New Mexico Sustainable Communities On The Rise

Eco friendly communities in New Mexico will be on the rise since both the mayor and governor of Albuquerque have stated that more government and state buildings should be built with the intent of getting LEED certification. New Mexico initially had just one LEED certified building but there have been many buildings in production since that point, with some already finished to appease the request of the government officials. Schools are the most common buildings that are changing to be more energy efficient.
The Santa Fe Preparatory school was one of the first ones to answer the mayor's request and begin building with the green communities in New Mexico guidelines in mind. A new building was added on to the school that contains a new library, digital language lab and more classrooms. The building is small at only 20,000 square feet, which makes the creation of the energy efficient building a bit more expensive than larger urban buildings. Still, the school has reduced its initial energy expectations by 30%, despite the fact that they weren't initially planning on meeting LEED standards. It was thanks to an anonymous donor that helped bring about the funds that would allow the school to save that energy.
The sustainable communities in New Mexico are not the only ones in the United States. Going green has been a huge revolution in the country, with many colleges and schools being ahead of the game. Many campuses are turning to using green options such as solar panels, better insulation with recycled materials, and increasing windows to receive natural light rather than the wasted energy of artificial light. There are over 1,000 schools in the process of meeting LEED qualifications and there are more schools applying for grants to go green every day.
It's incredibly beneficial for buildings to make eco friendly changes as it not only saves money in the long run but is better for the people inside the building as well as the environment. Schools for an example generally save about $100,000 per year on energy and water after applying green thinking techniques. Savings like that could provide more teachers, textbooks, computers, or help with school events and sports. According to a study done on schools that are already certified by LEED, energy is reduced by 33%, 32% less water is used, and there's 74% less solid waste. It's for these reasons that eco friendly communities in New Mexico as becoming more common.
There’s a strong reason for the number of green communities in New Mexico to increase as there are many grants as well as tax breaks for the buildings that go green. In addition to government buildings like post offices, schools, and town halls are making changes that are eco friendly, businesses are also working on making changes for the better. By following LEED certification requirements, businesses can better understand which changes to make and how to help make the Earth a little cleaner. With schools like the Santa Fe Preparatory school taking the lead in this movement, we can only hope others will follow.

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