Four the Future - November 3

Today: helping you breathe easier.

• New U.S. Standards Take Aim at Truck Emissions and Fuel Economy
  Source: New York Times; October 25, 2010
  Summary: The Obama administration is proposing new fuel efficiency rules for heavy vehicles, mainly "tractor-trailers, buses, delivery vans, heavy pickup trucks, [and] cement mixers" for vehicles manufactured between 2014 and 2018. Changes are intended to reduce fuel consumption by 10 to 20 percent, depending on type. A recent study showed that fuel consumption could be reduced by up to 50 percent.
  
  
  
  Opinion: The study cited above states that for the cost of $84,600 per tractor-trailer, fuel efficiency could be doubled, offering a return on investment of 10% as long as fuel was at least $1.10 per gallon. As of October 25, the cost of diesel fuel is $3.067 per gallon, up $0.266 from last year, which means the ROI would be much higher.
  
• Mercury emissions too high during incinerator test
  Source: Spokesman-Review; September 17, 2010
  Summary: During its annual air-quality testing, Spokane’s Waste-to-Energy plant failed its mercury emissions test. The plant has an effective "carbon pollution control system" to capture mercury prior to release, but it is turned off during testing to prove that it doesn't need it.
  Opinion: Um, apparently, it does need it.
  
• Lowe’s and Wal-Mart pay multimillions in air pollution fines
  Source: Los Angeles Times; October 29, 2010
  Summary: Lowe’s will pay $2.75 million, and Wal-Mart will pay $2 million in a settlement for having sold paint that causes smog.
  Opinion: One of the important parts of the green building movement is to make the places we occupy healthier for people. One of the requirements to qualify for recognition as a green building is the use of paints and coverings that emit fewer, or no, volatile organic compounds (VOC). Consumer Reports ran an article regarding these paints last year. Standards will change over time, producing improved respiratory health, but either our expectations for paint will have to change or the coverings industry must find ways to provide their product without harming their customers.
  
• Agency offers seminars on proper wood burning
  Source: Spokesman-Review; October 21, 2010
  Summary: The Spokane Regional Clean Air Agency (SRCAA) is offering seminars on how to burn wood cleanly at 11 AM to noon the next two Saturdays at three locations around the region. You may also receive more information directly from the agency with a brochure or DVD.
  Opinion: Spokane sits in a big valley that, when there’s an inversion, the air near the ground cannot escape. In that case, all the smoke emitted by fireplaces stays here in the valley. The SRCAA is responsible for enforcing burning restrictions to maintain air quality in Spokane when there’s an inversion. When people burn cleanly, it not only improves our air quality, but clean-burners get to use their wood burning appliance when dirty ones cannot.
  

Review: The Nature of Cities

The Nature of Cities is a documentary which explores ways in which nature can be integrated into urban landscapes to reduce energy consumption, improve health, inspire curiosity, and build community (not to mention reconnecting urban dwellers to the nature around them).

The film takes us to locations around the US and Europe, including Austin, New York, San Diego and cities in Sweden, The Netherlands and France. Each location has a story to tell about how the community is improved by adopting "regenerative systems."

Austin contributes stories about how the transportation department designed bridges to encourage bat habitation and the reaction of city dwellers to having a million bats living within their midst (I assure you, it's positive!) and a native plant garden which is helping restore the landscape. San Diego's canyons, saved from development due to steep terrain and flooding streams, are nature preserves which can bring people from diverse neighborhoods together for recreational purposes.

The European cities contribute stories about green roof designs which extend the life of the building, manage rainwater, and reduce building heating costs. There are communities which have managed to reduce their dependence on automobiles, which allows those developments to turn the streets into gardens and playgrounds. One development retains a forested area which is far more used than a standard playground because it is more interesting with more things to explore and discover.

The video is a survey, certainly not a how-to, but it does provide food for thought. I would encourage viewers to look at the various design elements to think about what kinds of things appeal to them. The ideas presented are site-specific, and there shouldn't be a need to replicate them precisely. But, for instance, where there is a water feature fed by captured rainwater which otherwise be a flooding hazard, should it have a waterfall? What kinds of plants would you want to keep the water clean and provide an attractive space? Critically important: what would make it fun for the kids?

Below is a short preview of the movie. For those of you lucky enough to have access to the regional university libraries, it is available for checkout.



