CT Green Scene

Celebrate Solarize Solar Tour April 13th

13 April 2013

1:00 PM-4:00 PM

$15.00 per Person

Canton, MA

People's Action for Clean Energy (PACE) is sponsoring a tour that will introduce the public to the latest trends in solar power. This tour will feature two seminars, where experts in the field will talk about how implementing solar panels can help everyone to live cleaner, healthier lives. There will be a presentation on how the solar panels will be able to charge electric vehicles enough that they will be able to handle an 18 mile commute before the fuel from the gas tank even needs to take over. Owners of these electric vehicles will also be available to share their real experiences with these cars. Later, guests will be able to see how entire houses can be customized to reduce energy costs both to the environment and to the family budget. Also, guests will see the incredible opportunity for cost shaving that can be captured by encouraging their entire community to go green. Registration for this tour is required and is non-refundable and it costs a mere $15.

Register Here: http://www.pace-cleanenergy.org/site/webtickets/tour20130413

For More Information: http://www.pace-cleanenergy.org/resources/includestatic?url=..%2Faction_files%2Fhouse_tour_20130413.html

The Results Are In: Winners of 3rd Annual CT Zero Energy Challenge Announced

NEW BRITAIN, Conn. (March 22, 2013) – The Connecticut Energy Efficiency Fund with its utility partners, Connecticut Light & Power and The United Illuminating Company, have named three winners of the third annual Connecticut Zero Energy Challenge (ZEC), a statewide design/build competition.  Supported by the Energize Connecticut initiative, the ZEC aims to educate homebuilders and homeowners about high-efficiency homes that consume almost no energy, or use no more energy from the electrical grid than the home can produce itself.

First Place winner

Harwinton residents, Paul and Diane Honig, teamed up with builder Wolfworks, Inc., to design and construct a ‘Passive House’ that ensures remarkably low energy demand, something that is aligned with the goals of the Zero Energy Challenge. The Passive House design means that a building takes the greatest advantage of available “gains” while minimizing energy “losses.”  The resulting energy balance provides the home with exceptional comfort and health, simplified operation and dramatically lower operating costs.

The home also had the lowest Home Energy Rating System (HERS) Index by implementing measures including: windows that captured solar energy, rigorous sealing of all potential sources of air leakage, reduced thermal bridging to help remediate any problems with insulation, the installation of light-emitting diodes (LEDs) and compact fluorescent light bulbs (CFLs), and more.  These measures earned the top spot for the Honigs and Wolfworks, Inc.

“Investing the extra money up front to build a more sustainable house was worth it,” said Paul Honig, “By taking advantage of incentives and rebates offered through the Residential New Construction program, administered by CL&P, we were able to offset those upfront costs considerably.”

Second Place winner

Peter Fusaro of Preferred Builders Inc. saw the ZEC as a way to bring his idea of a high-performance house to life.  After tearing down the original structure at a home in Old Greenwich and recycling its old materials, Fusaro and his team rebuilt the home from the ground up, installing only top-of-the-line energy efficient products.

“I have been in the building industry for more than 25 years and have become more energy efficient in the way I design, build and live every day,” Fusaro said.  “After construction was complete, our home in Old Greenwich received six energy and environmental certifications, which I am extremely proud of.”

To achieve these certifications, a number of energy-efficient features were added to the home including high-efficiency tank-less hot water heaters, air conditioning units and a natural gas boiler. The garage features an electric vehicle charging station, and the home is equipped with a sophisticated circuit breaker that connects to the Internet and can show a homeowner just how much energy is being used at any given time.  Learn more about “The Performance House” in Old Greenwich by clicking here.

6th Annual Global Environmental Sustainability Symposium: Transportation, Human Mobility, and Sustainability at CCSU

April 4th, 2013

9:45 AM-7:15 PM 

FREE, Registration Required

Central Connecticut State University

New Britain, Connecticut

The CCSU Global Environmental Sustainability Action Coalition invites the public to learn and to teach one another about the actions that we, as human beings, must take to ensure that we live in such a way that we are able to satisfy our needs while ensuring that our children and grandchildren will be able to satisfy their own. The symposium will offer 3 classes, two performances, a panel discussion, a tour, and an optional attendance at the town meeting, as well as opening and closing notes from distinguished professionals in sustainability. This event is FREE: anyone can register online to show up. *Exhibitor tables are still open.

Schedule

9:45-10:00 AM: Symposium opening and welcome with Dr. Charles Button and Dr. Jack Miller (tentative) at Alumni Hall

10:00-10:45: Transportation, Migration, and Sustainability in Four Worlds Alumni Hall

Dr. John Kelmelis expands upon a possibility raised by the United States National Intelligence Council when they published Global Trends 2030: Alternative World. This work explores four very possible future worlds. Dr. Kelmelis will explain what each of these worlds might mean for our future as well as what strategies we might use to make the most of each circumstance at the local, regional, national, and global levels. 

11:00-11:45: Panel Discussion: Electric Cars and Alternative Vehicles Alumni Hall

The president of the New England Electric Auto Association (Dave Oliveria), an environmental writer and speaker (Jim Motavalli), the Senior Associates Autos Editor for Consumer Reports (Eric Evarts), and a natural gas car owner (Joe Booth) all come together in one place to talk about the real value that hybrid, extended hybrid, and electric vehicles hold. This is a special opportunity to discover what users and reviewers genuinely think about these alternative vehicles.

12:00-1:45 (*with second free registration): Water Wars Performance and Lunch Alumni Hall

While you enjoy your lunch, the Sonia Plumb Dance Company will be performing Water Wars. This is an emotionally charged piece of art that exposes the very important and very tenuous relationship that human beings have with one of our primary sources of life: water.

Summertime Work, Blues? Bring Nature Inside!

By Heather Burns

With the summer foliage and associated bioactivity in full swing, being cooped up in an office for 40 hours a week can be difficult for even the most dedicated employee. Personally, I head outside at regular intervals for strolls, and while it’s true that my most creative thinking takes place outdoors, it’s nice to see that my urge isn’t just a personality quirk, but is firmly rooted in science.

Harvard University biologist, Edward O. Wilson and introducer of the biophilia hypothesis concluded, “There is an instinctive bond between human beings and other living systems. That is, we have a natural urge to affiliate with other forms of life.

Bruce Crowle, co-owner of Atria, Inc, a Connecticut-based interiorscape design and maintenance company, has built a successful business on the concept of biophilia, while helping clients to realize the bottom line benefits of bringing nature to work™.

Crowle says, “In the mid eighties I was invited to Washington and had the distinct pleasure of meeting Dr. Bill Wolverton. He had just concluded his studies for NASA that proved tropical plants could be helpful during prolonged space exploration. His research discovered that plants and their roots and the surrounding soil (a plant system) absorbed volatile organic compounds (VOC’s), such as formaldehyde, benzenes, carbon monoxide and others, and returned oxygen to the environment.”

Likewise, a study by Herman Miller reviewed the degree to which direct exposure to natural elements might impact employees. They were able to find significant productivity gains, less absenteeism, less health problems, and a better sense of well-being as reported by the individuals who participated.

In fact, a wide range of industry experts recognizes the health and environmental benefits of incorporating plants into the workplace. The United States Green Building Council includes dozens of varieties of plants as options to improving indoor air quality, and assigns corresponding points toward LEED certification.

A growing trend (pun intended) in the interiorscape industry is green walls. Also known as vertical planting systems, vertical gardens or biowalls, these visually stunning creations produce a supply of fresh air, naturally cooling buildings in the summer and humidifying in the winter.  

