While any structure built in a way that lessens its footprint is welcomed, some of the buildings that people try to turn green simply make no sense.
LEED certification, in all its greatness, does not take the building’s intended purpose into account; this leaves us with some hilarious, unabashedly self-contradicting buildings. Here are the ten of the most laughable green buildings:
1. BP’s Helios House Gas Station – Los Angeles, Cal.
Yes, there is an LEED-certified gas station. It’s actually a nice building, complete with rainwater collection, solar panels, recycled building materials, and LED lighting. However, don’t think you’ll be able to refuel with biodiesel or charge up your electric car—they’re only in the petroleum-dealing business. How green of them, right?
2. Justin Timberlake’s Golf Course/Lodge – Woodstock, Tenn.
So Justin Timberlake decided that he wants to buy a golf course and fix it up with an LEED-certified lodge. While it’s an improvement compared to most other golf courses, the fact remains that maintaining a golf course takes chemicals and lots of water. In the United States alone, golf courses total more than 1.7 million acres and consume around 4 billion gallons of water every day. How does a green lodge counteract the water used to maintain the course? Justin, if you really want to be green, you should have turned it into a wildlife sanctuary instead.
3. Nestle Pure Life Water Bottling Plant – Boiling Springs, Tenn.
While this isn’t the only LEED-certified water bottling plant, it’s listed for having the most greenwashed name. Ozarka, Arrowhead, Ice Mountain, and Deer Park water bottling plants also have LEED certifications of some sort, but they couldn’t compete with Pure Life in the name department. If anyone needs a reminder of why bottling water is a bad idea, here are five reasons to ditch the bottle. Oh, and Nestle as a whole won’t be getting an award for their treatment of the planet and its people any time soon.
4. Logan Airport Terminal A – Boston, Mass.
Activists in England have put their freedom on the line protesting against a third runway at the enormous Heathrow Airport; do you think they’d be more satisfied with the runway if the airport terminal was LEED certified, with solar panels and the whole bit? You’d be right to assume they wouldn’t, because whether they take off from a green building or not, airplanes are still one of the top causes of global warming.
5. Toyota Car Dealership – Rockwall, Tex.
While Toyota is almost synonymous with green when it comes to cars, in reality they’re not much better than any other car company. They have a full line of vehicles, including four-wheel-drive SUV’s, some of which are 8-cylinder. In fact, their entire fleet’s average gas mileage is worse than Chevrolet’s. Perhaps they should clean up their cars before trying to green their dealerships?
6. Antilia Tower – Mumbai, India
While this probably will not be LEED certified, it has been often mentioned as being one of the greenest building concepts on the planet. While it does look beautiful and will act as a giant carbon sink in the middle of the city, there’s a major problem: it will be the home of one family. No matter how green this building is, that is a complete waste of space in a city known for its overcrowding.
7. Civic Center Parking Garage – Santa Monica, Cal.
The only green parking garage I want to see would be located at a train or bus station for people to drop off their cars to finish their commute on mass transit. To quote every politician involved in the 2008 campaign, “You can put lipstick on a pig, but it’s still a pig.”
8. Vacation Home Development – Las Vegas, Nev.
You only need one house, people! Granted that seven of these eight homes are 1/12 shares, these homes are being built in a desert (Las Vegas) and if anyone needs a water-capture system, it’s people who live there year-around. Simply due to their excess, vacation homes may be the least environmentally-friendly structures on earth.
9. Spaceport America - New Mexico
Another case of the rich attempting to make the rest of us think they’re doing the world a favor. Recreational space travel, at least with the current technology, is a huge and unnecessary carbon polluter. But hey, the spaceport will be LEED certified, so everything’s going to be fine, right?
10. Every Fancy New Building – Dubai, United Arab Emirates
I know, I know — I cheated on this one. I couldn’t pick just one since they’re all ridiculous for the same reason. The government is intent on making Dubai one of the biggest, most gaudy places on earth. Perhaps to compensate for unending excess, they’ve mandated that all new buildings must have specific eco-minded properties, but when you take all of it in at once, you know it’s nothing but a giant waste of resources.
Image Credits: (All Flickr under CC License) Top from J. Phil on Flickr. 1. danperry.com on Flickr 2. BP 3. Macon County, TN 4. MileageNYC on Flickr 5. Dushaun on Flickr 6. Concept illustration 7. City of Santa Monica 8. Emre Ersahin 9. Spaceport America 10. utpal. on Flickr
so… what buildings would make the top 10? They would be LEED certified but what would they do? If a church or place of worship was LEED certified, would it make the list? How about a restaurant or a hotel?
so… what buildings would make the top 10? They would be LEED certified but what would they do? If a church or place of worship was LEED certified, would it make the list? How about a restaurant or a hotel?
