Building Green at the Department of Natural Resources

In a world of limited energy and material resources, building with green design and renewable energy is the right thing to do. The Department of Natural Resources (DNR) wants to model conservation in everything it does and that includes its facilities. It is economical, too. Taxpayers get more for their money and everyone benefits from less air and water pollution and greenhouse gases.

When state-owned buildings are built or renovated, agencies must first receive approval from the State Building Commission. When DNR first proposed the building for the Northeast Regional Headquarters in Green Bay, our intent was to construct it with strong sustainable building principles in mind. The agencies jointly took on the new building as a green building demonstration project. Since then, DNR has also constructed the Stanton W. Mead Education and Visitor Center, remodeled the headquarters office in Madison, and are working on more projects using sustainable principles.

In April 2005, Governor Jim Doyle, through Executive Order #145 [exit DNR], directs the Department of Administration to work with the Building Commission and the Energy Center of Wisconsin to ensure that new state facilities are constructed to be 30% more energy efficient than commercial code.

The Northeast Regional Headquarters built in 2005, is Wisconsin's first green state office building to receive Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Gold certification from the U.S. Green Building Council. The Stanton W. Mead Education and Visitor Center received LEED Platinum certification. Any future building, even though using LEED green building design, construction, and operation practices, may or may not be submitted for certification.

See Also

• Executive Order #145 [exit DNR] - Relating to Conserve Wisconsin and the Creation of High Performance Green Building Standards and Energy Conservation for State Facilities and Operations
• Executive Order #145 press release [exit DNR]
• State Sustainable Facilities Guidelines [exit DNR] (PDF)
• Wisconsin Green Building Alliance [exit DNR]
• Focus on energy [exit DNR]
• Building Green [exit DNR]
• U.S. Green Building Council [exit DNR]
• Building ‘Green’: A Consumer's Guide to Sustainable Building [exit DNR] (PDF) UW-Extension publication #615.SG.9903
• Building Green Guide: Sustainable Product Choices [exit DNR] (PDF) UW-Extension publication #615.SG.0502
• Naturally Green by Design [exit DNR] article in the June 2006 issue of Wisconsin Natural Resources Magazine
• A Building Transformation [exit DNR] article in the June 2000 issue of Wisconsin Natural Resources Magazine