
manage the problem with a few tools
that are not very noticeable to members.
A system in the building actively manages building pressure relative to the outside. This greatly reduces the amount of
air exchanged with the outside: Air is
pushed out of the building if the building
is overpressurized, or drawn into the
building if the building is operating at a
lower pressure than the outside.
We also install air curtains over the
entrance and exit doors. While many
have heaters in them, their real purpose
is to reduce air exchange between the
inside and outside of the building. They
are effective when the building is pressurized properly.
Craig Peal, Assistant Vice President,
Energy and Building Controls
environmentally friendly transportation options encouraged by providing an electric car
charger and bike storage; low toxicity paints,
sealants and adhesives; waterless urinals and
low-flow toilets; and many other environmentally responsible features.
“I realized it’s not enough to just recycle,
not litter, and love the outdoors,” says Romano.
“Businesses and community leaders need to
enhance the environment.” C
Let there (not) be light
In light of your green articles, I find it disappointing to note that the parking lot lights
seem to be left on all night.
George Galamba
Davis, CA
To answer your basic question, they
are not set up to run all night. The lights
are controlled by a computer system that
looks at a time-of-day schedule and a
photocell that looks at whether the sun is
over the horizon. Regardless of the schedule, all exterior lights are cycled off anytime the sun is above the horizon because
of the photocell control. The only lights
The “e” is for environment
If Costco was truly going green, The
Costco Connection would be either e-mailed
or at least printed on recycled paper!
J. Boreta
Goleta, CA
The paper used to print The Connection
includes 10 percent post-consumer waste.
Members can ask to cancel their print
subscription and receive only the online
version of The Costco Connection. See
the instructions in the Subscription
Changes box in our Dialogue department
on page 9.—Editor
