Solar incentives threaten local ownership

Minneapolis, Minn.—(May 28, 2008). Large, remote concentrating solar power systems are the new darlings of the solar industry. Some observers now see centralized, not decentralized solar as the future. But a new report by the Institute for Local Self-Reliance reveals that the economic advantage of centralized solar and absentee owned solar arrays rests on federal tax incentives that discriminate against locally owned, decentralized solar arrays.

John Farrell, the report's author and a strong voice in the energy community, calls for Congress to change federal tax incentives to give equal benefits to residential solar arrays, instead of favoring commercial and centralized projects.

"Decentralized solar arrays avoid the cost and hassle of building new high voltage transmission lines", says Farrell. "They also enable local ownership, which should be a goal of public policy."

Concentrating solar power plants work more like conventional power plants than solar photovoltaic panels. They use large arrays of mirrors to focus sunlight for heat, using the heat to create steam and generate electricity. These plants, mostly built in the deserts of the American Southwest, must send their power over long-distance transmission lines and are much larger than the rooftop solar panels that were previously the dominant form of solar power production.

The size of concentrating solar plants precludes local ownership, a benefit that renewable energy policy must factor in. "Ownership converts citizens into energy producers, which in turn gives them a personal stake in expanding the use of renewable energy," notes Farrell. "It also encourages them to maximize energy efficiency, because the greater the efficiency the more independent they become, perhaps even becoming a net exporter of electricity."

The full report, Concentrating Solar and Decentralized Power: Government Incentives Hinder Local Ownership, is available online at http://www.newrules.org/.

For more information, or to arrange an interview with John Farrell, please contact Brooke Gullikson.

About ILSR and the New Rules Project: Since 1974, ILSR has worked with citizen groups, governments and private businesses in developing practices that extract the maximum value from local resources. A program of ILSR, the New Rules Project was designed to build community by supporting humanly scaled politics and economics.

Don't miss the CaGBC summit 'Shifting Into the Mainstream' on June 11-12 in Toronto

There's still time to register for Shifting Into the Mainstream, the Canada Green Building Council's summit in Toronto, June 11-12.

Don't miss this must-attend event of the year, where you will learn about the CaGBC's plans for enabling green building certification over a building's entire lifecycle... for all building types.

Delegates from commercial, institutional & residential sectors will hear about:

• the LEED Canada for Existing Buildings rating system (planned for release in early 2009) which will enable financial, energy efficiency and tenant benefits in high performance buildings.
• actual energy use in existing buildings from CaGBC national pilot projects involving various sectors, including over 70 government administration buildings (> 1 million m2), 60 commercial buildings (> 3 million m2) and 200 schools
• the LEED Canada for Homes rating system (planned for release in Spring 2009)
• the LEED for Homes delivery model which makes the rating system accessible for home builders
• financial, energy efficiency and market benefits of green homes from the nearly 500 green home projects across Canada.

Readers may also be interested in two market reports the CaGBC published that are helpful for the leased properties sector, and which can now be downloaded from their website. Authors were: Sonja Persram, BSc., MBA, LEED AP, Mark Lucuik, P.Eng., LEED AP & Nils Larsson, FRAIC:
Marketing Green Buildings for Owners of Leased Properties
Marketing Green Buildings for Tenants of Leased Properties

Registration for summit delegates (online) closes May 30, and reopens at the summit venue.

See you there!

Michaels Engineering Completes Comprehensive Ground-Source Heat Pump Study for State of Minnesota

La Crosse, WI - May 9, 2008 - Michaels Engineering has recently completed a ground-source heat pump study for the state of Minnesota.

The study compares the performance of ground source heat pumps to conventional gas heating / electric cooling systems in school, office, and residential buildings.  Results include annual electric and gas energy usage, annual energy costs, simple payback, life-cycle costs, and annual emissions levels.  The study includes 120 building simulations of varying building types and sizes, age (new construction or retrofit), and climate zones.  Results are presented in concise tables for ease of comparison.  The study also includes the current status of the industry and market potential of ground-source heat pump systems for the state.

The study can be found at the Minnesota Department of Commerce website by clicking here.

