the family blog

12
APR

Energy 101: Geothermal Heat Pumps

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An energy-efficient heating and cooling alternative, the geothermal heat pump system moves heat from the ground to a building (or from a building to the ground) through a series of flexible pipe “loops” containing water. This edition of Energy 101 explores the benefits Geothermal and the science behind how it all comes together.

The California Energy Commission also has an excellent in-depth analysis on geothermal heat pumps. The Status of Geothermal Heat Pumps in California

The U.S. Department of Energy’s website ENERGY.GOV has a wealth of information as it relates to Science & Technology, Energy Sources, Energy Efficiency, the Environment and Prices & Trends. The EPA series of short videos related to Energy 101 topics are being posted on studio4llc.com to present entry level information related to Home Energy Assessment, Cool Roofs, Geothermal Heat Pumps, Solar PVs and Wind Turbines.




11
APR

Energy 101: Cool Roofs

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Environmentally friendly “Cool Roofs” reflect the sun’s heat, reduce both building cooling loads, lower utility bills, reduce the urban heat island effect and drastically reduce the amount of waste going into landfills.

Cool roofs for commercial and industrial buildings fall into one of three categories: roofs made from inherently cool roofing materials, roofs made of materials that have been coated with a solar reflective coating, or green planted roofs.

Cool roofs are one of the quickest and lowest cost ways we can reduce our global carbon emissions. Roofs and road pavement cover 50 to 65 percent of urban areas. Because they absorb so much heat, dark-colored roofs and roadways create what is called the “urban heat island effect,” where a city is significantly warmer than its surrounding rural areas. Cool roofs significantly reduce the heat island effect and improve air quality by reducing emissions. A recent study by researchers at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL) found that using cool roofs and cool pavements in cities around the world can help reduce the demand for air conditioning, cool entire cities, and potentially cancel the heating effect of up to two years of worldwide carbon dioxide emissions.

The U.S. Department of Energy’s website ENERGY.GOV has a wealth of information as it relates to Science & Technology, Energy Sources, Energy Efficiency, the Environment and Prices & Trends. The EPA series of short videos related to Energy 101 topics are being posted on studio4llc.com to present entry level information related to Home Energy Assessment, Cool Roofs, Geothermal Heat Pumps, Solar PVs and Wind Turbines.




7
APR

Energy 101: Home Energy Assessment

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A home energy assessment, also known as a home energy audit, is the first step to assess how much energy your home consumes and to evaluate what measures you can take to make your home more energy efficient. An assessment will show you problems that may, when corrected, save you significant amounts of money over time.

A home energy checkup helps owners determine where their house is losing energy and money - and how such problems can be corrected to make the home more energy efficient. A professional technician - often called an energy auditor - can give your home a checkup. You can also do some of the steps yourself. Items shown here include checking for leaks, examining insulation, inspecting the furnace and ductwork, performing a blower door test and using an infrared camera.

The U.S. Department of Energy’s website ENERGY.GOV has a wealth of information as it relates to Science & Technology, Energy Sources, Energy Efficiency, the Environment and Prices & Trends. The EPA series of short videos related to Energy 101 topics are being posted on studio4llc.com to present entry level information related to Home Energy Assessment, Cool Roofs, Geothermal Heat Pumps, Solar PVs and Wind Turbines.




14
MAR

The Dangers Of Going Green

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Too often design questions focus on protecting one aspect or another of nature. Instead, we need to look at how we can learn from nature.

Journalist and activist Jane Jacobs, infamous for her David-and-Goliath fights against powerful New York City bureaucracies, noted in her influential 1961 book, The Death and Life of Great American Cities, that sentimentalizing nature was dangerous. Why? Because people express a desire to preserve nature, when that desire is really to preserve an idea of nature so one-dimensional that it is defined as grass and trees and, well, that’s about it. This “schizophrenic attitude” leads to “several thousand more acres of our countryside … eaten by the bulldozers, covered by pavement, dotted with suburbanites who have killed the thing they thought they came to find. City parks and suburbs wipe away complex woodlands (nature) for sprawling lawns (still nature) with who-knows-how-many chemicals in them.

