Jul

29th

Austin Energy Solar for Schools Program


Through the highly successful Solar for Schools Program, Austin Energy has set an ambitious goal of completing nearly 50 solar installations at schools in the Austin Energy service area by the end of 2010. The utility recently home-imgcompleted an additional six schools, bringing the total number to 28. The estimated savings for those 28 schools is 120,744 kWh annually and is expected to reduce Austin Energy’s peak demand by 17 kW. Another 20 solar systems are expected to be installed at schools throughout the year.

Read the full article here: 

http://www.austinenergy.com/About%20Us/Newsroom/Press%20Releases/2010/solarSchools.htm

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Jul

28th

LEEDing the Way to a Greener Future


AUSTIN (Austin Business Journal) – The number of LEED-certified, high-performance buildings in Central Texas has more than tripled in two years, from 24 in 2008 to 76 in 2010, according to the Central Texas Chapter of the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC).greenbuilding-150x150

Buildings that acquire LEED certification demonstrate high standards in construction, operations, maintenance and have an environmentally conscious design.

“The fact that this growth in green building is occurring during an economic downturn indicated both that green building has become mainstream and that owners and developers are seeing it as a way to compete in the new marketplace,” said James Andrews, chairman of the USGBC’s local chapter. “It appears to reflect growing recognition by owners, operators, contractors and the community at large of the return on investment, both financially and environmentally, that green building and sustainable development brings to a region.”

The benefits of constructing under the LEED guidelines are found in buildings such as the Advanced Micro Devices campus, which has yielded annual savings of 20 percent on energy use campuswide.

The most recent buildings to achieve LEED certification in the Texas capital are the Livestrong headquarters in east Austin and the Department of Veteran Affairs Financial Services Center. Within Central Texas, Austin leads the way with 44 LEED-certified buildings and more than 190 properties awaiting certification.

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Jul

6th

2 Minutes: Green Return on Investment


It’s becoming increasingly apparent that building to greener standards saves energy costs, increases health, and adds value to real estate.  Here is a great two minute video showing how building to LEED standards benefitted this commercial building with energy and water savings. 

This is a 2 minute version of the full 12 minute Green Building Education Film produced and directed for Stiles Corporation’s Lake Shore Plaza II project. This film earned 1 Innovation and Design Point for LEED Certification.

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Jul

4th

Vertical Hillside Home Wins LEED Platinum


Marin County architect Scott Lee bought a 1/10 acre, nearly vertical, “unbuildable” lot, and turned it into a showcase green home.5hillsidex-inset-community

The four-level home, bunkered into a hill, won the top or platinum rating in March from the U.S. Green Building Council’s LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) program.

It’s a great story in a weekly feature at usatoday.com that showcases a green house each week.

Read more and see the photos/floorplan at http://tinyurl.com/323dv9v

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Jun

1st

Green Jobs Rise as Sustainable Building Increases


resized_green_construction_sustainable_buildingIn the Energy Policy Examiner, Clifford Bryan writes about the many green jobs that are showing up as sustainable building practices increase demand for green construction workers.

The factors that differentiate “green” construction derive from a new set of expectations relating to structures and their function. Green buildings aim to maximize efficiency in their use of water, energy and other resources, to minimize waste, pollution, or other contributions to environmental degradation, and to create environments that contribute to health and productivity.

The Green Jobs Guidebook (Environmental Defense Fund 2008), thought by many to be the definitive green jobs report to date, lists 41 job classifications directly related to green building. Among them: Green Building Project Design and Development; Green Building Design and Engineering; Green Building Operations; Energy Efficiency Services and Installation. Other green jobs that relate to construction include: Solar Power Installation; Maintenance, Development and Manufacturing; Wind Power Installation; Geothermal Operation and Development; Plant Environmental; Health and Safety Facility Positions; Environmental Consulting; Municipal Waste Treatment and Recycling.

In addition to new methods and materials, the culture of the green construction site can be different. According to Bill Stough, “maximizing energy efficiency and material efficiency so there is less waste being generated on a construction site – the waste that is generated on the construction site is reused to the maximum extent possible.” For example, deconstructing a building in preparation for new construction is another aspect of high performance building standards that requires special training. Recycling of building materials and debris left over from clearing the site earns points for green building certification through programs such as the U.S. Green Building Council’s (USGBC) Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) green building rating system. In addition, secondary jobs are created in the marketing of the refuse – jobs for processing the material and making it ready for use in other, less valuable products, called “downcycling”

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May

13th

Proposed Bill Applauded by US Energy Leader


WSJ’s Market Watch posted an article saying that the CEO of the nation’s Number One renewable energy provider, applauded the proposed new energy  and climate bill. mw-logo-240x70