In 2010, Atria was proud to become the first “Platinum” rated Green Earth—Green Plants® certified interior plantscape business. “The process to gather and submit the data to earn Platinum certification was certainly a team effort,” Crowle says.

But the company’s leadership and ongoing dedication to sustainable business practices – and to promoting green business practices to their clients – is evident in all that they do. Partnerships with local growers and the use of integrative pest management are just two of the many reasons why bringing nature to work with Atria makes good business sense.

 

 

Connecticut Unique Passive Solar House Tour - Feb 25th

A passive solar, super-insulated house will be open for tours at 1:00 and 2:00 pm on Saturday, February 25 in North Franklin, CT.

Currently under construction, the house has unique low U value French Bieber windows; a four-inch thick polished concrete floor; curved beams supporting two roofs that will be covered with vegetation; and a geothermal heating and cooling system.

Tickets: $15. Ticket information: 860-623-5487. Tour information: 860-693-4813. Sponsored by People’s Action for Clean Energy.

Practical Green Remodeling, by CT Author Barry Katz

Long time Connecticut resident, (and occasional CT Green Scene contributor) Barry Katz, has just published an informative new book: PRACTICAL GREEN REMODELING: Down-to-Earth Solutions for Everyday Homes.

Published by Taunton Press, the book offers a compelling argument for remodeling green, guiding readers through process with over 200 color photographs of green remodeling projects from across the country.

What sets this book apart from the many how-to books on the subject is the author's emphasis on the "what to" and the "why to" of going green at home.

Asked what inspired him to write this book, Katz said, "I wanted not only to show readers what is possible, and often easy, to achieve in terms of creating energy efficient, environmentally friendly, and healthy living environments, but to provide a clear explanation of the complex and interconnected issues that make going green such a compelling choice for a growing number of people around the world."

Excerpts from the book can be found on the author's blog, The Future is Green. You can also follow him on Twitter at http://twitter.com/FutureGreen

 

House of Tires

Apparently, the Mothership has landed in Gene Autry, OK. A couple has built their home from 3,000 old tires. They refer to the house as the "Earthship." Whatever works for you, as long as it's recycled...

In a previous post on this site, we linked to a New York Times article dated September 3, 2009 that showed the houses built in East Texas by a man using leftover construction materials. Old shingles, discarded doors, glass bottles, and even branches from surrounding trees were used to make his "storybook" masterpieces.

With just some scraps and a little ingenuity, green building comes alive. See the excerpt below from The Scripps Howard News Service reposted this morning by The Connecticut Post.

House built with 3,000 old tires
David Zizzo, Scripps Howard News Service
Published: 12:31 a.m., Saturday, May 22, 2010

"In 2000, the Dixons moved into their Earthship, 2,300 square feet of colorful and artistic living space surrounded on three sides by load-bearing walls three feet thick -- the size of the tires stacked like brick and covered with adobe. Exposed beams span ceilings, which contain 18 inches of foam insulation and feature numerous skylights to vent heat. Three sides are buried by earthen berms, so, like a cave, temperatures inside vary little and change slowly. Occasional heat from a small propane stove is all that's needed in winter, and in summer, only minor air conditioning from window units is needed.

Sunlight streams in through a wall of windows, where plants grow in a "water treatment plant," a basin that filters water used in sinks in the home before it is routed outside.

But there will always be more to do. Exposed berms will be covered with solar collectors, and the couple are working on a new rooftop greenhouse. A water-storage cistern will come later, and eventually the home will be completely "off the grid."

To read more of the article, click here.

Image courtesy of TheCoolPepper.com.

Tool Belt Recession

by Eileen Weber

A plumber was called to a neurosurgeon’s house to fix a leaky faucet. After a few minutes, the plumber finished and gave the neurosurgeon the bill. The total was $150.

A little hot under the collar, the neurosurgeon exclaimed, 'I don't even get this much as an hourly rate!"

The plumber replied, "I didn't either when I was a surgeon. That's why I became a plumber."

Cute. But not necessarily accurate. Plumbers, electricians, and builders alike have all been hit hard with the recession. And, it looks like it may take a while before that changes.

According to a recent press release from the Center for American Progress, Connecticut’s construction industry has been reeling since December, 2008. While reports that the economy is starting to percolate, there are many who aren’t feeling any financial impact. With the national unemployment rate peaking at 10%, the unemployment rate for construction, both commercial and residential, is more than double.

The statistics are alarming: The unemployment rate for experienced workers in construction was 24.7 percent in January 2010; Total construction payroll employment has dropped by 2.1 million jobs since 2006, with residential construction down by 1.3 million, or 38%; For 2009, 12.4 percent of all unemployed workers were previously employed in the construction industry; There have been 134,000 jobs lost (10%) in construction-related retail, such as building supply stores and lumber yards, since December 2007, with 186,000 lost (14%) since July 2006.

A Meeting of Sustainble Minds at The Art of Sustainable Architecture

by Michelina Docimo

In the film, A Beautiful Mind, the character of Nobel Prize winning mathematician and economist John Forbes Nash Jr. says, “In competitive behavior, someone always loses.” So true on all fronts of survival of the fittest whether the conversation matter is Democrat versus Republican, Yankees versus Mets, man versus nature, form versus function. Who wins? 

Our ordinary lives can sometimes feel like a struggle weighing the pros and cons – we ask ourselves, who do we believe?  What should I buy?  How much should I save? Where should I live? How will this make my life better? Everyday, we make choices in a fast changing world. Keeping up with the challenges of the economy, health, war, and global warming can feel like a race against time. Sacred Heart University’s Gallery of Contemporary Art current exhibition, The Art of Sustainable Architecture, addresses how we can come to a meeting ground by thinking collaboratively rather than competitively.

Fairfield Jesuits Go Green

by Eileen Weber

On Tuesday, Fairfield University’s Jesuits proudly displayed their new pad. It is a space that is simultaneously a residence, a community center, and a tribute to the environment.

Designed by New Haven architecture firm Gray Organschi, the building is constructed from metal, wood, glass and concrete. Much of the material is either recycled or sustainable. The design team, married couple Elizabeth Gray and Alan Organschi, worked for several months with the school’s Jesuit staff to create a place that met their needs and reflected modern ideals.

The two-story, 22,000 square foot residence boasts a closed loop geothermal heating and cooling system 400 feet underground, a roof garden that can absorb up to 95% of rainfall, and sustainable bamboo flooring.

But that’s not the coolest part. None of the surrounding trees were disturbed in construction, save one diseased and dying beech tree. Instead of scrapping it, the tree was locally milled and a good portion of it is hanging in the Great Room.

“For something that was considered waste,” said Organschi, “we were able to make it into something useful. The limbs were milled and joined to make a screen and an altar that will be put in place in a couple of weeks.”

Green Job Growth: What is it? Where is it?

by Anneli C. Olila, Editor-in-Chief of Boston GreenScene / Principal of Olila Documents & Communication Strategies

In my recent discussion of green job hunting myths, I argued against the mystique surrounding the green job industry and the psychological and other barriers this presents to those hoping to transition into a green career.  Responses from readers ranged from disbelief, to hesitant hope, to specific questions regarding qualifications and resources. In this article, I start to provide some data that may be useful to readers in understanding the projected growth of the green job market and where they might fit in.

What Do We Mean by 'the Green Job Market is Growing'?

