Thinking Green: 6 easy steps to greening your home further then just recycling:

Greening your home should not be a stressful endeavor. Here are 6 easy ways to do it:

1. Install a rain barrel:
Rain barrels typically hold about 40 to 60 gallons each ― enough to irrigate houseplants or pots on the deck. The best type is made of recycled food-grade plastic or use a recycled wine barrel, with an intake line, spigot, overflow attachment, screen cover to keep out leaves, and removable solid cover. Position the barrel beneath a downspout. To keep the rainwater pure, remove the solid cover an hour or two after rainfall has washed pollen and other pollutants off the roof.

2. Reduce water use:
• Time your showers - take max 10 min. showers, do not keep water running when you are doing something else, use the dishwasher as much as possible, if you don’t have a dishwasher rinse the dishes in a bowl of water and soap down then rinse them off.
• Installing Low-Flow shower heads and faucet aerators is the single most effective water conservation savings you can do for your home. Inexpensive and simple to install, low-flow shower heads and faucet aerators can reduce your home water consumption as much as 50%, and reduce your energy cost of heating the water also by as much as 50%.

3. Watch the temp:
Almost half a home's energy consumption is due to heating and cooling.
• Turn down the thermostat in cold weather and keep it higher in warm weather. Each degree below 68°F (20°C) during colder weather saves 3%-5% more heating energy, while keeping your thermostat at 78°F in warmer weather will save you energy and money. A programmable thermostat will make these temperature changes for you automatically.
• Clean your furnace's air filter monthly during heavy usage.
• To keep your cool in warmer weather, shade your east and west windows and delay heat-generating activities such as dishwashing until evening.
• Use ceiling fans instead of air conditioners.

4. Green Cleaning products:
Use cleaning products that have eco-friendly ingredients and perform effectively. These include grain alcohol instead of toxic butyl cellosolve, commonly found in carpet cleaner and some window cleaners as a solvent; coconut or other plant oils rather than petroleum in detergents; and plant-oil disinfectants such as eucalyptus, rosemary or sage rather than triclosan, an antifungal agent found in soaps and deodorant. Check out www.naturessourcecleaners.com for some products.

5. Energy savers:
• As you need new appliances make sure you are buying them with Energy Star rating
• Change all bulbs to LED bulbs
• Buying outdoor lights and Christmas lights that have the Energy Star label and LED lights are also available

6. Compost wastes:
Composting is when you combine food wastes and yard waste and let them decompose to be used as a natural fertilizer for your yard, garden or potted plants. This not only helps plans grow and provides food for the eco system it also diverts these items from landfills. Composting has become much easier to accomplish with all the products available to purchase on line; from barrels made from recycled plastics to guides on how to.

Thinking Green: First dimmable LED bulb -Pharox60

LED (light emitting diodes) is a form of lighting that does not use a filament such as found in the standard light bulb. They Offer More Efficient Technology than Incandescent Lights and CFLs. According to HowStuffWorks.com, LED bulbs are lit solely by the movement of electrons. Unlike incandescents, they have no filament that will burn out; and unlike CFLs, they contain no mercury or other toxic substances. Proponents say LEDs can last some 60 times longer than incandescents and 10 times longer than CFLs. And unlike incandescents, which generate a lot of waste heat, LEDs don’t get especially hot and use a much higher percentage of electricity for directly generating light.

LED bulbs also:
• Long lifetime: 25 years (based on 4 hours average use per day).
• Eco-friendly
• Recyclable
• Have no UV radiation
• Do not produce hazardous waste

The Pharox60, the first true replacement for the incandescent bulb. The design of the Pharox60 bulb resembles a traditional incandescent bulb and fits US residential fixtures, allowing consumers to easily make the shift to more energy efficient lighting without sacrificing light quality or aesthetics. The bulb features technologically advanced dimming capabilities and a warm, soft glow that sets it apart from previous LED bulbs. The Pharox60 is made from non-toxic materials and may be safely recycled with other metals and glass.

This bulb is only sold on line so for more information on a Pharox60 bulb go to www.mypharox.com.

Thinking Green: Local Law 86

Urban Green Council (who is the USGBC New York City’s chapter) has been working hard to educate and make changes to better our environment. It has demonstrated the success of their efforts when New York City's milestone Local Law 86 regulating green building came into effect. This development alone will result in an estimated $12 billion in municipal construction being built to USGBC's LEED standards by 2017.

An interesting variety of green building projects have begun to dot the City including those that have already received actual LEED ratings. And now LL86, known as the “LEED Law” requires construction satisfying various LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) qualifying criteria for many Agency and City-funded projects. The law requires LEED Silver for all the projects.

As of June 26, 2009 the Law has been modified to use the all new LEED 2009 rating systems as before the law only applied to new construction, commercial interiors and existing buildings. In the new revision LEED for Schools, Major renovation and Core and Shell were added into the text. An example of the regulations of Local Law 86 establishes a series of mandates for non-residential municipal construction in New York City:

1. All buildings (or building renovation projects impacting either half the structure’s square footage or two major building systems), costing a minimum of $2 million must be designed to achieve a LEED Silver rating. Schools and hospitals need only meet a LEED Certified rating. This requirement also applies to all capital projects to which the City provides at least fifty percent of the funds, or projects where the City contributes more than $10 million.

