By Melissa Reynolds

When the Chicago Green Exchange opens later this year, it will have taken the niche of eco-friendly shopping and services and made it mainstream.

The Green Exchange, one of the first green business communities of its kind that focuses exclusively on environmental sustainability both through its retailers and through the building itself, will consist of a completely green building and green businesses and services within.

The 95-year-old brick factory that is home to the Green Exchange, located at 2545 W. Diversey Ave. in Chicago's Logan Square neighbourhood, has been renovated to meet the needs of tenants and shoppers while providing them with a completely green shopping experience, blending green merchants, eco-seminars and speakers inside a completely green building. Looking for a way to green up your banking, or pack your items in a green-friendly way? The 272,000 square foot space can boast such tenants as Sustainability Consultants Inc., Pure Labels, Barefoot Concrete and GreenChoice Bank.

The building itself has a long history. It was first erected by the Vassar Swiss Underwear Company, with a three storey addition added in 1924. The building was then sold to Frederick Cooper Lamps before closing its doors in 2005. It was purchased by Baum Development, with the hope of revitalizing the area's economy, while the concept for the Green exchange was thought up by longtime environmentalist, Barry Bursak.

Having already garnered a lot of talk, the Green Exchange has an impressive list of attributes. The 272,000 square foot space is green inside and out, consisting of such features as:

• Solar thermal panels for hot water and air conditioning
• A green escalator that has occupancy sensors and varying speeds, using 30% less energy
• Energy-efficient windows to bathe the building in natural light
• A state-of-the-art green roof with an 8,000 square foot organic sky garden
• A high efficiency heating and cooling system that will reduce building energy use by 2%
• A rain cistern of just over 41,000 gallons, allowing storm water to be captured and used for irrigation
• Indoor air quality monitored and controlled on all five floors with high efficiency filters and air quality sensors
• A state-of-the-art recycling system with site sorting on all five floors

In addition, the centre also boasts expansive meeting/event space, on-site catering service, on-site parking, a car-sharing service and priority parking for low-emitting vehicles.

The Green Exchange holds other benefits for those coming over to greener pastures. Funding through the Green Exchange Community Workforce Initiative will provide more than 100 local people with jobs created by the tenants of the Green Exchange, while the building's status as a historical landmark and historic rehabilitation allows Baum Development to pursue the benefit of a Class L property tax incentive, resulting in a 58% savings in real estate property taxes, therefore lowering tenants' occupancy costs. Tenants will also benefit from lower utility costs as a result of the highly insulated walls and roof, not to mention the 600 high-performance windows.

Once construction has been completed, the building will become the sixth in Chicago to achieve Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Platinum Status. The building has retained 95% of its original structure, cutting down on waste and materials needed for a new building.

Green with envy yet? The Green Exchange can be a lesson learned that green shopping and services don't need to hide in their own niche, but have a strong and vital place in the community.