According to the United States President's Council of Economic Advisers (CEA), green jobs are everywhere, and the growth of the green job market is anticipated to continue to outstrip the growth of other markets. In its July 2009 report, the CEA cited data compiled by the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) showing projected growth in environmentally-related occupations to be 38% more than all other occupations combined by 2016. This is depicted in the following figure, reproduced from page 8 of their report:

To put this into perspective, it is worth noting that the occupations they considered were actually in a fairly limited range.  Specifically, the BLS projections drawn from in the CEA report are based on data for the following occupations only:

Counting Carbon

by Eileen Weber


Thinking of building a new house or renovating your old one? Got a new office building that’s going up soon? Wondering how all this will affect the environment? Colorado’s Rocky Mountain Institute (RMI) has developed an online carbon calculator called Green Footstep to help homeowners and businesses determine their carbon footprint.

It’s certainly nothing new. There are a number of online carbon calculators. Even Microsoft got into the act earlier this year by launching their Environmental Sustainability Dashboard, an enterprise resource planning (ERP) software package. Its goal is to help companies track their energy use and greenhouse gas emissions, something that most ERP systems don’t do.

"ERP systems are really good at giving you the financial numbers, but where they fall short is with the environment or social issues," said Jennifer Pollard, a senior Microsoft product manager, as quoted in a February 9th article in The Seattle Times.

But what makes RMI’s system special is that it not only calculates the construction footprint of the project but the operational footprint of the building’s lifetime once that project is finished.

Kroon Hall makes environmentalists swoon

By John Burgeson
Staff writer, Connecticut Post
Updated: 09/20/2009 12:18:22 AM EDT

NEW HAVEN ---- Looking a little like a 19th century Vermont barn, the newest building on the Yale University campus is attracting international attention because it's one of the most environmentally friendly buildings of its type in the world.

Kroon Hall, around the corner from the Peabody Museum, is the new home of the Yale School of Forestry and Environmental Studies.

It gets electricity from the sun. Geothermal energy provides heat and air conditioning. Rainwater from the roof and grounds is used to run the commodes. Solar panels heat the water. In the winter, heat exchangers pull heat energy from warm exhaust air to aid the heating system.

Experts say that it uses about half the electricity than what would be expected for a building its size, and the photovoltaic array on the roof supply one-fourth of the remaining electrical load.

The structure is heated and cooled entirely with geothermal energy ---- there's no backup furnace or air conditioning system ---- or even a water heater for that matter.

Kroon is designed so it won't require much heating and cooling in the first place. Its east-west orientation maximizes solar heating in the winter, and the 23-degree tilt of the exterior slats deflect the sun's rays when it's high in the sky in the summer months. The massive concrete superstructure--there's no steel skeleton--acts as a huge heat sink. This "thermal mass" absorbs heart during the summer months, which slowly radiates

Click here to read more.

Photo courtesy of Yale University/Robert Benson

One Man’s Trash ...

I saw this in today's New York Times and couldn't resist posting it. This is a perfect example of green building: Recycling materials from excess waste and repurposing it to make something different, interesting, and in this case, off-beat. I especially liked the picture frames on the ceiling (see below).

September 3, 2009
By KATE MURPHY
HUNTSVILLE, Tex.

Among the traditional brick and clapboard structures that line the streets of this sleepy East Texas town, 70 miles north of Houston, a few houses stand out: their roofs are made of license plates, and their windows of crystal platters.

They are the creations of Dan Phillips, 64, who has had an astonishingly varied life, working as an intelligence officer in the Army, a college dance instructor, an antiques dealer and a syndicated cryptogram puzzle maker. About 12 years ago, Mr. Phillips began his latest career: building low-income housing out of trash.

In 1997 Mr. Phillips mortgaged his house to start his construction company, Phoenix Commotion. “Look at kids playing with blocks,” he said. “I think it’s in everyone’s DNA to want to be a builder.” Moreover, he said, he was disturbed by the irony of landfills choked with building materials and yet a lack of affordable housing.

To him, almost anything discarded and durable is potential building material. Standing in one of his houses and pointing to a colorful, zigzag-patterned ceiling he made out of thousands of picture frame corners, Mr. Phillips said, “A frame shop was getting rid of old samples, and I was there waiting.”

CTGBC Awards For Green Design

by Eileen Weber

There is another use for the term “intelligent design” and this one has no spiritual connotations. For the Connecticut Chapter of the U.S. Green Building Council (CTGBC), it refers to the design and construction of a building or home that uses its resources wisely in an environmentally friendly way.

According to a recent press release from the CTGBC, five separate structures were recently awarded for the sustainable building practices utilized in high performance, design and construction, and energy efficiency.

The Most Intriguing Residential Award was given to Easter Fields House in New Milford. Mark and Jim Picton of Picton Brothers LLC, were the developers. According to the Picton’s web site, it is one of the most energy efficient homes in Connecticut.

“The most amazing thing about it is that the house is so liveable in such a compact form,” said Mark Picton, Co-Founder of the Washington Depot-based company of the 900 square foot home. “It’s good for a family of four or a retired couple. It’s a lot of function in a small space.”

Picton Brothers chose a sustainable building site in the Merryall section of the town. The home was officially awarded a LEED Platinum certification this past winter for not only making the most of the living space efficiently, but for using local materials like reclaimed wood, photovoltaic installation and foam insulation. As a result, the house has a significantly reduced carbon footprint.

A Green FROG In Connecticut

by Eileen Weber

The Watkinson School in Hartford, the city’s only independent school founded in 1881, had a ground-breaking for their net-zero science facility on May 27th. San Francisco-based Project FROG designed the school’s Center for Science and Global Citizenship. This school building will be the first of its kind in New England. The construction date is scheduled for next week.

“The building [will be] as smart as the students and teachers in it,” said John Bracker, Watkinson’s Head of School. Some of the key elements in the design are a geothermal heating and cooling system as well as solar panels. Large glass windows will be incorporated into the design to trap in heat in the winter and block it out in the summer. The windows will also provide lots of natural light to cut down on electricity costs.

Bracker said that the school looked into updating its science building about five years ago. But conventional methods were too expensive. When the concept of going green for less money came up, the Board of Trustees gave the go-ahead.

“This will not only augment the way we teach but change the way we teach. The building will be as much a part of the curriculum as any other teaching tools,” said Bracker. In other words, in order for the school to teach about sustainability they have to be sustainable.

Solar Hydrogen House in NJ

This AMAZING video shows that it IS possible to live off grid in a "normal" looking house.
Thanks to Judi Friedman at PACE. If you don't know who PACE is, by all means--click the link to visit this amazing CT-based organization!

Local School Wins Award

by Eileen Weber

The Lyme-Old Lyme Middle School (LOLMS) was recently acknowledged for their green initiatives in the School of Future Design Competition. On May 1st, the National Association of Realtors (NAR) and the Council of Education Facility Planners International Foundation (CEFPI) sponsored the event as well as the U.S. Department of Energy, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the American Institute of Architects along with over 30 associations and private companies. They announced the winners of the competition, which kicks off at the beginning of the school year, in Washington, D.C.

Students from across the country participated in the competition. Given the task to redesign their school in an environmentally friendly way, they were judged on sustainability, technology and community involvement in their projects. The event was part of School Building Week from April 27th through May 1st.

"Successful schools build successful communities." said Sue Robertson, CEFPI president in the company’s press release dated the last day of the competition. "Today's students, tomorrow's green builders, are committed to creating healthy, high performing schools and communities. Let's supply them with all the tools they need to improve the places where children learn. And then, let's really listen to them—because they have some really good ideas!"

