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Thursday, November 08, 2007
Monday, November 05, 2007
Starbucks Center Earns National Green Certification
P-I STAFF
Seattle's Starbucks Center is the largest and oldest building in the country to earn a national green certification for existing buildings, its owner announced Thursday.
The U.S. Green Building Council certified the building through its Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design program, giving it a gold rating -- the step below the top rating of platinum, Seattle developer Nitze-Stagen & Co. announced.
The Union Pacific Railroad built the original center in 1912 to lure Sears, Roebuck & Co. to Seattle. Owners added to the structure in subsequent decades, and it now totals 1.5 million square feet.
Green measures in the center include installation of energy-efficient lighting and waterless urinals; use of recycled office materials and green cleaning products; purchases of renewable energy for nearly 31 percent of the center's electricity; encouragement of alternative transportation with steps like providing storage and changing rooms for bicyclists, Flexcars for employee use and preferred parking for alternative-energy vehicles; and diversion of 48 percent of the center's waste from landfills.
Jim Hanna, environmental affairs manager for Starbucks, said the company worked with the U.S. Green Building Council since 2001 on a LEED standard that could certify a series of prototype Starbucks stores.
Seattle's Starbucks Center is the largest and oldest building in the country to earn a national green certification for existing buildings, its owner announced Thursday.
The U.S. Green Building Council certified the building through its Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design program, giving it a gold rating -- the step below the top rating of platinum, Seattle developer Nitze-Stagen & Co. announced.
The Union Pacific Railroad built the original center in 1912 to lure Sears, Roebuck & Co. to Seattle. Owners added to the structure in subsequent decades, and it now totals 1.5 million square feet.
Green measures in the center include installation of energy-efficient lighting and waterless urinals; use of recycled office materials and green cleaning products; purchases of renewable energy for nearly 31 percent of the center's electricity; encouragement of alternative transportation with steps like providing storage and changing rooms for bicyclists, Flexcars for employee use and preferred parking for alternative-energy vehicles; and diversion of 48 percent of the center's waste from landfills.
Jim Hanna, environmental affairs manager for Starbucks, said the company worked with the U.S. Green Building Council since 2001 on a LEED standard that could certify a series of prototype Starbucks stores.
Thursday, November 01, 2007
US Mayors Meet in Seattle
U.S. mayors meet in Seattle to push for a green revolution
City has met a big goal, but more action is needed
Fluorescent bulbs were climate change activism on training wheels. For the next generation, it's time for a green revolution, for overthrowing the old order and ushering in the new, environmental and local elected leaders say.
They talk about a campaign as passionate as the civil rights movement, as nationally unifying as World War II patriotism. They're talking put-a-man-on-the-moon-sized investments in the development of clean energy. They want strict standards for vehicle greenhouse-gas emissions. They're begging the public to pressure national politicians to champion ambitious efforts to curb global warming.
Click here to read the article in the PI
Wednesday, October 31, 2007
Monroe Prison Gets Green Certification
Expansion for 200 men cost $39.5 million
By CLAUDIA ROWEP-I REPORTER
MONROE -- The state's largest prison, which houses 2,500 men, is about to expand still further, adding hundreds of beds for its worst-behaved inmates. Yet as they lie in their 12-by-8-foot cells, gazing up through narrow windows at a tiny slice of sky, the criminals in solitary confinement at Monroe Correctional Complex will be using low-energy lights to read by and collected rainwater to flush their toilets.
Theirs is the first prison unit in the state to be certified as "green" by the U.S. Green Building Council, and officials at the Department of Corrections believe it may be the first such cellblock in the nation. It cost $39.5 million to build and will hold 200 men.
The new, energy-efficient cellblock for the worst-behaved inmates at Monroe Correctional Complex will open in January.
The effort to build more environmentally friendly prisons dovetails with an ambitious, $500 million campaign to expand inmate space around the state.
New units are in the works at Coyote Ridge Corrections Center in Franklin County; the state penitentiary in Walla Walla; Larch Corrections Center in Clark County; Cedar Creek Corrections Center in Thurston County; Airway Heights Corrections Center near Spokane; and Mission Creek, the women's prison near Belfair.
By 2009, when the construction is scheduled for completion, Washington will be able to house 3,500 more offenders. Even so, Corrections officials predict a 4,000-bed shortfall within 10 years.
"We don't think you can outbuild the inmate population," said Mike Kenney, assistant deputy of prison departments. "It's kind of a 'Field of Dreams' syndrome."
The real solution, he said, is a comparatively inexpensive $25 million re-entry program, aimed at curtailing recidivism so released inmates do not return.
"The whole purpose of re-entry is to turn back the tide so we don't keep building new prisons," Kenney said. "We don't believe that building is a long-term solution."
To advocates of reform, however, the skewed numbers -- $25 million for re-entry programs, versus $500 million for new bed space -- make plain the official priorities at Corrections.
"They do these little piecemeal things," said Ari Kohn, who speaks frequently with legislators about the need for improved education and transitional housing programs. "It's ridiculous, and it comes out of cowardice. All of these legislators are just scared to death at being labeled soft on crime."
Ken Quinn, superintendent at Monroe and a longtime associate of Corrections Secretary Harold Clarke, acknowledged that violent crime rates have been leveling off. But when offenders arrive at prison, they come with ever-longer sentences.
"They're younger, more violent and doing more time," Quinn said. "So we've had this need for more space."
Relatives of inmates at Monroe insist that overcrowding at the complex 45 minutes from Seattle has led to fights and several inmate deaths.
A new cellblock at Monroe Correctional Complex may be the first to be certified "green" by the U.S. Green Building Council.
But energy-efficient prisons, mandated by the Legislature, are more costly to build. The overhaul at Coyote Ridge, in which every component has been designed for a "green" rating, will add 2,048 beds and carries a $254 million price tag.
"It costs a little bit more to build," said David Jansen, who oversees capital programs at Corrections. "But over the life of the building it ends up costing less" to heat and maintain.
Paddy Hescock, facilities manager at Monroe, is a believer.
"There's a payback," he said. "It might be 50 or 60 years down the road, but with non-sustainable buildings, you have no payback at all."
Hescock gets his guidelines from the Green Building Council.
But inmates at Monroe have not been shy about offering their own ideas for saving water and electricity, some of them quite ingenious, he said.
Energy efficiency is particularly urgent at Corrections, which must keep lights on 24 hours a day in many prisons. To keep costs down, the department has taken an unusually proactive approach.
"The Department of Corrections," spokesman Chad Lewis said, "is now probably one of the greenest agencies in the state."
P-I reporter Claudia Rowe can be reached at 206-448-8320 or claudiarowe@seattlepi.com.
Soundoff (1 comment)What do you think?
By CLAUDIA ROWEP-I REPORTER
MONROE -- The state's largest prison, which houses 2,500 men, is about to expand still further, adding hundreds of beds for its worst-behaved inmates. Yet as they lie in their 12-by-8-foot cells, gazing up through narrow windows at a tiny slice of sky, the criminals in solitary confinement at Monroe Correctional Complex will be using low-energy lights to read by and collected rainwater to flush their toilets.
Theirs is the first prison unit in the state to be certified as "green" by the U.S. Green Building Council, and officials at the Department of Corrections believe it may be the first such cellblock in the nation. It cost $39.5 million to build and will hold 200 men.
The new, energy-efficient cellblock for the worst-behaved inmates at Monroe Correctional Complex will open in January.
The effort to build more environmentally friendly prisons dovetails with an ambitious, $500 million campaign to expand inmate space around the state.
New units are in the works at Coyote Ridge Corrections Center in Franklin County; the state penitentiary in Walla Walla; Larch Corrections Center in Clark County; Cedar Creek Corrections Center in Thurston County; Airway Heights Corrections Center near Spokane; and Mission Creek, the women's prison near Belfair.
By 2009, when the construction is scheduled for completion, Washington will be able to house 3,500 more offenders. Even so, Corrections officials predict a 4,000-bed shortfall within 10 years.
"We don't think you can outbuild the inmate population," said Mike Kenney, assistant deputy of prison departments. "It's kind of a 'Field of Dreams' syndrome."
The real solution, he said, is a comparatively inexpensive $25 million re-entry program, aimed at curtailing recidivism so released inmates do not return.
"The whole purpose of re-entry is to turn back the tide so we don't keep building new prisons," Kenney said. "We don't believe that building is a long-term solution."
To advocates of reform, however, the skewed numbers -- $25 million for re-entry programs, versus $500 million for new bed space -- make plain the official priorities at Corrections.
"They do these little piecemeal things," said Ari Kohn, who speaks frequently with legislators about the need for improved education and transitional housing programs. "It's ridiculous, and it comes out of cowardice. All of these legislators are just scared to death at being labeled soft on crime."
Ken Quinn, superintendent at Monroe and a longtime associate of Corrections Secretary Harold Clarke, acknowledged that violent crime rates have been leveling off. But when offenders arrive at prison, they come with ever-longer sentences.
"They're younger, more violent and doing more time," Quinn said. "So we've had this need for more space."
Relatives of inmates at Monroe insist that overcrowding at the complex 45 minutes from Seattle has led to fights and several inmate deaths.
A new cellblock at Monroe Correctional Complex may be the first to be certified "green" by the U.S. Green Building Council.
But energy-efficient prisons, mandated by the Legislature, are more costly to build. The overhaul at Coyote Ridge, in which every component has been designed for a "green" rating, will add 2,048 beds and carries a $254 million price tag.
"It costs a little bit more to build," said David Jansen, who oversees capital programs at Corrections. "But over the life of the building it ends up costing less" to heat and maintain.
Paddy Hescock, facilities manager at Monroe, is a believer.
"There's a payback," he said. "It might be 50 or 60 years down the road, but with non-sustainable buildings, you have no payback at all."
Hescock gets his guidelines from the Green Building Council.
But inmates at Monroe have not been shy about offering their own ideas for saving water and electricity, some of them quite ingenious, he said.
Energy efficiency is particularly urgent at Corrections, which must keep lights on 24 hours a day in many prisons. To keep costs down, the department has taken an unusually proactive approach.
"The Department of Corrections," spokesman Chad Lewis said, "is now probably one of the greenest agencies in the state."
P-I reporter Claudia Rowe can be reached at 206-448-8320 or claudiarowe@seattlepi.com.
Soundoff (1 comment)What do you think?
Tuesday, October 30, 2007
New Web Tool Makes Carbon Neutral Building Easier
News
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GreenerBuildings.com
SANTA ROSA, Calif., Oct. 12, 2007 -- Green Building Studio Inc. recently launched a beta program to help architects virtually assess a building's carbon neutrality.
Green Building Studio V3.0 is an updated web service that is geared toward the designers of carbon neutral buildings. Its carbon neutral building check can predict the feasibility of a building reaching carbon neutral status using local grid emission data.
The service can compute a building's U.S. Environmental Protection Agency ENERGY STAR score or Architecture 2030 targets. The potential for use of a photovoltaic and wind energy generation at a given building can be analyzed, as well as PV potential for every building surface.
Architects, building owners and designers can perform a water use analysis to estimate water needs, efficiency savings, potential for rain capture and LEED credits.