2. Projects costing more than $12 million must exceed New York State energy efficiency standards by twenty percent.

3. Projects costing more than $30 million must exceed New York State energy efficiency standards by twenty-five percent.

4. Projects with plumbing costs exceeding $500,000 must reduce end water use by thirty percent from New York State code (only twenty percent if an application for waterless urinals is rejected).

As we educate the public we will also need to change the laws and create standards for green thinking to become part of our everyday life. As ADA accessibility guidelines have become part of our design thinking and practices so does environmental sustainability.

Check out the Urban Green Council at www.urbangreencouncil.org for information, educational seminars and volunteer opportunities.

Thinking Green: Free Energy Modeling Software

The US department of energy (DOE) developed free energy modeling software that is an information resource on national model energy codes. They are COMcheck, for commercial applications, and Rescheck, for residential applications. The Materials (software, manual code compliance, and reference guides) simplify and clarify commercial, high-rise residential and general residential energy code compliance. Forms and checklists are included for documenting compliance. Example: The COMcheck software simplifies energy code compliance by offering a flexible computer-based alternative to manual calculation.

It is simple download the program, go to the DOE website www.energycodes.gov. There you have software, technical support and info about all energy coeds for all the states.

Making sure energy savings are in place will help us reduce our carbon footprint and take a step forward to help reduce our environmental impact. We need to start thinking in all ways to how we can design, build and renovate our surroundings to generate environments that benefit our planet not hinder it and use all the resources we have to help us do so.

Eco Product: NanaWall

Here is a product that is great to design with and is Ideal for Green Design Projects. NanaWall allows natural sunlight to illuminate interiors, saving energy with passive solar, building orientation and reduced demand on artificial lighting. High performance windows are able to also significantly reduce the energy loss through the building envelope.

The use of NanaWall provides the following health and living/work space benefits:

• Be able to build a smaller building by being able to utilize the outside as part of the living space
• NFRC/Energy Star certified systems with industry leading U-factors and Solar Heat Gain Coefficients
• Weather resistant with excellent air infiltration and water penetration ratings
• Excellent acoustic performance
• Recyclable aluminum frames with 50% recycled content with eco friendly powder coated finishes
• Wood frames with eco friendly water based pretreatment. PEFC certified Douglas fir standard and FSC certified pine, meranti, spruce, and American white oak available on request.
• Natural ventilation
• Daylighting with more natural light
• Innovative Shipping Crates design

NanaWall can achieve 30 points under the USGB’s Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) for New Construction and Existing Building. The following credits can be sought after:

• SS CR 8: Light Pollution Reduction
• EA CR 1.1-1.10: Minimum Energy Performance
• MR 2.1,2: Construction Waste Management
• MR 4.1,2 4.1: Recycled content of Materials
• MR 5.1, 2: Regional Materials
• MR 7: Certified Wood
• EQ 2: Increased Ventilation
• EQ 3.2: Construction IAQ Management
• EQ 6.1, 6.2Lighting System & Thermal Comfort Controllability
• EQ 7.1: Thermal Design
• EQ 8.1, 8.2: Daylighting
• ID Cr 1.1: Innovation

NanaWall not only can help a LEED project but is a great tool for a design team. It has a lot of flexibility and can create diverse environments with the products application. This product gives the design team freedom to push beyond the buildings envelop. For more information check out their website at www.nanawall.com

Eco Product: Trespa - for rain screen cladding and more

Trespa International's main manufacturing facility was one of the first producers of panel material to be awarded ISO 14001 certification. The ISO 14001 standard describes the steps required for setting up, implementing, maintaining and improving a completely integrated environmental management system.

Trespa was one of the first manufacturers of construction products to map the totality of its products effects by means of a life-cycle analysis (LCA), right from the source of the raw materials to the end of the life-cycle. Particularly in the recycling of raw materials and recovering energy, Trespa is one of the most environmentally friendly products for rain screen cladding.

Designing for the Future

• Optimum sizes of panel to reduce waste
• Sawing programes designed to reduce waste
• Preferred panel thicknesses to reduce sub-frames
• Optimum cavity depth and insulation to reduce energy loss
• Methods to reduce cleaning and maintenance

The important environmental characteristics of Trespa’s products are:

• Trespa’s facade system allows for expanded insulation and therefore lower energy costs.
• Meteon is durable and long lasting, allowing the need for fewer products over the life of the building.
• Meteon can be affixed on existing walls, allowing the builder the freedom to redesign the building without demolition.
• Waste of Trespa material can be removed easily: it can be recycled, thermally recycled in a common industrial incinerator with high energy recovery and also landfill is possible. All in accordance with national or local disposal regulations.
• Meteon can contribute to US Green Building Council LEED® credits.

