« December 2007 | Main | February 2008 »
January 28, 2008
European Union (EU) Sustainable Energy Week
The second European Union (EU) Sustainable Energy Week is being held January 28 - Feburary 1, 2008 in Brussels, Belgium and in other cities across Europe.
The EUSEW is hosted by the Sustainable Energy Europe Campaign (SEE), the European Commission’s Directorate-General for Energy and Transport, the European Institutions, the Slovenian Presidency and others concerned with sustainable energy.
The program focuses on bringing together government, private and nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) to discuss strategies to work together toward the common goal of reducing energy use and carbon emissions across the EU
To give the conference some context, only about 25% of European countries have strategies to reduce energy consumption and carbon emissions, with Britain taking the lead in setting a target of zero-emissions by 2016. Problem is, say some analysts, Britain has no infrastructure or strategy to meet these goals.
The conference covers broad topics, like sustainable energy solutions, policy topics, as well as technical and marketing forums focused on sustainable building.
What do you think about other nation's efforts toward green building? Are there any initiatives that stand out from the rest, in your opinion?
Posted by Stacy Hunt at 9:20 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
January 20, 2008
Featured Green Building Program - Built Green Colorado
Here's another one, this one based in Denver, Colorado and part of the Denver Homebuilders Association.
Built Green Colorado has been around since 1995, and offers builders the opportunity to build and market their homes to a higher level of energy and environmental performance than the standard "code home." The program doesn't mandate that all of a builder's homes meet their standard, but instead invites them to join as partners and offer green homes as an option, or as part of their standard package - whatever suits their fancy.
The program is well-established and it's pushing the envelope beyond standard building practice. Their focus on resource conservation, occupant health and environmental preservation seems strong. The minimum energy efficiency requirement is below that of ENERGY STAR.
And they have a fun list of the "Top Five Bogus Reasons Not to Build Green" which I found a terribly amusing way to present this information...
Top Five Bogus Reasons Not to Build Green
Posted by Stacy Hunt at 8:14 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
January 16, 2008
Bamboozled: New bamboo flooring finally ditches the 'hyde
Green flooring options in new construction and remodeling have over-promised and under delivered, especially if you look at the entire life-cycle of the products on the market today. Bamboo that was once was touted as the sustainable savior to that hardwood floor finish has fallen short on several fronts and continues to be crap-shoot for most consumers.
On the one hand bamboo is considered sustainable because it grows so quickly, and requires very little tending, watering, fertilizing, or pesticides to thrive. The down side is that bamboo has to mature in order to harden to the right density for daily use. Many lower grade flooring products are made from stalks of immature plants that have grown to acceptable height but not hardness. Some of these inferior floors can be easily dented by a dropped water glass or are susceptible to warp after a few years of service.
A floor that has to be replaced every decade is not sustainable.
Putting quality issues aside for a moment, health concerns have started to show up due to the VOC's (volatile organic compounds) in flooring. According to the EPA in residential settings "the most significant sources of formaldehyde are likely to be pressed wood products made using adhesives that contain urea-formaldehyde (UF) resins." Many bamboo flooring manufacturers use UF resins exclusively for their adhesives which may trigger asthma attacks in people and have been shown to cause cancer in animals.
Hey, aren't humans animals too?
Answering the call of the conscientious consumer Plyboo Pure and Bamboo Mountain each offer a line of pressed and woven bamboo flooring options that begin to address the VOC issues. Plyboo Pure actually goes the extra mile to provide improved working conditions for employees in their production facility.
Dollar for dollar bamboo's biggest disappointment is the cost. For a quality product that won't off-gas into your living space or dimple under high heels consumers are required to pony up premium payments. Even moderate bamboo planks rival American hardwoods in material and installation fees, yet bamboo has no where near the warrantee nor sadly, the expectation of wear.
Posted by Andrew Hunt at 10:09 AM | Comments (16) | TrackBack
January 10, 2008
Toilets are putting on the dog whilst curbing the hydrant
Four new takes on the traditional flush are now making a splash in the new construction scene, especially following the recent passage of California's AB 715. This water-saving piece of legislation requires that all toilets sold in the Golden State comply with a new lower limit of 1.28 gpf (gallons per flush) by 2014. The estimated water savings could run into the hundreds of thousands of gallons per person over the lifetime of the fixture.
The Partnership for Advancing Technology in Housing (PATH) program rated these new flushers on their Top 10 list for Remodelers. My personal favorite was the power assist option that requires 120V power source to fire the .2 horsepower pump for those times that gravity just won't do.
Or do-do, as it were.
With a green wind starting to blow in Washington, builders, designers, and trades are all expecting a similar measure to become federal law in the next few years. Just like the incandescent bulb, the new lower low-flow flush will be norm and could reduce consumption of fresh water resources by up to 20 percent.
But not everyone is giddy.
A few industry heavy-weights have groused about what happened in 1994 when the feds dropped the allowable gpf maximum from three to 1.6 gallons. Complaints from customers about the toilets not operating properly were usually leveled at the plumbing contractors and not the manufacturers for poor performance design. This left many a small business owner footing the bill for callbacks and new installation.
Municipalities in water challenged areas will also have to deal with a lower volume of water passing through the pipes and treatment plants. Less water means a greater percentage of, well, non-water material which could foul older systems in unpredictable and possibly catastrophic ways. Imagine that, if you dare.
Then there is the general public perception of low-flow toilets that has to be dealt with. Compared to the roar and thunder of the 7 gpf monsters of the 1960's, these new johns seem downright anemic for many homeowners. Riding on the heels of the EnergyStar labeling program, the EPA has launched their WaterSense label which brands bowls that are certified by independent laboratory testing to "meet rigorous criteria for both performance and efficiency." A "cake and eat it too" scenario for the serious flusher.
However when it comes to urinals, avoid the cake.
One could argue, however, that if the consumer really wanted to "mellow yellow - brown down" the whole water consumption issue they would just go gray, as in gray-water.
Posted by Andrew Hunt at 7:30 AM | Comments (31) | TrackBack
January 5, 2008
Featured Green Building Program - EarthCraft House
There are about eight zillion local or regional green building programs in this country, and each of them have their own nuances.
So I thought it might be nice to start highlighting them, and looking at some of their projects. I'll start with SouthFace Energy Institute's EarthCraft House Program, since I've always liked these guys.
The program is based in Atlanta, Georgia and has certified over 5,000 buildings - single and multifamily. Southface offers training and education to builders, trades and homebuyers, technical support during the design and construction process, marketing support, and connections back to a number of national and federal government programs.
The program addresses green building and sustainability using a systems approach - a fancy and overused way of saying they consider the house a a system - like a car. Not a bunch of parts, but a whole. The program has options for new construction and renovation work.
Of particular interest is their whole house energy checklist.
And besides, they're pretty cool folks. Check out their initiatives on their Web site.
Anyone have a green building program they'd like to see highlighted here?
HAPPY NEW YEAR!
Stacy
Posted by Stacy Hunt at 8:35 AM | Comments (3) | TrackBack
