Sarasota County UF/IFAS Extension and Sustainability

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As a green business partner, Sarasota County UF/IFAS Extension and Sustainability are demonstrating environmental leadership. From a business operations perspective, they develop and post a company policy statement that emphasizes conservation of resources, encourage employees to suggest new conservation ideas, and even have a Green Champion program for employee and volunteers. The Twin Lakes office building is recognized by the U.S. Green Building Council as a LEED gold facility. As a LEED certified location, 90% of construction waste was diverted from landfills and processed for recycling. Building materials used during construction contained recycled content that aided in the diversion of those materials from landfills and the development footprint was contained to a minimum to disturb as little surrounding land as possible and maximize green space. The office building was designed with a high performance building envelope and glazing system provides improved insulation and energy efficiency. This included insulated low-E impact resistant windows and walls were made of Autoclaved aerated concrete.
The building uses 58% less water than a new code compliant office building. A 28,000 gallon cistern collects rainwater for toilets and an irrigation system. Stormwater runoff is reduced by utilizing pervious concrete for sidewalks and patios, as well as pervious parking lot using open grid system with gravel. The park uses reclaimed water and the office has a rooftop rain collection system to reduce impacts. Twin Lakes Park and office areas have Florida native or low-maintenance, drought-resistant plants/trees and has removed all invasive exotic plants.
Being part of the park operations at Twin Lakes, the group is committed to recycling programs and waste reduction. As an organization they recycle all paper, plastic and cardboard generated at the office, as well as collect printer cartridges, used batteries and developed a composting program. The park utilizes plastic benches and picnic tables made from recycled content materials. The department has gone electronic with their approval system, newsletters and opted out of receiving phone directories. The facility also used more environmentally friendly cleaning products to improve the overall air quality for its workers.
The facility uses two forms of renewable energy: geothermal and solar. Geothermal HVAC cooling system saves energy and uses ozone-friendly refrigerants. The 6” injection well pumps water from the aquifer through a heat exchanger then returns it to the aquifer, consuming no water in the process (210’ between the two wells). Photovoltaics (solar panels) generated 5% of the building's electricity. Originally 10kW system. Upgraded in 2014 to 20 kw system. It is estimated to save $4,800 per year in electric costs. In its first month of operation, the building’s electric use by went down by 55% compared to the same month last year. Additional projects include the usage of solar water heating, natural day lighting and motion detection lighting reduce energy consumption. On the rooftop, there is an ENERGY STAR reflective roof reflects heat absorption and heat island effects.
Sarasota County UF/IFAS Extension and Sustainability considers the environment when ordering materials and resources. Employees are asked to look for responsible purchased via sustainably harvested, reused, recycled-content or environmentally friendly building products. In doing so, materials with recycled content are used in both interior and exterior of the office, when possible they were manufactured locally or regionally minimize cost and impacts of transportation, and all of the cabinetry and doors were certified by the Forest Stewardship Council.

Sarasota County Green Map
updated 09/2016 by Sarasota County Green Map