For LEED Certification: Trespa Solid Composite Panels can be evaluated as part of the entire building package, based on weighted average of all materials combined, for possible points, under the following credits:

• Material & Resources MR 1.1, MR 1.2, MR 1.3 MR 2.1, MR 2.2, MR 3.1, and MR 3.2
• Indoor Environmental Quality EQ 4.4.

Materials & Resources:

• MR 1.1 and 1.2 Building Reuse: Maintain 75% or 95% of Existing Walls, Floors, & Roof 2 Points Possible

o Trespa Solid Composite Panels enable the builder to utilize existing walls by providing a means to create a new façade over existing structures. Trespa panels can be affixed to existing walls enabling the builder to create new color and/or texture without altering the sustaining wall. One point can be earned by maintaining 75% of existing walls, floors, and roofs, and an additional point can be earned by maintaining 95% of existing walls, floors, and roofs.

• MR 1.3 Building Reuse: Maintain 50% of Interior Non-Structural Elements 1 Point

o Possible Trespa Solid Composite Panels are individual panels which are a component of a wall assembly and can be removed and reused in other projects. Due to the life expectancy of the panels and the ability to cut them on-site, these panels can be incorporated into various elements either within the same project, or used in other projects as well.

• MR 2.1 and 2.2 Construction Waste Management: Divert 50% or 75% from Disposal 2 Points Possible

o Trespa Solid Composite Panels that remain as demolition and/or construction debris can be diverted from disposal in landfills and incinerators through the process of recycling. Trespa panels can be recycled through raw material recovery or thermal recycling with energy recovery. One point can be earned by diverting 50% of demolition materials from landfills, and an additional point can be earned by diverting 75%.

• MR 3.1 and 3.2 Materials Reuse: 5% or 10% 2 Points Possible

o Trespa Solid Composite Panels can potentially be reused or relocated due to the extensive life of the panel and the ability to cut on-site. Trespa Solid Composite Panels can be salvaged or reused in new construction or renovation of a building. Applications for reuse can be exterior and interior wall panels, decorating accent panels, and furniture made with Trespa material. For 1 point, 5% of the building materials must be reused or salvaged, and an additional point can be earned if 10% is achieved.

Indoor Environmental Quality:

• EQc4.4 Low Emitting Materials: Composite Wood & Agrifiber Products 1 Point Possible.

o The GREENGUARD Environmental Institute has awarded GREENGUARD Indoor Air Quality Certification® as well as GREENGUARD Children and Schools CertificationSM to Trespa’s interior Solid Composite Panels. All Trespa panels have been, and continue to be, tested for chemical emissions performance under the stringent GREENGUARD Standard for Low Emitting Products.

Design Process:

Trespa Solid Phenolic Panels can also potentially gain additional points under the Innovation and Design section in IDc 1-1.4. Trespa panel attributes that are not specifically addressed by the LEED® Green Building Rating System can be considered for innovative performance in Green Building categories such as the Life Cycle Analysis of the material with BEES® (Building for Environmental and Economic Sustainability) listing. For more information on BEES® please visit www.bfrl.nist.gov/oae/software/bees/.

Check out their website: http://www.trespa.com/na/

Design: The Charles Hostler Student Center

The Charles Hostler Student Center designed by VJAA in Minneapolis is the recipient of AIA COTE (Committee on the Environment) Top Ten Award, 2009. It is located on the campus of the American University of Beirut. The awards recognize projects as examples of sustainable architecture and green design solutions that protect and enhance the environment.

Situated on Beirut's seafront the new 204,000 sq ft facility accommodates competitive and recreational athletic facilities for swimming, basketball, handball, volleyball, squash, exercise and weight training. The space also includes an auditorium with associated meeting rooms, cafeteria with study space, and underground parking for 200 cars.

The design of the space and concepts include:

• Green spaces on the rooftops to allow for a more pleasing physical and visual integration with the upper campus, providing usable green rooftop areas for activities and reducing the amount of exposure to the sun

• Solar panels installed at the site heat the indoor pool and other spaces

• Green plant cover filled with landscaped vegetation maintains the coolness of the entire area during hot summer days

• Created multiple building volumes connecting a continuous field of habitable space with gardens on multiple levels allowing the building forms themselves to redistribute air, activity and shade. This usable program area on the site is increased through shading and ventilation of outdoor spaces

• The east-west orientation of the building forms helps to shade exterior courtyards, reducing the amount of southern exposure. The orientation also directs nighttime breezes and daytime sea breezes to cool outdoor spaces.
• The team also preserved a significant amount of existing landscape (the buildings were sited to maintain existing trees)
• All the teams strategies also focus on reducing the requirements for energy and water consumption

This facility was designed with a lot of the LEED certification concepts and criteria outside the United States by a US firm. As I stated before LEED should be a tool to help you know the first steps to creating green buildings but as an expert in your field you should strive to supersede these requirements and find ways to improve on them.