Should AMLI Evanston be red-faced about its green claims?

Three new apartment projects opened in Evanston last year, and all were designed to achieve some level of LEED certification. Being energy conscious and sensitive to the environment are de rigueur in Evanston, a North Shore community that boasts an Office of Sustainability.

1717 Evanston targeted LEED Silver certification and was awarded that designation last September.

LEED certification is in progress for Central Station. Based on its current score the project is likely to receive the lowest level of certification. The project’s online brochure (pdf) claims that Central Station is “LEED-certified.”

AMLI Evanston makes inconsistent claims about its LEED status. The project’s online brochure states both that AMLI Evanston is “designed to qualify for LEED Silver designation” and that “our community is LEED Certified.” According to an AMLI blog post dated January 15, 2014:

Just blocks from downtown Evanston, Ill., Lake Michigan, and Northwestern University, AMLI Evanston apartments are designed to reduce energy use by 14 percent and water consumption by 30 percent. With these features and many others such as the use of low emitting materials, AMLI Evanston is targeting LEED Silver certification.

The U.S. Green Building Council’s online projects directory has no record of AMLI Evanston’s having registered for or received LEED certification.

AMLI’s blog post doubles down on what, nearly a year ago, we found to be laughable claims: “Just blocks from … Northwestern University …” Really? According to Google Maps, AMLI Evanston is 1.4 miles from the nearest point on Northwestern’s campus, and 1.5 miles from Northwestern’s gateway arch.

Added: AMLI very promptly corrected its online brochure to remove the inconsistency, and it now states that the community is “targeting LEED certification.”

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