Biodiesel and ethanol blends will flow from the pumps at a gas station in Minden when Bently Biofuels opens a service station and convenience store this fall.
Five biofuels pumps will front a LEED-certified convenience store at 1350 Buckeye Road. The 3,627-square-foot building is sited on about two acres adjoining the Bently Biofuels property.
The project was designed by Bartlett Architecture in Reno to qualify for LEED Silver certification, says Larry Vincent, construction supervisor at Bentley Biofuels.
The contractor is Miles Construction, based at Mound House.
In the quest for LEED Silver certification, the project team must achieve between 33 and 38 points based on the review done by the
U.S. Green Building Council, says Vincent.
Strategies to achieve that include: landscaping designed with native and adaptive plants to reduce irrigation requirements. Outdoor site lighting shines downward, in keeping with the "dark sky" initiative. The aggregate base is recycled. The building uses 70 percent recycled steel. Lumber will come from sustainably-managed forests. Solar hot water provides heat and the air-conditioning system is one of the most efficient available. Recycled bricks from a previous Bently project side the building
exterior.
It can be a challenge, says Vincent, to find the needed materials in the near vicinity LEED gives a credit for using materials secured within a 500 mile radius.
