We liked a recent article posted by Forester Daily News, A Net Zero Energy Retail Store in Chicago: A Walgreens Project Profile, by Lori Lovely, July 25, 2017. "An older Walgreens store in Evanston, IL, had been selected for replacement in 2012 when executives suddenly recognized that it would be the ideal location for the net zero project they'd been contemplating. Located just 15 miles from corporate headquarters, the outdated store offered ease of access for engineers and a convenient location for tours. Not a mere showcase, it would become a lab of sorts for trying out all the latest energy-efficient technology. They hoped that it would become the nation's first net zero energy retail store, anticipated to produce energy equal to or greater than it consumes." According to the Editor's Note, The article first appeared in the May 2016 issue of Business Energy. Read more -here-.

A recent gb&d Brief includes a series of articles that are of interest, including one on a recent meeting in which the tourism industry looked to explore the means "to ensure the ecological, economic, and cultural sustainability of destinations," by Shana Rappaport. Read the brief here . This article is further proof, there are countless ways to support a sustainable lifestyle, besides the mundane recycling bin in your garage.

We enjoyed reading this article, which reflects a growing trend. Hope you like it too.

More citified 'Main Streets' coming to a suburb near you  - by Philly.com's Michaelle Bond.
Of all the words used to describe commercial activity in the regional nexus that is King of Prussia, Linda Iem and Gilda Suncar might have come up with a new one: adorable

The two women drove from their fashion-industry jobs near the King of Prussia Mall to what has become their regular lunch spot. They walked among shops, restaurants, and apartment complexes as smooth jazz drifted faintly from speakers on lampposts, wooden chairs on a lawn waited for takers, and water leaped in narrow streams from a line of fountains.

Iem, 35, a South Philadelphian, pointed at various businesses. “Imagine if that was your bank, that was your favorite restaurant, that was where you lived,” she said. “You’d never have to leave the community.”

The two were strolling Thursday through the King of Prussia Town Center in the Village at Valley Forge, a growing, created neighborhood as carefully manicured as the artificial green space at the corner of Town Square Place and Main Street. It’s one of several such complexes in the region — including ones in Exton, Chester County; Newtown Square, Delaware County; and Voorhees, Camden County — that developers are building or have built to resemble traditional town centers and to fill the growing demand over the last two decades for one-stop environments. Expect more where those came from. - more -

The Circular Economy Design Guide is a collaboration between the Ellen MacArthur Foundation and IDEO. The Guide provides innovative solutions and business model ideas that "allows you to explore new ways to create sustainable, resilient, long-lasting value in the circular economy - giving you the creative confidence to redesign the world around you." Find the Guide online at https://www.circulardesignguide.com/.