Merchandise Mart Sustainability Planning
& LEED Certification

As part of its green development program, the Delta Institute is working with the Merchandise Mart on a comprehensive sustainability plan to implement green building operations. From managing construction waste to reducing indoor air pollutants, the Merchandise Mart Sustainability Plan also includes an energy management plan, a green purchasing program, a green events guide, and a program to encourage contractors to recycle.

In November 2007, the Merchandise Mart achieved LEED-EB (Existing Building) Silver Certification from the US Green Building Council. Please see the following press releases for more information:

• The Merchandise Mart Receives LEED Silver Certification (PDF)
• The Merchandise Mart's Journey Toward LEED-EB Silver Certification (PDF)

Through the Clean Air Counts campaign, the Merchandise Mart has to date reduced more than 239,000 pounds of volatile organic compounds (VOCs), equivalent to 0.6 tons per day. VOCs contribute to poor indoor air quality and can aggravate respiratory ailments. Outside, VOCs are a primary constituent of smog. The Merchandise Mart has achieved these considerable pollution reductions by implementing such green building strategies as green cleaning, energy efficient lighting, workplace transportation alternatives, and by using low-emitting paints and adhesives.

In the press:

• "'Green' Buildings Don't Have to Be New" (New York Times, 1/27/08)
• "Past is Prologue" (Business Week, 3/19/08)