The Briar Patch is a co-op and natural food store in Grass Valley’s Litton Retail Center. The co-op is Nevada County’s first LEED Certified commercial building. Sustainable features of the building include easy access to public transportation, native plant landscaping and electronic sensor faucets to reduce water consumption, photovoltaic panels, solar energy for hot water distribution and the use of recycled content for building materials. The roof structure is a hybrid system made with both prefabricated wood trusses and steel “bar joists.” The structural walls are pre-cast concrete bearing/shear walls, and the floor and foundation system consists of concrete with high fly ash content that replaced 1,020 sacks, or 96 pounds, of cement. Using fly ash, a post-industrial recycled material, in place of cement, reduces pollution and energy and material consumption without compromising material strength or quality. Awards: 2008 LEED® Certified, Awarded by the U.S. Green Building Council Briar Patch Co-op Market