Saving energy is a big motivator for saving water, because heating water requires approximately 10 percent of all building energy use in the U.S. Here are tips and techniques for saving water (and energy) in buildings.

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.

MENLO PARK, Calif. -- Energy management startup Hara Software Inc. has entered the market with a software-as-a-service corporate application that enables organizations to track their use of resources, energy efficiency and emissions systemwide -- and take steps to reduce them.

CH2M Hill, an engineering, design and construction firm based outside of Denver, is increasingly turning the world's environmental problems into business opportunities. Mega projects it's overseeing around the world include the 2012 London Olympics, the expansion of the Panama Canal and Masdar City, the zero-carbon, zero-waste new city being built in Abu Dhabi.

SAN FRANCISCO, Calif. -- Existing technologies and practices can help California businesses save up to 1.3 million acre-feet of water every year -- that’s enough to meet the needs of Los Angeles, San Diego and San Francisco, according to a new report from the Natural Resources Defense Council.

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.

CARDIFF, UNITED KINGDOM -- Strict thresholds for reduction of carbon emissions, energy efficiency, decreased water consumption and use of more sustainable materials in new buildings take effect September 1 in Wales, whose Assembly Government adopted the first national green building standard in the U.K.

London, UNITED KINGDOM -- A UK startup is seeking funds to roll out innovative plumbing technology that promises to slash the amount of water used by conventional toilets by 84 percent.