The DVD is available for $24.95 for individuals at the Throughline Productions web site.

References
Davis, C., Beatley, T., Kellert, S. R., Louv, R., Oblinger, M., Throughline Productions (Firm), & Electric Lodge (Firm). (2009). The nature of cities. Boulder, Colo.: Throughline Productions.

Four the Future - September 17

Today, all about making better buildings: healthier, cooler, warmer, and efficient.

• Green buildings may make employees feel better, a study finds
  Source: Los Angeles Times; September 8, 2010
  Summary: Green building isn't merely about environmental concerns, but also with the productivity and well-being of building occupants. The University of Michigan studies two groups of workers who moved into a green office building. It was found that absenteeism due to "asthma, allergies, depression and stress" decreased. Productivity increased. The study appears in the September edition of the American Journal of Public Health.
  Opinion: Green building reduces operating costs, reduces the burden on the environment, and improves worker productivity. More study will have to be done to quantify the effect, but it was already a valuable thing even if you don't care about the quantified increase in worker well-being.
  
• Air Conditioning Using 90 Percent Less Power
  Source: Miller-McCune; September 9, 2010
  Summary: Researchers at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory have invented a swamp cooler which uses a desiccant (like the little packets found in consumer electronics and some pharmaceuticals that say "do not eat") to reduce the amount of energy necessary to cool a building. In dry climates, the newly developed cooler uses only 10% of the energy of high efficiency compressor systems. In wetter climates, it uses 50% less. Power consumption can be reduced more by using solar heating to drive off the absorbed water. Cooling systems currently use 14% of all energy in the United States. Commercially available units could be on the market in two or three years.
  Opinion: New technologies could make great strides. If this research pans out, this is one solution could vastly reduce the amount of energy a building uses. And, because air conditioners are used during peak energy time of day, it will disproportionately reduce our dependence on carbon emitting energy production from gas and coal.
• Body Heat to Warm Up French Apartments
  Source: TriplePundit; September 10, 2010
  Summary: Subways get hot due, in part, to all the people in them. On average, each passenger generates approximately 100 watts of energy per ride. So, French engineers in Paris are using the principles of geothermal, 17 apartments will be heated using a heat exchange. A link already exists between the subway and the apartment, so it's feasible in this situation, but it’s currently too expensive to retrofit it in other locations. But, other cities are looking at the concept for their systems.
  
  
  
  Opinion: Using cold air from an apartment to cool passengers while using warm air to heat the apartments. Imagine that. Two problems, when seen as part of a system, can become its own solution. This type of systems thinking is what is driving the sustainability movement. Nothing exists isolated from everything else.
  
• Climate-change study: Today's power plants aren't the problem
  Source: Christian Science Monitor; September 9, 2010
  Summary: Current sources of greenhouse gases are bad enough, but pale in comparison to the carbon emitters of the future. Creating sources of energy which prevent the creation of new carbon-emitting plants must be emphasized. We’re not going to start switching out the emitters we already have. Technological innovation is necessary to prevent their spread. If the each plant in the current inventory of emitters is allowed to operate for its full design life, global average temperatures would remain below the 2 C (3.6 F) threshold.
  Opinion: Creating more efficient buildings, and retrofitting current ones with advanced technologies, is necessary to prevent the construction of many more emitting plants when new buildings are being constructed all the time. The new buildings may be necessary, but the emissions from their energy use must be avoided.
  

Four the Future - September 10

For your Friday pleasure: planned demolitions, green building, college traffic, and housing policy.

• City may tear down part of former dairy
  Source: Spokesman-Review; September 3, 2010
  Summary: The city purchased a couple of buildings that were part of the old Carnation Dairy as part of the proceeds of a 1999 bond. (This is at the location of the Caterina Winery, but that is not part of the city’s property.) The parks department doesn’t seem to have a use for the buildings, so, since they are currently presenting a hazard, they are considering demolishing them, potentially at the same time as the demolition of the YMCA.
  
  
  
  Opinion: This is where the Mobius science center will not be. What will be there? Make your voice heard by contacting the board! According to the environmental survey for these buildings, it appears that extensive asbestos mitigation will be necessary prior to demolition. After that mitigation, I wonder how much of the building materials can be reused, and whether the City requires that on their own demolition projects. Reusing the bricks, for instance, would be an environmentally supportive way of improving a new building.
  