Proposed Regulations for High Performance Building Construction Standards for State-Funded Buildings

by Christopher Novak, Halloran & Sage LLP

The Office of Policy and Management (“OPM”) has unveiled a set of proposed regulations for high performance building construction standards for state-funded buildings  (the “Proposed Regulations”).  The Proposed Regulations are an effort by OPM to implement the statutory “green” building requirements found in Conn. Gen. Stat. § 16a-38k, which became effective January 1, 2009.  The standards require construction funded by the State to meet or exceed certain energy and environmental criteria based on LEED Silver standards or qualify for two Green Globes using the Green Globe USA design program, and exceed the ASHRAE 90.1 (2004) standard by no less than 20%.  After approval by the Connecticut General Assembly Regulation Review Committee, the Proposed Regulations will become final.  The Regulations Review Committee is scheduled to meet to consider the Proposed Regulations on May 26 in Room 1E of the Legislative Office Building.      

    The Proposed regulations apply to the following types of projects (“Covered Projects”):

    (1)    Any new construction of a State facility that is projected to cost five million dollars, or more, and for which all budgeted project bond funds are allocated by the State Bond Commission on or after January 1, 2008;

    (2)    Any renovation of a State facility that is projected to cost two million dollars or more, of which two million dollars or more is State funding, approved and funded on or after January 1, 2008;

    (3)    Any new construction of a facility that is projected to cost five million dollars, or more, of which two million dollars or more is State funding, and is authorized by the General Assembly pursuant to chapter 173  on or after January 1, 2009; and

    (4)    Any renovation of a public school facility as defined in subdivision (18) of Conn. Gen. Stat. § 10-282 that is projected to cost two million dollars or more, of which two million dollars or more is State funding, and is authorized by the General Assembly pursuant to chapter 173 on or after January 1, 2009.

Hospitals: Setting a Green Standard

by Eileen Weber

A trip to the hospital is not exactly on everyone’s To Do list. With harsh chemicals and bad air quality, hospitals are sometimes the unhealthiest places to be. From limiting their toxic waste to reducing their energy and water usage, the surgical scrubs aren’t the only things that are green, however.

Hospitals are recycling light bulbs and batteries. They are using green cleaning products. Even choosing to switch from cotton mop heads to microfiber saves thousands of gallons of water every year. They are even incorporating nature as part of the healing process with rooftop gardens and balconies open for fresh air. Studies have shown that patients who have some connection to nature have lower stress levels and recover more quickly.

But it doesn’t stop there. Practicing a healthy green business is great. But it’s even better in a green building.

According to an article dated March 27th in The Boston Globe, more hospitals are seeing the long-term benefit of renovating in an environmentally friendly way. They have included everything from LED lighting to high efficiency glass to low VOC paints and adhesives to roof top solar panels.

Reduce, Reuse, Renovate

by Eileen Weber

Less than a year ago, Fairfield residents Kraig and Suzanne Schulz finished renovating their home. They built it using insulated concrete forms (ICFs). They chose environmentally friendly products and energy-saving appliances. They installed compact fluorescent lightbulbs and energy-efficient windows. But all of that came with a pretty steep price tag and not without a few problems along the way.

According to a New York Times article dated March 5th, Petz Scholtus, a Belgian woman living in Spain, renovated her 18th century apartment to be “environmentally responsible on a shoestring.” However, being green on a budget is sometimes easier said than done.

Scholtus wrote a blog about her adventures trying to be eco-conscious while not squeezing her piggy bank at the same time. She reused plastic jugs as the outer shell for floor lamps. Her living room is decorated with beanbag chairs made from automotive textiles, magazine racks fashioned from antique drawers fitted with castors, and low VOC (volatile organic compound) paint on her walls. She also transported her belongings from the old apartment to the new one by bicycle. (Don’t try this at home, kids.)

Scholtus is not alone. In this country, blogs abound with nightmare renovations as well as stories of happily-ever-after eco-friendliness.

Home Green Home

by Eileen Weber

It’s cool to be green. I admit that’s probably stating the obvious. But for people who want to be green with their own homes, it sometimes gets a little tricky to find the right products.

That’s where The Center for Green Building comes in. Located on Fairfield Avenue in Bridgeport, the storefront sells everything from cotton insulation to no-VOC (volatile organic compound) paint to all natural, toxin-free floor varnishes and cleaning supplies.

Run by Erin Buckley and Jonathan Tuminski, the couple started the organization out of their carpentry business. After they had their son, Buckley said, “I started doing research on all the toxins in the materials my husband was using.” The ingredients were pretty scary. That was the catalyst for promoting all natural, organic products.

But it wasn’t that easy to start off. “There wasn’t anything in Connecticut,” said Buckley. “Most of the stuff available was out West.” She also said, now that the store has been established, they have a number of contractors who come from New York, the Hartford area and Rhode Island. “We’re one of the only places in the area. There’s nothing out there.”

Deconstruction, What’s Your Function?

by Eileen Weber

So you want to renovate your kitchen. Get some nice cabinets, some shiny new appliances. Sounds great. But what can you do with all that stuff you just took out?

That’s where folks like Joe DeRisi, founder of Urbanminers in Hamden, come in. With an educational background in resource management and environmental studies, he’s committed to being green—particularly when it comes to construction.

He calls what he does “deconstruction”. He will take out your old cabinets and reuse them for another construction project. Or, if he can’t use them on another project, he can sell them out of his storefront.

“We need to save it. It’s all usable,” said DeRisi of his deconstruction projects. “My goal is to turn over stuff as quickly as possible. There’s way more stuff out there.”

“We’re a wasteful society, throwing out perfectly good things,” said Debra Lombard, the Expeditor and Sustainability Coordinator for Common Visions also in Hamden. Lombard, who often works with DeRisi on her projects, said while she’s in favor of the recycling aspect of deconstruction sometimes there’s a limitation to it.

If You Build It Green, They Will Come…

by Eileen Weber

Did you know 18% of overall indoor water use and 37% of just the hot water use comes from household showers? Did you know that while the US is home to only 4.5% of the global population, it is responsible for over 15% of the world’s consumption of wood? Did you know that unhealthy air is found in 30% of new and renovated buildings?

These were just some fun facts from GreenBuilding.com, an organization based in Boulder, CO. They are the kind of statistics that the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the U.S. Green Building Council, and others focused on the benefits of green building want the average homeowner to know.

Building the new and renovating the old has taken a turn in the last several years. Homeowners, architects, and contractors alike are seeing the greater benefit of being more eco-conscious with their homes.

Barry Katz, an architect and builder in Westport, has been extremely vocal about the benefits of green building. He has written articles, given lectures, and even submitted entries to this web site about the endless possibilities of a “clean, green” future with the Obama administration.

But there are some homeowners who may balk at the initial cost of building green. To that, Katz says, “It doesn’t cost more, it costs less.” He said that before you build, you’re paying your mortgage, electricity and water bills. Before construction, those bills are higher. After construction, the initial costs essentially end up paying for themselves. “From the moment you move in to your [newly built] house,” he said, “your overall operating costs will be lower.”

DIY Green House Plans

The House Designers (THD) and ENERGY STAR® have partnered to offer consumers an exclusive collection of Green House Plans, which have all been awarded the "Designed to Earn the ENERGY STAR®" credentials to promote green home building.
 
All ENERGY STAR® house plans include energy-efficient details and specifications for features such as tight construction and duct systems (specific to locality), properly-installed insulation, high performance windows, efficient heating and cooling equipment, and ENERGY STAR® qualified lighting and appliances to reduce energy costs by 20 to 30 percent.
 
THD, based in Monroe, Connecticut is a leading on-line resource of the leading residential architects and designers in the U.S. THD has the best selling, most popular house plans in America all under one roof owned and operated directly by the designers with clients who have built their homes in every state in the U.S. and in 56 countries around the globe. 
 
