For those of you who were with this blog since its inception in 2006, you know that our original blogger, Robbie Schaeffer, took it very seriously to build and run an environmentally friendly nail salon. We're happy to report that ROB|B Salon has lived up to its commitment. We recently visited the salon and got this update for our Blueprint readers. -- NAILS Eds.

ROB|B Salon has earned the distinction of being the first-ever nail salon to be certified as environmentally and energy-efficient by the U.S. Green Building Council. With the leadership of architect Richard Best, the salon earned a Silver certification by prestigious LEED standards.

The U.S. Green Building Council’s (USGBC)’s Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (more commonly known as LEED) green building certification system is the foremost program for the design, construction, and operation of green buildings. Developed by the Washington D.C.-based USGBC in 2000, LEED certification provides independent, third-party verification that a building meets strict green standards. LEED points are awarded on a 100-point scale, and credits
are weighted to reflect their potential environmental impacts. Additionally, 10 bonus credits are available, four of which address regionally specific environmental issues. A project must satisfy all prerequisites and earn a minimum number of points to be certified. (For commercial interiors, Certified is 40+ points, Silver is 50+ points, Gold is 60+ points, and Platinum is 80+ points.)

After applying for LEED certification, the management at ROB|B changed hands. NAILS spoke with the new management team who assured NAILS that they plan to keep many, if not all, of the green innovations in place, including keeping the bike parking and continuing to use green cleaning products (some of which were left by the original management). The changes, manager Debbie Wang told us, involve things like changing the salon’s hours (it’s now closed on Sundays and open Mondays), updating the service menu (including adding the organic product line Easteem), and bringing in nail techs from Korea, the new management’s home country. “All of our manicurists have at least eight years of experience
and are very professional,” Wang says, adding that silk wrapping (with silk imported from Korea) is now one of the salon’s specialties.

See a photo gallery of what what makes ROB|B "green" at our story "Features of an Environmentally Friendly Nail Salon."