AIA Releases Study of Three Green Building Rating Systems

 

 

Report Examines Green Globes, LEED NC 2.2, and SBTool 07 in Relation to AIA Position Statement on Green Rating Systems

 

Contact: Scott Frank

202-626-7467

sfrank@aia.org

For immediate release:

Washington, D.C. – May 8, 2008 – The American Institute of Architects (AIA) has released a study of three green building rating systems (Green Globes, SBTool 07, and LEED NC 2.2) and assess their effectiveness in supporting the goals of the AIA sustainability position statement. In late 2007, the initial results were shared with the three groups whose systems were reviewed. After receiving feedback, the study was modified and further refined into the final report.

 

The purpose of this exercise is to offer analysis to both industry and the public as an opportunity to learn how three unique, creative and evolving green building rating systems resonate in various dimensions with the goals of the AIA position statement on sustainability and our goal to achieve carbon neutrality in buildings by 2030.

 

Click here for AIA position statement on green rating systems

 

“This study is not a report card or ranking of the various standards,” said AIA Executive Vice President/CEO Christine McEntee. “The intent is to offer design and construction professionals an in depth review of the three systems with particular emphasis on areas for improvement in relation to more rigorous energy conservations requirements.”

 

Click here for full report, “Quantifying Sustainability”

 

“We reviewed these particular systems because they are the most broadly used in the U.S. market and they take a comprehensive approach to evaluating an entire building,” added AIA President Marshall Purnell, FAIA. “With new sustainability continuing education requirements in 2009 for AIA membership the results of this study can help better inform our members and the profession on green rating systems as they relate to our carbon reduction goals.”

 

Key findings:

 

Green Building Initiative’s Green Globes:

The system offers a broad based evaluation of projects in both the design process and based on environmental criteria. When used to certify a project, more stringent and specific requirements in the areas of energy reduction and operational performance are needed, as these are the two areas that most influence carbon production.

 

U.S. Green Building Council’s LEED NC 2.2 system:

This is good example of a rating system which provides a measurement of environmental achievement. Continued developments in life cycle assessment, requirements for renewable energy or carbon reduction targets for certified projects will continue to make this system an effective resource for architects.

 

International Initiative for a Sustainable Built Environment’s SBTool 07:

SBTool 07 is a toolkit for designing a rating system. If used as a rating system providing certification, SBTool 07 would be stronger if there was an increase in the number of “required” items vs. those that are simply “encouraged” and required project documentation. Specific requirements in the areas of energy reduction and operational performance would supply any rating system approach that comes out of SBTool 07 with performance-based requirements necessary for reaching carbon reduction goals.

About The American Institute of Architects
For over 150 years, members of the American Institute of Architects have worked with each other and their communities to create more valuable, healthy, secure, and sustainable buildings and cityscapes.  By using sustainable design practices, materials, and techniques, AIA architects are uniquely poised to provide the leadership and guidance needed to provide solutions to address climate change. AIA architects walk the walk on sustainable design. Visit www.aia.org/walkthewalk.  

 

 

CEFPI Wins USGBC Curriculum Recognition Award

                                    

 

 

Scottsdale, AZ -- CEFPI’s School Building Week School of the Future Student Design Competition curriculum addressing national middle school math standards has won the USGBC’s inaugural Excellence in Green Building Curriculum Recognition Award. CEFPI was one of just six organizations selected from over 200 entries that competed for these coveted nationally recognized awards.

 

“This is a great milestone for us to be involved with the USGBC and the exemplary work they do in improving the quality of our schools. Our shared goals will transform the way schools are built, operated and maintained for our children in coming years,” said Merle Kirkley, REFP, President, CEFPI.

 

Recognition awards honor existing green building education projects, activities or programs that advance green building ideals of transforming how buildings and communities are designed, built and operated.

 

“This award is a testimony to our unparalleled efforts in advancing knowledge and awareness among children about the importance of healthy, high performance schools. We believe children need to be educated about advancing green building ideals so that we can ensure a better quality of life for future generations,” said John Ramsey, Executive Director/CEO of CEFPI.

 

The recognition awards were judged on demonstrated success, ability to be replicated, scope of influence, advancement of green principles within the educational community and the fostering of a collaborative or interdisciplinary approach. Grant proposals were evaluated on originality, collaborative or interdisciplinary approach, scope of influence, feasibility and the ability to be replicated. 

 

According to a news release issued by USGBC, Peter Templeton, Senior Vice President, USGBC said:  “USGBC launched this initiative to highlight the central role education plays in furthering the green building movement. The submissions we received showcase the range of institutions and organizations taking an active role in educating young people about green building and the Council is committed to fostering more growth in this arena.”

