It’s not too often that tours of new buildings start with the toilets.  But they’re a big part of a different kind of building in Atlanta.

And so, Shan Arora, who oversees Georgia Tech’s Kendeda Building, troops visitors pretty quickly to a ground floor bathroom where the toilet begins to hum, and then foam.  There’s no conventional flushing, with the toilets consuming only a teaspoon of water per use.  And the waste is composted in digesters in the basement instead of being piped to a treatment plant.

“We say there’s a lot of potty talk in the Kendeda Building,” Arora said.

Georgia Tech is announcing on Thursday — Earth Day — that the building has won certification as the 28th “living building” worldwide.  That means the building has proved over a year of operation that it meets the standards of the International Living Future Institute that it does more good for the natural environment than harm.

Continue reading at:  AP News