Green Building Elements

I am intrigued by the Global Eco Village Network!

“The Global Ecovillage Network is a global confederation of people and communities that meet and share their ideas, exchange technologies, develop cultural and educational exchanges, directories and newsletters, and are dedicated to restoring the land and living “sustainable plus” lives by putting more back into the environment than we take out. “

GEN members include large networks such as:

• EcoYoff and Colufifa (350 villages in Senegal)
• Sarvodaya (11,000 sustainable villages in Sri Lanka)
• the Ladakh project on the Tibetian plateau
• ecotowns like Auroville in South India
• the Federation of Damanhur in Italy
• Nimbin in Australia
• small rural ecovillages like Gaia Asociación in Argentina and Huehuecoyotl, Mexico
• urban rejuvenation projects like Los Angeles EcoVillage and Christiania in Copenhagen
• permaculture design sites such as Crystal Waters, Australia, and Cochabamba, Bolivia and Barus, Brazil
• educational centers such as Findhorn in Scotland, Centre for Alternative Technology in Wales, and Earthlands in Massachusetts.

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As part of a new series of papers regarding federal, state and local decisions to expand energy efficiency choices for consumers, DEFG has published a free report on New York City’s “Greener, Greater Buildings Plan.” The GGBP is a key component of an effort to reduce pollution and energy costs in the city by 30% by 2030 and was initially touted as “first‐of‐its‐kind.” Not surprisingly, it was scaled back after pressure from local building owners. The author, Cynthia Boland, Esq., has provided a discussion of the opposition to the law, potential business and legal challenges, and comments on the future of green building legislation.

Why is the GGBP a harbinger of things to come? It is a landmark legislation that mandates compliance with four laws:

• a  municipal  energy  code  setting standards and  energy  use  in  large  buildings
• a  sub‐metering  requirement
• requirements  for  energy  audits
• requirements for retro‐ commissioning

Yet, the process and the politics can shed light on the complexities of getting this kind of legislation enacted in the future.  The story of GGBP can serve as a “learning experience” for other  major  cities  considering  legislation  to  improve  energy  efficiency  in  existing  buildings.

Finally, the story of GGBP highlights something we’ve known for years.  That despite all the commotion about federal climate change legislation, most of the action with respect to energy efficiency and renewable energy is occurring at the state and local level. This means that we can all have a big impact on promoting change—not just within your our own businesses, but by working together to change attitudes, influence policymakers, and promote innovation. When you begin to think about getting involved, think nationally, think statewide—and think locally. Many issues related to sustainability and your business—from energy policy to recycling services—are addressed at a local or state level.

Jennifer Kaplan is a Senior Adviser to DEFG LLC and the author of Greening Your Small Business (Prentice Hall 2009).

Photo: James D’Addio

No doubt the current Olympics has and continue to dazzle people with the drama (some outside of the venues) but somehow lost amongst the sports accomplishments remains the face that Vancouver touted this Olympics as the Greenest ever. It seems that China also made that claim a couple years ago. Instead of getting into a comparison of this green aspect versus that sustainable item, we took a look at the Vancouver Convention Center West, which marks the World’s First Convention Center to Achieve LEED Platinum Rating.

Yes, we’ve discussed our feeling about the LEED label and how we would like seeing more money going toward sustainable aspects versus a LEED plaque but nonetheless they built an impressive structure, which currently hosts the international media for the Olympic games. When the Olympics pack-up Vancouver will still have the dazzling sustainable structure. Read the rest of this entry »

We recently tested several new homes for formaldehyde in the air. The newest home, advertised as a “green” home, had 300 ppb of formaldehyde. Children in homes with only 30 ppb can have decreased lung function. Between 60 ppb and 120 ppb, children are more likely to have asthma and chronic bronchitis. At 100 ppb, most adults experience eye, nose, and throat irritation.

Of homes that were less than 2 years old, every home we tested had at least 100 ppb of formaldehyde. The newer homes had 200 – 300 ppb.

The 300 ppb concentration we found in the newest home is equal to the 15-minute Short Term Exposure Limit (STEL) for occupational exposures. A worker in that home should wear a respirator to remain inside the building for more than 15 minutes. An employer that exposes workers to 300 ppb of formaldehyde should have a Hazard Communication Program to inform workers about chemical hazards and ways to avoid illness.

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Going green has reached an all time high, literally! In the movement towards a greener nation, Pullen Memorial Baptist Church in Raleigh, North Carolina has set a new standard for eco-friendly churches. The church as been recognized as an IPL green energy leader.

