Union Bankshares Corp. built its new headquarters at Carmel Church with as many 'green' materials as possible to save water and energy, cut pollution and be healthier for employees. The dogwood and other plants are native to Virginia. SUZANNE CARR ROSSI/THE FREE LANCE-STAR Visit the Photo Place

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Money isn't the only green here GOING GREEN EARTH-FRIENDLY BANK

Caroline County bank puts plenty of green into its new corporate headquarters

Date published: 5/20/2007

Part of an occasional series on local efforts to save energy and the environment.

By RUSTY DENNEN

When G. William "Billy" Beale strolls around Union Bankshares' new operations center, he sees lots of green.

Not only visions of dollar bills, but also the save-the-planet kind of green.

The fact that the Caroline County-based financial firm would be at the forefront of a growing environmental movement speaks volumes about how times have changed.

The company moved into its new operations center at Carmel Church last month. Certified by the U.S. Green Building Council, it's one of the first buildings of its type in the region.

It was designed from the ground up to save energy and water, reduce pollution and be more healthy for employees.

When the company decided several years ago that it had seriously outgrown its longtime home in Bowling Green, it wanted more than just a building, says Beale, the company's president.

"Everyone felt it was the right thing to do."

Beale and a reporter recently toured the center with J. Donald Guthrie, an architect with McKinney & Co. of Richmond, which designed the building.

From a distance it looks like any corporate hub.

But the differences are visible all around, starting in the parking lot.

When it rains, water from the lot funnels into bioretention cells. Those are the commercial equivalent of rain gardens, where layers of gravel, sand, soil and mulch soak up the water.

That means less runoff--laden with car oil and other pollutants--winds up in nearby streams and, ultimately, the Chesapeake Bay.

Lights illuminating the grounds have fixtures that focus the beams downward, thereby reducing glare.

Around the grounds, native trees and plants grow, rather than typical nursery stock, and wetlands have been created along the banks of a drainage pond.

"We have more creative use of water drought-tolerant plants" so that no sprinkler system is needed, Guthrie said.

"The star of the show is the green roof," he said.

BUILDING DESIGNS CAN CUT POLLUTION, WATER, ENERGY USE According to the U.S. Green Building Council in Washington, buildings consume about 70 percent of the nation's energy, and about 12 percent of its water. They have a life span of 50 to 100 years, consuming energy and producing carbon dioxide, a greenhouse gas. If half of new commercial buildings were built to use 50 percent less energy, it would save more than 6 million metric tons of carbon dioxide annually--the equivalent of taking more than 1 million cars off the road every year. Those usage figures are being reduced as environmentally friendly buildings replace traditional ones. The council estimates that since its Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design standards were established in 2000 for new construction, there have been more than 6,000 registered projects nationwide. California and Oregon have more LEED buildings than other states. This year, an estimated $12 billion will be spent on green buildings. --Rusty Dennen

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Date published: 5/20/2007