What other cities can learn from Seattle’s troubled ‘deep green’ building program | Grist

Green building is expensive. “Our best bet of reducing water consumption to the level we need to satisfy the [pilot program] standards is to use composting toilets — well, those are in the tune of $25K each,” writes Grace Kim, an architect with Schemata Workshop.
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5. To make a “deep green” building work, you actually have to change people’s behavior. In Seattle, powering a five- or six-story building solely with solar panels on the roof means using substantially less electricity than your average office. Brooks employees may need to switch to more energy-efficient laptop computers, for example, or put on sweaters on chilly days if building managers allow the temperature to dip below a constant 70 degrees.

Northeast Washington counties may freeze tonight - Spokesman.com - Aug. 24, 2012