The American Red Cross’s Cincinnati chapter was recently the recipient of the Business Courier’s Green Business Award in Non-Profit Design. As the developer for this project, we opted to interview Paula McIntosh, the Community Presence Officer for the American Red Cross, on what the award means to their organization and what they are continuing to do to keep up that “green mentality.” 1. What is your position at the American Red Cross? I am the Community Presence Officer, responsible for the Health and Safety and Facilities departments. Additionally, I have responsibility for supporting four smaller Red Cross chapters in our 25-county region, which includes territory in Ohio, Kentucky and Indiana.
2. Is the new headquarters LEED certified yet? How far along are you in the process? Our LEED documentation has been submitted and we hope to hear any day that we have met the standards for certification at the Gold level. We will let you know as soon as it happens!
3. What type of maintenance is required for the green features? Our HVAC system uses water-cooled heat pumps with filters that must be changed regularly. However, the system is operating extremely efficiently and has saved us a lot of money over the system in our old building. The landscaping is designed to be low-maintenance; however, in last summer’s drought we did need to water more than we had hoped. If this summer brings more rain, we do not anticipate that watering will be required, especially now that plants are more established.
4. The project was recorded to have been nearly $1 million under budget, were you surprised to find this out? We were thrilled that the entire project came in under budget. This was a result of working closely with our outstanding design and construction team to make the best decisions for the building and for our budget. As one of our team members put it, “There is a lot of value designed into the building.” Many of our contractors worked with us on pricing.
5. What does being a recipient of this year’s Green Business Award in Non-Profit Design mean to the Red Cross? It was very exciting and humbling to be chosen for the award. It recognizes the efforts of many people who helped with planning the building and making important choices along the way. We relied heavily on the expertise of our architects Emersion Design, our developer Neyer Properties, and our general contractor Mark Spaulding Construction Company as we managed this process. We are grateful for their help and the help of many others, and hope that other companies and individuals take inspiration from what our organization has been able to accomplish.
6. Besides the green features of your building, as an organization, how are you continuing to “be green”? We routinely recycle paper and plastic and are also participating in a recycling program for printer cartridges. Every month we send our staff tips on how to live green in their own lives, as well as at the workplace. Most recently, we have begun to work with a master gardener from Northern Kentucky University to construct a compost bin for clippings from our trees and bushes. We have also established a Green Facilities Committee comprised of experienced facilities managers and people with construction expertise to help us maintain the high standards we have set.
7. Do you have a favorite thing you like about your new headquarters? What is it? I love the many windows in the office spaces—they let in so much light and the view of our neighborhood. We get to see the houses of Evanston, the newly re-designed Evanston Park, Keystone Parke, and the expressway. It helps us stay connected to our community and the people we serve.
8. Has working in a green building helped you incorporate any “green” aspects into your lifestyle? How so? I’m making more of an effort to save water at home and not being so quick to throw away things that may be old but still have a useful life.
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