Source: The House Designers and PACE

Lessons from a 6th Grader in Greenwich

Student writes her local newspaper with an important message for her town: Green Homes are Good for our Community

Staff Reports

To the editor:

As a sixth-grader at Eastern Middle School, I am concerned about the energy being carelessly wasted and the growing pollution around the town. To improve this, I support the modus operandi of "green building" and modifying homes to be more Earth friendly.

Increasing green homes will have remarkably positive effects.

The town's picturesque parks and landscapes are extremely valuable. The streets are lined with scenic houses and even some historical sites. If we don't put a stop to the constant release of fumes and greenhouse gases, the exquisite reputation of this community may collapse dramatically. Installing more energy-efficient and solar-powered homes will secure a prosperous and efficient status. Also, green homes are becoming quite luxurious, and such additions would be a notable avowal for Greenwich.

Standard houses have negative effects on the environment. Air pollution, water pollution, indoor pollution and stormwater runoff are all harmful to the Earth. Eco-friendly homes are designed for creating a healthy indoor air environment and adequate ventilation in a natural way, and use heavy insulation to reduce rising energy usage within the house.

These houses have very efficient appliances and construction. For instance, there are triple-pane windows, low-energy lighting, ground-source heat pumps, solar panels and de-chlorinating shower filters. These elements together guarantee a healthy lifestyle for the average Greenwich house.ecological house would be well adapted to the community and very beneficial to the economy. Those houses specialize in carefully making the best of all resources and avoiding waste. By switching to this type of houses, you're helping all parts of the world.

I've lived in Greenwich long enough to appreciate its outstanding reputation. I am certain that expanding the quantity of energy-efficient homes would be extremely advantageous to the economy, households and the dazzling image of Greenwich.

Eco-friendly homes are the way of a cleaner, greener future. So I urge the people of this town to use green building technology when building or renovating their homes.

Thank you for reading my letter.

Gianna DeMasi

Greenwich

Made to LEED without a Map

by Heather Burns-DeMelo

An article in the NY Times today reports, 'COME January, Connecticut will become the second state, after California, to begin turning its building code green. Even as the law is poised to go into effect, however, building industry officials are calling on the state to turn back."

"The law, adopted in 2007, requires that all privately financed construction with projected costs exceeding $5 million meet standards set by the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design program, known as LEED. Renovations above $2 million will be similarly affected after Jan. 1, 2010. Residential projects with four or fewer units are exempt."

I'm the first one to admit that change isn't easy. In fact, it's often inconvenient, expensive and fraught with the unknown--which is something that a business owner in a down economy is smart to steer clear of. But does risk mean we are smart not to identify and implement our climate change business strategy? That we don't stretch beyond our comfort zone and in doing so, earn our business a place at the table as an early adopter and even a highly sought after expert? Andrew Hoffman and John Woody, authors of Climate Change: What's Your Business Strategy, published by Harvard Business Press think not.

With the law about to take hold, the argument being put forth by the HBRA and AIA in Connecticut is that LEED language is “awkward,” “unworkable” and “messed up” to the point that builders won't want to build LEED if they don't understand what that means. I have to admit: they have a point.

In fact, it makes me wonder if the law was adopted in 2007, where are the workshops, classes, books, checklists, mentoring programs, and other support needed for a paradigm shift being imposed on an industry? If our government branches intend to impose--they must also educate.

Supposedly, LEED consists of a checklist (HOW to accomplish the things on the list are to a good degree left to interpretation) and come with a project manager to answer questions, but few builders I know who have made use of such limited resources have had anything positive to say about their experience.

In the same way that we standardized driving and made publicly available manuals and training to learn to do it well, our government has the responsibility to provide our builders with the tools they need to get the job done right.

Where to find out more about the "how to" of green building in Connecticut:

The Green Building Initiative - Not LEED, but offers software for environmentally friendly retrofitting and new builds.

CT Green Building Council - Occasional classes held throughout the year.

New Haven Groundbreaking for $5,000 Per Month Apartments; Condon Argues for Doubling Size of Downtown

By Mark Abraham via Design New Haven.

Great coverage in today's New Haven Independent on the city's official groundbreaking ceremony for the 360 State development. Shovels have been in the ground for over a month, so the ceremony was largely ceremonial, but the importance of the event was not understated:

The symbolic shovelers heralded a future vision for downtown. It’s a downtown populated by medical and university-connected renters who rely on their feet and mass transit rather than cars, buy organic groceries downstairs from their $1,000-to-$5,000-a-month apartments, and help save the planet by living in a green building. “People are paying that in today’s market,” Becker said. “There’s no vacancy at all for the better buildings here downtown,” such as the Eli on Church Street.

The Hartford Courant recently published an opinion piece about the development by the Senior Editor of New Urban News, criticizing its impact on the neighborhood, its massing and pedestrian-friendliness. The importance of walkable, bikeable, and transit friendly streets has been growing nationally, as travel mode undergoes a dramatic shift away from private automobiles. New media sites such as streetsblog.net, a large national blog network created to dovetail with the work of the Transportation for America Campaign, give a sense of this phenomenon.

Although DNH believes that the urbanistic impact of decisions such as where the building's use/program, massing, windows, stair towers and entrances were placed may take years to fully assess (and are combined with the positive stimulus of 1,000 new residents in a pedestrian-rich city core), downtown designers are generally hopeful that the apparent pedestrian safety problems can be alleviated well in advance of the project. For example, the impact of the three major curb cuts at State Street can be reduced through attractive paving, improved sightlines and intensive traffic calming, including bollards if necessary.

Also, the 360 State development promises ample indoor bicycle parking for every apartment - a huge step in the right direction. Yet there are no bicycle lanes or bike boulevards in the area, despite the fact that the streets on all four sides of the new tower are heavily-used crosstown bicycle routes, and even identified by the City of New Haven as such on its official bicycle map. How will the doctors streaming out of 360 State on their bicycles get to the medical district? A greater attention to this form of transportation is needed if the community wishes to provide realistic low-cost transportation alternatives to its citizens, which should be a no-brainer in a town where the vast majority of daily trips are a couple miles or less and where almost half of residents already walk, carpool, bike or take mass transit to work.

Finally, the goal of eliminating pedestrian injuries in the area can only be achieved if speeds are reduced, particularly along State Street. There are currently no signs of plans for significant traffic calming in the area, such as a tabled intersection or speed humps at State and Chapel Streets. Although there are rumors about a complete redevelopment and narrowing of State Street, which could ultimately address those concerns, such plans may be quite distant.

Click here for the developer's new website, 360statestreet.com, where they are already beginning a leasing list. Here's the developer's description:

Retailers Building Green

by Eileen Weber

If you like to buy green products, you might be happy to know that some of the buildings you shop in are also green. Certain retail chains have hopped on the band wagon of green building.

Kohl’s, a retailer of clothes, jewelry and other accessories, just opened a new store in Waterbury over the weekend with grand opening ceremonies today.

“Kohl’s is committed to being an environmentally responsible retailer,” said Ken Bonning, the company’s Executive Vice President for Logistics, in a recent press release. He also said that the “design and functionality [of the stores] do not have to be sacrificed when creating green buildings.”

Some of the key features include an energy management system that controls sensor lighting for stock rooms, break rooms and offices. They installed controlled irrigation systems and localized water heaters. Their merchandise bags are made of 20% recycled materials and their gift boxes are 100% recyclable.

ECO-LUXURY WITH TESLA!

We'll have TWO 2009 Tesla Roadsters, the world’s first high performance ALL electric sports car. The Telsa Roadster is a zero-emission, two-seater for sale now in the United States and Europe. With a 0-to-60 mph acceleration of 3.9 seconds, the Tesla Roadster is unique in providing super car performance, zero emissions and extraordinary efficiency. Test drives and a presentation from senior-level executives will be available.