The service also can peg the LEED Glaze factor for any room with lighting control energy savings. It's also possible to gauge whether a building is a good candidate for a natural ventilation strategy.
The web service was developed to create a whole building energy analysis linked to the design team’s CAD systems, cutting out the cost and time needed to perform energy modeling.
Share this: Digg Newsvine Hugg
GreenerBuildings.com
SANTA ROSA, Calif., Oct. 12, 2007 -- Green Building Studio Inc. recently launched a beta program to help architects virtually assess a building's carbon neutrality.
Green Building Studio V3.0 is an updated web service that is geared toward the designers of carbon neutral buildings. Its carbon neutral building check can predict the feasibility of a building reaching carbon neutral status using local grid emission data.
The service can compute a building's U.S. Environmental Protection Agency ENERGY STAR score or Architecture 2030 targets. The potential for use of a photovoltaic and wind energy generation at a given building can be analyzed, as well as PV potential for every building surface.
Architects, building owners and designers can perform a water use analysis to estimate water needs, efficiency savings, potential for rain capture and LEED credits.
The service also can peg the LEED Glaze factor for any room with lighting control energy savings. It's also possible to gauge whether a building is a good candidate for a natural ventilation strategy.
The web service was developed to create a whole building energy analysis linked to the design team’s CAD systems, cutting out the cost and time needed to perform energy modeling.
5th Snohomish County Conservation Awards Breakfast
5th Snohomish County Conservation Awards Breakfast
You are invited to attend the 5th Snohomish County Conservation Awards Breakfast November 15, 2007, 7:30-9:00 am at the Everett Events Center.
This year we are excited to honor Cliff Bailey and Duane Weston with the Phil and Laura Zalesky Lifetime Achievement Award and Rep. Rick Larsen with the Cascade Agenda Leadership Award. We are also honored to have Deborah Knutson, President and CEO of Snohomish County Economic Development Council as our Keynote speaker.
Special thanks to our PRINCIPAL SPONSOR
Davis, Wright, Tremaine
5th Snohomish County Conservation Awards Breakfast
Thursday, November 15th, 2007
Check in begins at 7:00 am
Everett Events Center
click here to register
You are invited to attend the 5th Snohomish County Conservation Awards Breakfast November 15, 2007, 7:30-9:00 am at the Everett Events Center.
This year we are excited to honor Cliff Bailey and Duane Weston with the Phil and Laura Zalesky Lifetime Achievement Award and Rep. Rick Larsen with the Cascade Agenda Leadership Award. We are also honored to have Deborah Knutson, President and CEO of Snohomish County Economic Development Council as our Keynote speaker.
Special thanks to our PRINCIPAL SPONSOR
Davis, Wright, Tremaine
5th Snohomish County Conservation Awards Breakfast
Thursday, November 15th, 2007
Check in begins at 7:00 am
Everett Events Center
click here to register
Solar Decathlon
About Solar Decathlon
The Solar Decathlon is a competition in which 20 teams of college and university students compete to design, build, and operate the most attractive, effective, and energy-efficient solar-powered house. The Solar Decathlon is also an event to which the public is invited to observe the powerful combination of solar energy, energy efficiency, and the best in home design.
The event takes place on the National Mall in Washington, D.C., October 12 - 20. The team houses are open for touring everyday, except Wednesday, October 17, when they will close for competition purposes. An overall winner is announced on Friday, October 19 at 2 p.m. See the schedule for more information.
Teams of college students design a solar house, knowing from the outset that it must be powered entirely by the sun. In a quest to stretch every last watt of electricity that's generated by the solar panels on their roofs, the students absorb the lesson that energy is a precious commodity. They strive to innovate, using high-tech materials and design elements in ingenious ways. Along the way, the students learn how to raise funds and communicate about team activities. They collect supplies and talk to contractors. They build their solar houses, learning as they go.
Read more abou this go to http://www.solardecathlon.org/about.html
The Solar Decathlon is a competition in which 20 teams of college and university students compete to design, build, and operate the most attractive, effective, and energy-efficient solar-powered house. The Solar Decathlon is also an event to which the public is invited to observe the powerful combination of solar energy, energy efficiency, and the best in home design.
The event takes place on the National Mall in Washington, D.C., October 12 - 20. The team houses are open for touring everyday, except Wednesday, October 17, when they will close for competition purposes. An overall winner is announced on Friday, October 19 at 2 p.m. See the schedule for more information.
Teams of college students design a solar house, knowing from the outset that it must be powered entirely by the sun. In a quest to stretch every last watt of electricity that's generated by the solar panels on their roofs, the students absorb the lesson that energy is a precious commodity. They strive to innovate, using high-tech materials and design elements in ingenious ways. Along the way, the students learn how to raise funds and communicate about team activities. They collect supplies and talk to contractors. They build their solar houses, learning as they go.
Read more abou this go to http://www.solardecathlon.org/about.html
Carbon Tax Goes After Mortgage Deduction
By Kenneth R. Harney
Syndicated Columnist
WASHINGTON — Though the housing and real-estate industries oppose the plan, a key House committee leader's proposed "carbon tax" cutbacks on mortgage-interest deductions are attracting strong support from environmental and scientific groups.
Rep. John Dingell, D-Mich., chairman of the powerful House Energy and Commerce Committee, wants to phase out mortgage interest write-offs for houses larger than 3,000 square feet, using a graduated scale that ends at zero deductions for properties with 4,200 square feet or more.
Though Dingell says he recognizes newly constructed houses may be "more energy efficient" than older ones, their "sheer size, sprawl and commutes lead to dramatically more energy use — or to put it more simply, a larger carbon footprint."
In his latest draft, Dingell provides more detail about the housing-related tax elements than he did in earlier versions.
The new draft also offers some limited exemptions from the phaseout, including for "historical homes" built before 1900, farmhouses, certified energy-efficient homes and houses whose owners "purchase carbon offsets to make the [property] carbon-neutral."
Under the plan, owners of homes containing 3,000 to 3,199 square feet would be eligible for only 85 percent of the mortgage-interest deductions they currently receive.
Homes of 3,600 to 3,799 square feet would lose 60 percent, those of 4,000 to 4,199 square feet would lose 90 percent and ones over 4,200 square feet would get none.
Mortgage-interest write-offs are among the largest benefits in the federal tax code. The congressional Joint Committee on Taxation estimates homeowners will take $402.7 billion in deductions between fiscal 2006 and 2010.
Some environmental advocates initially questioned Dingell's purposes in advancing an ambitious program to limit greenhouse-gas emissions because the Michigan lawmaker has been a staunch defender of the auto industry.
But Dingell's plan would impose stiff new taxes on gasoline (50 cents per gallon to start); a $50-per-ton tax on coal, petroleum and natural gas; plus the mortgage-interest deduction clampdown.
Now a number of scientific and environmental organizations think Dingell's proposals represent a gutsy first step not only to cut consumption of carbon-based energy products, but to focus on energy use and efficiency in the residential arena.
Lexi Shultz, of the Union of Concerned Scientists, says, "The residential part of the [climate change] problem is very significant," ranging from excessive carbon-based energy consumption in homes to exurban sprawl requiring long commutes and more highways.
Shultz's group favors taxes on energy consumption as a way to change behavior but also supports a companion "cap and trade" plan that sets specific carbon-reduction goals and auctions of "offsets" for industries and other high consumers of energy.
Revenues from the auctions could be used to assist low-income and other consumers who would be hurt by higher prices associated with carbon taxes.
Dingell's stated goal is to reduce carbon emissions in the United States by 60 percent by the year 2050.
Erich Pica, director of economic policy for Friends of the Earth, says Dingell's plan "overall is good," and applauds its focus on residential real estate.
"The mortgage-interest deduction was meant to be an incentive for people to buy and afford a home, but now we see it has significant energy impacts" — subsidizing development of ever-larger first and second homes in subdivisions far from the urban core, Pica says.
Though he says the choice of 3,000 square feet as a cutoff point "may be a little arbitrary, the intent is right."
Dingell has not yet introduced his legislation.
The National Association of Home Builders and the National Association of Realtors have criticized it as impractical and mistargeted at the square footage of homes rather than their measurable energy efficiency.
Environmental advocates say Dingell's plans will be highly controversial with some of the biggest, best-funded lobbies on Capitol Hill.
But they believe even if some portions fail in this Congress, growing public awareness of global warming — and the key role played by housing and real estate — will eventually help produce needed reforms.
Rory Cameron
Project Engineer
Perteet Inc.
206.436.0515 | 800.615.9900
fax: 206.436.0516 | www.perteet.com
505 5th Ave S, Suite 210 | Seattle, Washington 98104
Syndicated Columnist
WASHINGTON — Though the housing and real-estate industries oppose the plan, a key House committee leader's proposed "carbon tax" cutbacks on mortgage-interest deductions are attracting strong support from environmental and scientific groups.
Rep. John Dingell, D-Mich., chairman of the powerful House Energy and Commerce Committee, wants to phase out mortgage interest write-offs for houses larger than 3,000 square feet, using a graduated scale that ends at zero deductions for properties with 4,200 square feet or more.
Though Dingell says he recognizes newly constructed houses may be "more energy efficient" than older ones, their "sheer size, sprawl and commutes lead to dramatically more energy use — or to put it more simply, a larger carbon footprint."
In his latest draft, Dingell provides more detail about the housing-related tax elements than he did in earlier versions.
The new draft also offers some limited exemptions from the phaseout, including for "historical homes" built before 1900, farmhouses, certified energy-efficient homes and houses whose owners "purchase carbon offsets to make the [property] carbon-neutral."
Under the plan, owners of homes containing 3,000 to 3,199 square feet would be eligible for only 85 percent of the mortgage-interest deductions they currently receive.
Homes of 3,600 to 3,799 square feet would lose 60 percent, those of 4,000 to 4,199 square feet would lose 90 percent and ones over 4,200 square feet would get none.
Mortgage-interest write-offs are among the largest benefits in the federal tax code. The congressional Joint Committee on Taxation estimates homeowners will take $402.7 billion in deductions between fiscal 2006 and 2010.
Some environmental advocates initially questioned Dingell's purposes in advancing an ambitious program to limit greenhouse-gas emissions because the Michigan lawmaker has been a staunch defender of the auto industry.
But Dingell's plan would impose stiff new taxes on gasoline (50 cents per gallon to start); a $50-per-ton tax on coal, petroleum and natural gas; plus the mortgage-interest deduction clampdown.
Now a number of scientific and environmental organizations think Dingell's proposals represent a gutsy first step not only to cut consumption of carbon-based energy products, but to focus on energy use and efficiency in the residential arena.
Lexi Shultz, of the Union of Concerned Scientists, says, "The residential part of the [climate change] problem is very significant," ranging from excessive carbon-based energy consumption in homes to exurban sprawl requiring long commutes and more highways.
Shultz's group favors taxes on energy consumption as a way to change behavior but also supports a companion "cap and trade" plan that sets specific carbon-reduction goals and auctions of "offsets" for industries and other high consumers of energy.
Revenues from the auctions could be used to assist low-income and other consumers who would be hurt by higher prices associated with carbon taxes.
Dingell's stated goal is to reduce carbon emissions in the United States by 60 percent by the year 2050.
