Bringing the Green Indoors: Beyond Humbolt County

For centuries, naturalists have want to live, work and play among the flowers.

Why?

Well, the answer is simple.

The mere presence of nature in an indoor setting acts as a powerful agent of calm, emboldening the porliferation of atmospheres contradictory to that of a-typical office/home/leisure habitats. Add a few plants and a water feature, and what was once a "daily grind" is now a workplace oasis. Spruce up a wall treatment with live foliage and open some windows for natural ventilation, and what was once flourecent and cold is now lush and tropical. Sick buildings are getting better, and good buildings are getting great.

With the growing resurgence in the popularity of greenspace --in addition to the numerous quests for modernity and LEED points-- I was interested in seeing how much decoration and design was now being centered on the interior, rather than the landscaped, space.

Not surprisingly, there are literally thousands of new products catering to the urban gardener/ horticulturalist/resident/emplyee/designer. Some are unique, some enhance user experience, and some even heal.

Others are, well, just a little loopy.

This post samples 10 concepts or products that bring the green behind your front door (and I need to say that I've had so much fun visiting and revisiting some of these concepts, that I might just do this again).

Eco Ball Garden Chair by Krejci

The Dutch designer's dual-purpose Eco Ball will be offered in eco-friendly materials: recycled plastic, biodegradeable plastic and shredded wood, binded together with biodegradable adhesive.

Green Fortune Plantwall at Uppsala Konsert & Kongress

This vertical application of greenery provides a powerful impact on the envirnonment where it is built. It is almost like being outside inside. Plantwall can be varied both in size and shape. Depending on the size of the wall and the impact you want to create the choice of plants can be adjusted. It is possible to create a sophisticated wall that keeps its look over time, as well as a wild, heavily growing wall.

The Fung + Blatt Lawnchair

...fabricated from renewable materials of steel, rubber and felt, and then finished with a layer of sod or ground cover. It is contoured for comfort and fully functional. Before sod, the chaise body weighs 25 lbs. and can be shipped dissembled from its base. When “upholstered” with sod, the lawnchair is easily movable by two people. The lawnchair is equipped with a built-in “moisturizing” system that promotes even distribution of moisture under the sod, thereby minimizing evaporation and run-off.

Living Wall Planters

This innovative growing system graces penthouse apartments in Paris and chic restaurants in Italy. It's easy to see why; no other plant display creates such drama while being so easy to maintain. These wall-mounted and freestanding models are an easy way to add a breathtaking plant display to your home. Each kit includes the planting grid, top and bottom trays, a cedar frame, mounting hardware and complete instructions.

Interior Weeds by Arwin Caljouw

Interior Weeds is a project about nature. The way that weeds emerge and grow in the streets, are for designer Arwin Caljouw a beautiful thing. It shows the power of plants in the human environment. With the center piece you can create an interior plantation from street weeds or other personal selection of plants. The graphic tiles are an addition to a plain tile collection, which you might apply in a random and unique way. Being aware of our environment is the starting point for this project.

Indoor Grass Planters by Metaphys

The Metaphys products are designed with the common idea and they are consistent with the idea even though different companies produce the products: the idea is that all the creative process should start from "observation." By observing things, you have the perspectives of the second and the third persons, and thereby you can avoid being subjective. [Here]

Wallplant Presentations by Christopher Steele

Metal objects used around plants must be selected very carefully and prepared for planting. Many metals form toxic salts on their surface when exposed to air and water. These salts may build up and kill any plant life that comes in contact.

So why plant on metal anyway? For me it represents the wabi-sabi nature of existence. Changing and decaying. The persistence of life transcending technology.

The Outdoor Room - Steven Harris Architects

The building's interior organization is driven by its unique south facing rear yard which is enclosed by blind 35 foot high walls, creating a condition of total privacy. This allows the rear façade to be completely transparent. It also makes a private outdoor room that serves as an extension of the living and dining spaces; entry to it is across a marble slab that bridges a reflecting pond. [$16.5 million]

Folding Greenhouse by Daniel Schipper

A light-weight, flexible, modular greenhouse especially suitable for small spaces like cityhouses, balconies, roof terraces or town gardens. My folding greenhouse is a frameless folding construction made of different components of recyclable plastic which can be folded flat or expand when required.

Schiavello Vertical Garden by Joost Baker

The ethereal beauty of the found product... metals and petals. Joost Bakker, a sculptor who uses leaf and flower, raw steel and discarded objects among his construction materials. "I'm not really into luxurious finishes, I like using things that people perceive as ugly", says Joost. Vertical Garden is a sculptural, almost architectural form, allowing leaf and flower to inhabit spaces, to create spaces, with a natural raw beauty.

Bury me a building with a tree on top...

Wow, what a nice reflection from the windows...

But wait, what's this view? From the inside, that's a...huh!?!?? Is that a window-curtained loading ramp leading to (shudder) yet another friggin' environmentally friendly parking garage?*

Or is it another crazy ski jump from Julien De Smedt, although I doubt that's the case given the unfortunate launch directly into the window. With De Smedt's concepts, however, you never know...

A walkable, livable, enjoyable green roof? Why, I think it is?!?!

I. Want.

OK, this building is old hat to most in the blogosphere, but I couldn't resist a repost.

About two months ago, the first shots of the School of Art, Design & Media, in Nanyang, Singapore came out and were, well, were grainy and pretty blah. Now, however, you can really soak it in...

Designed by CPG Consultants Pte Ltd, the award-winning design is five stories tall and is made entirely of raw, unpainted concrete, cement-sand screeded (screeded is right, yes?) floors, natural timber railings and raw glass.

It begs the question: is it a building with landscape or a landscape with a building?

Light goes in, heat waves stay out. Simple. The internal water feature in the sunken courtyard also provides additional cooling, and affords the possibility of grey water reclamation. It's funny though, all I can think of doing is giving a grandiose speech on one of the palmed islands in the middle while throngs of people lined the upper railings. It would make a CRAZY amphitheater!