A similar dichotomy can be found in our built environments. We construct false environments of glass walls for light and filtered air to breathe, failing to see the complex connections between individual building systems, larger infrastructure and the environment.

Meanwhile, the battle cry for environmentalism is to “Go Green!” But going green has also become schizophrenic, developing into a random application of solar panels and wind turbines — a valiant but limited effort in resource renewal. Promoting underdeveloped technologies that pollute and expend a great amount of resources during their production is not using current and natural processes to promote real change. So it can be dangerous to “Go Green!”

So, it is ultimately not about protecting the environment — to “Go Green” and treat nature as a simple, pathetic creature. Instead, it’s about learning from the complex ecosystem of which we are a part. After all, the natural world has a fascinating breadth of examples if we are willing to explore beyond just the green. There is no silver bullet solution to challenges designers and architects face. Instead there are redundant, simultaneous, independent and endless solutions working for the whole.

Link to OPINION: The Dangers of Going Green




9
MAR

A Day Made of Glass

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Can you imagine organizing your daily schedule with a few touches on your bathroom mirror? Chatting with far-away relatives through interactive video on your kitchen counter? Reading a classic novel on a whisper-thin piece of flexible glass? Corning is not only imagining those scenarios – the company is engaged in research that could bring them alive in the not-too-distant future. You can get a glimpse of Corning’s vision in the new video, A Day Made of Glass.

Corning Chairman and CEO Wendell Weeks says Corning’s vision for the future includes a world in which myriad ordinary surfaces transform “from one-dimensional utility into sophisticated electronic devices.”

The video depicts a world in which interactive glass surfaces help you stay connected through seamless delivery of real-time information – whether you’re working, shopping, eating, or relaxing.

For an incredible look into the future. . .




6
MAR

A Product Is Only as Sustainable as the Sum of Its Parts

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Selecting sustainable cabinetry requires careful examination of multiple components.

One of those little inconveniences with documenting credits for a USGBC LEED for Homes certified project is tracking installed materials where their presence can involve both the Materials & Resources and Indoor Environmental Quality categories. This can become a tedious exercise when the material is actually a component consisting of several materials, as is the case with cabinetry and millwork.

Katy Tomsula wrote a good article on ebuild, The Sum of Its Parts, describing the various components – from raw materials to alternative materials to finishes – and how technology and manufacturers are addressing the environmental concerns associated with these materials.

“The formaldehyde levels of [composite] products have come down dramatically over the past 10 years,” says Dick Titus, executive vice president of the Kitchen Cabinet Manufacturers Association (KCMA).
Though low-VOC finishes are becoming more readily available, they’re not yet widespread due to concerns that their quality and richness aren’t always equivalent and the application may be unfamiliar.

With the many components that need exploring, it’s easy to get bogged down by the product selection process.




1
MAR

Leveraging the Landscape to Manage Water

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According to a report from the Sustainable Business Network of Greater Philadelphia, one inch of rainwater hitting one acre of asphalt over an hour yields 27,000 gallons of water. In many communities, this water flows into combined stormwater / sewer systems, which channel both sewage and rainwater together through underground pipes to central treatment facilities. Storms can quickly overrun these combined systems, leading to flooding with pollutant-laden water and even backed up sewage.

Adding in green infrastructure systems is not only good for managing water, but also good for communities. Green infrastructure can lower air temperatures, which is crucial in cities facing the Urban Heat Island effect. Green roofs can double-up as roof-top parks, farms, and natural habitats for wildlife, providing a range of benefits.

The term “Green infrastructure” is used to describe how networks of natural ecosystems also function as crucial community infrastructure, providing ecosystem services and improving environmental sustainability. In the context of managing stormwater, green infrastructure can be defined as man-made systems that mimic natural approaches. Green roofs, bioswales, bioretention ponds, and permeable pavements are a few key examples of local green infrastructure, and all work by turning hard asphalt surfaces into green, absorbent ones.

Source (with video): American Society of Landscape Architects (ASLA), Designing Our Future: Sustainable Landscapes




1
JAN

How Do You Perceive the Environment?