Erich Pica, director of economic policy for Friends of the Earth, says Dingell's plan "overall is good," and applauds its focus on residential real estate.
"The mortgage-interest deduction was meant to be an incentive for people to buy and afford a home, but now we see it has significant energy impacts" — subsidizing development of ever-larger first and second homes in subdivisions far from the urban core, Pica says.
Though he says the choice of 3,000 square feet as a cutoff point "may be a little arbitrary, the intent is right."
Dingell has not yet introduced his legislation.
The National Association of Home Builders and the National Association of Realtors have criticized it as impractical and mistargeted at the square footage of homes rather than their measurable energy efficiency.
Environmental advocates say Dingell's plans will be highly controversial with some of the biggest, best-funded lobbies on Capitol Hill.
But they believe even if some portions fail in this Congress, growing public awareness of global warming — and the key role played by housing and real estate — will eventually help produce needed reforms.
Rory Cameron
Project Engineer
Perteet Inc.
206.436.0515 | 800.615.9900
fax: 206.436.0516 | www.perteet.com
505 5th Ave S, Suite 210 | Seattle, Washington 98104
Wednesday, October 24, 2007
Kirkland Want to be Guinea Pig for Green
October 24, 2007
Kirkland wants to be 'guinea pig' for green
By SHAWNA GAMACHEJournal Staff Reporter
Several local government officials told members of the design and building community Tuesday that their current regulations should not be a barrier to green building innovation.
Officials from King and Snohomish counties and the city of Kirkland said they realize local codes don't always keep pace and can even conflict with green design, but they are willing to be flexible in order to encourage sustainable building.
“Don't let a code be a barrier to what you want to design that's going to encourage sustainable building practices,” said Patricia Southard, manager of the GreenTools building program for King County. “Call early and call often. We're ready to make variances for all of you.”
Southard was one of four sustainability experts in a panel discussion Tuesday on “mainstreaming the green” at the Washington Athletic Club. The event was sponsored by the Seattle chapter of the Society for Marketing Professional Services. The Daily Journal of Commerce was one of many co-sponsors of the event.
Southard said her office already makes green projects a higher priority, moving them in front of others in the permitting process. She said King County completed permits in 30 days for a home that is targeting a five-star Built Green rating.
Ellen Miller-Wolfe, economic development manager for the city of Kirkland, said local governments should be spending less time on regulation and more on supporting projects that are pioneering sustainability.
Miller-Wolfe said she hopes Kirkland can become a place where designers and builders can “beta-test” innovative green buildings.
“Please come to us if there are things you want to try out,” Miller-Wolfe said. “Use us as your guinea pig.”
Miller-Wolfe encouraged all Kirkland companies and organizations to participate in the city's Green Business Program, which provides certified area businesses with window decals to demonstrate their green commitments.
Craig Young, watershed steward and a surface water manager with Snohomish County, said many government officials recognize new regulations are needed to encourage green building.
He asked builders to seek out economic justifications for building green and said it is an urban myth that green building always costs more up front. He emphasized the desire of local governments to help builders with sustainability and encouraged them to seek government help if it seems like green building won't be possible on a certain site.
“There are solutions we can use,” Young said. “Site wise and permit wise, we can overcome the barriers.”
Stuart Simpson, green building advisor with Washington's Department of General Administration, said builders can help the process along by staying current with modeling tools and developing specifications for green projects.
Shawna Gamache can be reached by email or by phone at (206) 622-8272.
Kirkland wants to be 'guinea pig' for green
By SHAWNA GAMACHEJournal Staff Reporter
Several local government officials told members of the design and building community Tuesday that their current regulations should not be a barrier to green building innovation.
Officials from King and Snohomish counties and the city of Kirkland said they realize local codes don't always keep pace and can even conflict with green design, but they are willing to be flexible in order to encourage sustainable building.
“Don't let a code be a barrier to what you want to design that's going to encourage sustainable building practices,” said Patricia Southard, manager of the GreenTools building program for King County. “Call early and call often. We're ready to make variances for all of you.”
Southard was one of four sustainability experts in a panel discussion Tuesday on “mainstreaming the green” at the Washington Athletic Club. The event was sponsored by the Seattle chapter of the Society for Marketing Professional Services. The Daily Journal of Commerce was one of many co-sponsors of the event.
Southard said her office already makes green projects a higher priority, moving them in front of others in the permitting process. She said King County completed permits in 30 days for a home that is targeting a five-star Built Green rating.
Ellen Miller-Wolfe, economic development manager for the city of Kirkland, said local governments should be spending less time on regulation and more on supporting projects that are pioneering sustainability.
Miller-Wolfe said she hopes Kirkland can become a place where designers and builders can “beta-test” innovative green buildings.
“Please come to us if there are things you want to try out,” Miller-Wolfe said. “Use us as your guinea pig.”
Miller-Wolfe encouraged all Kirkland companies and organizations to participate in the city's Green Business Program, which provides certified area businesses with window decals to demonstrate their green commitments.
Craig Young, watershed steward and a surface water manager with Snohomish County, said many government officials recognize new regulations are needed to encourage green building.
He asked builders to seek out economic justifications for building green and said it is an urban myth that green building always costs more up front. He emphasized the desire of local governments to help builders with sustainability and encouraged them to seek government help if it seems like green building won't be possible on a certain site.
“There are solutions we can use,” Young said. “Site wise and permit wise, we can overcome the barriers.”
Stuart Simpson, green building advisor with Washington's Department of General Administration, said builders can help the process along by staying current with modeling tools and developing specifications for green projects.
Shawna Gamache can be reached by email or by phone at (206) 622-8272.
Thursday, August 30, 2007
Shohomis Conservation District
528 91st Ave NE, Ste A,
Lake Stevens, WA 98258-2538
Phone 425-335-5634, ext 4 FAX 425-335-5024
Website: www.snohomishcd.org
July 31, 2007
Submitted by
Lois Ruskell, Information & Education Coordinator
425-335-5634. Ext. 108, lois@snohomishcd.org
For Immediate Release
Of Special Interest to Cities of Brier, Lynnwood, Snohomish
Grant to Fund Healthy Backyard Streams
Snohomish Conservation District was recently awarded a grant by the Washington State Department of Ecology to work on water quality in urban streams. The grant is tied to two areas of Snohomish County, the City of Snohomish and the Swamp/Scriber Creek watershed in Lynnwood and Brier. The grant is for four years and is geared to reach out to urban landowners with property near or on streams.
The grant’s focus will be to increase public awareness on what is a healthy stream and what citizens can do to keep their streams healthy. District staff will work with residents on issues involving eroded stream banks, sustainable yard and garden practices, pet waste, naturescaping, and septic system awareness.
In addition, the District will be publishing a streamside landowner’s booklet next year that covers many sustainable living and water quality issues. Innovative ideas like rain gardens, compost fences, naturescaping and more will be covered. The District is also updating their website so that residents have access to up-to-date information and resources.
Conservation District staff will be available for presentations to groups on many of these issues, and will have a restoration technician available for free, on-site recommendations. Any citizen or group wishing more information can contact Lois Ruskell at 425-335-5634, extension 108 or Victor Insera at extension 106
528 91st Ave NE, Ste A,
Lake Stevens, WA 98258-2538
Phone 425-335-5634, ext 4 FAX 425-335-5024
Website: www.snohomishcd.org
July 31, 2007
Submitted by
Lois Ruskell, Information & Education Coordinator
425-335-5634. Ext. 108, lois@snohomishcd.org
For Immediate Release
Of Special Interest to Cities of Brier, Lynnwood, Snohomish
Grant to Fund Healthy Backyard Streams
Snohomish Conservation District was recently awarded a grant by the Washington State Department of Ecology to work on water quality in urban streams. The grant is tied to two areas of Snohomish County, the City of Snohomish and the Swamp/Scriber Creek watershed in Lynnwood and Brier. The grant is for four years and is geared to reach out to urban landowners with property near or on streams.
The grant’s focus will be to increase public awareness on what is a healthy stream and what citizens can do to keep their streams healthy. District staff will work with residents on issues involving eroded stream banks, sustainable yard and garden practices, pet waste, naturescaping, and septic system awareness.
In addition, the District will be publishing a streamside landowner’s booklet next year that covers many sustainable living and water quality issues. Innovative ideas like rain gardens, compost fences, naturescaping and more will be covered. The District is also updating their website so that residents have access to up-to-date information and resources.
Conservation District staff will be available for presentations to groups on many of these issues, and will have a restoration technician available for free, on-site recommendations. Any citizen or group wishing more information can contact Lois Ruskell at 425-335-5634, extension 108 or Victor Insera at extension 106
Sunday, August 26, 2007
House of Tomorrow Still Ahead of Its Time
Built in 1996, the house of tomorrow is still ahead of its time
By GORDY HOLT
P-I REPORTER
A major Midwest newspaper recently offered its readers "Home Sweet Home 2037," an illustrated story about a house of the future, as imagined by the paper's staff and a panel of experts
Faced with the threat of global warming, the home would reduce its draw on city water by collecting rainwater in a cistern to use for flushing, bathing and irrigation, and then reclaim that water by treating its own sewage and recycling it for flushing, bathing and irrigation.
Canada Mortgage and Housing Corp.
An architect's sketch of the pair of environmental-minded houses built side by side in a Toronto in 1996.
Other systems would infuse interior spaces with fresh air filtered from outside, use the power of wind and sun to generate electricity and keep the family in healthy touch with itself, its home and its neighbors through the magic of computer electronics.
But a funny thing happened on the way to that future.
It began happening in Toronto -- 10 years ago.
Challenging Canada's building community to design a "healthy house," a government panel picked two designs, one from Vancouver, the other from Toronto. But only the Toronto design, by architect Martin Liefhebber, eventually found traction -- thanks mostly to builder Rolf Paloheimo.
The way the deal was structured originally, Paloheimo said in a recent telephone interview, "no builder in his right mind wanted to get involved, and they were about ready to cancel, when I suggested that if they'd do some things slightly differently, that I'd do it.
"So we changed the concept from a one-bedroom into a three-bedroom, went up a story, and acquired a piece of land where we could build two houses at the same time, and that's what we wound up doing."
The project took shape as a pair of houses built side by side in a choice Toronto neighborhood. The site, he said, was perfect -- a back-alley lot without the possibility of any utility service.
The two houses were completed in November 1996, amid great media attention, and 12 days later -- to more public scrutiny and coverage -- Paloheimo moved into one of the houses with his wife and their year-old daughter.
In the series of open houses to follow, 17,000 people showed enough interest to walk through the project.
It was a hit, Paloheimo said.
Paloheimo's second house initially was rented to the government, but in 2001 it was sold by Paloheimo to a family that still lives there.
The Paloheimos, too, have stayed put, a typical Canadian family grown from three to four with a second daughter.
Unlike that Midwest home of the future, Paloheimo's do not use city water but rely wholly on rainwater from cisterns under the house.
That filtered water appears first at kitchen and bathroom taps for drinking, then is reclaimed in a wastewater-treatment system. What has been flushed, bathed in or used for laundry, is then recycled for future flushing, bathing and laundry, and for use in the garden.