 

USGBC will establish a repository of the newly identified curricula and will develop a teaching resource database, which will serve to disseminate these programs nationally and facilitate contact among educators from a wide variety of disciplines.  In addition, an Educator Summit during the USGBC’s Greenbuild Conference in Boston on November 21, 2008 will showcase the winning curriculum.

 

 

The award-winning curriculum is available at:  http://sbw.cefpifoundation.org/competition.html

FSC Family Forest Certification Moves Forward

 

FSC-US and the FSC Family Forests Alliance Announce

Next Steps in Standards Development Process

 

Reston, VA; April 16, 2008 -  Forest product and forestland certification are rapidly gaining recognition in the marketplace as vehicles for  rewarding responsible forest management practices.  More than 250 million acres of forests are certified around the world under the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) standard.  Despite the growth in forest certification, it is often difficult for small ownerships and family forests to participate. 

 

“Family forests are an important part of the landscape and provide critically important ecosystem services, such as carbon sequestration, water quality protection, and wildlife habitat,” says Corey Brinkema, President of FSC-US.

 

At meetings held in Minneapolis on April 7th and 8th, the FSC-US undertook the next steps for expanding family forest certification opportunities in the United States.

 

“In the U.S. almost 60% of the forests are privately owned and it is important to include these lands in forest stewardship efforts,” says Kathryn Fernholz, Executive Director of Dovetail Partners and Secretariat for the FSC Family Forests Alliance, a collaborative group that is advocating for expanded access to FSC certification opportunities for small privately owned forests.

 

The Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) is the fastest growing global forest certification program and the only one endorsed by the world’s leading environmental and social non-governmental organizations.  In the U.S, the FSC has developed a Family Forests Program to ensure small landowners will be able to receive the benefits of FSC certification and sell their products under the FSC label.

 

“Our Family Forests Working Group was brought together to complete a process of reviewing the existing FSC certification standards and to offer recommendations on how to more effectively engage small landowners,” says Brinkema.

 

The FSC-US’s Family Forests Working Group includes representatives from the FSC Family Forests Alliance and other stakeholders. 

 

“My hope, and the hope of other Working Group members, is to use our many years of experience working with family forest certification, and the lessons we’ve learned to help make the program work better for everyone while still maintaining the high standards that are expected of FSC certification,” says John Gunn of the Trust to Conserve Northeast Forestlands, an Alliance core organizer.

 

Additional meetings of the working group are planned in May 2008, and a public review and comment period will be announced later this summer. The full standards review and approval process is anticipated to be completed before the end of the year.

For more information:

http://www.familyforestsalliance.org

 

About Forest Stewardship Council

Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) is a non-profit organization devoted to encouraging the responsible management of the world’s forests. FSC sets high standards that ensure forestry is practiced in an environmentally responsible, socially beneficial, and economically viable way. FSC-US, based in Reston, VA, is the U.S. National Initiative of FSC International, based in Bonn, Germany.

www.fscus.org

 

About FSC Family Forests Alliance

The FSC Family Forests Alliance has been created to provide a national mechanism for bringing together individuals and organizations committed to promoting responsible forest stewardship through FSC standards. By creating a forum for communication, cooperation, and information sharing, participants in the Alliance can pursue issues of common interest, learn from one another, and enlarge the community of landowners and small businesses practicing responsible forestry.

www.familyforestsalliance.org

 

 

World's first FSC-certified bamboo plywood and flooring

SMITH & FONG CO. TO PRODUCE WORLDS FIRST FSC-CERTIFIED BAMBOO ARCHITECTURAL PLYWOOD AND FLOORING

San Francisco, Calif. Smith & Fong Co., manufacturer of Plyboo bamboo architectural plywood and flooring, today announced it has secured certification according to the standards of the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) and established the sustainability of its bamboo forest resource, enabling the company to produce the worlds first range of FSC-certified bamboo plywood and flooring.

Product will be available to the North American market by this summer.

The independent European FSC-certifier Institut fr Marktogie (IMO) was impressed with our forestry practices and agreed that if we could meet the same FSC standards for a tree forest, it would certify our bamboo source, Smith & Fong president and founder Dan Smith said. We have been working with the bamboo forests and telling our story for more than a decade now, and were grateful to both FSC and IMO for validating our efforts.

