Destination Hotels & Resorts officially entered into the LEED arena.   In January 2010, Sunriver Resort’s two newest construction projects, the Sunriver Resort Marina and Sunriver Stables Trail Ride Registration Facility, received LEED Silver Certification from the U.S. Green Building Council.  One LEED certified building is a major victory for the built environment.  Two LEED certified buildings is even better!  As more buildings earn this prestigious certification, can the aggregate positive effects on the environment be quantified?

As Bode Miller, Apolo Ohno and Lindsey Vonn descended on Vancouver, I wonder if they knew the 17-day event was planned with sustainability in mind.  Thousands of athletes staying in the nine-block Olympic Village had green roofs over their heads and thousands of others were staying in buildings with rain harvesting roofs.  While they were probably focusing on winning gold medals (and rightfully so!), the Vancouver Organizing Committee was behind the scenes overseeing environmentally-focused measures like the increased public transportation options and the tracking of carbon emissions.