Via HERE:

Located at the junction of Nanyang Ave and Nanyang Drive, the new iconic School of Art, Design and Media is situated in a wooded valley right in the heart of the campus.

The design was conceived as 3 intertwining blocks that are apparent natural extensions of the ground. These blocks interweave to enclose a picturesque plaza and landscape. Major spaces such as the Auditorium, Media Studios, library and art galleries surround this outdoor activity node.

Tucked indoors are complementary facilities such as Stop Motion Studio, 3-D Hi-End Computer Graphics Studio, Soundstage, Sound Recording Studios, Audio Visual Editing Suites, Hi-End Digital Post Studio etc.

The highlight of the building is the verdant turfed roof which blends with the ground contour. Apart from its visual impact, the turfed roofscape is a functional space which is easily accessible via sidesteps along the roof edge, thereby allowing the rooftop to be a scenic outdoor communal space. Environmentally, it helps to lower the roof temperature and surrounding areas.

The facade design is a glass curtain wall in neutral grey colour. The remaining parts of the building comprised off-form concrete walls which eschew painting or external rendering works.

The external finish is reserved in its primary condition to maintain its design integrity and naturalness. When night beckons, the building lights up like a beacon that announces its warm presence. The interior lighting streams through the glass curtain walls to render the building a dynamic stage against the backdrop of the external landscape.

*For those of you that don't know this yet, NO parking garage, regardless of LEED points, is environmentally friendly. Urbanize properly and through away the keys!

Best of Earth Day - 2008

Since I spent most of yesterday home with an ailing 17 month old who sounded more Tom Waits than Yo Gabba Gabba, it looks like I'm playing Earth Day catch-up. As a result, I decided to take a look to see what transpired in my absence.

I was a little surprised.

Times are shifting and attitudes are changing; specifically, mine. As I sat at home covered in baby grime, I couldn't help but watch the boobtube and think, "If I hear the word "green" one more time, I'm going to dump my television in a lake!"

Not very environmentally friendly, I know.

So I sampled various areas of the interweb to see if their green-washing was as bad as their Hollywood brethren and came back with a little more than I bargained for. Apparently, you can have waaaaaaaaaaaay too much of a good thing....especially if the good things are intentions.

***

The Candidates
Both of the Democratic candidates for president addressed Earth Day in formal statements, while it appears as though John McCain sat idly by on a sweaty turnbuckle.

Barack Obama: ...we can choose a different future – a future where America is energy independent, and no longer funding both sides in the war on terror; a future where we’re leading rather than undermining the global effort to combat climate change; and investing in green energy technology, and creating the jobs of the future.
Hillary Clinton: When I am president, our nation will lead the world to tackle the climate crisis - and lead the global economy in new clean energy industries.
John McCain: Tonight John McCain will show why he will "drop kick" the competition in the upcoming election with his appearance on the WWE's Monday Night Raw.

Full "Sports Entertainment" Disclosure: While all three candidates did, in fact, appear on WWE's wrestling program, it looks as though John McCain was the only to suffer from Hulkamania, seeing as his WWE appearance post was the last one published on his blog. There was no mention of Earth Day or Earth Day-related activities on his blogroll. We hope he gets well soon.

While you're here, why not check your candidate to see how they formally address the issue of global warming?

Obama on Energy & Environment
Clinton on Powering America's Future: New Energy, New Jobs
McCain on Stewards of Our Nation's Rich Natural Heritage

Not much to comment on here...just your typical political hoop-jumping. I never give political accolades on policy, they're an eight year commitment.

***

The Search Engines
In the spirit of another holiday, Yahoo and Google continued their battle to out-logo one another on their front pages. No offense to Yahoo, but somebody in their graphics department really phoned this one in. In their defense, the still shot shown below is not how it appears. It's actually a nice Flash transition, going from their old red logo to the one shown...that is, if anybody actually enjoyed flash images bogging down their webpages. But does this actually do anything? Sadly, AOL and Ask.com users were unable to ever see the logos, considering they were all unable to turn on their computers.
Really? That's the best of the best on the front pages of the world's top search engines? Where's the creativity? While I understand that my posts are never world-changing, I do it because I'm my own audience. The information I learn here carries over to my work. But when your company name is, in itself, a noun and a verb, you can afford to move a mountain or two with your audience.

Meh.

Google did, however, have an interactive pop-up thingy where you could see what the rest of the world was doing to support Mother Earth, but that was about it. Looks like some employees need to stop hackey-sacking in the nap room with their Jamba Juice after their in-house yoga class and start working.

***

The Tech Industry Big Guns
I'm beginning to understand that the best events/releases seem to be the most somber, not to mention that the process is made that much easier when you make a bazillion dollars per year. So here's the big whigs.

If you can learn anything from these guys, it's that understating your achievements will make them appear to shine a little brighter - something I never really noticed before until now. Let your work prove itself and let others extol the virtues therein.

See for yourself...you can really tell who's earnestly making an effort and who's got their drinking bird working the keyboard.

IBM: They took the SIMS and made it 50 times more boring by making their earth-saving video game, PowerUp, free to users online. Check out the game here. They also participated in events hosted by the Earth Day Network. Check out their corporate environmental policy here.

Microsoft: Bill and the gang took the creative step of turning the front page of MSN.com green. Yep, that's about it. Don't hate too much, though...the B&M Gates Foundation is still one of the most amazing and effective charities in the world. I'll support an annual approach to global issues than a one day bash any day.

Intel: They kept it simple with a front page sign that said Earth Day, Every Day. You could then click on a sign directing you to learn why Intel is the largest purchaser of renewable energy certificates. I was actually quite impressed with their work. Read more about it here. They're proof that if you are doing good things, you don't need to shout.

