The State of Iowa is going green with the new buildings it erects in the Capitol Complex. The Environmental Protection Commission has approved a 70-thousand dollar contract with a consultant to help make new state construction projects environmentally friendly.Beth Hicks is a program planner for the Iowa Department of Natural Resources. Hicks says there are a variety of ways to make buildings “green.”Hicks says the state wants to be a model for using green building techniques.She says they won’t mandate use of green materials unless they fit into the project as in some cases the materials may not be available or cost effective.Hicks says the first new building to use the concept will be the proposed 60-million dollar State Public Safety building. She says the green concept was used earlier this year when the old Capitol Annex was demolished. She says much of the material from that building was sold or recycled.Hicks says the green concepts will be used in the state’s 20-year Captiol Complex master plan. That plan will be completed next month.
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