So where can you check these two amazing machines out and meet lots of great people? At a luxury, green home, of course! Details to follow.

Guests will also be treated to a selection of organic beers, wines and CT GreenScene’s signature cocktails.

A silent auction during the event will raise funds for The Hole in the Wall Gang Camp.

When: Thursday, November 20, 2008 from 6 to 9 p.m. Where: Details to follow shortly. Cost: $45 in advance; $50 at the door. Click here to purchase advanced tickets. 

Our platinum sponsor is Solar Wrights. Gold Sponsors are Ruff&Cut and Hybrid Homes Geothermal.

Sponsorships for this and other events are available. Call Heather Burns-DeMelo at 203-470-8020 or email info@ctgreenscene.com for more information.

What Is Smart Growth and Why Should You Care?

By now, you probably get the idea that our planet's resources are finite, but many people are beginning to catch on to the fact that our need to design, plan and build communities that are "smart" and conserve our limited natural resources, while creating a strong sense of community is imperative.  On the financial side of the coin, developers, architects, builders and real estate agents are seeing great investment potential in smart growth, even in a slowed up economy.

So what is Smart Growth?

Smart growth as defined by experts at CT Smart Growth:

Mixed land use: "Our post World War II land use decisions have separated and compartmentalized the various aspects our lives.  We live in one place, work in another, and venture to still another place for shopping and entertainment.  This separation has created a car-centric society and taken away from the vitality of the traditional town center or Main Street. Smart growth supports the integration of mixed land uses into communities as a critical component of achieving better places to live. By putting uses in close proximity to one another, alternatives to driving, such as walking or biking, once again become viable."

Compact Building Design: "Compact building design suggests that communities be designed in a way which permits more open space to preserved, and that buildings can be constructed which make more efficient use of land and resources. By encouraging buildings to grow vertically rather than horizontally, and by incorporating structured rather than surface parking, for example, communities can reduce the footprint of new construction, and preserve more greenspace."

Housing Opportunities: "Providing quality housing for people of all income levels is an integral component in any smart growth strategy. Housing is a critical part of the way communities grow, as it is constitutes a significant share of new construction and development. More importantly, however, is also a key factor in determining households' access to transportation, commuting patterns, access to services and education, and consumption of energy and other natural resources."

Walkable Communities: "As the personal and societal benefits of pedestrian friendly communities are realized - benefits which include lower transportation costs, greater social interaction, improved personal and environmental health, and expanded consumer choice -- many are calling upon the public and private sector to facilitate the development of walkable places."

Other elements include: Strong Sense of Place, Preserve Open Spaces, Infill Development, Wide array of Transportation Choices, Fair and Predictable Development Decisions, and Community Collaboration. To find out more about the other 6 elements of smart growth, as well as valuable resources, visit CT Smart Growth. Also, check out this incredible Smart Growth project slated for Georgetown.

 

 

Holy Green Buildings Batman!

There are LOADS of green buildings sprouting up all over the state and the Connecticut Green Building Council recently recognized the most "intriguing" residential and institutional structures in the state, and from Yale to Usquepaug, they are certainly worth a peek.

Residential

	MOST INTRIGUING was awarded to the Usquepaug Residence designed by Lindsay Suter AIA. This project is a culmination of architectural training in good design using quality materials and interesting sustainable principles. A very nice project, every passive sustainable device was used. The project is modest and simple resulting in an elegant affordable residence. The unique aspect to this design is the taking advantage of a great northern view by using a lot of glass to obtain the view and even daylight without glare, but solving the heat loss potential by an effective and handsome shutter system.

INTRIGUING was awarded for another simple basic, responsible Norfolk Residence again by Lindsay Suter AIA. This design is compact and efficient; using natural ventilation for the building. The basic fuel for heating is a wood stove that was reduced in size due to its ability to work efficiently. The materials selected and attention to best construction practices result in a fine lesson on how to build an affordable house.

Institutional

	MOST INTRIGUING was awarded to the Yale Sculpture Building and Gallery, designed by Kieran Timberlake Associates in association with BVH Engineers. The building incorporates just about every sustainable device and design possible. This project demonstrates what good design and extraordinary planning can produce. A green roof covers about 90% of the whole structure.

	INTRIGUING was awarded to the Barnard Magnet School whose design showed a very aggressive energy program undertaken by the City of New Haven. The significance of this project, designed by Roberta Washington and David Thompson collaborative architects is what can be done using public funds. The project incorporates an existing school building and a fine looking addition to meeting the goals of LEED Gold. Much attention has been paid to using all the building functions as a learning laboratory for its students.

	INTRIGUING was awarded to the Yale School of Medicine, Sterling Hall Laboratory Wing by Svigals and Partners architects. The building design was used as an experiment by Yale to see what can be achieved using sustainable ideas in a laboratory environment. The use of Daylight transparency, strategies to develop a better work environment, recyclable materials and products that produce no off-gases was a significant attempt to demonstrate what can be done. The project has been widely published and now sets a standard for all laboratories for Yale medical school.

INTRIGUING was awarded to the Burton Family Football/Mark Shenkman Training Center Complex by JCJ architects in collaboration with HOK Sports. This project is significant in that it is the first NCAA Athletic Sustainable project as well as the first LEEDproject on the UCONN Campus. A challenging site and a building configuration lead to a solid design and planning effort to make this building a responsible partner on Campus.

For a look at more incredible green building projects in and around Connecticut, visit BuildingCTGreen.com.

New Publication Provides Energy Efficiency Guidance for Warehouses

The latest publication in the Advanced Energy Design Guide series will help guide the construction of warehouses using off-the-shelf technology that can cut energy use 30 percent or more annually.

                 The Advanced Energy Design Guide for Small Warehouses and Self-Storage Buildings, published by the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers, gives guidance to architects, engineers and others on building design teams on how to use best design practices to create energy-saving warehouses. Written in partnership with The American Institute of Architects, the Illuminating Engineering Society of North America, the U.S. Green Building Council, and the U.S. Department of Energy, the book is available for free in electronic form at www.ashrae.org/freeaedg. Hard copies are available for purchase in the ASHRAE Bookstore through the same Web page.  The Metal Buildings Manufacturers Association (MBMA) contributed to the book’s authorship.

Today's Green Building: A New Spin on Good Old Common Sense

Long ago, we used our intellect to create shelters out of our surroundings. We were connected to the land that we lived on, took only what we needed and moved on to "greener pastures" when weather or a lack of resources dictated. Back then, we taught our children skills of self-sufficiency and survival.
Once we settled down and became skilled at building permanent structures, the timber for framing came from the trees on the lot, we built close to the road and we oriented to the south for natural day lighting and ventilation. We built houses that lasted a century or more, and every room was used every day.

Today, the average size of our homes—often built using virgin materials that are shipped thousands of miles—has more than doubled since 1950, while our family size has decreased by one-fourth. We use building materials that contain toxins and carcinogens (as identified by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) that are emitted into the air inside our homes for years after their installation.

Enter green building. The concept grew from the geodesic and solar days of the 70s and 80s when engineers, builders and architects sought out environmentally friendly solutions to an energy shortage (sound familiar?). As they built south-facing structures to take advantage of natural day lighting and improve the performance of solar systems, they broadened their focus as they realized there were a lot of ways to improve the way we build.

Mercy Center at Madison: Connecticut’s Green Conference Facility

You’ve worked really hard this past year and now you need to get your staff psyched to launch a new product line. Or maybe your nonprofit organization is serving more people with fewer resources and you need to come up with a new fundraising plan. Setting aside a day once a year for a staff retreat to reconsider your mission and vision can yield big results.