Dell: Dell hosted a computer recycling event in Washington DC in conjunction with the EPA, TechTurn and the National Recycling Coalition. They also accepted monitors, printers, cell phones and PDAs, as well as any other crappy Dell items you might have purchased that finally crapped out.

Sun Microsystems: Sun passed on the party hats (like Intel) and kept their Earth Day activities low-key, focusing instead on their core participation year-round. This concept probably has PR traditionalists up in arms, but will undoubtedly surpass the current model for horn-tooting (read: green washing). Check out their feature Earth Day story here and anticipate awesomeness.

Sidenote: And as much as the corporate big boys and mainstream search engines would (apparently) like to tout their environmental stewardship, there's a severely diseased branch of their tree that's extending from all of their trunks: the data centers. The google's and Yahoo's and Intel's of the world are nothing without their data centers, which are growing in size and need year after year. So while these mainstream corporations continue to steam forward (pun intended) with plans to save the planet, studies show that they're leaving their energy hogging data centers behind:

-Fifty-one percent of companies have a solid plan to green their IT operations, down from 55 percent in 2007.

-60 percent said they turn instead to green building standards from the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) from the nonprofit U.S. Green Building Council.

-Fewer company representatives expressed plans to pursue carbon credits to make up for their operations' emissions: 18 percent in the recent survey, showing a drop from one-quarter in 2007.

-Power demand by data centers doubled between 2000 and 2005.

-65 percent said they lacked precise plans for improvement.

It was interesting to note that the companies doing the most were often the companies publicizing the least. And while it's safe to say that the Intel's, Sun Systems and B&M Gates Foundations are making tremendous headway, I'm interested to see how they move forward and adjust to new market developments, specifically in the area of data storage. It won't be long before such important parts of their companies will be required by LEED and BREEAM to comply with self-sustainability standards. So if 90% of your building is environmentally friendly but the other 10% is using the same amount of energy as the 90%, what kind of impact are you really making?

***

The Environmental Protection Agency
In honor of Earth Day, the nexus of environmental protection known as the EPA, formally announced a winner to their 2008 photo contest. Out of over 750 entrants, a picture from Richard Burkhart of Battlecreek , MI (below) was chose as the winner of the Enjoying the Environment catagory. Two other categories, Protecting the Wildlife and Nature & Wildlife were also up for grabs.

On this spring day my wife and I were enjoying the environment and beauty of Battle Creek River. I find it extremely interesting that this photo was taken within four blocks from the heart of Battle Creek, MI. Sometimes we can find true beauty and enjoy nature real close to home or in our own back yard. The reason I chose this scene was of the reflections of the trees and natural framing of the picture in this location.

Granted, this isn't the extent of their actions. The EPA, in fact, joined up with many other businesses and corporations to sponsor and participate in much smaller events. But isn't it a little surprising that a Photo Contest was one of the only features on their front page.

***

Non-Profits
Just a small sampling of Earth Day events from some of the major environmental non-profits. I know this isn't much in terms of relevancy and scale, but I had to at least make a mention of their efforts.

National Wildlife Federation: Asked you to make your own Earth Day checklist [here].
World Wildlife Fund: Asked readers to make every day Earth Day and share their Earth Day experiences [here].
Greenpeace: Nothing unusual.
Earthcorps: They're celebrating the entire month of April as Earth month with various activites [here].
Arbor Day Foundation: Surprisingly, they're more in to Arbor Day than Earth Day. Who knew?
The Nature Conservancy: They're not doing much...just trying to plant a billion trees by Arbor Day [here].
Sierra Club: They helped recruit for Earth Day events [here].

More proof that if you're celebrating the Earth year-round, why need a special day? Notice that all the sites made the information available to the reader without forcing it down their throat. 5-10 years ago these sites would have been just as saturated with green backwash as green peakcock of NBC or the ironically sponsored Caterpillar Green Spot on the Discovery Channel website.

***

The Interweb
I also took a small moment to summarize the Earth Day happenings of various websites, but wasn't really sure where to begin. There is such a large pond to fish from, so where a good place to start?

Many, myself included, would agree that Time Magazine's Top 15 Greenest Websites isn't the best place to start, but it'll have to do. While I don't agree with the way the sites were ranked, what can it hurt?

The daunting task of sorting through the web, however, was all the more proof that environmental information is now readily available on the net, so much so that it loses credibility. The reader is becoming more and more savvy to empty facts and graphic persuasion that websites that can simply offer an arena in which to learn are rewarded with the largest audience. Basically, give us the facts in a timely manner and let us decide. Feed us compost and get called on it immediately.

I'd like to see a corporate website with an unmoderated comment section :)

1. Grist
A whole heck of a lot of articles. They also asked you to stop recycling...annoying green cliches [here].
2. Treehugger
Asked its readers what they were doing for Earth Day [here].
3. Dot Earth on the NYT
Looks like they also rest on the hippie Sabbath. No blog update yesterday.
4. Climate Change on the Guardian UK
Just the usual articles [here].
5. Real Climate
A simple wrap-up about the Eauropean Geophysical Conference [here].
6. Environmental Capital on the WSJ
Wondered aloud if Earth Day was actually good for the Earth [here].
7. No Impact Man
Colin Beaven asks how he can be the kind of person who wants to try? Can the way you live really make a difference [here]?
8. EcoGeek
Just the usual articles [here].
9. Ecorazzi
Covered the Green Apple Earth Day and it's usual celebrity-related events [here].
10. Switchboard
Covered a story about the Sox and a family in the Bronx trying to live green [here].
11. Mongabay
Featured an interesting, non-Earth Day article on the nomads of northern Kenya, the Turkana [here].
12. Climate Ethics
No update since 4/21.
13. Climate Progress
Asks you to intellectually dump Earth Day [here].
14. World Changing
(First, can somebody tell me how WC is #14? Top three, at least!). Anywhoo, WC covered some of the top Earth Day stories of 2008 [here].
15. Planet Ark
Nothing out of the ordinary.