Okay so no one’s perfect, but its a start. A green gas station is like being a vegetarian who eats fish.
Now if the station also provides hydrogen…
Okay so no one’s perfect, but its a start. A green gas station is like being a vegetarian who eats fish.
Now if the station also provides hydrogen…
I only agree with you on the Nestle water bottle facility, single family skyscraper. Other projects are part of our real life and to make the best of them is the right way to go. To start the change in construction to green building we all need any little impact and I count them as a positve step.
I only agree with you on the Nestle water bottle facility, single family skyscraper. Other projects are part of our real life and to make the best of them is the right way to go. To start the change in construction to green building we all need any little impact and I count them as a positve step.
Good observation
try to fix it if it’s broken.
Alee! I’m not from Dubai, but don’t express your jealousy towards Dubai like this. You blaming Dubai for icecaps being melted? Do more research on it.
God bless you
Good observation
try to fix it if it’s broken.
Alee! I’m not from Dubai, but don’t express your jealousy towards Dubai like this. You blaming Dubai for icecaps being melted? Do more research on it.
God bless you
ugh. I’m tired of this. I don’t want to live in a big house, have a fancy car and all that stupid stuff. I want to live in the jungle but I can’t. Because those stupid jerks wrecked Earth! I want to live in the jungle without people cutting down trees and burning them. I also don’t know why we have cars. There was nothing wrong with horses. feed them let them sleep. sure they cost alot to take care of.most people would not want to clean up after them. Think about it. you clean up after your dog. why not clean up after the horse? it may be a bigger mess but still. I don’t understand people at all. want to know something else? People can live in a bathroom sized house. sleep in the tub ( tub has 2 uses), use the toilet, sink for water. get food outside.cook outside. sheesh.
ugh. I’m tired of this. I don’t want to live in a big house, have a fancy car and all that stupid stuff. I want to live in the jungle but I can’t. Because those stupid jerks wrecked Earth! I want to live in the jungle without people cutting down trees and burning them. I also don’t know why we have cars. There was nothing wrong with horses. feed them let them sleep. sure they cost alot to take care of.most people would not want to clean up after them. Think about it. you clean up after your dog. why not clean up after the horse? it may be a bigger mess but still. I don’t understand people at all. want to know something else? People can live in a bathroom sized house. sleep in the tub ( tub has 2 uses), use the toilet, sink for water. get food outside.cook outside. sheesh.
LEED is the best known “green building rating system.” We all love to take pot shots at the top and laugh about it. These 10 LEED “oxymorons,” so to speak, advertise their own ridiculousness. You should see the claims some manufacturers make about their so-called LEED products if you really want a good joke!
LEED is the best known “green building rating system.” We all love to take pot shots at the top and laugh about it. These 10 LEED “oxymorons,” so to speak, advertise their own ridiculousness. You should see the claims some manufacturers make about their so-called LEED products if you really want a good joke!
This article and the responses sound a lot like the far left political correct style where sarcasm and hate are the operative elements. Green is good in almost any form.
This article and the responses sound a lot like the far left political correct style where sarcasm and hate are the operative elements. Green is good in almost any form.
Alex:
While you claim to be “pointing out the blatant contradiction between [a building's] purpose and its [sustainable] design”, I would point out the same contradiction in your premise for this article.
Your lead-in states that “while any structure built in a way that lessens its footprint is welcomed, some of the buildings that people try to turn green simply make no sense.”
No sense? Really?
To take your first example, the LEED-certified gas station in LA. Yes, a provision for charging electric cars would be a nice touch, but the simple fact of the matter is that our car culture (gas-powered or otherwise) is not going away anytime soon. The simple fact of the matter is that this gas station is saving (and producing!) energy, and saving water, compared to what would have been built in its place — your typical, unenlightened, status quo gas station, with energy-sucking light fixtures and rain leaders that lead directly to the sewer.
Similarly, in example #2, you suggest that the golf course should have been turned into a wildlife sanctuary. This sort of Utopian tongue-in-cheek is short-sighted and, again, ignores the net benefit of a LEED Platinum (http://www.jetsongreen.com/2008/10/justin-timberla.html) lodge over a lodge built to status quo building standards. I am no fan of the sport, but the golf industry is not going to simply disappear for the sake of “going green”. What’s to say a golf course can’t also implement sustainable practices like water conservation and integrated pest management?
I am no stranger to griping about, say, so-called “green” houses way out in the suburbs. But if they are going to be built in the first place (and they WILL continue to be built), why NOT use green building practices for them?
