by Katharine Logan

CD-ROM Review: Green Developments by the Rocky Mountain Institute, 2002.

"Real estate development was once a revered profession. It can be so again." This claim begins a new CD-ROM-based guide on "green" building for developers from the Rocky Mountain Institute.

Green Developments argues that the time is ripe for a revival of the developer's role as respected creator of "something good and lasting." To help along the way, the CD-ROM provides volumes of stories and strategies, facts and figures, as well as some 200 green development case studies.

Created primarily for real estate developers, this digital publication also offers much to those who work with developers: architects, planners, financiers, and advocates for the public interest — anyone, in fact, who has heard that green is good, but wants to know what that means in terms of actual building, and the costs and profits of actual building.

Categories of Information

The information interface organizes a wealth of information into the chapters on introduction and process, financing and marketing, design, case studies, and resources. These sections deliver their information in clear, accessible, and fast-paced language that expresses respect for the user's time.The introductory chapter provides an overview of green development, defining the term and its key aspects, establishing its environmental, social, and financial benefits, and describing a method of thinking about how to bring about those benefits.   >>>

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Mont-Cenis Academy by Jourda & Perraudin, Hegger Hegger Scheiff is one of many case studies that reflect the international scope of the sustainability movement. Image: Rocky Mountain Institute Each case study project is described with images and text. Image: Rocky Mountain Institute   Click on thumbnail images to view full-size pictures.