Once again nobody is really celebrating or actively participating in Earth Day per se, other than the fact that most are going about their business as environmentally friendly way.

***

If the above sampling is any indication how future Earth Days will come to pass, I give the planet only a couple more years before the celebration is not only commonplace in every household, it will last year-round.From what I can tell it's a banner year for Earth Day, insomuch as it might be facing an enthusiastic death on its own accord. And I think corporate America is starting to fear the fact that we might find the other two r's: Reduce and Reuse.

No longer will shoppers grudgingly accept a petroleum-based bag at the grocery on days when they forgot their cloth, but rather reduce their trip to only what they can carry. No longer will the SUVs be accepted as status symbols on suburban streets simply because Oh, the Midwest is just a car-oriented community, but rather ridiculed with the same absurdity they merit on their 7-mile per gallon trips to the soccer field. And no longer consumers consume for the sake of consuming, but rather necessity.

The notion and need for April 22nd as an individual day of awareness is naive. Such celebrations used to be necessary, but have expired under the weight and saturation of information. The public is ready and able.

And I know my words --particularly the previous paragraph-- have been said time and time again, but the culture has shifted (i.e. yes, dagnabit...and this time we mean it!). There's an EV hybrid mass transportation unit purring quietly off in to the future. If you're a corporation, a television company, a search engine, industrial magnate, celebrity, or even (have you checked the stock prices lately?) a commodity, your position of history on the totem pole no longer matters. If you don't jump on board, you could easily be left behind.

It's official, Ohio blows...

It was inevitable...I poke a little fun at the diminutive scale of Ohio's brownfield (re)development, thus eluding to our slackeresque approach to renewable energies, and somebody sends me this:

Ohio development chief predicts area can be solar-energy capital

Ohio's top business booster predicted yesterday that northwest Ohio could one day be known as the solar-energy capital of the Midwest.

At the end of a year that saw more gloomy economic news locally, Lt. Gov. Lee Fisher, who directs the Ohio Department of Development, offered a relatively rosy forecast for the region. "I'm very optimistic about the future of the northwest Ohio economy," he said.

Citing the presence of firms involved in development and production of more cost-efficient solar panels in metro Toledo, plans for a commercial wind farm south of Bowling Green, and construction of ethanol plants elsewhere in the region, Mr. Fisher said northwest Ohio leads the state in alternative energy ventures." More HERE.
Wow. Who knew that Cleveland was worth more than rock-and-roll and horrible football (I was born and raised a Bengal's fan, so feel free to insert your joke here)? I know that most don't think green when they think of Ohio, but it looks like the sun/wind tides are turning.

Seriously though, I couldn't be happier. If anybody/anywhere is in need of revitalization, it's the Great Lake region. Since 2001 --the end of the most recent recession-- there's been a significant (5%) increase in employment nationwide. While that might be great for the US, the Midwest has seen little (if not damaging) change. It's evident that the 5% productivity is not consistent for each state:

"...Michigan and Ohio have continued to lose jobs. The problem, not surprisingly, is in manufacturing. Michigan and Ohio have lost 159,000 and 136,000 manufacturing jobs, respectively, since November 2001 (see table below). Ohio's losses add up to just under 15% of the state's manufacturing jobs, while Michigan has lost about 20%—or one in five—of such jobs. Only California, a much bigger state, has lost a greater number of manufacturing jobs."

Additionally...

"Michigan and Ohio rank No. 1 and 2 on mortgage finance company Fannie Mae's list of states with the largest credit losses through Sept. 30. Fannie Mae listed losses --loans written off as having no chance of being recovered-- of $185 million for Michigan and $101M for Ohio."

But...

"Michigan...ranked No. 4 in a 2004 U.S. Department of Energy report on new job potential in the wind energy sector. The top spot on the list belonged to California; Ohio was second."

Like I said, who knew? They might be in bad shape, but it looks like they're only going up.

With Congress authorizing $125 million for green job training in the US and the struggling Midwest looking green with potential energy, I can only hope and pray that we jump into the forefront of the sustainable energy movement. Given the fact that green collar jobs transcend the traditional blue and white, consequently affecting all income classes in the public sector, this would be a HUGE boost for our struggling neighbors up north. Companies, manufacturers, individuals and communities could all profit greatly! The sky is (literally) the limit.

Your environmental TMZ.com...

Those of you that work in the fields of marketing, advertising or promotions are undoubtedly aware of stock photography sites like Corbis, Stock Asylum, and Comstock. While those sites provide Ample (with a capital A) amounts of high-resolution pictures for your publication needs, I thought I should introduce you to another site that's broken ground. Green, fertile, organically composted ground.

Green Stock Media has soft-launched the beta version of their website. Similar to the aforementioned services, GSM sells rights managed and royalty free images for publication in books, magazines, digital products, presentations, websites and assignment photography, while also providing some images for purchase as fine art prints. No biggie, right?

Well, Green Stock Media has a small ace up their hemp cotton sleeve...

As the environmental movement continues to steam down the public transport track, more and more individuals and corporations are finding themselves cornered by the green, forced to explain their environmental stance. Websites, print publications, and press releases now need to convey that message in full. GSM provides the green imagery to compliment your memo, press release or website.

From GSM's web site:

Green Stock Media was created to visually promote the broad spectrum of environmental and sustainability issues, one image at a time. With demand growing for environmental information on a global scale publishers need fast access to high quality images documenting environmental problems, sustainable solutions, and the beauty and importance of nature. We are here to fill that need...


[Founder] Mike Kahn's career has focused at the crossroads of environmental education and digital media. Mike continues to work part-time for EcoIQ, a company promoting sustainability via a speakers bureau, EcoSpeakers.com, and a stock video footage agency, EcoFootage.com. He holds a Bachelor's degree in Sociology from U.C. Berkeley and an Associate's degree in Interactive Media Design from the Art Institute of California - San Francisco. Fun fact: In 2000 Mike road his bicycle 5,125 miles from California to Maine taking digital photos and posting them to his natural science education website. His electronic gear was powered by solar panels attached to his bike.