The solids are composted by the same system, also for use in the garden.
And they still use the sun for heat and electric power, Paloheimo said.
There has been some tinkering.
For example, he said, the ultraviolet light originally used to sanitize water was chucked in favor of an ozone-based system.
"We found that the UV system would slime up," Paloheimo said. "But the ozone breaks down all those (slime) molecules in addition to the lignins and tannins that gave it a brownish color, so now what we have is water that is clear and sparkling."
The financial bottom line?
In mid-1990 Canadian dollars, the two projects, including land acquisition costs, totaled about $500,000, an amount he figures was about $60,000 to $70,000 less than what the homes would have fetched on the market had they been sold at the time.
That slim profit margin may not encourage the average developer, Paloheimo said, "but what we were doing was groundbreaking, so I wasn't unhappy with that."
Home Sweet Home 2037 -- goto.seattlepi.com/r798
Toronto's Healthy House:
Heat -- goto.seattlepi.com/r799
Water -- goto.seattlepi.com/r800
P-I reporter Gordy Holt can be reached at 206-448-8356 or gordyholt@seattlepi.com.
Monday, August 20, 2007
Wetlands and the Mayor of Seattle
Wetlands work widens rift between mayor, environmentalists
Nickels' decision to move forward at odds with their vision
By ROBERT McCLURE
P-I REPORTER
Environmentalists and a city councilman's aide are expressing outrage that Mayor Greg Nickels went ahead this week with a controversial eco-repair project at a construction site where the city was caught illegally paving wetlands.
Residents first noticed an earthmover and other signs of imminent work at the site near White Center on Tuesday -- as City Councilman Richard Conlin, who had interceded on behalf of environmentalists, was jetting to Peru on vacation.
map
Environmentalists and Conlin's aide said the mayor had promised not to move forward until their differences were resolved. The aide questioned whether Nickels' actions were "honorable."
"This is really stinky, man," said James Rasmussen, a member of the Duwamish tribal council and president of the Green-Duwamish Watershed Alliance. "I don't even know if the mayor's listening or not."
Nickels' spokeswoman, Marianne Bichsel, said he did not feel compelled to notify Conlin or environmentalists because he declared in a July 13 letter that construction would proceed.
"It's not that all of a sudden, work started happening," Bichsel said. "The mayor has been very clear about this. We are moving forward."
The disagreement -- centering on whether to route spring water or parking lot runoff into Hamm Creek -- has opened an increasingly bitter rift between Nickels and environmentalists, despite Seattle's green image and plaudits for the mayor's work to slow global warming.
In the crossfire is the Seattle Fire Department. The paving was done for a new firefighter training facility. But because the wetlands were illegally destroyed, the city got in trouble with federal regulators. Until the damage is repaired or made up for, the city isn't allowed to let firefighters spray water during training exercises.
Conlin was unavailable for comment Friday in earthquake-wracked Peru. But Conlin aide Sara Nelson said: "Our office believes that at the minimum, the Mayor's Office owed us the courtesy of a response to our latest letter. And the honorable thing would have been to inform us that construction was beginning."
Conlin followed up on Nickels' July 13 letter by meeting with the mayor. Eleven days later, the councilman sent the mayor a letter, anticipating additional talks.
By then, the Duwamish River Cleanup Coalition -- the environmental group spearheading the fight, with Conlin's aid -- had dropped three of the most complicated and expensive parts of its five-part proposal for a fix.
The wetlands in question, at an old gravel-mining site, formed a big section of the headwaters of Hamm Creek, which was lovingly restored by Vietnam veteran John Beal and scores of volunteers.
After construction started on the training facility in 2004 and Beal spotted the illegal wetlands paving, it took him months to get the attention of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.
The Corps and the city worked out a plan to restore some wetlands on the site, high on the east bank of West Seattle, as well as wetlands far below on the Duwamish River. That was approved unanimously by the City Council and then the Corps.
But there was a problem. No one asked Beal and his allies what they thought -- even though Conlin thought he had secured such a promise from Brenda Bauer, a Nickels appointee in charge of the Fleets and Facilities Department.
Beal died last year.
At this point, the environmentalists are asking for:
# Enhancement of a wetland just outside the training facility.
# Redesigning of a drainage feature so that water seeping out of a nearby hillside is routed to feed a fork of Hamm Creek instead of being fed into a pipe.
"What we came up with is really creative, really easy, really cheap," said BJ Cummings, coordinator of the cleanup coalition.
The city already has budgeted $4 million to repair or make up for the wetlands damage. The whole project cost is $33.6 million, according to a city Web site. Bauer pointed to estimates by city consultants pegging costs for the items the environmentalists want at $600,000 to $1.1 million.
Environmentalists hotly dispute those estimates, citing national wetlands-restoration costs and experts' opinions. They were researching costs further when they found out that the work was under way. . They portray Bauer as unyielding. Bauer said she is merely using common sense.
"This is a settlement agreement with the federal government, and it's fairly onerous to amend it," Bauer said. "Why would we revisit this when we've gone through extensive negotiations, and we're putting several million dollars on the table to do environmental enhancements?"
The city wants to stick with its design, which uses water collected from the pavement at the training center to feed the creek. It is a waterway that passes through Marra Farm, a site where a taxpayer-funded agency called the King Conservation District brought Hamm Creek to the surface to improve its ecological value.
The district has tried to help persuade the Nickels administration to listen to the environmentalists.
"We're not an advocate for either side," said Pete Landry, an engineer and geologist on the conservation district staff.
"We're just trying to look at what makes sense, and what's not extraordinarily expensive."
His assessment of the work requested by environmentalists: "It's not that difficult."
Under the current plan, conservation district officials fear that a steady, cool, clean source of water flowing off the nearby hill will be wasted when it could feed Hamm Creek
"There's a lot of water that is not flowing to the lynchpin of the watershed," Landry said. "Rather than routing water away from it, we should be routing water to it."
The city plans to use water collected from the training facility's parking lots to feed the creek, after cleansing it.
But the conservation district fears that that water would run short, particularly in the late summer.
"I'm worried that ... they're going to dry up that creek," said Geoff Reed, district director.
Technically, though, the city is under no legal obligation to do anything more than what was required by the Corps.
Going ahead with the environmentalists' plan would mean another year's delay in getting water to the firefighting facility, Bauer said, in part because of the need to obtain new state and local permits that would expire in the meantime.
Work likely would begin next summer at the earliest, she said.
P-I Researcher Marsha Milroy contributed to this report. P-I reporter Robert McClure can be reached at 206-448-8092 or robertmcclure@seattlepi.com. Read his blog on the environment at www.datelineearth.com.
Nickels' decision to move forward at odds with their vision
By ROBERT McCLURE
P-I REPORTER
Environmentalists and a city councilman's aide are expressing outrage that Mayor Greg Nickels went ahead this week with a controversial eco-repair project at a construction site where the city was caught illegally paving wetlands.
Residents first noticed an earthmover and other signs of imminent work at the site near White Center on Tuesday -- as City Councilman Richard Conlin, who had interceded on behalf of environmentalists, was jetting to Peru on vacation.
map
Environmentalists and Conlin's aide said the mayor had promised not to move forward until their differences were resolved. The aide questioned whether Nickels' actions were "honorable."
"This is really stinky, man," said James Rasmussen, a member of the Duwamish tribal council and president of the Green-Duwamish Watershed Alliance. "I don't even know if the mayor's listening or not."
Nickels' spokeswoman, Marianne Bichsel, said he did not feel compelled to notify Conlin or environmentalists because he declared in a July 13 letter that construction would proceed.
"It's not that all of a sudden, work started happening," Bichsel said. "The mayor has been very clear about this. We are moving forward."
The disagreement -- centering on whether to route spring water or parking lot runoff into Hamm Creek -- has opened an increasingly bitter rift between Nickels and environmentalists, despite Seattle's green image and plaudits for the mayor's work to slow global warming.
In the crossfire is the Seattle Fire Department. The paving was done for a new firefighter training facility. But because the wetlands were illegally destroyed, the city got in trouble with federal regulators. Until the damage is repaired or made up for, the city isn't allowed to let firefighters spray water during training exercises.
Conlin was unavailable for comment Friday in earthquake-wracked Peru. But Conlin aide Sara Nelson said: "Our office believes that at the minimum, the Mayor's Office owed us the courtesy of a response to our latest letter. And the honorable thing would have been to inform us that construction was beginning."
Conlin followed up on Nickels' July 13 letter by meeting with the mayor. Eleven days later, the councilman sent the mayor a letter, anticipating additional talks.
By then, the Duwamish River Cleanup Coalition -- the environmental group spearheading the fight, with Conlin's aid -- had dropped three of the most complicated and expensive parts of its five-part proposal for a fix.
The wetlands in question, at an old gravel-mining site, formed a big section of the headwaters of Hamm Creek, which was lovingly restored by Vietnam veteran John Beal and scores of volunteers.
After construction started on the training facility in 2004 and Beal spotted the illegal wetlands paving, it took him months to get the attention of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.
The Corps and the city worked out a plan to restore some wetlands on the site, high on the east bank of West Seattle, as well as wetlands far below on the Duwamish River. That was approved unanimously by the City Council and then the Corps.
But there was a problem. No one asked Beal and his allies what they thought -- even though Conlin thought he had secured such a promise from Brenda Bauer, a Nickels appointee in charge of the Fleets and Facilities Department.
Beal died last year.
At this point, the environmentalists are asking for:
# Enhancement of a wetland just outside the training facility.
# Redesigning of a drainage feature so that water seeping out of a nearby hillside is routed to feed a fork of Hamm Creek instead of being fed into a pipe.
"What we came up with is really creative, really easy, really cheap," said BJ Cummings, coordinator of the cleanup coalition.
The city already has budgeted $4 million to repair or make up for the wetlands damage. The whole project cost is $33.6 million, according to a city Web site. Bauer pointed to estimates by city consultants pegging costs for the items the environmentalists want at $600,000 to $1.1 million.
Environmentalists hotly dispute those estimates, citing national wetlands-restoration costs and experts' opinions. They were researching costs further when they found out that the work was under way. . They portray Bauer as unyielding. Bauer said she is merely using common sense.
"This is a settlement agreement with the federal government, and it's fairly onerous to amend it," Bauer said. "Why would we revisit this when we've gone through extensive negotiations, and we're putting several million dollars on the table to do environmental enhancements?"
The city wants to stick with its design, which uses water collected from the pavement at the training center to feed the creek. It is a waterway that passes through Marra Farm, a site where a taxpayer-funded agency called the King Conservation District brought Hamm Creek to the surface to improve its ecological value.
The district has tried to help persuade the Nickels administration to listen to the environmentalists.
"We're not an advocate for either side," said Pete Landry, an engineer and geologist on the conservation district staff.
"We're just trying to look at what makes sense, and what's not extraordinarily expensive."
His assessment of the work requested by environmentalists: "It's not that difficult."
Under the current plan, conservation district officials fear that a steady, cool, clean source of water flowing off the nearby hill will be wasted when it could feed Hamm Creek
"There's a lot of water that is not flowing to the lynchpin of the watershed," Landry said. "Rather than routing water away from it, we should be routing water to it."
