City Profiles / Medium Cities / Grand Rapids, MI

Grand Rapids, Michigan

Green Building

The Cascade Engineering company's headquarters, known as the "Learning Community," was the first office building in Michigan to achieve LEED-platinum certification. It diverts 93 percent of waste, saves 48 percent of energy, 44.5 percent of water, and perhaps as a result the company has experienced a 59 percent decrease in employee absenteeism.