We wish Kahn luck in his new endeavor.

Curing sick buildings made for sick people...

I'm back but broken, so we're going to keep it pretty basic. I don't want to go and expose my immune system --or lack there of-- to all the viruses on teh interwebs (imagine Tommy Lee's .wmv file touching Tila Tequila's mySpace page...that's how germy I feel). So this is a simple, undemanding, clean post to bring me back.

Does your ICU need TLC?

With healthcare design beginning to crest at each and every green request, here's a wonderful report showcasing the various stages in which/on which/to which you can improve hospital performance. It seem pretty basic, but incorporates some case studies from UF, Emory, Kaiser Permanente and the Discovery Health Center, so it turns out to be an interesting read.

On a sidenote, isn't is funny how green tech no longer seems tech per se, but more "Hey, that's obvious"? I typed basic in the previous paragraph and paused for a moment.

I love looking back at the last two decades and seeing how far we've come. Now that the public is embracing sustainability, you'll read a report like the one featured below and wonder why they even need to point such obvious solutions, when only 15 years ago this report would have sounded like the operating instructions for an Excelsior NX-2000 Ship with experimental transwarp drive.

Likewise, I'm also amazed at how google can make you sound like a complete Star Trek junkie with one simple search, given the fact that my accumulated Star Trek watching amounts to paltry 2.34 seconds of my life.

It's the little things.

The report:

Building Healthy Hospitals:

The Pacific Southwest Regional Office of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has worked with architects, designers, engineers, healthcare facilities and healthcare professionals to identify the "Top 5 Green Building Strategies for Healthcare" that support the Joint Commission’s Environment of Care objectives and best combine: enhanced community reputation; benefits to the environment, patients and staff; and cost competitiveness. The overview summarizes the benefits and case study results for each of the five green building strategies.

Top 5 Green Building Strategies for Healthcare:

-Case Studies Overview (PDF)
-#1:Energy Efficiency—Integrated Design and HVAC Systems (PDF)
-#2:Process Water Efficiency (PDF)
-#3:Sustainable Flooring Material Selection (PDF)
-#4: Indoor Air Quality: Materials Selection (PDF)
-#5:Lighting Efficiency—Optimizing Artificial and Natural Lighting (PDF)

It might be a green collar, but I still wouldn't pop it...

What do the following have in common?

-Bicycle repair and bike delivery services
-Car and truck mechanic jobs, production jobs, and gas-station jobs related to biodiesel
-Energy retrofits to increase energy efficiency and conservation
-Green building
-Green waste composting on a large scale
-Hauling and reuse of construction materials and debris (C&D)
-Hazardous materials clean-up
-Landscaping
-Manufacturing jobs related to large scale production of appropriate technologies (i.e. solar panels, bike cargo systems, green waste bins, etc.)
-Materials reuse
-Non-toxic household cleaning in residential and commercial buildings
-Parks and open space expansion and maintenance
-Printing with non-toxic inks and dyes
-Public transit jobs related to driving, maintenance, and repair
-Recycling and reuse
-Small businesses producing products from recycled materials
-Solar installation
-Tree cutting and pruning
-Peri-urban and urban agriculture
-Water retrofits to increase water efficiency and conservation
-Whole home performance, including attic insulation, weatherization, etc.

They're new money!

The aforementioned jobs are just a small slice in a VAST growing section of green collar enterprise. The sustainable movement is attracting a whole new breed of worker, with various estimates reporting that green collar jobs could top 40M by 2030. CEO and founder, Mother Nature, was unavailable for comment.

And apparently --contrary to popular belief-- white and blue make green. This third sector is evolving into a growing market of labor AND tech, exhibiting DNA traits of both. Not to say that the job of your run-o-the-mill plumber is strictly blue collar. Lord knows I would flood my house in seconds flat if I were faced with a leaky garbage disposal. Additionally, traditional plumbing parts and fixtures are becoming more and more complex. So please don't think that I mean that with any disrespect. But the tech and labor green collar combo is so important because the market has never trended faster. General construction is now awash in a sea of green, so much so that even architects are running out ways to categorize information. Who will act as interpreter?

Washington DC is on the right track. Not only do they understand the need for growth, but they're keeping it local.

Their apprentice programs are training workers > Trained workers beautify the city > Pretty cities spur investment > Investment brings more work to trained workers.

There's the inner-city.
There's the unions.
There's Oakland.
There's the Bronx.

New Orleans, I'm looking at you.

From the DC website:

The community and economic benefits of Green Collar Job Training and job placement are many. Our apprenticeship programs:

-Provide employment opportunities to under-served urban populations;

-Build clean and green communities and prioritize the need for green collar jobs in urban centers;

-Teach fundamental, marketable skills in an interactive, hands-on, inquiry-based manner that makes learning easy and fun;

-Nurture confidence, social skills, and a healthy respect for environmental stewardship;

-Support businesses in improving products and services through customized horticultural enhancements and cost-saving techniques;

-Assist green job placement through partnerships with local businesses, regional green employers, and employment services agencies;

-Form viable partnerships with job-readiness, job placement, AmeriCorps, Youth Opportunity, Project Empowerment, and other workforce development programs;

-and Supply needed services and beautification to local sites utilized in our training courses.

If there's grass on the roof...

Green roofs, while conceptually and environmentally brilliant, have been plagued with something we are all to familiar with in the Midwest: weight.

In most cases, the majority of existing buildings have the space, but can't afford the load weight. Or often times, the building can afford to hold the roofing system, but would crumble under an additional moisture load. Such added weight is even a problem with on sloping roof systems.