We are pleased that Smith & Fong has expanded the North American marketplace for certified products by offering bamboo plywood and flooring with the FSC label, FSC-US president Corey Brinkema said. FSC is the worlds most highly respected certification for forest products. Whether a product is made of a traditional wood species, or a less traditional non-timber forest resource like bamboo, it is important for consumers to know that the forest is being managed to high social and environmental standards.

Smith & Fongs certified products will qualify for the FSC Pure designation, as they are 100-percent FSC material from an FSC-certified forest and have been sold and/or processed by an FSC chain-of-custody certified company. Smith further stated that the companys sources use no irrigation, pesticides or fertilizers in growing their bamboo. This is not only a success for the forests and the farmers who grow our bamboo, he said. Its a victory for everyone who believes in a sustainable future.

Smith & Fongs chain of custody (COC) certificate is from the SmartWood program of the Rainforest Alliance: SW-COC-003124.

Founded in 1989 and headquartered in San Francisco, Smith & Fong Co. was the first U.S. company to manufacture bamboo flooring in China for sale in North America, offering its first product in 1993. In 1996 the firm began producing bamboo plywood, followed by coconut palm flooring and plywood products in 2000. Smith & Fong is committed to sustainability and innovation.

The Parking Garage: Design and Evolution of a Modern Urban Form

ULI NEWS              

The History of Parking Garages Points the Way to Innovative and

Sustainable Designs for the Future

 

The Parking Garage: Design and Evolution of a Modern Urban Form by Shannon Sanders McDonald

Showcases the Unique History of a Crucial Building Type

 

WASHINGTON (April 7, 2008)—While most people want to ignore, cover up, or put parking lots underground, architect Shannon Sanders McDonald explores their rich history and calls for their continued evolution as important modern-day structures in the Urban Land Institute’s (ULI) new publication, The Parking Garage: Design and Evolution of a Modern Urban Form.

 

“The parking garage defines how people live and what industrialized society has become. It is a crucial building form that lies at the intersection of architecture, transportation, sustainability, and urban design,” says McDonald.

 

Vividly illustrated with hundreds of photographs, the book highlights best practices and demonstrates how well-designed parking positively affects project success and the urban environment. Two critical components of the book include showcasing sustainability––including green roofs, bicycle garages, and a review of environmentally friendly construction methods––and focusing on the need for a holistic approach to garage development.

 

According to McDonald, “The most important task today in garage design is to determine the unique needs of a particular location—not just now, but for the future—and to respond to those needs holistically: with an understanding of past solutions, a willingness to innovate, and a respect for the aesthetics, the functionality, and the social fabric of the surroundings.” 

 

McDonald argues that the parking garage represents an unresolved tension about modern life. On one hand, automobiles—the transportation system on which most people in the industrialized world depend—provides unique and unparalleled mobility. On the other, the parking garage is a large, imposing, desolate, and often stark structure—a physical manifestation of the realities of automobile-dependent cultures.

 

By examining this tension, McDonald brings to life the seemingly mundane history of the parking garage. Using an architect’s perspective, she chronicles the evolution and future of innovations from early elevator and ramp designs, through the modern, sustainable structures of today.

 

The Parking Garage: Design and Evolution of a Modern Urban Form (Urban Land Institute, 2007, ISBN 978-0-87420-998-3) is available at Amazon.com and through the Urban Land Institute: www.uli.org/bookstore or call 1-800-321-5011. The price is $87.95.

 

For more information, contact Peggy Meehan by e-mail at peggy@highnooncommunications.com or at 202-332-2303.

 

The Urban Land Institute (www.uli.org) is a global nonprofit education and research institute supported by its members. Its mission is to provide leadership in the responsible use of land and in creating and sustaining thriving communities worldwide. Established in 1936, the Institute has more than 38,000 members representing all aspects of land use and development disciplines.

Latest Trend in "Green" Movement - Eco-Lawn and Garden Care with SafeLawns.org

Washington, D.C. - www.SafeLawns.org

is a national non-profit dedicated to educating the public about eco-friendly lawn and gardening practices.

National Mall Organic Renovation- In 2007, SafeLawns teamed up with the National Park Service and EPA to do a four acre organic conversion renovation on the National Mall in Washington, DC. The organic treatment will not only be safer for both the environment and visitors, but the organic treatment will also allow some of the nation's most trampled and compacted grass to survive better. The area is open to the public as of March 28, 2008, just in time for the National Cherry Blossom Festival. SafeLawns will also take the Rose Kennedy Greenway in Boston, MA organic in 2008.

