Green Building in Our Facilities

Green Building Sample Photo Conceptual of the Chesterfield facility


The construction of Ace Waste's facilities will follow the US Green Building Council’s (USGBC) Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) standard. This standard is the most widely adopted and referenced set of criteria for certifying that buildings have met a prescribed set of land-use, building design, and construction strategies that reduce the environmental impacts that structures have on their surroundings. Traditional buildings consume more of our resources than necessary and generate large amounts of waste.

To design its facilities, Ace Waste has hired Envision Design, one of the foremost green building architects in the US. Some of their signature green projects include the Greenpeace USA Headquarters, offices of Environmental Defense, the World Wildlife Fund, and offices of the National Audubon Society.

Envision Design has created a LEED project checklist for Ace Waste. Within this checklist, a project accumulates points for various activities under each category and the resulting points lead to one of four levels of LEED certification. From lowest to highest, these levels are Certified, Silver, Gold, and Platinum. Ace Waste anticipates receiving a Gold certification, a first for a recycling facility in the US. This certification is a component of an overall strategy to integrate education into the facility as well as a way to ‘practice what we preach.’

Expected Green Building Features in Ace Waste’s Facilities

Sustainable Sites
  • Alternative transportation (bike storage & showers; carpool incentives)
  • Storm water management (for example, capture of roof water for dust control)
  • Landscape and exterior design to reduce heat islands
  • Light pollution reduction
Water Efficiency
  • Water efficient landscaping (reduce by 50%; no potable use)
  • Innovative wastewater technologies
  • Water use reduction (30% reduction)
Energy & Atmosphere
  • Optimize energy performance
  • Renewable energy (10%)
  • Commissioning
  • Ozone depletion
  • Green power
Materials & Resources
  • Construction waste management (divert 75%)
  • Recycled content (specify 10%)
  • Local / regional materials (20% manufactured locally; 50% harvested locally)
  • Certified wood
  • Indoor furnishings including furniture, lighting, flooring, walls, lockers, restrooms and doors will be as much as possible salvaged from materials that were otherwise going to be landfilled.
Indoor Environmental Quality
  • Carbon dioxide monitoring
  • Low emitting materials (adhesives & sealants, paints, carpet, wood)
  • Indoor chemical & pollutant source control
  • Controllability of systems (perimeter)
  • Daylight & views (daylight 75% of spaces)
Innovation & Design Process
  • Innovation in design (not yet detailed)
  • LEED accredited professional


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