The city plans to use water collected from the training facility's parking lots to feed the creek, after cleansing it.
But the conservation district fears that that water would run short, particularly in the late summer.
"I'm worried that ... they're going to dry up that creek," said Geoff Reed, district director.
Technically, though, the city is under no legal obligation to do anything more than what was required by the Corps.
Going ahead with the environmentalists' plan would mean another year's delay in getting water to the firefighting facility, Bauer said, in part because of the need to obtain new state and local permits that would expire in the meantime.
Work likely would begin next summer at the earliest, she said.
P-I Researcher Marsha Milroy contributed to this report. P-I reporter Robert McClure can be reached at 206-448-8092 or robertmcclure@seattlepi.com. Read his blog on the environment at www.datelineearth.com.
Environmentally Friendly Homes
Getting 'green' getting easier
New local firms help consumers find environmentally friendly homes
By Debra Smith
Herald Writer
EVERETT Kathryn Crawford's concern for the environment influenced where she decided to work and what she does for a living.
It's not surprising, then, that when Crawford decided to buy a home in Everett, she wanted a real estate agent who understood a "green" home means more than energy-efficient appliances and solar panels.
"I didn't think a traditional agent would understand what I was looking for," said Crawford, a community planner with a strong environmental ethos.
She became one of the first clients of a new Everett-based real estate brokerage focused on helping clients buy and sell properties built with green practices and products.
The business, Greening Properties, is the first of its kind in Everett. A handful of area agents at traditional brokerages specialize in green properties, and a company with similar aims, GreenWorks Realty, operates in Seattle.
Green agents aren't the only sign the Northwest real estate industry is getting greener. The Northwest Multiple Listing Service recently added environmental check boxes to its listing forms, so homebuyers and agents can identify homes with certain features or third-party certifications. A homeowner can now tell, for instance, if a home offers Energy Star appliances, renewable bamboo floors or a drought-tolerant landscape.
Greening Properties operates like a regular brokerage, representing both buyers and sellers and providing standard services such as market analysis for sellers and presenting offers and negotiating on behalf of buyers.
What differs is knowledge of green practices and products, say owners Valerie Steel and Mary Ehrlich. Both have a history of community involvement, particularly on local environmental issues. Both were founding members of the Everett Shorelines Coalition, formed to protect shorelines, and Historic Everett, focused on preserving buildings with historic significance.
The term "green building" covers a lot of ground, including design, materials and building practices. One client may be interested in energy efficiency while another may be concerned about building materials that could exacerbate a child's asthma.
Green encompasses a home that's smaller and more energy-efficient, and it also can apply to older homes, since buying one doesn't require the use of new resources. Sustainable homes also include touches a homeowner may never see, such as recycled materials, and paints and finishes that emit fewer toxic fumes. It may also mean the land was developed in a way that minimizes erosion, or workers recycled materials at the job site.
The specialty knowledge includes the ability to cut through what's green and what's marketing, Ehrlich said. The pair saw a recent listing where an agent misrepresented the greenness of a property, describing a home as green because it had a brick facade.
The company also differs from a traditional brokerage by providing clients with a livability checklist based on criteria by various green certification agencies such as Built Green and the American Green Building Council. For buyers, that checklist compares the features of properties they might wish to buy.
For sellers, the company rates sustainability of property and recommends how to make it more sustainable before it's listed. For instance, if a client planned to spruce up his home with new paint and carpet before listing it, the agent might recommend using low-fume paint and a renewable flooring such as bamboo instead of carpet, Ehrlich said.
Demand for homes with green features is growing, and it can be difficult to find homes with certain green features, Steel said. Finding a home with Energy Star appliances is easier, while finding a home on land that hasn't been "slashed and scraped" by developers is more difficult, she said.
Crawford, one of the company's first clients, didn't expect to find a green home ready for her to move in. Instead, she asked Steel to find an older home with "good bones" that she could remodel. She settled on a solid 2,220-square-foot home in the Port Gardner neighborhood, and she is already making plans to add solar roof tiles, replace windows and add bamboo floors.
Reporter Debra Smith: 425-339-3197 or dsmith@heraldnet.com.
New local firms help consumers find environmentally friendly homes
By Debra Smith
Herald Writer
EVERETT Kathryn Crawford's concern for the environment influenced where she decided to work and what she does for a living.
It's not surprising, then, that when Crawford decided to buy a home in Everett, she wanted a real estate agent who understood a "green" home means more than energy-efficient appliances and solar panels.
"I didn't think a traditional agent would understand what I was looking for," said Crawford, a community planner with a strong environmental ethos.
She became one of the first clients of a new Everett-based real estate brokerage focused on helping clients buy and sell properties built with green practices and products.
The business, Greening Properties, is the first of its kind in Everett. A handful of area agents at traditional brokerages specialize in green properties, and a company with similar aims, GreenWorks Realty, operates in Seattle.
Green agents aren't the only sign the Northwest real estate industry is getting greener. The Northwest Multiple Listing Service recently added environmental check boxes to its listing forms, so homebuyers and agents can identify homes with certain features or third-party certifications. A homeowner can now tell, for instance, if a home offers Energy Star appliances, renewable bamboo floors or a drought-tolerant landscape.
Greening Properties operates like a regular brokerage, representing both buyers and sellers and providing standard services such as market analysis for sellers and presenting offers and negotiating on behalf of buyers.
What differs is knowledge of green practices and products, say owners Valerie Steel and Mary Ehrlich. Both have a history of community involvement, particularly on local environmental issues. Both were founding members of the Everett Shorelines Coalition, formed to protect shorelines, and Historic Everett, focused on preserving buildings with historic significance.
The term "green building" covers a lot of ground, including design, materials and building practices. One client may be interested in energy efficiency while another may be concerned about building materials that could exacerbate a child's asthma.
Green encompasses a home that's smaller and more energy-efficient, and it also can apply to older homes, since buying one doesn't require the use of new resources. Sustainable homes also include touches a homeowner may never see, such as recycled materials, and paints and finishes that emit fewer toxic fumes. It may also mean the land was developed in a way that minimizes erosion, or workers recycled materials at the job site.
The specialty knowledge includes the ability to cut through what's green and what's marketing, Ehrlich said. The pair saw a recent listing where an agent misrepresented the greenness of a property, describing a home as green because it had a brick facade.
The company also differs from a traditional brokerage by providing clients with a livability checklist based on criteria by various green certification agencies such as Built Green and the American Green Building Council. For buyers, that checklist compares the features of properties they might wish to buy.
For sellers, the company rates sustainability of property and recommends how to make it more sustainable before it's listed. For instance, if a client planned to spruce up his home with new paint and carpet before listing it, the agent might recommend using low-fume paint and a renewable flooring such as bamboo instead of carpet, Ehrlich said.
Demand for homes with green features is growing, and it can be difficult to find homes with certain green features, Steel said. Finding a home with Energy Star appliances is easier, while finding a home on land that hasn't been "slashed and scraped" by developers is more difficult, she said.
Crawford, one of the company's first clients, didn't expect to find a green home ready for her to move in. Instead, she asked Steel to find an older home with "good bones" that she could remodel. She settled on a solid 2,220-square-foot home in the Port Gardner neighborhood, and she is already making plans to add solar roof tiles, replace windows and add bamboo floors.
Reporter Debra Smith: 425-339-3197 or dsmith@heraldnet.com.
Wednesday, August 15, 2007
Wanted More Gree Power
In the name of fighting climate change, solar, geothermal, wave and tidal energy are getting a new look
By LISA STIFFLER
P-I REPORTER
The Northwest is spoiled.
Since the first hydroelectric dam was completed on the Spokane River in 1885, a steady flow of water has provided cheap, clean power to the state. This resource doesn't produce planet-warming pollution and renews itself each winter with snow and rain.
Related content
· Renewable energy faces a big obstacle: the power grid
· Green power options
But the region can't rest on its hydroelectric laurels alone. There are too many people, too many businesses, too much demand for new juice.
Over the next two decades, energy demand could surge by 13 percent.
Where will the supply come from?
The best stretches of the region's rivers have been dammed. Turning to fossil fuels such as coal and natural gas is increasingly unpopular. Leaders and residents are calling for reductions -- not increases -- in greenhouse gas emissions in an effort to avert a climate crisis.
Initiative 937, narrowly passed by voters last fall, is the road map for Washington's energy future.
It provides the destination -- the state's 17 largest utilities must set aggressive goals for conserving power, and must, in phases, generate 15 percent of their electricity from renewable sources by 2020. The initiative hints at how to get there, by specifically naming the types of renewable energy that are acceptable, and those that don't count.
"This is the fork in the road on climate," said K.C. Golden, policy director for the non-profit Climate Solutions. "Public awareness is there, business and utilities awareness is there that we need to turn from the high emissions path to the low emissions path."
How do we do that?
The specific course to clean energy remains unclear, despite I-937's guidelines. Wind has taken off as the front-runner in our state's renewable resources, but solar, geothermal, wave and tidal, and even poop power from manure -- all of which were championed mostly by hobbyists and inventors up to now -- are getting a serious new look. They all have tremendous potential, but there are drawbacks to each.
In fact, I-937 itself has problems.
Critics worry about the cost of implementing the initiative while others complain that its goals are too timid, weaker than measures adopted in other states.
The new national eco-energy mantra is "25 by 25," meaning 25 percent of power from renewable sources by 2025. Oregon recently adopted those goals. In fact, more than half of the 23 states with renewable requirements reach higher than Washington's 15 percent.
Overarching goals -- such as Gov. Chris Gregoire's aim of reducing carbon dioxide releases statewide by 50 percent below 1990 levels by 2050, or Al Gore's even bolder national target of 90 percent reductions -- trump the cuts required in the initiative.
Weaning consumers off fossil fuels is going to be tough. A recent study by the Electric Power Research Institute said reducing the power industry's greenhouse gas production to 1990 levels will take until at least 2025 -- even if nuclear power production were increased fivefold and wind and solar power were doubled.
The research group, funded in part by electric utilities, warned in a recent presentation: "The challenges to actually achieving these reductions are daunting in their scope and complexity."
Washington faces unique challenges. The state gets more than two-thirds of its power from hydroelectric dams -- a source that's not included in the acceptable renewables list in I-937. Initiative supporters said that's because they're targeting new energy development and the best dam sites are gone. The measure also excludes nuclear power as well as coal plants that promise to one day catch and dispose of carbon dioxide pollution.
Environmentalists are undeterred by the difficulties.
"We have to severely slash our emissions," said Marc Krasnowsky, spokesman for the Seattle-based Northwest Energy Coalition. "That means we're really going to have to switch to efficiency and clean renewables, far beyond what 937 requires, or the 25 by 25.
"Are we doing enough? We've only begun."
Difficult to add up the costs
Embracing green power will either break the bank or save money and the environment. It depends on who you ask.
I-937 supporters see an Earth-friendly future free of oil and coal pollution.
I-937 detractors see an energy debt that could dull the state's economic competitive edge.
In truth, the exact costs of the measure are far from known -- its first goal for renewables is more than four years away.
Some folks already are anxious.
"We are convinced that we're going to see higher power bills," said Chris McCabe, a governmental affairs director for the Association of Washington Business, a non-profit group that lobbies for business interests.