Your smugness belittles the efforts, however small, that these designers and builders are putting forth, and sends a discouraging message to anyone who is at least “trying” to implement green strategies in their buildings, i.e. “if you can’t be REALLY green like me, don’t even try” (isn’t that the real message in your lead in statement?). At least these people have words like “sustainable” in their vocabulary. I see that as a huge step forward.
Alex:
While you claim to be “pointing out the blatant contradiction between [a building's] purpose and its [sustainable] design”, I would point out the same contradiction in your premise for this article.
Your lead-in states that “while any structure built in a way that lessens its footprint is welcomed, some of the buildings that people try to turn green simply make no sense.”
No sense? Really?
To take your first example, the LEED-certified gas station in LA. Yes, a provision for charging electric cars would be a nice touch, but the simple fact of the matter is that our car culture (gas-powered or otherwise) is not going away anytime soon. The simple fact of the matter is that this gas station is saving (and producing!) energy, and saving water, compared to what would have been built in its place — your typical, unenlightened, status quo gas station, with energy-sucking light fixtures and rain leaders that lead directly to the sewer.
Similarly, in example #2, you suggest that the golf course should have been turned into a wildlife sanctuary. This sort of Utopian tongue-in-cheek is short-sighted and, again, ignores the net benefit of a LEED Platinum (http://www.jetsongreen.com/2008/10/justin-timberla.html) lodge over a lodge built to status quo building standards. I am no fan of the sport, but the golf industry is not going to simply disappear for the sake of “going green”. What’s to say a golf course can’t also implement sustainable practices like water conservation and integrated pest management?
I am no stranger to griping about, say, so-called “green” houses way out in the suburbs. But if they are going to be built in the first place (and they WILL continue to be built), why NOT use green building practices for them?
Your smugness belittles the efforts, however small, that these designers and builders are putting forth, and sends a discouraging message to anyone who is at least “trying” to implement green strategies in their buildings, i.e. “if you can’t be REALLY green like me, don’t even try” (isn’t that the real message in your lead in statement?). At least these people have words like “sustainable” in their vocabulary. I see that as a huge step forward.
I enjoyed the post and think it has it’s humor but I also am glad that there are steps to create green buildings even if the products are not yet there. One step at a time.
I enjoyed the post and think it has it’s humor but I also am glad that there are steps to create green buildings even if the products are not yet there. One step at a time.
Great article. I’m one of the LEED professionals working to “green the desert” in Dubai. And yes, I am fully aware of the contradictions.
Environmentalism used to mean planting palm trees along the highways, irrigated with desal water (100 liters/day/tree) up until about 5 years ago (and still to this day according to some people). The knowledge transfer that is happening is as important as the LEED Silver or Gold certification and the required 21-25% energy (4 or 5 points on EAc1) and 30% water (WE3.2) required savings.
I think we all know that sustainability is a “more than, less than” issue and this city is getting built (at least until about 3 months ago). While I am not totally comfortable with working on green here, I do feel that gains are being made.
Great article. I’m one of the LEED professionals working to “green the desert” in Dubai. And yes, I am fully aware of the contradictions.
Environmentalism used to mean planting palm trees along the highways, irrigated with desal water (100 liters/day/tree) up until about 5 years ago (and still to this day according to some people). The knowledge transfer that is happening is as important as the LEED Silver or Gold certification and the required 21-25% energy (4 or 5 points on EAc1) and 30% water (WE3.2) required savings.
I think we all know that sustainability is a “more than, less than” issue and this city is getting built (at least until about 3 months ago). While I am not totally comfortable with working on green here, I do feel that gains are being made.
When ice melts it takes up LESS volume. If the Polar ice caps ever melt the ocean levels will go down not up.
When you own a home you gain much more than a place to rest your head. You gain financial stability as your lodging becomes a fixed cost. You gain privacy. For the super rich, privacy is something money can buy and they willingly pay.
Without the super rich to try new ideas and products, the middle class and masses will never get them. We could rely on gvernment to be the only super rich, but if you think the super rich are wastefull go read the federal budget.
When ice melts it takes up LESS volume. If the Polar ice caps ever melt the ocean levels will go down not up.
When you own a home you gain much more than a place to rest your head. You gain financial stability as your lodging becomes a fixed cost. You gain privacy. For the super rich, privacy is something money can buy and they willingly pay.
