The 2009 Green Washington Awards

impressive, forward-thinking architectural and construction firms that have adopted the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) building standards developed by the U.S Green Building Council.

Because office buildings account for about half of the greenhouse gases produced in the United States, the green building movement has the potential to make one of the most noticeable impacts on reducing cities' carbon footprints. A recent study by Gardner-Johnson also found that residential homes certified by King and Snohomish counties' Built Green program have increased in value by about 2 percent from 2005 to 2008 in east King County, while the value of uncertified homes decreased by 2 percent during the same period.

With help last year from then-presidential candidate Barack Obama, who praised the company as a model for sustainability in the workplace, McKinstry has proven its worth by designing, building and retrofitting the heating and other internal operations of commercial structures saving clients 25 million kilowatt-hours, 850,000 therms and more than $2.7 million in utility costs. For projects completed in 2007 and 2008 alone, emissions reductions at McKinstry buildings included 55 million pounds of carbon dioxide, 65,000 pounds of nitrous oxides, 18,000 pounds of sulfur dioxide and 2,000 pounds of carbon monoxide.

Runner-up:

GGLO

Seattle-based architecture and urban design firm GGLO (gglo.com) impressed the judges with its portfolio of more than 1.4 million square feet of eco-friendly, mixed-use space in the Puget Sound region. A champion of incorporating sustainable elements in affordable housing projects, GGLO has also designed more than 1,100 green residential units.

OF NOTE: The green aspects of local design firms have spread to construction companies as well. Bellevue's GLY Construction has completed eight LEED projects, with an additional nine in progress, including 500,000 square feet of LEED Gold expansion on the Microsoft campus. Sellen Construction in Seattle recycles 91 percent of its construction waste on its projects, 90 percent of which are LEED certified. Turner Construction also recently saved $160,000 by recycling more than 8,600 tons of concrete on six building demolitions.

 

Retail

PCC Natural Markets           

Seattle | Employees: 960 |  pccnaturalmarkets.com

For many retailers, being green means merely complying with new environmental regulations. But for those progressive retailers in the upper echelons of the ecological movement, such as Seattle's homegrown PCC Natural Markets chain, being green is part of their core identity-a bar that is raised each time it is met.

With each new store