Read the full story at Inside Climate News.
What once was an abandoned department store in downtown Racine, Wisconsin, is now a boutique hotel that is unusually good at conserving energy.
The most efficient elements of Hotel Verdant are not visible to the general public, things like a geothermal heating system underground and thick insulation beneath the roof.
But energy conservation is a crucial part of how this project came together with aid from a state-backed loan program that encourages developers to embrace energy efficiency.
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