Read the full story in the McGill Reporter.
McGill has launched an online tool to help in the selection of more environmentally friendly materials for new construction and renovation projects. The Material Analysis Tool (MAT) is an online ranking system that distills manufacturer information to assist users in the selection of building products that are healthy and environmentally responsible. Designed to help McGill staff and contractors, the MAT is also available to the public.
Read the full story from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI).
The Lighting Research Center (LRC) at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute has launched the first interactive website to help homeowners, contractors and builders choose the right light bulbs, fixtures and controls to maximize energy savings, calculate lighting costs and achieve lighting effects to meet a wide range of needs in their homes. It also shows how to design safe, healthy lighting for aging adults.
The site, Lighting Patterns for Homes, helps homeowners and others navigate the increasing number of lighting options in today’s marketplace and allows them to see how various options will actually look by viewing photo-realistic illustrations created by 3-D modeling software.
May 28 at 12 P.M. CDT
Register at https://www1.gotomeeting.com/register/133134529
Learn How New Cooling Tower Treatment Systems Can Save Water, Money and Support Climate Change Resilience
Sponsored by:
Comparing Non-Traditional Water Treatment in Cooling Towers
Hear about how GSA, Region 8, and DOE/NREL are finding ways to dramatically reduce cooling tower water usage and treatment chemicals, which saves money and can support climate adaptation and resilience efforts.
Cooling towers, which are installed in many federal buildings, consume large amounts of potable water and contribute greatly to annual utility, maintenance and operation costs. Conventional cooling towers require that chemicals and fresh water is periodically added to the cooling tower system to prevent scale formulation, hinder biological growth, and inhibit corrosion in the chillers and piping systems. GSA and DOE/NREL analyzed several non-chemical cooling tower water treatment systems to identify systems that reduce building operation costs through reduced water and chemical use, and improved chiller energy efficiency.
Hear Their Story
GSA has a story to share on how new cooling tower treatment systems can help agencies save water and money, and support resiliency in drought-prone locations. Join us and hear this story.
What is a GreenGov Spotlight Community?
When multiple federal partners located near each other work together to leverage regional resources and help achieve the goals of President Obama’s Executive Order 13514, Federal Leadership in Environmental, Energy and Economic Performance. Spotlight Communities help cut government costs, increase efficiency, reduce carbon emissions, leverage resources among different agencies, and show us what is possible when we work together.
Part of WTTW’s program/interactive web site Ten Buildings That Changed America includes a section on Ten Building Trends That Could Change America. Several of these, including adaptive reuse, recycled building materials, energy efficiency, and architecture as public health, will be of interest to the green building community.
If you’re doing something with one of these technologies or have examples of specific projects, leave me a note in the comments.
Read the full story at Environmental Leader.
Scotts Miracle-Gro today said it has achieved its goal of removing phosphorus from its Turf Builder brand lawn food maintenance products.
The company first made this pledge two years ago on World Water Day as a partial solution to nutrient runoff that can lead to excessive algae growth in waterways. The 2011 phosphorus-free announcement expanded on an earlier commitment — to halve phosphorus content in lawn foods — Scotts made to stakeholders in 2006.
The company says it used more than 10 thousand tons of phosphorus to produce Turf Builder brand lawn food products in 2003.
Read the full story at Environmental Leader.
Composting is a major job creator, according to a new report released by the Institute for Local Self-Reliance (ILSR) nonprofit think tank in Washington, DC, in conjunction with International Compost Awareness Week. The report, based on a survey of Maryland composters, claims that 1,400 new full-time jobs could be supported for every million tons of yard trimmings and food scraps converted into compost that is used locally.
In Maryland, compostable items such as food scraps, grass clippings, wood chips and the like equal to about 780,000 tons each year, according to Patch.com. Composting those items, per the Pay Dirt: Composting in Maryland to Reduce Waste, Create Jobs, & Protect the Bay [pdf] report, would create twice as many jobs as sending waste to landfill, and four times the number of jobs as burning garbage.
Last week, GreenBiz ran a three-part series about an initiative on Microsoft’s main campus outside Seattle to use sensors, data, and analytics to bring a new level of efficiency to building operations — and to learn how to leverage that expertise for other companies. You’ll find Part 1 here followed by Part 2 and Part 3.
Read the full post at Curbed.
Last week, Curbed U explored the world of green buildings, but we only briefly touched on the financial benefits. Rick Cook, of the eco-minded firm COOKFOX, told us that building green costs only fractionally more than not building green, and today we’re diving into a report that supports this statement. Recently published by the World Green Building Council, The Business Case for Green Building details the cost benefits of structures built to sustainable standards like LEED and Energy Star.
The report compiles research from a multitude of studies to look at the lifecycle of a building and examine the financial benefits that a green building has for all of the stakeholders: designers, developers, owners, and occupants. It’s a comprehensive, 124-page report (PDF), and we pulled out a few of the most compelling points.
Read the full story in the Chicago Tribune.
As airplane travelers descend into Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport, they will soon have more than just a skyline view to look forward to — a herd of goats will also be viewable from the window seat.
The city’s Department of Aviation is expected to announce Wednesday that it has awarded a contract to Central Commissary Holdings LLC — operator of Lincoln Park restaurant Butcher & The Burger — to bring about 25 goats onto airport property, helping the airport launch its pilot vegetation-management program.
On April 30, 2013, U.S. Department of Energy’s Deputy Assistant Secretary for Energy Efficiency, Kathleen Hogan, announced the launch of the Better Buildings Residential Network at the ACI National Home Performance Conference and Leadership Summit in Denver, Colorado. The Better Buildings Residential Network connects energy efficiency programs and partners to share best practices and learn from each other to dramatically increase the number of American homes that are energy efficient.
Since 2010, the Building Technologies Office’s Better Buildings Neighborhood Program, its partners, and Home Performance with ENERGY STAR Sponsors and their partners have leveraged over $1 billion in federal funding and local resources to build more energy efficient communities. These programs have saved Americans money, created jobs and lowered greenhouse gas emissions.
The Building Technologies Office is now expanding this network of residential energy efficiency programs and partners to new members. The new Better Buildings Residential Network is engaging energy efficiency programs, state and local governments, financial institutions, nonprofits, universities, utilities, and other organizations to accelerate the pace of upgrades in American homes.
Inaugural members of the Better Buildings Residential Network include: AFC First, Austin Energy, Boulder County, Clean Energy Durham, Clean Energy Works, CNT Energy, City & County of Denver, GTECH Strategies, LEAP (Local Energy Alliance Program), Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments, Michigan Saves, Mountain Association for Community Economic Development (MACED), and the New York State Energy Research & Development Authority (NYSERDA).
Members benefit immediately by receiving access to monthly topical phone calls with their peers about residential energy efficiency strategies. Recent calls have discussed business partners and workforce development, driving demand, evaluation & data collection, financing, moderate- and low-income markets, program sustainability and revenue streams, along with other topics based on member requests. Additional member benefits include tools, templates, resources, and proven solutions shared by members, newsletter and other updates on residential energy efficiency trends, opportunities to be featured in U.S. Department of Energy materials and optional program benchmarking.
The Better Buildings Residential Network members provide the Building Technologies Office with an annual update of the number of residential energy efficiency upgrades completed in their sphere of influence, and share information about the benefits associated with completed upgrades. The data will be used by the Building Technologies Office and Better Buildings Residential Network members to run more effective programs, understand the impact of member efforts, and to promote the benefits of residential energy efficiency upgrades.
For more information, visit the Better Buildings Residential Network or email bbresidentialnetwork@ee.doe.gov.