Renewables "are going to cost more and they're going to raise rates," McCabe said.
It's true that renewable energy costs can be many times higher than power from traditional sources. For solar, utilities might have to shell out 10 to 20 times more money per kilowatt-hour compared with the cost of power from existing dams. The price of building wind turbines and coal plants is roughly comparable, though some estimates put wind higher.
But if you wait five minutes those costs could change.
Supporters of green energy expect prices to improve with the adoption of state and national renewable energy requirements, creating a more predictable marketplace for investors and new companies -- though they admit the increased demand also could bump prices up, at least initially.
Federal tax credits defray the costs of wind and solar power, keeping those resources ahead of the pack. Rep. Jay Inslee, a Washington Democrat and a prime backer of I-937, is pushing for improved tax breaks on other technologies, such as wave, tidal and geothermal power.
Eleven years ago, lawmakers here approved sales tax exemptions for the purchase and installation of equipment that makes power from the wind and sun. There are additional programs to support investment in renewable energy at the local level.
The greatest windfall for renewable power could be the creation of a fee that penalizes the production of greenhouse gases. Congress is considering a carbon tax, which would put a premium on the generation of polluting power from fossil fuels.
And if all else fails, I-937 has an escape clause. A utility is in compliance with the initiative once it spends 4 percent of its annual revenue on renewables -- even if it doesn't reach the percentage goals. There are financial penalties for utilities that miss the mark.
Green-energy innovators
The quest for new power sources inspires grand comparisons with some of the nation's most historic technological achievements -- the Wright brothers' first flight, putting a man on the moon, the Internet.
"Within the lifetime of this initiative, things are going to become possible that we don't foresee right now," said Golden, from Climate Solutions. "When you put in place a very strong policy commitment ... you unleash a lot of investment and innovation."
Inslee envisions the Northwest leading the green energy innovations. At a recent news conference, he predicted the region will become the Boeing of wave and tidal power, and said that 20 percent of total U.S. energy needs could be satisfied from this approach.
Puget Sound area utilities already are exploring a range of options. Snohomish County Public Utility District is studying the potential for tidal energy. Seattle City Light has geothermal energy and power from the gas released by decaying landfills at the top of its to-do list. Puget Sound Energy is looking to increase its already sizeable number of wind turbines and is considering biomass projects that turn waste into watts.
It appears that micro ventures will have a role to play, too, including wind and solar installations at homes and businesses that feed energy back into the grid. Dairies and regional sewage treatment plants are getting into the game with small-scale operations that trap methane for electricity production.
Important changes are afoot. It will require experimentation and risk-taking to fuel the revolution demanded by I-937. But in a Northwest outgrowing its supply of electrical juice, on a planet where fossil fuels are wreaking environmental havoc, clean and green is no longer an impossible dream.
"We need to get beyond our comfort zones," Inslee said.
GREEN POWER: THE NEW GENERATION
THURSDAY
Wind is the region's preferred renewable power source.
Solar power may soar like mercury in an August thermometer -- eventually.
There's been a sea change of interest in getting energy from waves or tides.
The Northwest is an obvious spot to pursue geothermal power -- so why haven't we?
Biodiesel, hailed as a green savior for transportation, is just a drop in the electricity bucket.
Biomass projects, such as turning cow manure into kilowatts, are firing up.
FRIDAY
Energy-smart upgrades by businesses and residents are key to saving power.
P-I reporters Tom Paulson and Robert McClure contributed to this report. P-I reporter Lisa Stiffler can be reached at 206-448-8042 or lisastiffler@seattlepi.com. Read her blog on the environment at datelineearth.com.
Soundoff (39 comments)
What do you think?
By LISA STIFFLER
P-I REPORTER
The Northwest is spoiled.
Since the first hydroelectric dam was completed on the Spokane River in 1885, a steady flow of water has provided cheap, clean power to the state. This resource doesn't produce planet-warming pollution and renews itself each winter with snow and rain.
Related content
· Renewable energy faces a big obstacle: the power grid
· Green power options
But the region can't rest on its hydroelectric laurels alone. There are too many people, too many businesses, too much demand for new juice.
Over the next two decades, energy demand could surge by 13 percent.
Where will the supply come from?
The best stretches of the region's rivers have been dammed. Turning to fossil fuels such as coal and natural gas is increasingly unpopular. Leaders and residents are calling for reductions -- not increases -- in greenhouse gas emissions in an effort to avert a climate crisis.
Initiative 937, narrowly passed by voters last fall, is the road map for Washington's energy future.
It provides the destination -- the state's 17 largest utilities must set aggressive goals for conserving power, and must, in phases, generate 15 percent of their electricity from renewable sources by 2020. The initiative hints at how to get there, by specifically naming the types of renewable energy that are acceptable, and those that don't count.
"This is the fork in the road on climate," said K.C. Golden, policy director for the non-profit Climate Solutions. "Public awareness is there, business and utilities awareness is there that we need to turn from the high emissions path to the low emissions path."
How do we do that?
The specific course to clean energy remains unclear, despite I-937's guidelines. Wind has taken off as the front-runner in our state's renewable resources, but solar, geothermal, wave and tidal, and even poop power from manure -- all of which were championed mostly by hobbyists and inventors up to now -- are getting a serious new look. They all have tremendous potential, but there are drawbacks to each.
In fact, I-937 itself has problems.
Critics worry about the cost of implementing the initiative while others complain that its goals are too timid, weaker than measures adopted in other states.
The new national eco-energy mantra is "25 by 25," meaning 25 percent of power from renewable sources by 2025. Oregon recently adopted those goals. In fact, more than half of the 23 states with renewable requirements reach higher than Washington's 15 percent.
Overarching goals -- such as Gov. Chris Gregoire's aim of reducing carbon dioxide releases statewide by 50 percent below 1990 levels by 2050, or Al Gore's even bolder national target of 90 percent reductions -- trump the cuts required in the initiative.
Weaning consumers off fossil fuels is going to be tough. A recent study by the Electric Power Research Institute said reducing the power industry's greenhouse gas production to 1990 levels will take until at least 2025 -- even if nuclear power production were increased fivefold and wind and solar power were doubled.
The research group, funded in part by electric utilities, warned in a recent presentation: "The challenges to actually achieving these reductions are daunting in their scope and complexity."
Washington faces unique challenges. The state gets more than two-thirds of its power from hydroelectric dams -- a source that's not included in the acceptable renewables list in I-937. Initiative supporters said that's because they're targeting new energy development and the best dam sites are gone. The measure also excludes nuclear power as well as coal plants that promise to one day catch and dispose of carbon dioxide pollution.
Environmentalists are undeterred by the difficulties.
"We have to severely slash our emissions," said Marc Krasnowsky, spokesman for the Seattle-based Northwest Energy Coalition. "That means we're really going to have to switch to efficiency and clean renewables, far beyond what 937 requires, or the 25 by 25.
"Are we doing enough? We've only begun."
Difficult to add up the costs
Embracing green power will either break the bank or save money and the environment. It depends on who you ask.
I-937 supporters see an Earth-friendly future free of oil and coal pollution.
I-937 detractors see an energy debt that could dull the state's economic competitive edge.
In truth, the exact costs of the measure are far from known -- its first goal for renewables is more than four years away.
Some folks already are anxious.
"We are convinced that we're going to see higher power bills," said Chris McCabe, a governmental affairs director for the Association of Washington Business, a non-profit group that lobbies for business interests.
Renewables "are going to cost more and they're going to raise rates," McCabe said.
It's true that renewable energy costs can be many times higher than power from traditional sources. For solar, utilities might have to shell out 10 to 20 times more money per kilowatt-hour compared with the cost of power from existing dams. The price of building wind turbines and coal plants is roughly comparable, though some estimates put wind higher.
But if you wait five minutes those costs could change.
Supporters of green energy expect prices to improve with the adoption of state and national renewable energy requirements, creating a more predictable marketplace for investors and new companies -- though they admit the increased demand also could bump prices up, at least initially.
Federal tax credits defray the costs of wind and solar power, keeping those resources ahead of the pack. Rep. Jay Inslee, a Washington Democrat and a prime backer of I-937, is pushing for improved tax breaks on other technologies, such as wave, tidal and geothermal power.
Eleven years ago, lawmakers here approved sales tax exemptions for the purchase and installation of equipment that makes power from the wind and sun. There are additional programs to support investment in renewable energy at the local level.
The greatest windfall for renewable power could be the creation of a fee that penalizes the production of greenhouse gases. Congress is considering a carbon tax, which would put a premium on the generation of polluting power from fossil fuels.
And if all else fails, I-937 has an escape clause. A utility is in compliance with the initiative once it spends 4 percent of its annual revenue on renewables -- even if it doesn't reach the percentage goals. There are financial penalties for utilities that miss the mark.
Green-energy innovators
The quest for new power sources inspires grand comparisons with some of the nation's most historic technological achievements -- the Wright brothers' first flight, putting a man on the moon, the Internet.
"Within the lifetime of this initiative, things are going to become possible that we don't foresee right now," said Golden, from Climate Solutions. "When you put in place a very strong policy commitment ... you unleash a lot of investment and innovation."
Inslee envisions the Northwest leading the green energy innovations. At a recent news conference, he predicted the region will become the Boeing of wave and tidal power, and said that 20 percent of total U.S. energy needs could be satisfied from this approach.
Puget Sound area utilities already are exploring a range of options. Snohomish County Public Utility District is studying the potential for tidal energy. Seattle City Light has geothermal energy and power from the gas released by decaying landfills at the top of its to-do list. Puget Sound Energy is looking to increase its already sizeable number of wind turbines and is considering biomass projects that turn waste into watts.
It appears that micro ventures will have a role to play, too, including wind and solar installations at homes and businesses that feed energy back into the grid. Dairies and regional sewage treatment plants are getting into the game with small-scale operations that trap methane for electricity production.
Important changes are afoot. It will require experimentation and risk-taking to fuel the revolution demanded by I-937. But in a Northwest outgrowing its supply of electrical juice, on a planet where fossil fuels are wreaking environmental havoc, clean and green is no longer an impossible dream.
"We need to get beyond our comfort zones," Inslee said.
GREEN POWER: THE NEW GENERATION
THURSDAY
Wind is the region's preferred renewable power source.
Solar power may soar like mercury in an August thermometer -- eventually.
There's been a sea change of interest in getting energy from waves or tides.
The Northwest is an obvious spot to pursue geothermal power -- so why haven't we?
Biodiesel, hailed as a green savior for transportation, is just a drop in the electricity bucket.
Biomass projects, such as turning cow manure into kilowatts, are firing up.
FRIDAY
Energy-smart upgrades by businesses and residents are key to saving power.
P-I reporters Tom Paulson and Robert McClure contributed to this report. P-I reporter Lisa Stiffler can be reached at 206-448-8042 or lisastiffler@seattlepi.com. Read her blog on the environment at datelineearth.com.
Soundoff (39 comments)
What do you think?
