A/G is pleased to announce that one of its longtime clients and projects, Eataly and its Los Angeles store, was presented with the Honor Award in Water Efficiency at 8th Annual Sustainable Innovation Awards hosted by USGBC Los Angeles. Annie Argento, Duke Graham, and Bobby Almeida from A/G were there to accept the award along with key team members from Studios Architecture and Clune Construction.

The Los Angeles store, a LEED Gold certified retail project, is located at Westfield Century City, a LEED Gold certified shopping center. It is the 4th US location to earn LEED certification. Chicago, Boston and downtown New York previously earned LEED certification. It is tradition at Eataly to give each store a unique theme — Los Angeles' is water and special focus was given to conservation because of the extreme drought conditions Southern California has experienced in recent years.

The centerpiece to this theme, and what makes the project deserving of this honor, is a gray water treatment system, which collects and treats water generated onsite from HVAC condensate and lavatories and reuses it for sewage conveyance and onsite irrigation. The gray water system was designed to be put on display at the main entry or "front of the house" to not only showcase the innovative technology by Aqualoop, but so the system could be used as an educational tool for the community and other project teams looking to install gray water systems.

Additionally, in the back of the house kitchens that support the four onsite restaurants, nearly a dozen food counters and a caffé, hundreds of thousands of gallons of water are projected to be saved annually. This was achieved through careful specification of water-efficient kitchen equipment and appliances, particularly for the water guzzling equipment such as combination ovens, dishwashers and ice machines. According to the LEED process water savings calculator for LEED Retail, the combination ovens, commercial dishwashers, and self-contained ice machines save over 5 million gallons of water annually or 67% when compared to the projected consumption of the established baseline. High performance, low flow pre-rinse spray valves were also installed, aerators on kitchen hand sinks to reduce water use further, dual-flush toilets, pint-flush urinals, and low flow lavatories on meters.

The approach to water conservation on this project was comprehensive and an overall success. A/G is proud to have worked with such a capable and dedicated team. A big congratulations to everyone involved, especially Eataly, Studios and Clune!

Eric Garcetti Save the Drop California Drought Los Angeles Engage LA

On June 5, A/G attended Drought LA: What It Will Take to Save the Drop, an Engage LA series event hosted at the Mayor’s residence. The Getty House set the tone for the event with new drought-tolerant landscaping in the parkway and front yard and dry fountain out back. Though the house still features some stretches of turf grass, posters displayed around the yard indicated that they are soon to be torn out in favor of citrus tress, herb gardens, and native vegetation.

At the event, Mayor Garcetti unveiled a new bilingual Save the Drop video promotion to raise awareness for water conservation by comparing every drop of water that we use to a friend that travels hundreds of miles just to help us wash our dishes or water our lawn each day. “The Drop” has already appeared on bus stops and posters all over the city and, the mayor said, is recognized by many Angelinos, even schoolchildren, as a water conservation mascot.

Garcetti was joined by Moby, who spoke to the crowd about “drought-shaming” in lawn-heaving neighborhoods and lifestyle choices such as eating less meat that can help conserve water. The event concluded with a panel style discussion with Garcetti and his Chief Sustainability Officer Matt Peterson, Chair of the State Water Resources Control Board Felicia Marcus, and Executive Director of Urban Semillas Miguel Luna. The panel highlighted many of Los Angeles’s successes in the quest for water conservation, including the its steady progress towards meeting and exceeding incremental reduction goals, as well as upcoming challenges such as the rehabilitation of the San Fernando Valley aquifer. Marcus emphasized Los Angeles’s role as a leader in California that is paving the way for successful water conservation strategies, and Luna stressed the importance of involving Los Angeles’s diverse community groups and organizations, calling for “many messages from many messengers.”

The Save the Drop campaign is not just talk – the City is offering resources and incentives for all Angelinos to do their part. Programs include turf trade-in rebates, free low-flow showerheads and aerators, and incentives for smart irrigation controllers. To learn more about Save the Drop or find out ways you can get involved, visit http://www.lamayor.org/savethedropla.