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Unless you’ve lived in isolation the past several years, you have no doubt heard there is something going on with the environment. Again. The media has saturated the airwaves and printing presses with countless reports that, via Anthropogenic Global Warming (AGW), the glaciers are melting, the oceans are rising, the rainforests are rapidly becoming nonexistent, the temperature of the earth’s near surface air and oceans has been rising since the mid-20th century - the end is near unless society succumbs to social engineering changes constructed by political and corporate sponsored programs such as Cap and Trade. It has been determined the earth is warming at an alarming rate and, with neither established protocol for peer review or debate, being proclaimed that the science is now settled. But what had science informed us in the past? Well, another report of near global destruction. In 1974, Time magazine printed an interesting expose titled “Science: Another Ice Age?” The scientific claim, then, was the earth was cooling at an alarming rate, as evidenced by scores of scientific data and examples, similar to the ones we read about today – global food shortages were predicted then as well. According to the Time magazine article, University of Toronto Climatologist Kenneth Hare, a former president of the Royal Meteorological Society warned:

“I don’t believe that the world’s present population is sustainable if there are more than three years like 1972 in a row.”

We could somehow surmise society took heed and, in the blink of a cosmic second, over corrected? Confused? You should be. Why then is this being discussed here? Because you, the consumer, must understand. In essence, there are two camps concerned about the environment. In one corner are the environmentalists – those who believe in Environmentalism. As expressed by well-known author Michael Crichton from his September 15, 2003 speech at the Commonwealth Club, San Francisco, CA, Environmentalism as Religion :

“One of the most powerful religions in the Western World is environmentalism. Environmentalism seems to be the religion of choice for urban atheists.”

“It seems facts aren’t necessary, because the tenets of environmentalism are all about belief. It’s about whether you are going to be a sinner or saved. Whether you are going to be one of the people on the side of salvation, or on the side of doom.”

“Because in the end, science offers us the only way out of politics. And if we allow science to become politicized, then we are lost. We will enter the Internet version of the dark ages, an era of shifting fears and wild prejudices, transmitted to people who don’t know any better. That’s not a good future for the human race. That’s our past. So it’s time to abandon the religion of environmentalism, and return to the science of environmentalism, and base our public policy decisions firmly on that.”

In the other corner stand those who are pro-environment, but anti-environmentalists. The pro-environment group is indeed concerned about the environment, but believes more reasoned assessments and subsequent remedies should be exercised - in other words, responsible sustainability.

So what do we know? What we do know is the fact the earth has survived numerous cyclic changes in climate and will continue to do so, with or without human intervention. However, what we have to understand is there is no argument that population growth and development practices and lifestyles do, in fact, cause harm to the environment. Those who are pro-environment get that. Environmental issues today are being successfully addressed through reasonable green building codes and green building rating systems. For both residential and non-residential construction, green building codes are being mandated throughout the country to address energy and water conservation, carbon dioxide emissions and an array of other environmental and health issues. And many will do so to varying degrees by offering optional increased levels of green construction.

Also what we know is that the participation of the family, as consumers, is of vital importance to the success of responsible environmental stewardship. These are the voices of influence, who rarely succumb to the messages from extremists on either side of the argument. This is why it is important for them to learn about the argument and then understand the reasonable and responsible responses toward solutions.




1
JAN

What the Consumer Needs to Understand

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In the U.S., the impact of buildings on resources reveals the following statistics: 40% energy use, 72% electrical consumption, 13.6% potable water use and a 39% contribution to carbon dioxide emissions. Unabated, the quality of our indoor air can be up to 100 times more contaminated than the quality of the air outside – and Americans spend 90% of their time indoors. There are approximately 120 million homes in the U.S. and about 2 million new homes are constructed each year. The residential sector alone accounts for 22% of the total energy consumed in the U.S., 7% of the water usage while also contributing 21% of the carbon dioxide being emitted.