Even better: schedule a staff retreat day to put your company’s sustainability plan and environmental policies on paper while enjoying and learning from an unusual organization that has made the commitment to sustainability themselves.

Mercy by the Sea, a 33 acre facility with 1100 feet of private beach offers nonprofit, government and business groups a “unique setting where learning, planning, exploring and innovating can flourish”, as described on their website, www.mercybythesea.org.

Two years ago they made a strong commitment to greening their operations and added an Ecology Department and Director, Sherill Baldwin, to their organization.

Heartland Community Destroyed by Tornado Goes GREEN

By Sherwood Martinelli

If you do a couple of Internet searches, (Eco-Town and Greensburg) you'll see that a small town in America's Heartland, Greensburg Kansas, is getting a whole lot of attention. That's exactly what they need, since the tornado that strolled down Main Street, destroyed more than 80 percent of the city's infrastructure.

My own involvements with the community began some weeks ago when a close friend of mine, Bill Thomas of Green Home Solutions rang me up in the middle of the night and said, “I had a dream, and you and I are going to go spend a week in Kansas helping the people of Greensburg rebuild their town.” My first thought was, “Why Greensburg?” I mean any town or city devastated by a natural disaster deserves all the help we can give them--but too often there just does not seem to be enough help to go around, with the best known example being New Orleans, and the Ninth Ward--so why Greensburg?

CT and NY-based Involvement

All communities ravished by natural disasters deserve attention, and a growing group of us here on the East Coast have recently formed a new organization aimed at helping Greensburg, and other communities recovering from natural disasters to not only recover, but to re-build using green building materials, to rebuild a more eco-friendly sustainable community. Green Helping Hands will help get GreenTown what it needs.

The town and GreenTown want to build an eco village with six green homes cited in the village, another six built at other locations throughout the town, thus creating a real life model of sustainable green living that others can visit and study, which in turn will create eco-tourism for this small rural community.

So far, Green Helping Hands has the attention of GEM motorcars, manufactured by Chrysler, and McGraw Hill Publishing.  We are also raising donations of green building products, books for the new library, and more.

Many Hands, Many Minds

Green Helping Hands has proposed to have a competition wherein the best architectures in the world could compete to have their plan chosen for these green home builds. The idea has been well received, so stay tuned or better yet, come and join us!

   

Green Companies Launch National Solar Energy Initiative in Tri-State Area

 The Great, Green Race has begun! The goal: install one million solar roofs on American homes within three years. Through strategic alliances in the construction, solar energy and banking industries, making it financially feasible for most families and businesses to afford solar powered electricity, and enabling them to realize immediate energy savings of up to 25 percent and more.

Jane Greenstein, Founder & CEO of The Great Green Race in Roslyn Heights, New York and Bill Thomas, COO of Green Home Solutions, LLC in Norwalk, Connecticut agree, “We’re going to jump-start America’s Green transformation by eliminating the single greatest barriers in the adoption of this sustainable energy alternative – the payback period and up front costs.  Using her 30 years of experience in mortgage finance with The Seldin Organization, Inc., a Long Island firm, Jane has designed a Green Banking Program that will dramatically increase the public’s ability to act now.  "Through our affiliations with local banks, homeowners will become part of the solution to substantially reduce carbon emissions," says Jane. She continues, "Affordable financing of this green investment is the key. By offering a variety of creative low-interest payment options like special “Green” home equity loans and long-term graduated payment loans where interest may be tax deductible, installation costs are spread out over a long term. In that way, homeowners realize net savings immediately; and over 25 years, average homeowners can expect to save up to $40,000 on their electric bills."  Federal and state energy efficiency rebates could further reduce the cost of installing solar power. Important to note: according to the Appraisal Institute, the market value of a solar powered home would immediately increase by 20 times the annual electric savings, which equal $36,000 for the average American homeowner with a $150 monthly utility bill.

CT-Based BuildGreenSchools.org

An amazing Web site, buildgreenschools.org, has launched!

A few things to check out:

Spotlight on Green Schools Advocates: As the name suggests, this will be our opportunity to highlight your successes. Please keep us posted on your advocacy efforts: speaking engagements, green school victories and other noteworthy milestones.

Resource Library: This is only a preliminary list. We intend to expand this section considerably. If you know of a Web site that belongs on this page, please email me with the site address and a 2-3 sentence description.

Contact: Those interested in joining your Green Schools Advocacy Teams will be able to link directly to you. Please go to this page and click the Green Schools Advocate link that corresponds to your region. Confirm that your email address is correct or if you would like to use a different email address as a contact, please let me know and I will have it swapped out right away. Also, note that your regional chapter coordinator will be copied when someone sends you an email from the Web site. This will allow us to gauge the volume of emails going to different regions and provide you with additional resources and support where necessary. Get ready to start plugging interested individuals into your Green Schools Advocacy Teams!

MySpace profile and discussion group: We have created a discussion group through MySpace for all who are interested in promoting green schools to get together and share their vision! Hopefully, the discussion group will foster some great dialogue. To participate you will need to create a MySpace account which is free and only takes a few minutes. Added benefit: If you have teenagers, this will earn you cool points.

The Web site is a work in progress and I encourage all of you to offer feedback as to how we can make improvements. I would encourage you to become familiar with the content of the site so that you can refer others to appropriate information and resources. LEED for Schools 101 Online course, Generation g, LEED for Schools checklist and Rating System and the full Green Schools press kit can all be accessed from buildgreenschools.org.

Check it out and let's get green schools booming in Connecticut!

Energy Star Homes on the Rise

Energy Star homes are built for maximum energy efficiency and includes things like installing insulating windows and doors, using super-insulation in walls and roofs, installing Energy Star appliances, and sealing ductwork, windows and other potential leaky areas. Luckily, there are rebates and financial incentives for building Energy Star in Connecticut. Perhaps that's why they're catching on. Want to save money, help the environment and build or remodel Energy Star?

Connecticut rated among the top 15 states for new Energy Star homes, and nearly 200,000 new homes nationwide earned the Energy Star in 2006, bringing the total number of Energy Star qualified homes across the nation to almost 750,000, according to the EPA. To date, these homes have locked in annual savings of more than $180 million for homeowners by saving over 1 billion kWh of electricity and 100 million therms of natural gas.

Energy Star homes are least 15 percent more energy efficient than homes built to the 2004 International Residential Code, and include additional energy-saving features that typically make them 20 to 30 percent more efficient than standard homes. Build more efficiently--it just makes sense.

Source: environementalleader.com

Who Says Connecticut Isn't Building Green?

A few years ago, many considered Connecticut one of the least green states in the nation. But thanks to individuals, organizations, and businesses realizing the multitude of benefits to building green, that's no longer the case.

According to a post on Auctor Verno's blog, here's just a taste of commercial green building projects underway in Connecticut.

"Donald Trump got into the green game and announced the Trump Parc Stamford will be built to LEED standards and Naugutuck will get a $700 million green make-over courtesy of a public/private partnership between The Conroy Development Company of Fairfield, Connecticut and the Borough of Naugatuck and the Naugatuck Economic Development Corporation.

Some other green projects recently announced are either just getting started or close to being finished include:

Metro Green, Stamford
Harbor Point, Stamford
Georgetown Land Development, Redding
Fairfield Metro Center
Campus at Greenhill, Wallingford
iPark, Norwalk
Wall Street Project, Norwalk
Mansfield Town Center
L.L. Bean Store, South Windsor
The Henry Lee Institute of Forensic Science, West Haven"

Do you know of a commercial or residential green building project you'd like to share? Contact Us.