Don't forget! April is National Lawn and Garden Month- Spring is a perfect time to educate consumers on how to "Go Green In Your Own Backyard," by using environmentally friendly techniques such as organic lawn care methods, electric and reel lawn mowers, smart watering, and planting for your region.

Waste Management Officially Opens Landfill Gas-To-Energy Facility At Austin Community Landfill

 “Green” Electricity to Power Dell, Inc. Corporate Headquarters

 

AUSTIN, Texas – April 2, 2007 – Waste Management, Inc. (NYSE: WMI) today officially opened its latest waste-based renewable energy facility at the company’s Austin Community Landfill, whose “green” power will be delivered to Dell corporate headquarters in Round Rock.  The electricity from the landfill gas will power more than 40 percent of Dell headquarters’ energy needs.

 

            The landfill gas-to-energy (LFGTE) facility at the Austin Community Landfill will produce 6 megawatts of green electricity, which will produce enough energy to power over 6000 homes.  The plant is the ninth such facility in Texas for Waste Management.  In Texas, the company’s landfill gas-to-energy (LFGTE) plants generate more than 55 megawatts of green electricity, enough to power more than 50,000 homes.

 

            The Austin Community Landfill LFGTE plant is part of Waste Management’s national initiative to build 60 new renewable energy facilities over the next five years, and is part of the company’s environmental sustainability initiative to increase its waste-based energy production.  Today, Waste Management creates enough energy for the equivalent of 1 million homes each year.  By 2020, it expects to double that output, producing enough energy for the equivalent of more than 2 million homes.

 

            “Taking landfill gas and converting it to green power is a buried treasure for the community,” says Don Smith, general manager for Waste Management Central Texas.  “We take a once-wasted commodity and turn it into a long-term, reliable source of renewable energy, which is a major environmental plus for the Austin community and one of its major employers, Dell.”

 

"Dell underscored its commitment to being the greenest technology company on the planet today by running our global headquarters campus on 100 green power.  Partnering with leading companies like Waste Management and TXU in efforts like this will make a difference in protecting the Earth we all share," said Dane Parker, director of environmental health and safety for Dell.

 

            The power plant, located in the center of the landfill property, is equipped with four large engine/generators.  Each of the Caterpillar units generates 1,148 horsepower.  Each weighs approximately 26,500 pounds and stands 7 feet in height, 7.5 feet in width, and 16 feet in length.

 

            The plant captures the landfill gas, primarily methane, through a network of pipes and wells drilled into the landfill.  A vacuum system draws the gas from the landfill and conveys it to the power plant where it fuels the engines driving the generators to produce electricity.  The landfill gas recovery system includes more than 100 vertical gas extraction wells and 2,100 feet of horizontal wells.  Previously, the landfill gas was safely destroyed at a central flare. 

 

            The landfill will produce gas for the power plant for the next several decades and continue even after the landfill no longer accepts waste.

 

            A pioneer in LFGTE projects, Waste Management designed and operated its first facility in the United States over 20 years ago. With 277 landfills, Waste Management is the country’s largest landfill operator and is in a unique position to expand waste-based renewable power generation across the country.  The company is also exploring partnerships to expand its landfill gas-to-energy technology to other private and municipal landfills.

 

            The Austin Community Landfill also provides free electronics recycling, uses recycled concrete to build landfill roads, and recycles 300 tons of tires each year.  All landfill equipment purchased since 2002 meets Federal air standards for non-attainment areas.  Waste Management has also worked with neighbors to design and build a 30-acre Wildlife Habitat Park, which is the only Waste Management park in Texas certified by the Wildlife Habitat Council. 

 

About Waste Management

Waste Management, based in Houston, Texas, is the leading provider of comprehensive waste management services in North America. Our subsidiaries provide collection, transfer, recycling and resource recovery, and disposal services. We are also a leading developer, operator and owner of waste-to-energy and landfill gas-to-energy facilities in the United States. Our customers include residential, commercial, industrial, and municipal customers throughout North America. More information about how Waste Management Thinks Green® can be found at www.wm.com

 

About Dell

Dell Inc. (NASDAQ: DELL) listens to customers and delivers innovative technology and services they trust and value. Uniquely enabled by its direct business model, Dell is a leading global systems and services company and No. 34 on the Fortune 500. For more information, visit www.dell.com, or to communicate directly with Dell via a variety of online channels, go to www.dell.com/conversations. To get Dell news direct, visit www.dell.com/RSS.