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56 • Green Project Management

later. Although the Green Project realizes that material salvage and recy-
cling efforts will have a minor impact when compared to the amount of
waste in the area, the organization acts as a model for other organizations
and individuals looking to make small changes in their daily actions. By
setting an example, and educating members and the public on the impor-
tance of proper waste management, the Green Project is able to positively
influence the actions of many others—all while preventing thousands of
tons of usable building materials from reaching the landfill.
People frequently ask, “What makes the Green Project different from the
Habitat Re-Store, or other for-profit architectural salvage operations?” At
the Green Project, they believe that living an environmentally responsible
life doesn’t mean self-sacrifice and austerity, or embracing expensive mod-
ern technologies; on the contrary, it should bring you a richer, more inter-
esting, longer and healthier life. Toward that end, they offer multiple ways
to promote creative, hands-on recycling. Their educational workshops,
Recycle for the Arts program, e-waste recycling, deconstruction fieldwork,
latex paint recycling, and community and school outreach events are just
as important as the recycled building materials retail store.
One of the best things about the project is that there was little opposition
to it, and they have the support of the community, although financial sup-
port from the city of New Orleans has been difficult to come by.
Another example of a fascinating GBD project, on a small scale, is the
collection of the miniature wind farm projects on the rooftops in New
York City. It’s not really a new idea. In the mid-1970s, a group installed a
serviceable miniature turbine on an East Village rooftop, but it’s now been
taken to new heights (excuse the pun). Fast-forward to the present day, and
developers are now designing buildings with the intention of using wind
power to supply part of the energy. With high fuel costs and the “green
wave,” people are considering alternative energy more and more. Wind
farms are constructed in open areas. How to best design rooftop wind
farms in vertical, urban environments is a continuing challenge to be met
by architects and the wind energy industry.
The mini-wind farm is actually a part of a bigger green effort, The
Eltona, a 63-unit, five-story, low-income residential rental building
located in the Bronx. It is constructed entirely of precast concrete and was
completed in cooperation with New York State’s Department of Housing
and Community Renewal’s Homes for Working Families Program and
the New York City Housing and Development Corporation’s Low-Income
Affordable Marketplace Program (LAMP). The building will also be a