Brooks Insurance, a GEM Energy Services customer, has made the following energysaving improvements at its downtown Toledo office:

• “Vending Miser” on pop machine.
• Motion sensors on lighting.
• Variable Frequency Drives on ventilation fans.
• Reduced wattage in replacement bulbs.
• Automated Logic Controls for the building’s HVAC systems, which can control zones in all work areas, building occupancy/non-occupancy status for temperature control, and proper air balancing.

“Every day we work on risk management issues with our clients at Brooks Insurance,” said Dennis Johnson, president of Brooks Insurance. “It only makes sense that we should do
the same thing for ourselves. Through this innovative partnership, we were able to make a significant reduction in our carbon footprint and at the same time considerably reduce our
energy costs.”  Other Toledo-area firms with Energy Star ratings include: Gallon, Takacs, Boissoneault & Schaffer; Giant Eagle; Verizon; Owens Corning; Vista Advantage Construction Co.; and One Government Center.

About ENERGY STAR: ENERGY STAR is a joint program of the U.S. EPA and the U.S. Department of Energy. In 1992, the EPA introduced ENERGY STAR as a voluntary labeling program to identify and promote energy-efficient products to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

The ENERGY STAR label is now on major appliances, office equipment, lighting and home electronics, as well as new homes and commercial and industrial buildings.

About GEM Energy Management: GEM Energy Services, a subsidiary of GEM Inc., in Walbridge, Ohio, provides energy-saving services that lower energy costs and reduce
environmental impact. GEM’s team of LEED-accredited associates, certified energy managers, and energy audit specialists perform detailed energy audits and execute energy  conservation measures to reduce customers’ utility costs and carbon footprint.

According to the U.S. Green Building Council, administrators of the certification system, the “Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Green Building Rating System^TM is a third-party certification program and the nationally accepted benchmark for the design, construction and operation of high performance green buildings.”
Building projects earn LEED certification points according to six categories: sustainable sites, water efficiency, energy & atmosphere, materials & resources; indoor environmental quality, and innovation & design process. United Way earned points in each category, with a perfect score for its innovation & design process. Several ‘green’ features of United Way’s building project include:

• This was the first project in this area completely designed and built using Building Information Modeling (BIM), a cutting edge technology that uses virtual 3-D imaging and clash detection to help find problems sooner and reduce the number of changes needed on-site. BIM saves cost, time, and paper.
• The orientation of the building maximizes natural light.
• Construction waste material was sorted and 75 percent was recycled. Additionally, materials with recycled content were used in construction.
• The rain garden filters and mitigates the site’s storm water before the water enters the storm sewer. (See attached for complete list of highlights.)

The price of application for a LEED certification can be steep and the construction team - Rudolph/Libbe, SSOE Group, and The Collaborative, Inc. - donated associated costs and expertise.  “Sustainable design is part of our mission,” said Dan J. Tabor, architect and partner at The Collaborative, Inc. “It just seemed like the right thing to do for the team to donate its service for recognition for United Way.”
“This certification would not have been possible without Rudolph/Libbe, SSOE, and The Collaborative,” Kitson continued. “These companies are not only loyal United Way supporters but immensely valuable to our community.”

And…

The United Way headquarters project has earned LEED Silver certification. The project achieved a total 34 points!

 That means no associate has needed to miss work because of a job-related illness or injury. Congratulations to our associates for their commitment and leadership in making our jobsites safe!  

In 2009, Rudolph/Libbe:
• constructed 3,177 tons of VP Buildings materials.
• constructed 209,359 square feet of metal buildings.
• ranked 23rd out of 1,000 VP builders, with building construction projects totaling $1,497,507 using VP materials.

Rudolph’s background includes more than 15 years of experience in sales, marketing and economic development in the Toledo area.

The transition team includes representatives from local business, labor, neighborhood organizations, education, clergy, social services and surrounding communities.

GEM and BHP Energy designed and built the energy center that serves the world-class computer data center. When it becomes fully operational in January, the $12.4 million, 12,000-square-foot facility at Syracuse University is expected to use 50 percent less energy than a typical data center. Video coverage of the project can be found below:

http://www.datacenterknowledge.com/archives/2009/12/03/video-tour-ibms-green-syracuse-data-center/

http://www.9wsyr.com/news/local/story/SU-opens-new-Green-Data-Center/yaNDaCSNs0u6jfv4Bq2M3A.cspx

As of Monday 11-12-09, R/L stands at 2,618,197 work hours and more than three years without lost-time incidents, and GEM has logged 2,407,206 work hours and more than two years without lost-time incidents.

Congratulations and thank you for your personal commitment to keeping everyone on our jobsites safe. This strong performance is the result of planning safety into every task, and making the right choices every day.

By focusing on safety at home and at work, we can eliminate all incidents - ensuring that we all go home safely at the end of the day and can return to work the next day.