The Nature Conservancy’s historic Chinatown building goes green

The nonprofit Nature Conservancy’s Hawaii headquarters building, a 132-year-old Chinatown landmark, is going green, with an energy-efficient photovoltaic system makeover. The historic Wing Wo Tai building, originally built for a Chinese import business in 1877, now has photovoltaic panels on the roof and low-flow plumbing fixtures and energy-efficient lighting on the inside.

The object was to reduce carbon emissions in its consumption of energy. "As a conservation organization, we felt it was important to lead by example. We have to 'walk the talk.'" said Suzanne Case, the conservancy's Hawaii executive director.

In exchange for the conservancy agreeing to purchase power from it, a company provided the upfront cost for the photovoltaic system, according to conservancy spokesman Grady Timmons, who said the new systems have reduced water use by 30 percent and overall energy consumption by nearly half. The building uses Hawaiian Electric power partially during the day and completely at night.

The 13,000-square-foot building is now one of only 307 existing buildings worldwide, including the National Geographic headquarters in Washington, D.C. and the Starbucks Center in Seattle, that are certified by the U.S. Green Building Council's Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design Green Building Rating System.