Cherapa Place office building is one of the greenest, most environmentally friendly building in all of South Dakota. On Earth Day, KSFY Action News got an inside look at all the features which set it apart.six story Cherapa Place office building stands on the former site of the legendary Zip Feed mill. But this building is now making some history of it's own.

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"We do save 25% more energy than a building without using those energy saving techniques," said Anne Haber, who helped design the building.

The building features tons of energy efficient windows, which help heat the place in winter and cool it in the summer, and roofs partially comprised of plants and dirt, which naturally absorb the heat of the day. The lower floors of the building were made from quartzite mined in neighboring Jasper, Minnesota.

"It's a great product because it's a local material," Haber said. "We got it 20 minutes away, that cuts down on transportation and supports the local economy."

The building promotes clean transportation in a couple ways: first, it offers preferred parking for drivers of hybrid vehicles: second...

"We have locker rooms in the lower level to promote alternative transportation as well as indoor bike storage," Haber said.

There is also a state-of-the-art heating and cooling system which allows offices to control air flow. even the bathroom is environmentally friendly, by allowing you to control it's water flow.

"It's up for liquid waste and down for solid waste," Haber said.

And speaking of water, even Cherapa's landscape features a choice of trees and plants which are environmentally friendly.

"We have wildflowers, native grasses, that's so we don't have to water the site," Haber said.