Green School in New Haven

It's no small potatoes for a Connecticut school to be the site of the largest solar installation at an educational institution in Connecticut; one of the largest solar installations at an educational institution in New England; the first Leadership in Energy and Design (LEED) Silver certified building in the New Haven school district; and the first school in New Haven to incorporate solar PV into its design. But the icing on the cake is the fact that thousands of students will enjoy learning within the healthy indoor environment associated with a "green" school.

Want to start a green schools initiative in your town? Visit the CTGBC and inquire about their Healthy Schools Initiative, contact Connecticut Clean Energy Fund to learn more about available funding, or start your own!

New Construction Carbon Calculator

For those of you planning to build a new home, or for the builders and contractors out there, there's a nifty new, free online calculator that measures the carbon footprint of a newly constructed building based on items like its total square footage, number of floors, type of framing material, and geographic location, etc. 

The calculator estimates the embodied energy and subsequent carbon amounts released during construction. The measurements account for building materials, processes, and carbon released due to ecosystem degradation (such as soil disturbance) or sequestered through landscape installation or restoration.

Why would you want to know what your carbon footprint is? To offset it, of course! "Offsetting" means calculating your project's carbon footprint so it can be balanced by funding resources or activities like renewable energy, land protection, or reforestation projects — resources that benefit and protect the planet.

Entries for Zero-Energy Building Award

Northeast Sustainable Energy Association (NESEA) is now accepting entries for the Northeast Zero-Energy Building Award. Zero-energy buildings – buildings that produce as much energy as they consume – represent the cutting edge of environmentally responsible construction. These buildings, which require state-of-the-art energy-efficient construction and renewable energy systems such as solar and wind, are challenging to design and build but can offer comfort and amenities while reducing the building’s impact on the environment.

NESEA will offer a $10,000 cash prize for the best building in the Northeast that can document net-zero energy use while offering a high level of comfort, affordability and reliability. For more information about the requirements and submission guidelines, visit the Zero-Energy Building Award website.

Storms Bring Sprawl Pollution to Rivers

By Eric Hammerling

The pejorative term “sprawl" conjures up an image of cookie-cutter subdivisions marching inexorably over gentle hills that were once farms or forests. Many of us bemoan the changes that sprawl has wrought on our neighborhoods and towns — more paved areas, more traffic, more look-alike strip malls. We rarely speak of what may be the most harmful aspect of sprawl, and that is how it affects our water supply.

What is happening isn’t hard to explain. Sprawling development is accompanied by an explosion of paved areas, which scientists call “impervious surfaces.” When rain falls or snow melts, the water runs off these impervious surfaces into storm drains and is conveyed directly into the nearest river, stream, or lake. Stormwater, as this runoff is known, carries along whatever is in its path. That too often includes pet wastes; road sand and salt; oil, gas, heavy metals and other car-related pollutants; pesticides; and fertilizers and sediment from poorly controlled construction sites. These pollutants, especially when combined with low water and warm temperatures, can spell serious trouble for the river or lake and the fish and the wildlife who depend upon it.

Building Green: Desirable and Cost-Effective

By Anneli Olila

Building green is becoming increasingly attractive to Connecticut developers, architects, and construction professionals. Why? Because evidence is mounting that, in addition to being environmentally sound, green buildings may be more cost-effective than previously thought.

Historically, the assumption has been that building green is cost-prohibitive. Building for sustainability involves considering the entire life-cycle of a building, and selecting and using resources for each phase of that life-cycle in an efficient, environmentally sound, and sustainable manner. This means that choosing a site, construction materials and methods, building operations and maintenance, as well as, the ultimate demolition of the building all need to be considered from a sustainability perspective during building design. Such an involved design phase can be daunting and require greater up-front costs for the developer.

Even with these increased up-front costs, however, building green can be not only feasible, but even profitable. Green buildings are high performance buildings and typically less expensive to operate and maintain. A recent study of 40 high-performance buildings found that, although owners incurred a 1% - 2% higher construction cost, they quickly recouped this - and more - with savings of $50 - $70 per square foot due to lower energy and water use and reduced wastewater treatment costs.

In addition to being operationally cost-effective, green buildings are proving beneficial to owners and occupants in other ways. Not only are those pursuing green building enjoying enhanced corporate reputations, but those using the buildings seem to be functioning better as well. The cleaner air, natural light, and overall healthier environment have been found to increase employee productivity by up to 15%, improve student learning in some cases by 20%, and even increase sales.

Given figures like these, it’s not hard to understand why more people in the development and construction industries are thinking seriously about going green. This trend promises to continue as technology for sustainable design and construction advances, and as green building products increase in availability and decrease in price. Broadly recognized rating systems such as LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) are adding to the momentum through providing public recognition for incorporation of green elements into building design.

Building green is proving to be beneficial on numerous fronts – environmentally, financially, and in terms of health and productivity. For investors, owners, and occupants, green buildings are no longer desirable for their environmental benefits alone. They are cost-effective and profitable, too.

Please visit the following link to learn more about green building in Connecticut:

Connecticut Fund for the Environment

© 2007 Anneli Olila

Green Home Building Video

This is a great introduction to the concepts of green remodeling. Have questions? Shoot us an email and we'd be happy to help you find what you need.

PART ONE

PART TWO

Tax Incentives and Rebates

Want to make your home more energy efficient, but don't have the money? Join the club! I have dreams of solar panels, rain gardens and energy efficient appliances but can't seem to find the money. Dsire.org lists tax incentives and rebates and while energy efficient upgrades aren't free, Connecticut is one of the few states left with a grant program available to homeowners.

Anyone else out there know of other grants, incentives, or tax breaks available to Connecticut residents?

Clean Energy for Pennies More

By Heather Burns-DeMelo

Sustainable or "green" energy is a clean and inexhaustible source of power (providing the world as we know it doesn't end any time soon). Each year one 215-foot-tall wind turbine prevents the release of nearly 4 million pounds of global warming CO2. When compared to the average electric generation mix, the carbon dioxide benefit is equivalent to planting over 3,800 trees or taking 315 cars off the road each year!

There are other types of nifty renewable energy available too--small low/impact hydro, solar, and biomass, which is energy created from a combination of organic materials such as discarded wood, plant material, and landfill gasses. Not only is the environmental impact of harvesting, producing, and using these types of "green" energy less than burning conventional oil and coal, but the sources are renewable, making them plentiful for future generations. So how can you get some?

We switched our home and offices over to 100% clean energy in celebration of Earth Day this year, and at .5 cents more per kilowatt hour, our bill is only $7 more per month. That's $84 a year to feel good about doing something big for the environment.

Choosing the Best Place for Your New Green Home

By Heather Burns-DeMelo

Most of us have been conditioned to choose a building lot for new construction based on factors that go against the tenants of green building. We want long driveways, large yards that border woodlands, our house perched on a hilltop for a glorious view. While the point here is not to deprive ourselves of enjoying the fruits of our labor, a lot can be gained--personally, locally and globally--from pausing for thoughtful consideration and introspection when choosing the land on which we build.

Begin by reviewing the general topography noting large flat areas that would be best kept for agriculture, parking or septic drainage fields.

USGBC & CTGBC--A Marriage Made in Heaven

After years of courting, the USGBC (US Green Building Council) and the CTGBC (Connecticut Green Building Council) have formally agreed that the CTGBC will act as the State's official chapter. What does that mean to those of us interested in Green Building? A lot.

The CTGBC will offer more programs in LEED (Leadership in Energy Efficient Design), which is the official green building rating system of the USGBC--and that means less carbon released into the atmosphere schleping to NYC for training and workshops.