• Green Building: A Real Estate Revolution? (Part One) (Part Two)
  Source: All Things Considered, National Public Radio; September 7-8, 2010
  Summary: Audio! There is a boom of green building underway in America. A decade ago, virtually no one knew what LEED was, but now it (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) is credited with bringing green building to the attention of builders across the country. Each building seeking LEED Certification receives points for improving the performance of a building; the more points, the higher the rating. Using less water, less energy, or improving the space for its occupants can be used to gain a high rating. Many professionals are receiving accreditation. But some critics of the system find it lacking.
  
  
  
  Opinion: While I have heard that the certification process isn't for every project, even when the developer is consciously attempting to achieve a high-performance building, I support its existence. Perhaps over time, there will be widely available competing certification programs, such as Built Green, provided there's some way for the consumer to know it's not merely marketing or greenwashing
  
• Traffic changes proposed near NIC for education corridor
  Source: Spokesman-Review; September 7, 2010
  Summary: A proposal would change traffic patterns on Northwest Boulevard in Coeur d’Alene to provide more access to North Idaho College. It is intended to expand an "education corridor" and the integration of several schools of higher education to share resources and expand opportunities.
  Opinion: Planning often integrates the needs of various concepts which are usually thought of separately. Hence the need for strong, integrated comprehensive plans linked to the mission and values of the community.
  
• Housing Woes Bring New Cry: Let Market Fall
  Source: New York Times; September 5, 2010
  Summary: The housing market is on the verge of a crash. Prices are going down, and now that the tax credits, mortgage modification programs, low interest rates, government insured loans and other assistance, are coming to an end they're poised to go down more. The administration now has to choose between current homeowners and future homeowners.
  Opinion:Traditionally, government's role has been to ensure adequate supply of affordable housing. What is the government interest in artificially boosting housing costs? Shouldn't homes be less expensive, not more expensive? If the housing bubble was a bad thing, why are we as taxpayers maintaining it? Government has a role in subsidizing public services and encouraging developing technologies. Home ownership is a private activity in a mature industry. Let the market correct itself.

Four the Future - September 6

Today: Using the aquifer to keep the aquifer full, and transportation investments (or not)

• Obama to Call for $50 Billion Spending on Public Works
  Source: New York Times; September 6, 2010
  Summary: Today, President Obama will propose spending $50 billion to improve the nation’s transportation infrastructure. The plan will fund 15,000 miles of roads, 4,000 miles of rail, and 150 miles of airport runways. Every few years, Congress passes its multi-year transportation bill. Prospects are dim for this year.
  Opinion: The general public doesn’t know that Congress is habitually late with its transportation bills. It’s operating under a continuing resolution now. These funds are intended to "frontload" the 6-year plan, hopefully to increase the number of construction jobs available. These kinds of infrastructure jobs pay dividends for a generation, and it’s so much better than make-work.
  Since we’re talking about the transportation bill, I want to make my ongoing pitch. For me, the most controversial part of the transportation bill is that it is only for the construction of new roads, not for maintenance. This means that there is incentive for states to expand a road system which is already too big for them to maintain. It also encourages sprawl because the only place to build new roads is where they don’t already exist. The feds should supply only maintenance money for roads, and let the local governments decide whether it’s worth it to tax their citizens for sprawl.
• U.S. Plays Catch-Up on High-Speed Rail
  Source: New York Times; September 5, 2010
  Summary: The Unites States is far behind other nations in high-speed rail systems. While the United States is struggling, China is booming. The only nominally high-speed route in the US is the Acela between Boston and Washington, DC, but it’s a stretch to call it high-speed. Foreign companies are interested in helping build systems. Currently, potential development is focused on San Francisco to Los Angeles and Orlando to Tampa Bay. The California system could cost as much as $40 billion. However, federal funding is only around $8 billion.
  Opinion: There has been talk about a trans-Cascadian line to link eastern and western Washington. However, the most rational funding stream, the gasoline tax, is overburdened as it is, and constitutionally (Article II, Section 40) limited to highway spending. My opinion on that? That’s legislation, not the fundamental law of the land. Whether it's the right thing to do or not, it doesn’t belong there.
• Medical building taps into concept of 'going green'
  Source: Spokesman-Review; September 5, 2010
  Summary: The Fourth and University Medical Building uses a geothermal heat exchange to reduce energy costs. Utility bills were reduced from $4,000 per month to $1,200 per month. Return on investment is 20%, which means that that is all money in their pocket starting in 5 years.
  Opinion: The first building in the county which uses the aquifer to reduce energy usage is the Saranac Building in downtown Spokane. But, there’s more to share....
• TierPoint facility uses unique system to chill building
  Source: Spokesman-Review; September 5, 2010
  Summary: TierPoint, a server farm in Liberty Lake, has an underground closed-loop heat exchange thereby cooling year-round by pumping the heat into the aquifer. The Spokane aquifer is fast moving, so calculations showed that the heat from the building was dissipated within 10 to 15 feet of the heat exchange. This improvement will reduce TierPoint’s water usage by 6 million gallon per year.
  Opinion: Full disclosure: I am friends with one of the owners, Greg Zemp. This is another case where the efforts of local environmental and community building legend Jim Sheehan are paying off. He worked hard to convince the Department of Ecology to permit the use of the aquifer for these purposes. Personally, I’d like to see the calculations on how much water could be saved from being pulled out and boiled away versus the higher temperature the water would be when still in the ground. After all, that’s 6 million gallons is for just one building and the sewer system would welcome a reduction in diluting water from its system.

