What does it take to reach 100? As part of our 100th anniversary celebration, we’re posting a piece of Berglund’s history on our blog each day for 100 days. Check in each day to learn new tidbits about our company, win prizes based on your Berglund knowledge, and, most of all, to help us celebrate.
The Way We Were: Going Green
Green building is so widespread these days, it can be hard to remember when eco-friendly features such as rain harvesting and green roofs weren’t household terms. But when Berglund opened its doors 100 years ago, products that make us cringe today, such as asbestos and lead paint, were still the norm.
Plenty of considerations go into green construction, from choosing building sites close to public transit to using lumber from local trees. The ultimate goal is to protect the environment and our own health, and those are goals that Berglund can get behind. We’ve worked on multiple green building projects for our clients, including the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Gold-eligible INTAC in Merrillville, Ind., and the LEED Gold-eligible Rush University Medical Center Campus. As we explore the history of construction during Berglund’s tenure, check out these milestones from the green building movement:
1953: A Bell Laboratories employee makes solar panels commercially viable by replacing the selenium in the cells with more efficient silicon.
1973: The Organization of Arab Petroleum Exporting Countries’ oil embargo sparks an interest in energy conservation and, as a result, in green buildings that consume less energy.
1977: The federal government bans lead paint because of health concerns. Many chemicals in lead-free paints, called volatile organic compounds (VOCs), are later found to cause health problems of their own, however, spurring the green building industry to embrace low- or no-VOC paints in recent years.
1989: The federal government bans asbestos after finding a link between prolonged exposure to it and several types of cancer. Builders had used the building insulation material widely since the late 19th century for its strength, sound absorption and fire resistance.
1992: The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the Department of Energy launch the Energy Star program, a voluntary program used for labeling energy-efficient products. The program only included computers and monitors at first, and has expanded to include new homes, commercial and industrial buildings, appliances, office equipment, lighting, and personal electronics today.
2000: The U.S. Green Building Council establishes its LEED rating system.