"...green roofs can retain as much as fifty to seventy percent of water that falls onto a roof. Retention varies according to climate. Hutchinson et al reported that a 10 to 12 cm vegetated roof in Portland, Oregon retained 69% of the total rainfall with peak flow reductions of 80% during a 15-month monitoring period. Investigations in East Lansing, Michigan cdompared a gravel roof and a vegetated roof with the mean percent rainfall retention ranging from 48.7% for a gravel roof to 82.8% for a vegetated roof. A similar range was seen on two roofs of different slopes in Goldsboro, North Carolina. Total rainfall retention was 55% for the sloped roof and 63% for the flat roof. Peak flow was reduced by 57% for the sloped roof and 87% for the flat roof." WEBSITE

Poundage-be-damned, green roofing companies are finally beginning to recognize that the existing market is far more available than the future market, and have consequently begun to reduce the load weight in their systems. On company that caught my eye is GreenTech, a Roswell, Georgia based company that specializes in athletic fields, landscpaing systems, golf course systems, and yes, green roof systems.


They're no newcomer to the game, though. In addition to laying claim to New York's largest greenroof and the grass at Wimbledon, GreenTech has found a way to box out the weight and open up the lane to a lighter, newer, more accessible green roof.

***
From their website:

The GreenTech Roof Garden System weighs less than comparable systems for a couple reasons. Forklift and drainage channels displace soil with air. But more importantly, no drainage medium (gravel) is required in the system. This feature works to reduce weight of the system as well as cost of materials and labor.

***

So why is this system able to shed the pounds?

The system has built-in drainage channels that allow the water to flow through the soil into open channels and directly to roof drain outlets. At the same time, each high-density polyethylene module protects the roof surface from root infiltration and damage to the roof membrane. The result is a large planting surface -- with the all-important root depth -- that's more lightweight and flexible than other green roofs. Given the fact that it still discharges the water, some might view the system as less than substantial as other systems, but it needs to be kept in mind that the grey water discharge can be stored for landscape use.

Additionally, the GreenTech allows for almost 40 times the drainage and air flow capacity of conventional drainage systems. Even the drainage channels displace soil, resulting in a 20 to 40% weight reduction. You can even remove the individual sections to replace, repair, or modify the existing system.

But this is what I like most:

The system can be installed in very unlikely places. A back patio loft in the city can suddenly transform into a mini Central Park. You drop the crates, fill with dirt, cover with sod, and finish the edge (simplified, yes, but it is undoubtedly FAR MORE basic than most systems on the market). I like.

New two new USGBC websites...

In coordination with Greenbuild 2007, USGBC announces two new Web sites: a redesigned USGBC.org, and Greenbuild365.org.
The New USGBC.org

USGBC.org is now cleaner, smarter and easier to use. Whether you are new to green building or have been building green for years, you'll find everything you need with fewer clicks and less clutter.

Highlights include:

- a resource section to make it easier for projects to access credit templates;
- easier access to online reference guides and LEED reference documents;
- resources for members and chapters; and
- educational offerings and workshop listings.

Introducing Greenbuild365.org

Visit http://www.greenbuild365.org/ to:

- View free, live streaming videos of the conference's keynote and master speakers, including former President Bill Clinton;
- Read a journal covering the event highlights; and
- Share your perspectives on green building issues via interactive polls.

Leasing the undercoating?

As we continue to reinvent the wheel, we're adding new spokes to hold it all together. From the organically turned compost sprouts new (and yet to be thought of) jobs/concepts/commodities.


For instance, this excerpt from Springwise:

...Norway’s two-seat, electric-powered Think City car—set to go on sale in the coming months—will come with an owner financing package unheard of in the auto industry. Consumers will pay an estimated USD 15,000 to 17,000 for the vehicle, but the company plans to lease the Think’s battery. And for good reason: on its own, the battery would cost an estimated USD 34,000, more than the price of a low-end luxury vehicle in most countries. Moreover, the Think battery’s useful life will depend on how the vehicle is used. Meaning: if Think owners were compelled to buy the battery along with the car, they’d be assuming risks few vehicle buyers would tolerate.

The workaround Think has devised is a USD 100-200 per month bundle that will include the battery lease plus other services such as insurance and mobile internet access. The latter will enable the company to remotely monitor the battery’s remaining useful life. As the battery’s ability to recharge declines with age, the company will automatically offer owners the chance to replace it or alternately keep the battery in exchange for a lower monthly leasing fee.

Leasing a battery?

Not a bad idea, only I've always been the kind of guy that is/was/still is afraid of over-bundling, be it a cell phone contract, airline mile-purchased plane ticket, satellite radio automatic contract renewal, magazine subscription, etc.

I'm just waiting for the day when I'm pained to find out that the Think car you purchased can ONLY work with the "locked-in" batteries they lease, thus killing the chance at open market competition.

So why is this entrepenewship so special? Apparently, it runs against the grain of every established business model.

For quite some time, businesses have based their profitability on the bottom line and nothing more. Waste reduction interested businesses if, and only if, the waste could be used to make more of the end product, thus helping the bottom line. The actual work involved in counting non-profitable waste post-production took time.

And we all know that time is money.

Unfortunately for the old schooled, there will no longer be much of a choice.

In the future if you waste, waste is just as expensive (if not more) than time.

A proposal from an article in Business 3.0 from FastCompany:

A good start [in greening the market] would be reducing the income tax and augmenting it with graduated taxes on ecologically harmful activities, along with federally consistent mandates requiring companies to take greater responsibility for their own waste streams and for their products at end-of-life. These reforms would align both consumers' and businesses' understanding of a given product's total cost to the planet, and allow both to make more informed decisions.

Practicing such "true cost" economics will unlock a powerful wave of product redesign, much of it hidden from the consumer's eyes, as companies seek to lighten their own burden when they get a product back at the end of its useful life. A focus on the total life cycle will amplify an entire nascent branch of creative engineering: Design for low-cost disassembly will become as important as design for low-cost assembly, with elements such as lead-free solders, modular construction, snap-fit rather than epoxy-based joints, and biodegradable plastics becoming the norm. Consumers would benefit from products that last longer, are easier to fix when they break, and become the basic inputs to other industrial processes when they're taken out of commission.