Wednesday, August 01, 2007
Protect Your Efforts
Just when we thought we were making a difference…
Home Depot has funded the planting of 300,000 trees in cities across the US. Each tree will absorb and store about one-third of a ton of carbon dioxide (CO2) over its lifetime. In addition to the coal plants that already exist, there are now 151 new conventional coal-fired power plants in various stages of development in the US today. The CO2 emissions from only one medium-sized (500 MW) coal-fired power plant, in just 10 days of operation, would negate the Home Depot’s entire effort.
Wal-Mart, the largest “private” purchaser of electricity in the world is investing a half billion dollars to reduce the energy consumption and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions of their existing buildings by 20% over the next 7 years. "As one of the largest companies in the world, with an expanding global presence, environmental problems are our problems," said CEO Lee Scott. The CO2 emissions from only one medium-sized coal-fired power plant, in just one month of operation each year, would negate Wal-Mart’s entire effort.
California, which makes up over 10% of the country’s new vehicle market, passed legislation to cut GHG emissions in new cars by 25% and in SUVs by 18%, starting in 2009. If every car and SUV sold in California in 2009 met this standard, the CO2 emissions from only one medium-sized coal-fired power plant, in just eight months of operation each year, would negate California’s 2009 effort.
In the US, approximately 5 billion square feet of residential, commercial and government buildings are renovated in a year. The US Conference of Mayors, American Institute of Architects, US Green Building Council and numerous states, counties and cities have adopted The 2030 Challenge to reduce the energy consumption of all renovated buildings by 50% (see www.architecture2030.org). The CO2 emissions from just one 750 MW coal-fired power plant each year would negate this entire 2030 Challenge effort.
If every household in the U.S. changed a 60-watt incandescent light bulb to a compact fluorescent, the CO2 emissions from just two medium-sized coal-fired power plants each year would negate this entire effort.
The Campus Climate Challenge (CCC), a growing student movement in the US, states that global warming “is our problem, and it’s up to us to solve it, starting right here on campus, right now.” The challenge calls for all high school and college campuses in the US to go carbon neutral (reduce global warming pollution to zero). If the challenge were met, the CO2 emissions from just four medium-sized coal-fired power plants each year would negate the CCC’s entire effort.
The Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI) is a ‘cap and trade’ cooperative effort by eleven Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic states (ME, VT, NH, MA, CT, RI, NY, PA, NJ, DL, MD) to reduce their carbon dioxide emissions to 1990 levels by 2014. The CO2 emissions from just 13 medium-sized coal-fired power plants each year would negate the entire RGGI effort.
Many climate change bills have been introduced in Congress this year to cap and begin reducing US greenhouse gas emissions, so any new coal-fired power plants work to negate these efforts.
Make a difference: Protect your efforts. Start by getting this message out...
Notes:
Emissions Source – EIA 2005
A medium-sized (500 MW) conventional coal-fired plant emits approx. 3.5 million metric tons (MMT) of CO2 a year.
Issued by:
The 2030 Research Center (www.architecture2030.org)
Home Depot has funded the planting of 300,000 trees in cities across the US. Each tree will absorb and store about one-third of a ton of carbon dioxide (CO2) over its lifetime. In addition to the coal plants that already exist, there are now 151 new conventional coal-fired power plants in various stages of development in the US today. The CO2 emissions from only one medium-sized (500 MW) coal-fired power plant, in just 10 days of operation, would negate the Home Depot’s entire effort.
Wal-Mart, the largest “private” purchaser of electricity in the world is investing a half billion dollars to reduce the energy consumption and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions of their existing buildings by 20% over the next 7 years. "As one of the largest companies in the world, with an expanding global presence, environmental problems are our problems," said CEO Lee Scott. The CO2 emissions from only one medium-sized coal-fired power plant, in just one month of operation each year, would negate Wal-Mart’s entire effort.
California, which makes up over 10% of the country’s new vehicle market, passed legislation to cut GHG emissions in new cars by 25% and in SUVs by 18%, starting in 2009. If every car and SUV sold in California in 2009 met this standard, the CO2 emissions from only one medium-sized coal-fired power plant, in just eight months of operation each year, would negate California’s 2009 effort.
In the US, approximately 5 billion square feet of residential, commercial and government buildings are renovated in a year. The US Conference of Mayors, American Institute of Architects, US Green Building Council and numerous states, counties and cities have adopted The 2030 Challenge to reduce the energy consumption of all renovated buildings by 50% (see www.architecture2030.org). The CO2 emissions from just one 750 MW coal-fired power plant each year would negate this entire 2030 Challenge effort.
If every household in the U.S. changed a 60-watt incandescent light bulb to a compact fluorescent, the CO2 emissions from just two medium-sized coal-fired power plants each year would negate this entire effort.
The Campus Climate Challenge (CCC), a growing student movement in the US, states that global warming “is our problem, and it’s up to us to solve it, starting right here on campus, right now.” The challenge calls for all high school and college campuses in the US to go carbon neutral (reduce global warming pollution to zero). If the challenge were met, the CO2 emissions from just four medium-sized coal-fired power plants each year would negate the CCC’s entire effort.
The Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI) is a ‘cap and trade’ cooperative effort by eleven Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic states (ME, VT, NH, MA, CT, RI, NY, PA, NJ, DL, MD) to reduce their carbon dioxide emissions to 1990 levels by 2014. The CO2 emissions from just 13 medium-sized coal-fired power plants each year would negate the entire RGGI effort.
Many climate change bills have been introduced in Congress this year to cap and begin reducing US greenhouse gas emissions, so any new coal-fired power plants work to negate these efforts.
Make a difference: Protect your efforts. Start by getting this message out...
Notes:
Emissions Source – EIA 2005
A medium-sized (500 MW) conventional coal-fired plant emits approx. 3.5 million metric tons (MMT) of CO2 a year.
Issued by:
The 2030 Research Center (www.architecture2030.org)
Wednesday, July 18, 2007
Scrap House.... You should take a LOOK
Description: ScrapHouse-is an awesome reality of reuse methods. Built entirely of recycled materials, the ScrapHouse was designed and built as the centerpiece of World Environment Day 2005. Visit www.scraphouse.org
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=2686444633083579687&q=recycled+products&total=368&start=0&num=10&so=0&type=search&plindex=3
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=2686444633083579687&q=recycled+products&total=368&start=0&num=10&so=0&type=search&plindex=3
Monday, July 16, 2007
Less Water..Less Energy Sidwell School
Sidwell School: 70% Less Water, 60% Less Energy
by Justin Thomas, Virginia on 07. 9.07
Design & Architecture
I braved the midday heat of Washington DC yesterday, to circumnavigate and photograph the Sidwell Friends School, a private middle school. This building was awarded the coveted Platinum LEED by the Green Building Council, and it was one of the American Institute of Architect's Top Ten Green Project for 2007. Impressively, this school uses 70% less water and 60% less energy that a comparable building. I noted the use of many green roof elements, and many greywater recycling ponds. Inside, daylight use is extensive. Photosensors automatically dim or shut off the electric lights when daylight is sufficient, and occupancy sensors ensure that lights are shut off when rooms are unoccupied. More details and photos over the fold...
The design optimizes daylight and minimizes solar glare on each building exposure. On the south façade, horizontal solar light shelves both screen out the sun and welcome daylight. On the east and west façades, vertical solar shading screens are angled appropriately against the east and west glare.
A courtyard wetland with a closed-loop cycle allows for water reuse. The wetland takes the form of terraced rice paddies along the site’s natural topography. Rainwater is held and filtered through a vegetated roof on the new wing and channeled down the courtyard side into a collection stream that runs under the building’s entry bridge and drains into a biology pond. The pond supports native habitat and micro-organisms that will decompose wastewater as it moves through the functional wetland.
Virtually every material in the building is either reclaimed or recycled. The cladding of the building is 100-year-old western red cedar reclaimed from wine barrels. Material for the walkways, inside lobby, and decks is green lumber pilings reclaimed from the Baltimore Harbor. There is extensive use of linoleum, cork, and reclaimed stone.
Actively, photovoltaic roof panels provide much of the building’s electricity. Passively, two solar chimneys on the new wing offer natural ventilation. “The solar chimneys and the shafts interconnect to the lower levels, which is made apparent by little port holes in the shafts.
A vegetable-garden rooftop on the new wing serves as an insulator and is part of the water recycling system. The green roof is also a food garden, managed by the students and teachers.
see the article at TreeHugger
http://www.treehugger.com/files/2007/07/sidwell_school.php
by Justin Thomas, Virginia on 07. 9.07
Design & Architecture
I braved the midday heat of Washington DC yesterday, to circumnavigate and photograph the Sidwell Friends School, a private middle school. This building was awarded the coveted Platinum LEED by the Green Building Council, and it was one of the American Institute of Architect's Top Ten Green Project for 2007. Impressively, this school uses 70% less water and 60% less energy that a comparable building. I noted the use of many green roof elements, and many greywater recycling ponds. Inside, daylight use is extensive. Photosensors automatically dim or shut off the electric lights when daylight is sufficient, and occupancy sensors ensure that lights are shut off when rooms are unoccupied. More details and photos over the fold...
The design optimizes daylight and minimizes solar glare on each building exposure. On the south façade, horizontal solar light shelves both screen out the sun and welcome daylight. On the east and west façades, vertical solar shading screens are angled appropriately against the east and west glare.
A courtyard wetland with a closed-loop cycle allows for water reuse. The wetland takes the form of terraced rice paddies along the site’s natural topography. Rainwater is held and filtered through a vegetated roof on the new wing and channeled down the courtyard side into a collection stream that runs under the building’s entry bridge and drains into a biology pond. The pond supports native habitat and micro-organisms that will decompose wastewater as it moves through the functional wetland.
Virtually every material in the building is either reclaimed or recycled. The cladding of the building is 100-year-old western red cedar reclaimed from wine barrels. Material for the walkways, inside lobby, and decks is green lumber pilings reclaimed from the Baltimore Harbor. There is extensive use of linoleum, cork, and reclaimed stone.
Actively, photovoltaic roof panels provide much of the building’s electricity. Passively, two solar chimneys on the new wing offer natural ventilation. “The solar chimneys and the shafts interconnect to the lower levels, which is made apparent by little port holes in the shafts.
A vegetable-garden rooftop on the new wing serves as an insulator and is part of the water recycling system. The green roof is also a food garden, managed by the students and teachers.
see the article at TreeHugger
http://www.treehugger.com/files/2007/07/sidwell_school.php
Wednesday, July 11, 2007
Solar Home at Shoreline Comunity College
Student-made home gets biggest boost from the sun
House is designed to produce energy
By ROBERT McCLURE
P-I REPORTER
Mike Nelson stood in his new office, where walls of corrugated metal clash just a tad with silky-smooth floors and walls of sustainably harvested eucalyptus.
"Very soon, the old ways are going," Nelson, director of the Northwest Solar Center, told visitors this week. "The old ways are dying."
Paul Joseph Brown / P-I
Mike Nelson, director of the Northwest Solar Center, and Mat Taylor, professor of architecture and construction management at Washington State University, carry a solar panel Thursday to the Zero Energy House at Shoreline Community College.
Nelson's office is the solar-powered Zero Energy House at Shoreline Community College, which is intended to produce as much energy as it uses.
The tale behind the house stretches to Eastern Washington and all the way back to Washington, D.C.
