The Office of Creative Services is proud to report that the Von Lee Theatre building that houses our office has received the prestigious Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Certification from the US Green Building Council. The Von Lee is the first LEED certified building in the City of Bloomington and the first LEED building to be occupied by Indiana University.

The LEED Green Building Rating System provides standards for environmentally sustainable construction. Among the elements incorporated into the Von Lee that contributed to the LEED certification are these:

• Reused a previously developed site, minimizing the environmental impact
• Utilized proximity to bus routes
• Installed a green roof and reflective roof
• Maximized water efficiency/usage by 20%
• Optimized energy performance levels
• Enhanced refrigerant management by reducing ozone depletion
• Managed construction waste by recycling and/or salvaging 50% of non-hazardous debris
• Purchased building materials with recycled content
• Purchased building materials that have been extracted, harvested or recovered, as well as manufactured within 500 miles of the project site
• Implemented an indoor air quality management plan
• Installed low-emitting materials to reduce air contaminants that are odorous, irritating, and harmful to the comfort and well-being of installers and occupants
• Reduced indoor chemical pollutants by providing a permanent entryway system to capture dirt and particulates from entering the building and provided proper ventilation in areas where hazardous gases or chemicals may be used
• Provided thermal comfort that supports productivity and well-being of building occupants
• Purchased green power (renewable energy certificates - 100% biomass) which assists in “greening up” electricity and neutralizing carbon

In addition to receiving the LEED certification, the Von Lee redevelopment project has won a Revitalization Award for Historic Preservation from Downtown Bloomington Inc., an Outstanding Design award for renovation/modernization from American School & University, and a Certificate of Appropriateness from the Bloomington Historic Preservation Commission.

The project team included: Tartan Realty Group, Inc. (developer), Gilliatte General Contractors, Inc., OKW Architects (design architect), Tabor Bruce Architects (architect of record), Sieben Energy Associates (LEED consultant), Smith Neubecker, Inc. (structural engineer).

I got a video Flip Video for my birthday last year. You know, to catch those “special” moments with my two little girls, mainly for the grandparents and for posterity. (Who knew that a video of my husband swinging our two-year-old by her ankles would get 1,810 views?) This was big for me. I’ve never had a video camera. Never been videotaped. It’s just not me—at least that’s what I thought.

But ever since I created my own YouTube site, I’ve discovered something about myself: I like watching other people’s videos. I like to see the funny things people do, their little domestic habits, what they love and hate about the world.

So, naturally, when I was back at work and thinking of ways to get the word out to IU students about the Celebrate IU festivities, how to get 18-, 19-, and 20-year-olds engaged and excited about all of IU’s accomplishments, it occurred to me that a video contest might be the way to go. Let IU students from all eight campuses tell the world—with their own words, music, images (G-rated because this is a family site, you know)—what they love about IU. That is how the Celebrate IU Student Video Contest was born.

We here at IU Creative Services got the word out around IU, and 55 students posted their unique video response to that age-old question, “Why do you love IU?”

Here are the winners:

Third Place

Second Place

First Place