Sanaa Abourezk says some of her customers have embraced a series of green business practices she implemented last year at her restaurant.

 

Abourezk, owner of Sanaa's gourmet Mediterranean, 401 E. Eighth St., said some customers bring their own containers or grab a sandwich to go and ask that it only be wrapped in paper.

 

She takes a similar approach with her restaurant as she does with food - using the example of a healthy diet in the hope of developing a strong body and preventing disease.

 

"If you do green, hopefully, we save our planet and have more resources for our kids and grandkids," she said.

 

To receive certification from the Green Restaurant Association last year, Abourezk said she implemented a set of standards. Replacing Styrofoam containers was one of Abourezk's priorities.

 

"So we switched from Styrofoam to-to boxes to biodegradable containers, which are made from corn husk," she said.

 

Other enhancements at the restaurant included recycling as much as possible, switching to energy-saving lights, reducing water use and using recycled-paper napkins.

 

Abourezk said she is certain the green trend will grow.

 

"Some people are hesitant because it's a little bit expensive to switch from Styrofoam to biodegradable containers. It's a little more expensive, but I think in the long run, everybody will see the benefit," she said.

 

At Koch Hazard Architects, similar efforts to recycle and reduce are happening in the office, but the staff also is working with clients to design their own green buildings. Jeff Hazard, chief executive officer and principal at Koch Hazard, said the firm has completed about 10 green building projects in five years.

 

Five Koch Hazard staff members are LEED, or Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design, accredited, meaning they have demonstrated their knowledge of green building procedures. Fourteen more are studying for the exam in June.

 

The five primary factors of green building are sustainable sites, water efficiency, energy efficiency, the efficient use of materials and resources, and indoor environmental quality. The U.S. Green Building Council certifies LEED buildings at a base level, followed by silver, gold and platinum.

 

"It's kind of a credit system," Hazard said. "There are a total of 69 credits that are available."

 

Twenty-six credits are required for the base LEED certification for new construction and major renovations, with a minimum of 33 credits needed for silver, 39 for gold and 52 for platinum.

 

Hazard said the cost of building green has decreased substantially since LEED was initiated.

 

"We checked on what it cost to do the LEED work - the sustainability-related work - on Cherapa Place," he said. "It was around 1 1/4 to 1 3/4 percent of the total cost of the project, so it really wasn't that much."

 

Koch Hazard also has served as the architect on a couple of green projects in downtown Sioux Falls that are a contrast between old and new: Courthouse Square and the Museum of Visual Materials.

 

Courthouse Square features a geothermal HVAC system. The Museum of Visual Materials occupies a historic building that was built in 1887. Both buildings are tracking toward LEED gold certification.

 

"It's becoming more and more important to our clients that they build and occupy sustainable buildings, but it's also clearly becoming very important to the next generations as they come up that they be employed by employers that use sustainable practices and live in sustainable communities," Hazard said.

 

"There was a period, probably five years ago, when I thought there was a chance that this could be a fad. But within a year, it was pretty clear that this is just the way it's going to be, and it's going to become increasingly important as we move forward," he said.

 

Jason Crain, president of Construction  Management Professionals, said he recommends sustainable, design-based projects to his clients.

 

"We're going to encourage you to put in geothermal, we're going to help people analyze the decisions of upfront costs versus long-term benefits," he said.

 

Crain and his business partners are also involved in energy retrofit projects, where they go through an existing facility, identify its energy use and determine if a business is paying too much for energy. After an engineering analysis, clients get an idea of ho much they'll save if they move forward on a a project.

 

"You back that into a construction project, so to speak, and you pay for the project from the energy savings," he said. "Once you've paid off the project, you realize the operational savings because that just goes on forever."

Crain said the benefits go beyond saving money and improving facilities.

 

"You're improving the condition of the space that people are occupying, which I think is one of the things
that gets kind of overlooked in this whole green movement," he said. "Worker productivity and comfort increases, while absenteeism tends to decrease."