No! Not “levity!” It is on days like this that I imagine a future in which ideas are conveyed by video and no one remembers what words mean, much less how to apply them.

Levity. n : lightness of mind, character, or behavior; lack of appropriate seriousness or earnestness.

This is exactly the opposite of what the author had hoped to convey.

That said, a headline doesn’t always have to be factual, but can simply be used to set a tone or foreshadow aspects of the article. After all a headline’s purpose is primarily not to report information but to grab attention. You should see some of the headlines I use on my blog – I use them to hint at the post’s themes, to attract readers, to set tone, to play devil’s advocate, to provoke thought, to be controversial, to raise awareness… the list goes on.

As for the building, the statistics are very impressive – as is the structure itself. However, I’d like to have seen some stats on how much this building actually cost, plus the expected savings from its green technology, compared to how much a comparably sized skyscraper would cost without all the green technology. Basically, is this one cheaper in the long run? If so, then where is the argument for all buildings not to be built like this? If it’s more expensive, then what government initiatives could be implemented to offset some of those costs for the sake of the environment?

Steve N. Lee
author of eco-blog http://www.lionsledbysheep.com
and suspense thriller ‘What if…?’

It feeds into a arms race of exaggerated PR claims, which just doesn’t help the factual basis of real sustainability. And it is unfair to projects (and publishers) who avoid such hyperbole. Finally, it devalues the certification process, and the authentic brand value of LEED certification, by taking it for granted and short-cutting the appropriate time for recognition.