Going Green Stories
Bullock Tice Associates is proving that eco-friendly operation can co-exist with business growth. From the building in which BTA operates daily, to the communication with clients and consultants, Bullock Tice makes every effort to reduce the company’s carbon footprint and creates eco-accountability at every stage of the design-to-construction chain.
Located at the corner of Cervantes and 10th Avenue, the existing building that houses the 44 person Architectural and Interior Design firm was once a Delchamp’s Grocery store. The renovation of the building twenty five years ago was a step in becoming “green” long before the term was a buzz word. The two story building’s renovation was completed in 1984, and a few of the eco-friendly remodeling features included the building’s white reflective roof and making use of landscape and trees around the building to provide shade from the Florida sun. Re-use of the existing urban structure was not only an effort to make use of accessible space, but to revitalize the area while giving the company room to expand.
The recycling of paper, aluminum and cardboard is a continuing practice that spans decades. Along with recycling print cartridges, most employees perform an average of 80% of daily correspondence electronically, eliminating waste of paper and ink. Styrofoam and plastic plates and utensils were replaced several years ago with ceramic and stainless counterparts. Copy machines are set to energy save modes, and computer monitors are Energy Star compliant. Throughout the building, high efficiency fluorescent lights are present.
One third, or 14 of BTA’s 44 employees are LEED Accredited. LEED Professional Accreditation distinguishes building professionals with the knowledge and skills to successfully steward the LEED certification process. The Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Green Building Rating System encourages and accelerates global adoption of sustainable green building and development practices through the creation and implementation of universally understood and accepted tools and performance criteria.
Bullock Tice Associates recently designed the EPA Research Support Facility in Gulf Breeze which is one of only two facilities in the Pensacola area with a certified LEED Rating. Gulf Breeze Research Center –LEED Rated
Eagle Cleaning LLC wants to announce it is a green cleaning company. They have recently purchased new floor equipment that allows them to strip and wax floors without using harsh stripping chemicals. They simply use water. They also use green cleaning products for normal day to day cleaning. By going green, they create a healthier and happier environment. Healthier employees translate to increased productivity and profitability for everyone involved. For more information feel free to contact them.
Since 2005, Boeing has sponsored a Habitat for Humanity www.habitat.org home every year in Okaloosa County, making this year Boeing's third sponsorship. 2008 brought a different light to the situation when Boeing FWB approached Okaloosa Habitat for Humanity with the idea of building the first Habitat home in Okaloosa County to promote an eco-friendly footprint. Habitat enthusiastically pursued the idea, and on Tuesday, April 28, 2009, presented the keys of Boeing's third sponsored home to Carl & Dorothy Newberg - the new proud owners of the first Habitat certified "green" home in Okaloosa County. Habitat has placed the benchmark on this home, stating that the future homes built by Okaloosa Habitat for Humanity are expected to be "green".
An extensive relationship with Green Central Station, based in Panama City, offered site visitations, energy star and HERS index ratings for the non-profit. There are two agencies in the state of Florida to receive green certification credentials for building, LEED and the Florida Green Build Coalition. Okaloosa Habitat selected to receive their qualifications through the Florida Green Building Coalition, a standardized group of green model put in place specifically for the State of Florida. They focused on what concepts would be best to intertwine with their pre-existing home plans to offer healthy living, energy reduction and earth friendly living. Receiving green certification is reached by a point scale system in correlation with features that are added to the home, a builder can receive green certification by reaching a score of 100 and maxing out at 300. With the completion of this first green home, Okaloosa Habitat reached a score of nearly 200 points.
Key implementations in the home were changing the framing from 2x4 to 2x6 to offer more area to place insulation, which was green rated and blown in the walls providing a higher r-value. Radiant barrier plywood was used on the roof decking to repel to the sun rays that traditionally penetrate through the shingles. A dehumidification unit was installed to reduce the work load on the air-conditioning unit and help reduce energy costs for the homeowner. A Metlund D’Mand water system was implemented, at the push of button, water in the pipes flushes out so that when you turn on hot water in the faucet or shower it is almost instantly hot, therefore reducing the waste of water. A no-mow landscape plan was put in place for the home to minimize the energy used from mowing along with natural vegetation to reduce the amount of water needed to maintain the site. Low VOC paints were used throughout the home. One of the most impressive elements of the entire build was the waste management plan that was put in place by Habitat. Reducing the amount of waste that was handled and disposed of to the landfill was dropped in half by adding an onsite recycling program and milling what materials were removed during the clearing of the property.
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