Reluctantly Accepting Deadhead Cabs

The spaces at 1501 M St. NW are part of an effort to get what's called Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design -- or LEED -- certification, said Dan Orcutt, director of asset services at CB Richard Ellis, the firm that manages the property.

What makes a LEED building? One way is to have 5 percent of the parking spaces reserved for fuel-efficient vehicles. Then there are things such as installing water-saving restroom features and more efficient HVAC systems and instituting building-wide recycling.

CBRE manages about 1,000 properties. In this region, 71 have registered with the U.S. Green Building Council -- bestowers of the LEED award -- to benchmark how they're performing. Those that pass will get a plaque to hang in the lobby and the satisfaction that comes from doing something good for the planet.

"We don't believe it can be considered a fad," Dan said. "I think it's a movement that's here to stay."

Children's Hospital

Yesterday's kickoff to our Children's National Medical Center fundraiser was missing just one thing: a photo of Greg Wagner, the marathoner whose life was saved by Children's after a brain aneurysm at age 3. Greg's a hot guy, so I figured I should rectify that error.

Our goal is to raise $500,000 by Jan. 9 to help pay the hospital bills of poor children. To donate, write a check or money order payable to Children's Hospital and mail it to Washington Post Campaign, P.O. Box 17390, Baltimore, Md. 21297-1390.

To donate online using a credit card, go to http://www.washingtonpost.com/childrenshospital.

To contribute by phone using Visa or MasterCard, call 202-334-5100 and follow the instructions on the recording.

Join the daily conversation in my blog, John Kelly's Commons: http://voices.washingtonpost.com/commons.