It all started in 2002 when Mat Taylor's students at Washington State University in Pullman started talking about building a solar-powered home to enter in the U.S. Energy Department's Solar Decathlon.
Students from the WSU schools of architecture, civil engineering, interior design and construction management transformed a hand-sized sketch into the Zero Energy House. They disassembled it and transported it to the National Mall in Washington for the 2005 competition.
"It's 100 percent student-built," Taylor, an architecture professor, told visitors at a dedication ceremony this week. "That's what I'm most proud of."
The house will serve as a laboratory for what Taylor and like-minded folks hope will be a wave of students yearning to experiment with new energy-saving ideas.
Developers, Nelson said, "can't afford to try to sell the clients experiments. And so you really do need as many living laboratories as possible."
"What we're into is high-performance housing," Nelson said.
Nelson, a WSU employee, said the state will be key in spurring demand for solar products.
"If our state Legislature provides the right incentives, it will drive this forward and provide jobs, " he said.
The home itself looks unconventional, not just because of a "butterfly" roof intended to maximize solar uptake, but also because it was built around a discarded shipping container -- the kind you see stacked on cargo ships crossing Elliott Bay.
The container and its corrugated metal walls house the home's plumbing fixtures, solar batteries, inverters and other systems needed to run the house. Wrapped around the container is a living room and kitchen area connected by a hallway to a bedroom, laundry and bathroom, all rolled into one, which will serve as Nelson's office.
Total square footage: 650.
It's not just the size that makes the house work, though. It's also the students' painstaking attention to dozens of details, including installing special insulation and ventilation, and energy-efficient appliances.
However, visitors are advised to just ignore the wires hanging out of the walls. It's an experiment, for Pete's sake!
Nelson is thinking about replacing the refrigerator -- a three-compartment model designed to minimize cold loss when being opened -- with a brand any consumer could find in the store. The home has an energy-saving, front-loading washer and dryer as well -- though they're not hooked up right now.
Robert Shields, a computer sciences instructor at the community college, notes that in some respects it is actually more roomy than his apartment when he lived in Japan.
"I remember reading about this stuff when I was in college in the '70s," he said. "The whole idea of an entire house off the grid is great."
Actually, Taylor said, nowadays solar advocates aren't going off the grid. They're counting on generating solar power in the daytime -- when they're away at work -- and selling that to utilities. That buys them energy credits they can claim when the days grow short and dark.
That's the kind of thing it's going to take to plug a 200- to 500-megawatt hole expected in the Northwest's energy supply by 2015, Nelson said. By comparison, the Bonneville Power Administration, which sells power from federally owned dams, generates an average of about 7,000 megawatts.
Taylor said the state should try to make it financially more palatable for people to go solar. And people need an attitude change, too, he said, about the big upfront costs.
"You're buying your utility bill up front for the rest of the your life," he said. "That's what people don't get yet."
GOING SOLAR
Consumers interested in using solar energy in their homes may contact the Northwest Solar Center at 206-396-8446.
A Washington consumer's guide is on the center's Web site at: goto.seattlepi.com/r749.
Or see the frequently asked questions at goto.seattlepi.com/r750.
House is designed to produce energy
By ROBERT McCLURE
P-I REPORTER
Mike Nelson stood in his new office, where walls of corrugated metal clash just a tad with silky-smooth floors and walls of sustainably harvested eucalyptus.
"Very soon, the old ways are going," Nelson, director of the Northwest Solar Center, told visitors this week. "The old ways are dying."
Paul Joseph Brown / P-I
Mike Nelson, director of the Northwest Solar Center, and Mat Taylor, professor of architecture and construction management at Washington State University, carry a solar panel Thursday to the Zero Energy House at Shoreline Community College.
Nelson's office is the solar-powered Zero Energy House at Shoreline Community College, which is intended to produce as much energy as it uses.
The tale behind the house stretches to Eastern Washington and all the way back to Washington, D.C.
It all started in 2002 when Mat Taylor's students at Washington State University in Pullman started talking about building a solar-powered home to enter in the U.S. Energy Department's Solar Decathlon.
Students from the WSU schools of architecture, civil engineering, interior design and construction management transformed a hand-sized sketch into the Zero Energy House. They disassembled it and transported it to the National Mall in Washington for the 2005 competition.
"It's 100 percent student-built," Taylor, an architecture professor, told visitors at a dedication ceremony this week. "That's what I'm most proud of."
The house will serve as a laboratory for what Taylor and like-minded folks hope will be a wave of students yearning to experiment with new energy-saving ideas.
Developers, Nelson said, "can't afford to try to sell the clients experiments. And so you really do need as many living laboratories as possible."
"What we're into is high-performance housing," Nelson said.
Nelson, a WSU employee, said the state will be key in spurring demand for solar products.
"If our state Legislature provides the right incentives, it will drive this forward and provide jobs, " he said.
The home itself looks unconventional, not just because of a "butterfly" roof intended to maximize solar uptake, but also because it was built around a discarded shipping container -- the kind you see stacked on cargo ships crossing Elliott Bay.
The container and its corrugated metal walls house the home's plumbing fixtures, solar batteries, inverters and other systems needed to run the house. Wrapped around the container is a living room and kitchen area connected by a hallway to a bedroom, laundry and bathroom, all rolled into one, which will serve as Nelson's office.
Total square footage: 650.
It's not just the size that makes the house work, though. It's also the students' painstaking attention to dozens of details, including installing special insulation and ventilation, and energy-efficient appliances.
However, visitors are advised to just ignore the wires hanging out of the walls. It's an experiment, for Pete's sake!
Nelson is thinking about replacing the refrigerator -- a three-compartment model designed to minimize cold loss when being opened -- with a brand any consumer could find in the store. The home has an energy-saving, front-loading washer and dryer as well -- though they're not hooked up right now.
Robert Shields, a computer sciences instructor at the community college, notes that in some respects it is actually more roomy than his apartment when he lived in Japan.
"I remember reading about this stuff when I was in college in the '70s," he said. "The whole idea of an entire house off the grid is great."
Actually, Taylor said, nowadays solar advocates aren't going off the grid. They're counting on generating solar power in the daytime -- when they're away at work -- and selling that to utilities. That buys them energy credits they can claim when the days grow short and dark.
That's the kind of thing it's going to take to plug a 200- to 500-megawatt hole expected in the Northwest's energy supply by 2015, Nelson said. By comparison, the Bonneville Power Administration, which sells power from federally owned dams, generates an average of about 7,000 megawatts.
Taylor said the state should try to make it financially more palatable for people to go solar. And people need an attitude change, too, he said, about the big upfront costs.
"You're buying your utility bill up front for the rest of the your life," he said. "That's what people don't get yet."
GOING SOLAR
Consumers interested in using solar energy in their homes may contact the Northwest Solar Center at 206-396-8446.
A Washington consumer's guide is on the center's Web site at: goto.seattlepi.com/r749.
Or see the frequently asked questions at goto.seattlepi.com/r750.
10 Greenest Cities in America
The 10 Greenest Cities in America
By Jacob Gordon of TreeHugger.com for MSN City Guides
American cities aren’t just starting to blossom in the green arena, they’re fighting to see which can bloom the brightest. The following list is a quick hybrid cab ride through 10 cities doing the most to realize a sustainable metropolis. To learn more, visit the rest of our series, and see which cities need the most help—and which cities are greener than you think.
Austin
The politics in Austin, Texas, home base of Whole Foods Market and Lance Armstrong (at least part of the year), have earned it the title of “the blueberry in the bowl of tomato soup.” But the city’s energy portfolio could make it known as the ray of sunshine in the field of oil pumps. If you want to sign up for green power from Austin Energy, possibly the greenest power grid in the country, you can get in line—this year’s demand was unpredictably high, and they’re fresh out. Austin’s growing list of proactive energy maneuvers is, to say the least, striking. Not only does Austin lead the country in wind power and biodiesel production, but it has built advanced plug-in hybrid vehicles into its energy strategy.
As part of the recently announced Austin Climate Protection Plan, all facilities, fleets and operations will be carbon-neutral by 2020, and 100 percent of city facilities will be powered by renewable energy by 2012. There will also be CO2 caps and reduction plans for all utility emissions, something the federal government hasn’t dared do. According to Roger Duncan, Austin Energy’s deputy general manager, the city is ramping up to make both residential and commercial building codes the most energy-efficient in the nation, starting by making all new single-family homes “zero net-energy capable”—meaning they could produce as much energy as they use—by 2015, and increasing energy efficiency by 75 percent in all other new construction. The Clean Energy Incubator, sparked by the National Renewable Energy Lab and managed by the University of Texas at Austin, works closely with the power utility and serves as a test bed for budding startup companies to develop green technologies ranging from solar, biofuels and wind to Internet-controlled irrigation systems.
continue click here
http://cityguides.msn.com/citylife/greenarticle.aspx?cp-documentid=4848625
By Jacob Gordon of TreeHugger.com for MSN City Guides
American cities aren’t just starting to blossom in the green arena, they’re fighting to see which can bloom the brightest. The following list is a quick hybrid cab ride through 10 cities doing the most to realize a sustainable metropolis. To learn more, visit the rest of our series, and see which cities need the most help—and which cities are greener than you think.
Austin
The politics in Austin, Texas, home base of Whole Foods Market and Lance Armstrong (at least part of the year), have earned it the title of “the blueberry in the bowl of tomato soup.” But the city’s energy portfolio could make it known as the ray of sunshine in the field of oil pumps. If you want to sign up for green power from Austin Energy, possibly the greenest power grid in the country, you can get in line—this year’s demand was unpredictably high, and they’re fresh out. Austin’s growing list of proactive energy maneuvers is, to say the least, striking. Not only does Austin lead the country in wind power and biodiesel production, but it has built advanced plug-in hybrid vehicles into its energy strategy.
As part of the recently announced Austin Climate Protection Plan, all facilities, fleets and operations will be carbon-neutral by 2020, and 100 percent of city facilities will be powered by renewable energy by 2012. There will also be CO2 caps and reduction plans for all utility emissions, something the federal government hasn’t dared do. According to Roger Duncan, Austin Energy’s deputy general manager, the city is ramping up to make both residential and commercial building codes the most energy-efficient in the nation, starting by making all new single-family homes “zero net-energy capable”—meaning they could produce as much energy as they use—by 2015, and increasing energy efficiency by 75 percent in all other new construction. The Clean Energy Incubator, sparked by the National Renewable Energy Lab and managed by the University of Texas at Austin, works closely with the power utility and serves as a test bed for budding startup companies to develop green technologies ranging from solar, biofuels and wind to Internet-controlled irrigation systems.
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http://cityguides.msn.com/citylife/greenarticle.aspx?cp-documentid=4848625
Thursday, July 05, 2007
http://www.lakearmstrongcreek.com/
Noah Israel and the Lake Armstrong Project have asked for our support. They are forming their own sewer and water district. The formation of their own district will allow them to choose sustainable practices for site water management. Please come.
When: Wednesday June 27, 2007 at 10:30 a.m.
Where: 3000 Rockefeller Street, Administration East Building, 8th Floor, Council Chambers - Jackson Room
Thanks in advance for your support of this sustainable project!
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