Without the super rich to try new ideas and products, the middle class and masses will never get them. We could rely on gvernment to be the only super rich, but if you think the super rich are wastefull go read the federal budget.
certainly …these buildings are not dumb atleast …
like u said .. the golf course is consuming some gallons of water every day ..and should have been,,wild life sanctury instead… but if golf course needs the amt of water to maintain u cant help it na,,,or dy might nt hv tht much rainfall in tht area to consrve also..can be a situation ,, i can think of
neways
bt according to my opinion,,, LEED has atleast helped building industry to make buildings ‘little green’ if not ‘bright green’..
its atleast givin some guideline for a common person..who can understand green phenomena..
certainly …these buildings are not dumb atleast …
like u said .. the golf course is consuming some gallons of water every day ..and should have been,,wild life sanctury instead… but if golf course needs the amt of water to maintain u cant help it na,,,or dy might nt hv tht much rainfall in tht area to consrve also..can be a situation ,, i can think of
neways
bt according to my opinion,,, LEED has atleast helped building industry to make buildings ‘little green’ if not ‘bright green’..
its atleast givin some guideline for a common person..who can understand green phenomena..
This is ridiculous…are these things contradictory? Well somewhat I guess but I think the poster is missing the point. All of the above buildings would be built and the purposes for which they were made will continue. So the people are saying okay, how do we lessen the impact of an environmentally negative purpose.
That’s all. If you had any idea how much it costs to be leed certified over conventional construction I think you might recant.
The point very simply is there will be cars, there will be planes and there will be bottled water but how do we minimize those impacts.
Your article is tantamount to me ridiculing for somebody who puts in energy efficient light bulbs into their house…”Well using electricity isn’t very green so putting in those light bulbs is one of the stupidest things I’ve heard of”.
The only one I agree with is the single home in Mumbai if in fact that is the case.
thank you! I am tired of being badgered by green friends who deride me for using plastic bags… while they drive off to their second home 6 hours (by road) away while I live in a 2 bedroom apartment.
I also work in the architecture industry and more often than not, LEED is applied as a “cheap as possible” solution to a public relations problem, not as an integral part of the beginning building design. being thoughtful about location and purpose is far more important than whether the paint is solvent based or not — the design process is more complicated than simply selecting products.
thank you! I am tired of being badgered by green friends who deride me for using plastic bags… while they drive off to their second home 6 hours (by road) away while I live in a 2 bedroom apartment.
I also work in the architecture industry and more often than not, LEED is applied as a “cheap as possible” solution to a public relations problem, not as an integral part of the beginning building design. being thoughtful about location and purpose is far more important than whether the paint is solvent based or not — the design process is more complicated than simply selecting products.
Yes, I do think dubai is a way of wasting resources…
From:
Suet Long
A ten yr old girl
Yes, I do think dubai is a way of wasting resources…
From:
Suet Long
A ten yr old girl
you raise some very interesting concerns. It seems something can always be critized when it claims to be green
you raise some very interesting concerns. It seems something can always be critized when it claims to be green
I really like the buildings is housing an environmentally unfriendly product, like the space port, perhaps the building should be environmentally unfriendly as well. Rather than try an clean upt a little at a time, lets just forget the whole thing! Very green i think .
I really like the buildings is housing an environmentally unfriendly product, like the space port, perhaps the building should be environmentally unfriendly as well. Rather than try an clean upt a little at a time, lets just forget the whole thing! Very green i think .
Maybe the author of this article should start his own certification program – and then see how many are interested in the ‘back to the caves’ mentality.
Improvement is the keyword – only a fool thinks the world will completely change overnight.
The green ‘mafia’ – meaning the ‘you have to do it our way bunch’ set any environmental effort back far maore than they move it ahead.
Maybe the author of this article should start his own certification program – and then see how many are interested in the ‘back to the caves’ mentality.
Improvement is the keyword – only a fool thinks the world will completely change overnight.
The green ‘mafia’ – meaning the ‘you have to do it our way bunch’ set any environmental effort back far maore than they move it ahead.
Your inclusion of the Toyota dealership in Rockwall is an unfortunate one. The family, who are committed to sustainability and personally funded this project – with zero incentives from Toyota, wanted to have a facility that achieved the first LEED Gold status for their particular industry, so as to serve as an example for all of the other dealers to wake up and see that even they could green up their businesses. Add to that, they’ve become the leading voice in their community (which doesn’t even have a recycling program) to green themselves, and you done a nice job damaging a dedicated husband and wife team, and their daughters who moved half way across this country to pursue this dream.
Who knows that the photo is of – because it’s NOT this project, clearly you didn’t even visit the facility.
This project is not about Toyota selling electric cars – which you seem to believe are ready for prime time… I’m still waiting myself… See any Tesla dealerships popping up – no, and why…?
