BOOTLE, UNITED KINGDOM -- A new Asda supermarket in a Liverpool suburb that diverts 95 percent of its operational waste and slashes greenhouse gas emissions by 50 percent has been awarded an "excellent" green rating from the British Research Establishment Environmental Assessment Methodology.

Bad engineering design is simply wasteful, but a Rocky Mountain Institute initiative aims to create a set of teaching tools to help engineers designs things like buildings or vehicles that use radically less energy and resources.

China is looking to build 10,000 green hotels in the next three-and-a-half years, starting with 1,000 before 2009 closes and upping the ante each year through 2012.

Now more than ever, building professionals from owners to engineers are looking for ways to stay competitive in today's challenging times. The GreenBuildingsNY 2009 conference next week in New York City features discussions with industry leaders and a showcase of green products and services to help professionals get ahead of the pack.

With the economic slowdown and the resulting need to be more efficient with both resources and costs, tenants are increasingly focused on the operating costs of buildings -- whether they are looking to relocate or remain in their current space. Going green provides a way for them to save money and the environment.

HUNTSVILLE, Ala. -- NASA's George C. Marshall Space Flight Center cuts the ribbon on a new state-of-the-art $30 million facility, the second of three designed according to green building standards for the center's engineering complex.

WASHINGTON, D.C. -- A new bottling plant for Nestle Waters North America in Pennsylvania, the interior of Seventh Generation’s new headquarters facility in Vermont and a historic Atlanta office building receive LEED Gold green building certification, while new corporate offices for the Tower Companies snag a LEED platinum rating.

NEW YORK CITY, N.Y. -- Managing water use is becoming increasingly important to commercial property owners, contractors, architects and engineers, and more than half say that water efficiency is an extremely important aspect of green building, according to a recent survey by McGraw-Hill Construction.

With the advent of the first green building lawsuit, Shaw Development v. Southern Builders, a case that began more than two years ago, attorneys specializing in green real estate issues began bracing themselves for an onslaught of litigation. But a flurry filings has yet to materialize.

As the housing market starts to show some signs of life, the media is turning its sights on commercial real estate. The economy clearly poses challenges to commercial property owners, and many are singing the blues. What they may not realize is that even in the current down cycle, there is plenty of green.

TORONTO, CANADA -- Amid reports that the green roof industry in the United States grew by 35 percent in 2008, the city of Toronto has adopted a mandatory green roof project, while an industry association ranks the cities with the most new green roofs.

JOHNSTON, R.I. -- Criteria for sustainable design and operation should consider any risk factors resulting from green building and heightened energy efficiency -- and incorporate risk management as an integral part of development, according a recently released report compiled for insurer FM Global.

SEOUL, -- Sixteen ambitious community development projects in 10 countries have been selected as models for the new Climate Positive Development Program for urban growth that was launched by the Clinton Climate Initiative and U.S. Green Building Council.