Pullen’s church expansion had to uphold the church’s tradition of cherishing the earth, so what better way to do so than by incorporating a green design? The desire to be “as green as can be” and still be affordable, is always a challenge faced by any homeowner or organization wanting to make ‘green’ renovations to their home. Pullen chose green design elements that allowed it to meet its goals within a healthy and comfortable structure that offers reduced maintenance and operation costs.

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We are by now accustomed to measuring carbon emissions in terms of “taking X many cars off the road”.

We know cars are responsible for carbon emissions. So we are used to sneering at hoggy cars that wastefully emit so many tons of carbon per year:

(In fact, measuring carbon footprints in these terms is by now such a cliche that the measure:  carsofftheroad will probably wind up as a regular metric that kids learn in school, just like feet and pounds are now: Phrases like I took 15 carsofftheroad last week installing 3 kw of new solar will be as readily understood as I lost 15 pounds last week running the marathon.)

But this week; doing a pre solar (thermal) efficiency analysis for an apartment complex – I noticed a surprisingly huge source of wasted energy that has thus far escaped notice and ridicule (well, mine, anyway) and that is: swimming pools.

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Stimulus Bill Increases Rewards for Energy-efficient Remodeling

Energy-efficient remodeling replaces painting your bedroom walls as the most significant home improvement project of 2009.

We all know that green is the talk of the town these days, but we’re not talking about paint color any more when it comes to home remodeling. The word ‘green’ now holds it’s weight in eco-friendly, money saving home improvements.

To add to the wave, the government has now stepped in and made stimulating your home a great way to stimulate the ecomomy by giving back a 30 percent tax credit for homeowners who install energy-efficient windows, insulation or heating systems in 2009 and 2010.

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The Three Culprits of Indoor Air Pollution

According to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the air inside your home can be as much as five times more polluted than outdoor air!

Ever wonder why you sneeze so much in certain homes? The reason is the air. A lot of families suffer from respiratory problems, allergies, and other health problems due to the qualify of their indoor air at home. Organisms such as dust mites and mold are the main culprits. Other pollutants include natural gases such as radon, which is radioactive, colorless, odorless, and tasteless gas which is formed as natural deposits of uranium throughout the earth’s crust decay.

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Here at Low Impact Living are big advocates for residential renewable energy. We’d like to see every home in the US being fed by solar, wind and/or geothermal power.  (And we hope that President Obama will be driving to make that vision a reality!)

But we also understand that very few of us Americans can afford $20,000+ for an installation of a solar PV system– especially these days!  That’s why we’re always on the look out for ways people can save on solar. So when I heard about what 1 Block Off the Grid (1BOG) is trying to do, I was intrigued.

1 Block Off the Grid (1BOG) is based in San Francisco, but they are launching a nationwide effort to create community-based buying clubs for solar power.  They claim that, “By aggregating consumers and negotiating on their behalf we take the fear out of buying new green technologies, decrease the purchase price, and increase the adoption rate of these technologies.”

If you’ve ever gotten and compared quotes for a solar installation, you know it can indeed be confusing and intimidating. Having a group discount negotiated by a third party sounds like a great idea to us.

1BOG did one set of installations in San Francisco in 2008, and they are just getting their 2009 group ready for another round. They are working with SolarCity for the new installations there.  The 1BOG website says they are launching a group for Los Angeles in February 2009.  Sign up quick!

I did some research and it seems that one of the participants in 1BOG’s inaugural program in San Francisco cut 43 percent off list price, according to co-founder Sylvia Ventura. But that is not necessarily a standard savings. For the average participant it would probably be closer to about 20 percent off.  For a $25,000 solar system, you could save $5,000 — and you’ll get additional goverment rebates as well.  Not too shabby!

We also want to remind everyone to always consider a solar hot water system if a solar electric system is too expensive.  Solar hot water systems cost in the $4-6K range and will still save you a TON off of your power bills.

Also, to find a solar installer near you click here.  You can also get quotes for wind power and geothermal power, depending on where you live.

Shown here is a winning green building design for Bird Island, a private and gated residential park in the center of Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, which peacefully shares the environment with many local and migratory birds.  The Bird Island Green Homes Competition had a challenge for eight of the world’s top architects to try and create eco-friendly living spaces. Global firm Graft Lab submitted plans for Bird Island rendered above. Inhabitat mentions that Bird Island will also be constructed with a fabulous “grey water recycling system that channels water from sinks and showers back to the plumbing”. This eco-resort design is admirably aiming for zero-waste. Read the rest of this entry »