January 2012
January 20, 2012, Green Roof Plants Help Solar Panels Chill By Lauren Craig, EarthTechling.com Despite being an abundant untapped resource for distributed renewable energy production, rooftops sometimes aren’t the best place to install photovoltaic (PV) panels. Heat has a negative impact on voltage, which affects power production on extremely hot days. But, by integrating a rooftop PV system with a green building technique designed to keep roofs cool and manage stormwater, Maryland-based Green Roof Technology may have found a solution to this problem. Read More.
January 19, 2012, Top LEED States GreenBuilderMag.com The U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) just released its 2011 list of top 10 states for LEED-certified commercial and institutional green buildings per capita, based on the U.S. 2010 Census information. The District of Columbia leads the nation, with more than 31 square feet of LEED-certified space per person in 2011, with Colorado being the leading state, with 2.74 square feet per person in 2011. Other top states include Illinois, Virginia, and Washington, with 2.69, 2.42 and 2.18 square feet of LEED-certified space per person, respectively. Read More.
January 18, 2012, U.S. Green Building Council and 15 Partners Release Green Building Executive Action Report RealEstateRama.com Along with 15 partners, the U.S. Green Building Council today released a report that recommends nearly three dozen executive actions across 23 agency programs where the Obama Administration can drive the economic and environmental benefits of green building without new legislation. The report, Better Buildings Through Executive Action: Leveraging Existing Authorities to Promote Energy Efficiency and Sustainability in Multifamily, Residential and Commercial Buildings, builds on a 2010 report that identified nearly 100 legal authority opportunities across 30 existing federal programs worth more than $72 billion to improve energy efficiency in U.S. building stock. Read More.
January 17, 2012, Green Building Practices Receive Greater Attention MortgageOrb.com Green building practices took on a new priority, with the release of a new report highlighting underwriting issues related to multifamily housing and an annual list of the top 10 trends that will shape green building practices in 2012. Deutsche Bank has announced the results of a new study on the ability to incorporate energy savings projections into underwriting practices. The study, “Recognizing the Benefits of Energy Efficiency in Multifamily Underwriting,” analyzed energy efficiency retrofits of 230 affordable multifamily housing projects in New York City and raised questions on the green-hued underwriting of this sector. Read More.
January 13, 2012, Green Spaces Competition: Mayo Island Richmond.com The 2012 Green Spaces Design Competition: “Breaking Away,” addresses Richmond’s Mayo Island and 14th Street Bridge, which serve as both significant transitions and destinations. Using Richmond’s recent win to host the 2015 Road World Championship cycling races, competition entrants are asked to propose economically, culturally and environmentally responsible tourism and recreation-based solutions for Mayo Island that critically examine the lasting impact of the 2015 World Cycling Championships and the role Mayo Island plays in Richmond’s past, present and future. Read More.
January 12, 2012, 4 Tips on Guiding Employees to Greener Energy Habits By Leslie Guevarra, Greenbiz.com Your employees’ behavior can make the difference between whether your company’s energy strategy produces outstanding results or insignificant savings. In a report published this week, the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy distills five case studies on the subject to offer advice. ACEEE Senior Researcher Shui Bin took a look at the federal “Green the Capitol” program in the United States, the Empire State Building’s energy management program for tenants, and programs in Canada at a utility, a government building and a university-owned hospital. Read More.
January 5, 2012, Top Ways Companies Can Meet LEED’s New Green Cleaning Challenges By Roger McFadden, GreenBiz.com There have been great strides in the effort to make buildings more sustainable — not the least of which are proposed improvements (PDF) to the U.S. Green Building Council’s Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design certification standards. One significant change to the indoor environmental quality section of the LEED rating system (PDF) is that implementing a green cleaning policy is to be a mandatory prerequisite for certification and also re-certification. Read More.
January 4, 2012, NDAA Limits Military Pursuit of LEED Certifications The Huffington Post You can add green building advocates to the list of people who have a gripe with the National Defense Authorization Act, which President Barack Obama signed into law on New Year’s Eve (despite his own reservations). The U.S. Department of Defense (DOD) funding bill has come under scathing criticism from civil liberties and human rights organizations for its provisions concerning the detention of military combatants, but it also contains a provision that makes it more complicated — although not impossible — for the military to pursue high-level LEED certifications for its buildings. Read More.
January 4, 2012, Collaboration, Cheapness Keys to Green in 2012 By Robert Carr, GlobeSt.com This year should further expand the use of sustainable design and development, according to Jones Lang LaSalle, as countries and companies the world over continue to collaborate on the best green practices for buildings. Dan Probst, chairman of energy and sustainability at the locally based company, says in a recent report that sustainable development is entering a new phase of greater alignment of public and private sectors. Read More.
January 3, 2012, Habitat Goes Green and Saves Residents Some Green By Anne Paine and Bob Smietana, USA Today Antonio and Christie Miller of Nashville can smile when they talk about their utility bills. So can Casey Greer.That’s because they’re residents of new Habitat for Humanity homes that were built to meet top energy-efficiency standards. Habitat for Humanity, a non-profit organization tht built 4,800 homes in the United States and Canada last year, as undertaken a national effort to build low-energy homes that are both affordable and green. Habitat homeowners say it’s paying off. Read More. January 3, 2012, The 10 Emerging Sustainable Cities to Watch in 2012 By Leon Kaye, TriplePundit.com When “green,” “sustainable” or resilient cities come to mind, the usual suspects crop up: Portland, Amsterdam, San Francisco and even high-tech Abu Dhabi score plenty of attention. As more cities push their green agenda the way they promote business opportunities or local tourism, some cities are way ahead of others. Mayors now try to jockey themselves to the front of the sustainability beauty contest with some cities here in the United States showing far more success (Chicago) than others that miserably fail (Los Angeles). Around the world are many cities that have responsive government, vibrant passion at the grass roots level, or both. Read More.
January 3, 2012, How SolarReserve Navigates Bleak Predictions for Solar in the US By Adam Aston, GreenBiz.com On the sun-baked plains outside Tonopah, Nevada, a huge white pillar is inching upwards, as concrete piles up towards an ultimate height of some 60 stories. The slender structure is evidence of the tangible progress — and rising risks — facing a dwindling number of developers of large-scale power plants in the deserts of the western U.S. slated to make electricity by converting the sun’s heat into power. Read More.