According to a recent survey, consumer motivation for a green lifestyle had revealed 21% were interested in protecting their children’s future, 19% were concerned about increasing energy prices, 16% concerned about our reliance on foreign oil, while 14% were in the Global Warming camp. Yet another survey of 38,000 consumers revealed an astonishing 76% were interested in saving costs while only 24% placed the environment as their prime reason for being motivated toward green living. There is no denying that cost is an issue, as well it should be. This is why it is important to understand that responsible sustainability need not break anyone’s bank. Every little bit is singularly important to the environment, somewhere.

Some consumers express disappointment with the performance of their green home. For those who have new homes that were or are being built to conform to some level of sustainability, they need to understand that only the vehicle is being provided to them.

The owner of a new car must not only learn how to operate their new car, but also understand the importance of scheduled routine maintenance to the continued performance of their vehicle. As an example, take two families living next door to each other. One, the Jane family includes the mother, father and two teenage girls. Next door lives the John family with mother, father and two teenage boys. Each family buys an automobile. Identical automobiles - same make, model, power train and accessories. The Jane family drives responsibly, managing their daily trips and usage miles, obeying speed limits and having scheduled maintenance performed as recommended. On the other hand, there is John and his two teenage boys. Jumping in the car at every whim, total disregard for speed limits and changes the oil and spark plugs only when the car fails to start. Guess which family achieves the performance and reliability they expected when they purchased their brand new automobile? This same analogy applies to a sustainable building - that sustainable building is as well constructed and finely tuned as an automobile.

A sustainable home is greater than the sum of its pieces. While each of the individual pieces have meaning on their own, it’s when taken together - working in unison – where the meaning changes.

High performance buildings depend on these pieces being coordinated as a whole. For example, your sustainable home may use energy conservation measures designed to meet a certain performance level to save energy based on agreed to material and color selections. Change the colors from light to dark and flooring from carpet to ceramic and you’ve changed the original parameters. And, occasionally, these seemingly innocent changes are made too late, as the equipment had been installed. Now the dark colors reflect less light and absorb more of the sun’s energy and the ceramic tile acts as a heat sink. More artificial lighting is required, possibly additional cooling needed and certainly more electricity. A sustainable design and construction team are aware of the design and parts that must be applied before they begin the project.

However, given the fact that not only was the new home designed and built to specific parameters, the home will begin to degrade the day the keys are turned over. The homeowner needs to be aware of their responsibilities to ensure continued high performance. And this requires an education about their home and its design and construction parameters (e.g., energy and water conservation measures, indoor air quality equipment and operation). A green lifestyle may require a change in lifestyle. Learning the importance of how to use water and energy to maintaining the sustainable products and equipment are all fundamentally important.

For those who do not have a new green home, a multitude of free or low cost options are readily available for them to do their part in protecting the environment and at the same time save money in operational and maintenance expenses by living green lifestyles.




1
JAN

Environmental Greenwashing

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Greenwashing is any form of marketing or public relations that links a corporate, political, religious or nonprofit organization to a positive association with environmental issues for an unsustainable product, service, or practice. In some cases, an organization may truly offer a green product, service or practice. However, through marketing and public relations, one is wrongly led to believe this green value system is ubiquitous throughout the entire organization.

Greenwashing, on a corporate policy level, can be difficult to accurately assess because, according to most accounts, you can’t be just a little bit green. There has been much written about the motives of corporations adopting green policies - from being defeated by environmental activists to diverting public attention away from dismal records in other areas to being opportunistic by realizing they can make more green by being more green.

We, at the consumer and professional levels, aren’t capable of discerning the reasons for a company’s green purchasing or construction policies, or why they deliver green products to the marketplace. So what if there were ulterior motives as long as their policies and products do, in fact, help protect the environment? If the claims about green products are not misleading or false, the company should receive credit. However, Hefty trash bags, Pampers and Luvs disposable diapers and aerosol spray products, to name a few, have been taken to task for making false or misleading claims. Some self-proclaimed green producers found themselves being investigated by state attorneys general for false advertising and other offenses against the consumer.

For consumer protection against false or misleading marketing, there are groups that monitor green product claims. ECOLABEL INDEX




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