By attaching economic value to the elimination of waste, we also increase the likelihood that innovators will seek out and discover that rarest of capitalist prizes: the twofer. Enterprising 21st-century capitalists will make a name and a fortune for themselves by getting paid twice--once for eliminating some bit of a harmful waste stream, and a second time for spinning that waste into industrially useful gold.

While the extravagantly hedge-funded might be shaking in their John Lobb Ghillies, afraid to clip some of the weighty branches from the family tree (all the while knowing full-well the tree is a danger to their Hampton estate), able-minded visionaries like Fredrick Musonda of Zambia are leading change for the benefit of their families, their country, and the environment.


Developing nation or forward thinking?

Fredrick's vision-turned reality:

Living in Lusaka, Fredrick Musonda noticed two things. Increasing demand for the most common fuel, charcoal, was supplied by native trees ‘carbonized’ in simple, but inefficient, earth kilns. And the local sawmill, using logs from eucalyptus plantations, simply burned the waste from its operations. So he started a company to manufacture charcoal from sawmill waste in more efficient kilns.

This was an important step in a country where demand for charcoal, already 900,000 tonnes a year, is rising by 4 per cent annually. This growth, together with inefficient production methods, increases deforestation – and the associated soil erosion, water pollution and biodiversity loss – leading Zambians to an unsustainable energy future.

When others continue to change the way we work / spend / design / live, what happens to those businesses/governments that continue to focus on the exhausted / squandered / antiquated / dead?

Does the future have room for the large-scale? Grandiose? Corporate conglomerate?

Looks like even WalMart gets the idea.

Welcome to the non-industrial revolution.

All aboard.

Or not.

Cutting up the credit card (offers)...

With an estimated 850,000 tons of waste generated annually, credit card companies are the bane of my mailbox's existence. I have two Citi cards and receive a credit offer almost daily for each card, even though both offers are identical!

So once a month my wife and I put on our oven mitts and gather around the shredder, the motor burning lava-hot as it wheezes through the No Annual Fees! and Low Interest Rate! offers. Four hours later, we walk out to the mailbox and begin our collection again.

Will the cycle ever stop?

Well, there are many options to attack the credit card companies, some more extreme than the next.

1. OptOutPrescreen
I originally ran across this site less than a year ago and was stoked to learn that I could opt out online. However, I never filled out the form because it asked for my SSN and that turned on my panic alarm. Further digging assuaged my concerns and as of today, I am electronically opted out for the next five years (you can also call toll free 1-888-5-OPTOUT). The site is 128bit SSL encrypted, but make sure you type in the URL yourself, seeing as phishers might set up fake URL's similar in look.

2. Green Dimes

Purchase a Junk Mail Reduction Kit from Green Dimes ($15) and you'll be prompted to enter the names of yourself and everyone in your household. Two to four weeks after it's activated, you'll receive some customized cards that you can direct to snailmail spammers that flood your mailbox with Resident or Occupant letters. They'll also register your name with catalog mailers. Additionally, for every junk mail reduction kit that's purchased, they'll plant ten trees!

3. Change your preference listing with the Direct Marketing Association by sending a postcard or letter to:

Mail Preference Service

Direct Marketing Association

PO Box 643

Carmel, NY 15012-0643

Include your complete name, address, zip code and a request to "activate the preference service". For up to five years, this will stop mail from all member organizations that you have not specifically ordered products from. They process 50,000 requests a month and requests are kept active for five years. If you fill out the post office change of address form, the DMA will track the new address (you'll get a few months of mailings to the new address before they catch up to you). It can take up to six months for your request to be fully processed. You can also opt-out online, but they charge $5. The best way is to fill out their online form, then mail them a printout.

4. Catalogs

Catalogs are easy. Just call the company's 800 number listed on the catalog and get their fax number. Tell the CSR that your would like to opt-out from receiving catalogs. Be sure to get their name and keep it as a reference. Now, look on the label of the catalog. There should be an identifying box like Customer # or Source Code. Circle your customer number and write your instructions to Opt-Out on the mailing label and fax it to the company. Be sure to note "ATTN: customer service". Additionally, you can tear off the label, write your instructions on it, and enclose in the postage-paid ordering envelope. Mark envelope "ATTN: customer service". This method is the least effective.

5. Val-Pak Coupons

Click the link above and fill out the form, but don't give them your email address.

Other Tips:
-Whenever you donate money, order a product or service, or fill out a warranty card, write in large letters, "Please do not sell my name or address". Most organizations will properly mark your name in the computer.
-Product warranty cards are are often used to collection information on your habits and income, for the sole purpose of targeting direct mail. They are not required in most situations - avoid sending them.
-On the telephone, ask "Please mark my account so that my name is not traded or sold to other companies". Your credit card company probably sells your name the most often. Call them and ask them to stop.
-"Contests" where you fill in a little entry blank are almost always fishing expeditions for names. -If you fill one out at a football game, for example, expect to get a catalog of football merchandise within a few months. Avoid these if you don't want the mail.
-Select a false middle name or initial for each charity or business you deal with. Keep track of which letter goes with which organization. You can also select a false road designator, "avenue, place, circle, street, highway, parkway, etc.". This step can be very revealing. Some guides recommend changing the spelling of your name, but this can lead to duplicate mailings.

-Return the postage-paid envelopes blank/empty and make them eat the cost of postage.

Want to do some good with plastic?

Barclaycard Breathe
Through this UK-based credit card, 50% of all profit will go to carbon reduction projects around the world, such as Solar4Schools, renewable energy and forest preservation in Brazil, a hydropower and wind project in China.

Generic posting due to chaos...

My world is imploding right now, so I'm just going to do a quick post...