Four the Future - September 1

To kick off your Sustainable September: Measuring energy efficiency, city awards, auto accident costs, and living without automobiles.

• Mayor introduces ecofriendly bill
  Source: San Francisco Chronicle; August 11, 2010
  Summary: San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom wants commercial buildings in the city to conduct an energy audit for their buildings every 5 years and updated annually. The reports would include the cost of energy-saving upgrades, and their expected annual savings. The reports would be made available to the public, and distributed to tenants. The local Building Owners and Managers Association is in favor.
  Opinion: Excellent move, if executed properly. People fix what they measure, and when they see the large return on investment on energy efficiency measures, they will begin to embrace them. Additionally, it will serve as a great way for foundations to direct energy efficiency grants, giving San Francisco an advantage over other communities.
• City of Spokane Receives Award
  Source: Councilman Jon Snyder; August 20, 2010
  Summary: The City of Spokane received an award from the American Planning Association and Planning Association of Washington "for its greenhouse gas inventory reports and Sustainability Action Plan." The blog entry lists a number of different activities that the City has performed to become more resilient.
  Opinion: The efforts the city is putting forward to make itself and the community more sustainable are commendable. Only crazed conspiracy theorists (John Ahern, Nancy McLaughlin, Mike Fagan, etc.) and their credulous followers can get in the way.
• Safety: Assessing the National Bill for Crashes
  Source: New York Times; August 30, 2010
  Summary: Automobile accidents account for nearly $100 billion annually, but only about 17% is direct medical costs. The vast majority is due to lost wages, productivity and costs associated with disability. Men account for about three-quarters of the cost. Teenagers, 14% of the population, account for a third of the cost. And motorcycle drivers and bicyclists cost twice as much when injured, due to the extent of injury. Seatbelts, increased speed enforcement, child safety seats and alcohol ignition lock-outs reduce the costs. Restrictions on teenage driving also helps.
  Opinion: What isn’t mentioned in the article is that one of the best ways to reduce those costs is greater transit ridership. People on rail and buses are almost immune, as the aggregate fatality risk for autos is 1,300 times greater than for buses.
• In German Suburb, Life Goes On Without Cars
  Source: New York Times; May 11, 2009
  Summary:
  
  
  Seventy percent of families in Vauban, a subdivision in suburban Freiburg, Germany, do not have cars. What roads they have do not permit cars to park. Driveways and home garages are generally forbidden. There are parking garages on the edge of the neighborhood which cost $40,000. Bikes are common, as is use of the tram which goes through the one square mile community. Originally a military base, it was not designed with auto traffic in mind. When cars are needed, people can rent from the auto club. Americans are often suspicious of anything that reduces car usage, but there is a similar concept being developed in California named Quarry Village.
  Opinion: If the concept interests you (as it does me, if merely as a living laboratory so we can optimize such places), feel free to dig deeper. The Wikipedia page links to some other newspapers. There’s a series of photos (including the one above) available here. Some of the architecture is, shall we say, uninspired. But, that’s something we fix in the next version, right?