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Green Building
The Issues
Recent Developments
What Delta is Doing
Where Do You Want to GO Next?
The Issues
Most Americans spend 90% of their time indoors, where pollutant levels can be as much as two to five times higher than those found outside. More than 70% of U.S. energy is consumed by our homes and businesses. Buildings also generate waste and pollution during construction and renovation. In fact, 40% of the waste in landfills is composed of building materials.
Green building design and construction reduces pollution and carbon emissions, and produces short- and long-term cost savings through gains in energy efficiency, water conservation, waste management, and other operational efficiencies. According to recent surveys, employers who implemented green retrofits saw increases in their abilities to attract talent; retain staff; boost productivity; improve employee health by improving indoor air quality; and build goodwill/brand equity. Green building strengthens the Green Economy and contributes to economic development by creating opportunities for architects, engineers, sustainable building products and materials, green roof installers and other green jobs.
Recent Developments
As the many benefits of green building practices are recognized, they are rapidly becoming the norm among architects, developers, building owners and facility managers. Commercial office buildings, hospitals, schools and universities, hotels and convention centers, government buildings, residential structures, and affordable housing complexes are employing green building technologies. Government agencies are requiring green building practices. Many cities are enacting green building ordinances and offering related incentives to developers for incorporating green building practices.
The U.S. Green Building Council’s LEED certification is an important strategy for achieving green building goals. Since the 
inception of LEED in 2000, there has been an increase of more than 700% in the number of LEED-certified buildings. Illinois has been an early leader in green building construction and ranks sixth in the nation in terms of the number of LEED projects. There are more than 500 LEED commercial buildings in the Great Lakes region. The development of LEED for Homes and LEED-ND (neighborhood development) provides an opportunity to extend the environmental, health, and economic benefits of green building to the homeowners and impact entire communities rather than a building-by-building approach.
What Delta Is Doing
Delta’s goal is to achieve green ratings for 100 buildings – from Class A office towers to affordable housing – and to connect these to 200 or more business and government sustainability programs. To achieve this goal, Delta is:
• Working with building owners and businesses to assess options for improving the environmental and economic performance of their building and related operations.
• Providing assistance in achieving certifications, such as LEED, and linking green building efforts to larger sustainability plans and green business strategies.
• Identifying and securing financing tools, rebates, and incentives to help fund green building implementation.
• Developing green affordable housing and providing technical assistance to create sustainable, affordable housing that is energy efficient and safeguards indoor air quality.
• Offering verified green building products at significant discounts to building owners and operators in connection with Buying Better, Delta’s green purchasing program.
• Partnering with various entities (the USGBC, the U.S. EPA, municipalities, other not-for-profits and foundations, etc.) to assess post-occupancy benefits of more than two dozen LEED-certified projects in Illinois related to: energy use, greenhouse gas emissions, water use, construction and operating costs, cost of building green, health and productivity impacts, and occupant comfort.
• Developing professional guidebooks, reports, training sessions, and implementation tools designed to expand sustainable building practices across many industries and sectors.
Where do you want to GO next?
• Sustainability and Certifications
• www.BuyingBetter.org
• Download a fact sheet about Delta's Green Building Services
To explore additional green opportunities, visit our Green Economy Navigator.
