US Mayors unite and go ‘green’

According to excerpts from the story:

Pittsburgh, once the gritty center of steel manufacturing, now boasts the first “green” convention center and one of the world’s largest environmentally sustainable buildings: the David L. Lawrence Convention Center.

On the banks of the Allegheny River, the building taps an underground aquifer for drinking water and recycles water used in its bathrooms. Roof skylights and glass walls produce diffused light and uniform temperatures to light and heat the building naturally. The center is a striking monument to Pittsburgh’s efforts to transform itself.

On the western side of the state in Grand Rapids, capital of leading furniture-makers, companies such as Herman Miller and Steelcase are producing eco-friendly furniture from desks to chairs and cabinets. They’re reducing the use of hardwoods from forests that are poorly managed and even designing furniture that can be easily taken apart and recycled.

Read the complete story here.