The US Embassy In Clayton, Panama

The US Embassy in Panama has earned a LEED certification from the US Green Building Council. The embassy in Panama is just the second US embassy to receive the certification. This is a great example to set in Panama, since the country is a little behind on some environmental practices.

Anyone who has been to Panama has seen garbage piled up on the sides of the road, the lack of recycling programs throughout the country, and a disregard for energy conservation when nearly every building in Panama is chilled so cold a penguin could survive quite nicely.

The certification the embassy received is based on five key areas: sustainable site development, water savings, energy efficiency, material selection and indoor environment quality. The embassy in Panama includes a control plan for erosion and sedimentation, promotes the use of mass transit and cycling, and has cut down on the need for irrigation water by 50 percent. Transportation was used wisely in the building of the embassy since more than 32 percent of the building materials were made within five hundred miles of the site.

Hopefully the example set by the US embassy in Panama will have far reaching effects, showing the Panamanian government that it is possible to be more environmentally friendly. There may be more of an expense initially, but in the end the government of Panama could save money on cooling and water costs.

A great first step would be for municipalities to place garbage cans throughout the communities giving people less of an excuse to litter in this beautiful country. A national recycling program would be a great idea here. There are some expats that are currently trying to work on a recycling program, but a government program would do wonders to cut down on the waste in Panama’s dump sites.

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Filed under: Living & Retirement, News on August 7th, 2008