Lew Hay, chairman and CEO of FPL Group, a top-five electric power company and No. 1 producer of renewable energy from wind and solar power, issued the following statement today on the energy and climate bill introduced by Sens. John Kerry (D-Mass.) and Joe Lieberman (I-Conn.):

“Senators Kerry and Lieberman deserve tremendous credit for crafting a proposal that would move the country in the right direction on energy and climate issues. After years of debate and half measures, the United States still lacks a long-term national energy strategy, leaving us behind other countries in building and exporting the clean energy economy of the future. If we are to continue to lead the world in technological advances, job creation and economic security, we need a new approach. The most essential step — which is at the heart of the American Power Act — is to set a price on carbon dioxide emissions. With a gradually escalating price on carbon that begins to reflect the full social costs of emitting greenhouse gases, the country will make a smooth transition from the high-carbon fuel sources of the past to the next generation of low- and zero-emitting domestic energy sources. No legislation is ever perfect, this bill included, but Sens. Kerry and Lieberman have shown true leadership in their efforts to reach a balanced solution that all parties to this debate should be able to support. We applaud their efforts and look forward to working with them to get a bill signed into law.”

Read the full article: http://tinyurl.com/2avojo2

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Apr

16th

Taiwanese Building Made of PET Bottles


The inspiration for using these beverage bottles as the primary construction material for the building came to developer Arthur Huang, of the Miniwiz plastic bottle building taiwanSustainable Energy Development Company by observing what was in the trash bins.  This is a link to a short and amazing video of a beautiful three story exhibition hall made of bottles. 

Builders turned bottles from Taiwan’s waste stream for reprocessing, into plastic containers that interlock strongly enough to block the elements and withstand storms or earthquakes, said Arthur Huang, managing director of the contractor Miniwiz Sustainable Energy Development Ltd.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/business/8622212.stm

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Apr

14th

Political Progress with “Cash for Caulkers”


Consumer Reports: March 26, 2010

$6 billion Homestar energy-efficiency proposal gets over one legislative hurdle The bill for the Obama administration’s $6 billion Homestar energy-efficiency program, or cash for caulkers, was approved by the House Subcommittee on Energy and Environment this week. Under the Homestar HVACproposal, homeowners would receive a 50 percent rebate up to $3,000 for a specific energy-efficiency improvement—adding insulation; sealing ducts; installing efficient windows, roofing, or heating or cooling equipment—and a 20 percent rebate up to $3,000 for a whole-house energy-efficiency upgrade. Much of the subcommittee discussion on Homestar centered on spending. Republicans wanted to set a $1 billion cap, which “would be adequate to see how this program performs,” Representative Parker Griffith, an Alabama Republican, told E&E News. The subcommittee agreed to a $6 billion cap for cash for caulkers, though Republicans did succeed in adding an amendment to grant rebates for geothermal heat pumps and tankless water heaters. —Daniel DiClerico

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Apr

8th

First Affordable Electric Car?


Nissan Leaf: The First Affordable Electric Car?

If you’re wondering when we’ll finally have an all-electric car that’s both affordable and dependable, Nissan may have the answer. The all-electric, five-passenger Leaf sedan goes on sale in December in select markets, with nationwide availability starting in 2011. The Leaf is highway-capable, as it MEN-AM10-gazette-nissan-leaf_resized400X266can top 70 mph, and its range (about 100 miles) more than covers average commutes. But what really sets the Leaf apart from other electric cars is its price. Starting at about $33,000, the Leaf’s price tag can fall to as low as about $25,000 after tax incentives. Actually driving the Leaf will cost significantly less than a comparable gas car. Recharging the Leaf can cost less than $3 per “fill up.” Sound promising?

This article courtesy of Mother Earth News.  To read the full article, go to http://tinyurl.com/yjweqxr

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Mar

28th

Greenest Building in US? Surprise!


The greenest building in the U.S isn’t a fancy hotel, apartment complex, or office building. It’s a monastery. The U.S. Green Building Council recently awarded the Benedictine Women of Madison’s Holy Wisdom Monastery a Platinum LEED rating with 63 out 69 possible points–the most points of any certified building in the country.

The Sisters at the 30,000 foot, two-story monastery in Middleton, Wisconsin never intended to set a LEED record. Apparently, they have always prized sustainability–just take a look at their restoration of 95 acres of farmland to prairie and their project to dredge a glacial lake that had been previously been filled with silt.

Of course, the monastery still had to work hard to set the record. Some of the ultra-green features in the Hoffman LLC-designed building include a geothermal heating and cooling system, a photovoltaic system on the Chapel roof, windows with special glazing that allow for light and climate control, and the restoration and reuse of old pipe organs and bells. Almost 100% of the 60,000-square-foot old Benedictine House was also recycled or reused in the building process. Not bad for a bunch of Sisters with a dream.monastery2

This article courtesy of FastCompany.com, written by Ariel Schwartz.

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