And now you “funny” article (without you claim this is in ‘jest’) has been circulated around the internet… nice…
Your inclusion of the Toyota dealership in Rockwall is an unfortunate one. The family, who are committed to sustainability and personally funded this project – with zero incentives from Toyota, wanted to have a facility that achieved the first LEED Gold status for their particular industry, so as to serve as an example for all of the other dealers to wake up and see that even they could green up their businesses. Add to that, they’ve become the leading voice in their community (which doesn’t even have a recycling program) to green themselves, and you done a nice job damaging a dedicated husband and wife team, and their daughters who moved half way across this country to pursue this dream.
Who knows that the photo is of – because it’s NOT this project, clearly you didn’t even visit the facility.
This project is not about Toyota selling electric cars – which you seem to believe are ready for prime time… I’m still waiting myself… See any Tesla dealerships popping up – no, and why…?
And now you “funny” article (without you claim this is in ‘jest’) has been circulated around the internet… nice…
I’ve done some research on BP’s Helios house for a similar project and was able to visit with a few people that extensive knowledge of the project. One surprising thing that I learned was that the State of California seriously restricted BP’s ability to sell alternate fuels (beyond the normal useless varietys) at this facility. Sad – as BP appears to have been willing, at least at this faiclity to give it a try.
While this is a ‘showcase’ facility, it does run a serious risk of becoming a Green ‘Disneyland’. This about how ‘futuristic’ tommorow land is today… it’s a laugh today. This project, with it’s “inovative” LED signs is hardly something to be studyed – storing rainwater off a tiny roof costs so much that this building is unlikely to EVER recoop the expense, and like it or not, ‘solutions’ that are not sustainable economically are not sustainable…
I’ve done some research on BP’s Helios house for a similar project and was able to visit with a few people that extensive knowledge of the project. One surprising thing that I learned was that the State of California seriously restricted BP’s ability to sell alternate fuels (beyond the normal useless varietys) at this facility. Sad – as BP appears to have been willing, at least at this faiclity to give it a try.
While this is a ‘showcase’ facility, it does run a serious risk of becoming a Green ‘Disneyland’. This about how ‘futuristic’ tommorow land is today… it’s a laugh today. This project, with it’s “inovative” LED signs is hardly something to be studyed – storing rainwater off a tiny roof costs so much that this building is unlikely to EVER recoop the expense, and like it or not, ‘solutions’ that are not sustainable economically are not sustainable…
On the Antilla Tower in Mumbai – Living in Mumbai is sustainable enough. The same project anywhere else in the world would have been a 10-15 acre expanse. I don’t see any other Trillionaires living in a more greener environment than this?
On the Antilla Tower in Mumbai – Living in Mumbai is sustainable enough. The same project anywhere else in the world would have been a 10-15 acre expanse. I don’t see any other Trillionaires living in a more greener environment than this?
You could add Al Gore’s home. Good example of talking LEED but doing excess.
You could add Al Gore’s home. Good example of talking LEED but doing excess.
The Green gas station really made me laugh; the rest were interesting. While most of the “products” sold aren’t green, at least the buildings are.
Wow your blog has a lot of good information. Thanks for taking the time to write.In this blog i find the information about 10 dumbest Green Building on earth that looks very fantastic.
This blog is very informative. Nice pictures! It shows 10 dumbest green building on earth which is vacation homes may be the least environmentally-friendly structures on earth.
I agree with your article in general, that way too little is green about these places. It’s as though they’re doing PR instead of doing it the right way. I’m pretty fed-up with these tiny Green attempts. Sure, some can argue that it’s better than not making an attempt… but I say why do something partial when you can go all the way with it and make a serious statement and set a big example.
Yeah, BP should make its stations out of dead whales,Nestle should make their factories out of dead babies and no one should have a car…
er…progress is progress and the more green building that goes on the better. Get over it. And finally, what if the cars were green? Buy some imagination why don’t you?
There are lots of contradictions when you look closely at lots of “green” projects. My biggest frustration is the amount of attention paid to new construction and the little attention paid to existing buildings to upgrade them. LEED is used for that too, you know.
Are American Golf Courses as “green” as Scottish golf courses?
While agree that these buildings go against preserving mother nature. At least they are doing something to lessen their impact. Green house gases are not the only reason the icecaps are melting. Mother nature is changing her mood as well.
I would say that this is one of the 10 dumbest articles on green living I’ve ever read. The author ridicule people for trying to do their part in green living. I am glad though that almost all comments recognise that sustainability is not about having it all or nothing, but about “more” or “less”. Also sad that the author didn’t bother to actually research the subject, but thanks to a few comments from knowlegable people, I now know for example about this amazing couple who funded this Toyota dealership in Rockwall project with their own money and zero incentives from Toyota