Architects, Designers and Urban Planners should all check out Smart City Radio, a weekly, hour-long public radio talk show that takes an in-depth look at urban life, the people, places, ideas and trends shaping cities. Host Carol Coletta talks with national and international public policy experts, elected officials, economists, business leaders, artists, developers, planners and others for a penetrating discussion of urban issues.

They also have a wonderful archive of past shows. Check it out!

That's Ecofantastic!!! Day 6...

Ecofantastic: A product/method/ideology so absurdly priced/developed/formulated that its irrationality transcends any purposeful usage and/or implementation into the present-day green movement, to the point of almost becoming fantasy.

Ecofantastic: Your platinum, diamond-encrusted small wind ecobling...

[Thanks, Deena]

Neighbors fight, states scramble over clean power

By Thom Patterson
CNN

Curt Mann's neighbors are livid, accusing him of erecting an ugly wind turbine among their historic homes for no other reason than to show off his environmental "bling."

The 49-year-old residential developer is remodeling his 1920s house to be more environmentally friendly, including installation of a 45-foot-tall wind turbine in his front yard. "It's really none of their business how I spend my money," Mann said.

The towering turbine, which overlooks majestic trees and Victorian rooftops, pits preservationists in Atlanta's Grant Park Historic District against a property owner and his individual rights.

"It's unattractive and it's a nuisance," said Scott Herzinger, whose home is three doors down. Mann "invaded the public view ... when he put that tower up."

In blustery regions, home turbines can cut power bills by up to 80 percent. But opponents claim Mann's wind turbine needlessly threatens neighborhood property values because Atlanta's low winds don't produce enough speed to make the device worthwhile.

At a cost of $15,000, Mann said the turbine will shave at least $20 per month off his power bill -- hardly a windfall. A proposed federal tax credit would bring Mann $3,000. Acknowledging it could be decades before his investment pays off, Mann said, "even if it was a 50-year payback, at least we've done something to reduce our dependency on fossil fuels."

Let's hope for a trickle down...

A huge verdict has been won in Vermont with major implications on the rest of the country. No, it doesn't involve Adam and Steve...

The Law Offices of Mathew F. Pawa, the representative firm of the state of Vermont, have won a major environmental case against Green Mountan Dealers, the Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers, DaimlerChrysler, and General Motors. In the fall of 2005 the state of Vermont passed new regulations that establish greenhouse gas (“GHG”) emissions standards for new
automobiles (similar to that of California). The aforementioned motormen filed a complaint seeking relief from this law...and lost!

It's amusing they would bring such a suit, given their commitment to Environmental Stewardship:

GM's Environmental Responsibility
DaimlerChrysler's Sustainability Initiatives

For complete press coverage, check out these press releases from Pawa:

The New York Times
Christian Science Monitor
The Wall Street Journal
The Jurist

Other intertube coverage can be found here:

Google News
World War 4 Report
CNS News
YubaNet
Eco-Justice Blog
Top Yeti Gadget XR (great breakdown of the story)

Congratulations to Mr. Pawa and the rest of their firm. I wish them continued good luck in their future endeavors.

Huge pipes with big laser beams on their heads...

Off we go into the cold blue/warm red yonder...

I am a big proponent of grandiose scheming when it comes to green design, but I'm filled with trepidation when it comes to the screwing-with of Mother Nature's methods. She's existed this long for good reason, and throwing a stick into the spokes to get the bicycle to stop speeding down the environmental hill might not be the best method to slow down global warming.

BldgBlog has yet another interesting post, this one concentrating on James Lovelock's grandiose scheme to line the ocean with a bazillion vertical pipes in order to pump nutrient-rich seawater from the depths of the seafloor to the surface. He posits that the pipes would spur algaeic (my word) growth, thus spurring the "natural" consumption of carbon dioxide.



The concept of deep water exploitation is not a new one. Since 2004, the city of Toronto has been utilizing a 5 km long pipe to draw cold water from the depths of Lake Ontario and distribute it to office towers for air conditioning, Cornell University employs a similar program from Lake Cayuga, Stockholm uses deep sea waters for air conditioning, and Honolulu is debating doing the same.

Additionally, many geothermal pockets in the earth are being tapped in the US to heat and cool buildings. Las Vegas, in their infinite hotness, is desperately scurrying under their gambling tables for a viable source of cool earth.

Similarly, China has gone batty over geothermal exploration:

Last year alone, China added 102 gigawatts to its electrical grid--roughly twice the total capacity of California's--and about 90% of that came from carbon-belching coal plants... The China Energy Research Society expects 110 gigawatt hours (GWh) to be produced through geothermal power nationally by 2010, out of 2.7 million GWh in total.

Take Steven Holl's Linked Hybrid in Bejing, a community of buildings that employs 45 bajillion (my estimation...I think it's actually around 600) geothermal wells beneath its span.


While the majority of this award-winning design rests on firmly-grounded pillars, one must wonder what effect it has on the supporting ground mass to, in essence, dispose of half of that ground's strength by drilling well after well, side-by-side.


You must admit, those green roofs make you drool a little bit.

Given the building's weight, their must be some reduction in foundation integrity. Keep in mind, of course, that I have ZERO education and/or knowledge in architecture and engineering. I just like to ask questions :)

To get a firm understanding on the "hybrid" aspect of this project and its innovations linking building to building, watch this video (they start talking about the building about 3:00 into it):



While the reduced energy usage resulted from this practice is being lauded as the next big elucidation in eco-friendly heating and cooling, one must ask if we're not, in fact, warming the earth in areas we have never warmed before? Fortunately, most proposed installations are now carrying out environmental impact studies prior to their installation, but as we all know with green design/ideas/hypotheses, the trend usually precedes the technology.

My question is this:

If you're pulling cold air from the earth or sea, what takes its place? Are we not warming one area and compromising another?

Not to mention, you might cause an earthquake or two.