Attaining an EnergyStar rating is crucial for companies creating home electronics and appliances if they want to appeal to the eco-minded or cost-conscious consumer, which these days can be found in virtually every North American and many European households. New standards have just been released (on September 3rd) that encourage television manufacturers to reduce their carbon footprint and the size of their screens.

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Believe it or not, there was a time when restaurants did not exist in the form we know them today. At their advent, restaurants were not establishments often frequented by locals. What we know as the modern-day restaurant sprung from early inns and taverns, catering to weary travelers looking for a quick bite to eat on their journey. In fact, the typical restaurant format- where customers request specific food, made to order off a menu- did not appear in the West until the 18th century.

Today there are over 935,000 restaurants in the United States, which should hit $537 billion in sales for the 2007 fiscal year.(National Restaurant Association 2007 Restaurant Industry Forecast.) If all goes as planned, the restaurant industry could account for up to 6% of the U.S. Gross Domestic Product this year.

Because of the economic importance of the restaurant industry, coupled with its significant social value, it has become important for both consumers and restaurant owners to take note of the impact the industry has on the environment.

Coming from a family of restaurant owners, I have the opportunity to act as a catalyst for more sustainable practices within our business. In order to better understand how to make my restaurant more sustainable, I have identified some areas that beg for an eco-upgrade.

One of the areas with greatest need for an eco-upgrade is energy use. Although the restaurant industry comprises around 6% of the national GDP, it accounts for nearly 33% of all U.S. retail electricity use, making it the #1 consumer in retail sector. A restaurant can greatly decrease the consumption of energy in two easy steps…

Outfitting a restaurant with new, longer lasting lighting is a quick and simple fix for a major environmental faux pas. According to ECO Elements, “A compact fluorescent light using 16 watts of energy replaces a 60-watt incandescent bulb. The life of this bulb is 10,000 hours or approximately 10 times longer than an incandescent bulb, saving $35 worth of energy over the life of the bulb. This eliminates the emission of 1300 pounds of carbon dioxide and 26 pounds of sulfur dioxide from a coal fired plant-producing electricity”. Because these light bulbs are not necessarily considered a hefty investment, they serve as an extremely accessible way to reduction energy consumption.

Similarly, installing Energy Star appliances can do wonders for energy efficiency. According to Pacific Gas and Electric’s Food Service Technology Center, “80 percent of the $10 billion annual energy bill for the commercial food service sector is expended by inefficient food cooking, holding and storage equipment”. By installing energy saving appliances, such as coolers, holding cabinets and fryers, a restaurant can increase its energy efficiency, while decreasing its costs over time.

The reduction of water use is another way a restaurant can achieve an easy eco-upgrade. The average restaurant uses over 300,000 gallons of water a year. For you visualphiles, that is equivalent to about 9 in-ground, outdoor, home swimming pools

To reduce the amount of water used, a restaurant should install low-flow pre-rinse spray nozzles in both the dish tanks and the glass washers. This not only reduces the amount of water needed in the wash cycle, but eliminates the need for the pre-rinse cycle all together (Helpful Tip: Always run a full load of dishes, as it takes as much heated water to wash a partially full dishwasher as it does a fully loaded one).

The last way a restaurant can take a small step toward in a big direction is to eliminate the use of polystyrene. According to The Green Seal Report, each American throws away an average of 100 polystyrene cups each year; the expected lifetime of each cup is over 500 years. Further, EcoElements states that, “one polystyrene cup contains one billion molecules of CFC’s and a single CFC atom may remain in the atmosphere for up to 100 years before it becomes harmless”. Considering that many restaurants are still using polystyrene cups by the case, eliminating them from the inventory can be considered a major accomplishment.

In the end, it is important for the restaurant industry to focus on attainable steps towards the long-term goal of environmental sustainability. Making the transition from old practices to eco-practices can be a daunting challenging that, without proper perspective, can seem too overwhelming to achieve. By enacting these eco-upgrades and other easily accessible improvements, restaurants everywhere can begin down the road to eco-friendly business.

This announcement seemed to come out of thin air to me. But apparently these talks stem from the North American Energy Work Group (NAEWG) that was formed in 2001 to improve transparency and regulatory compatibility, promote the development of resources and infrastructure, increase cooperation on efficiency standards, and address challenges on the demand side. The NAEWG began as a place to generate ideas, but has since evolved into developing plans for concrete results and the exchange of information and technology.

Energy efficiency was the top priority because of volatile natural gas and oil prices. Efficiency is also the cheapest, fastest, and easiest way to cut global warming emissions. The three nations will work together to expand the U.S.’s Energy Star program and share best practices and technologies in areas like fuel efficiency and biofuels, which have also been identified as high priorities. The plans specifically intend to benefit businesses, making it easier for those that manufacture appliances, lighting products and electrical equipment to do business across the continent.

More details of a cohesive energy efficiency plan are expected in June, with talks on other energy areas to follow.

Cross posted at Maria Energia

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2020 W. Rice Street in Chicago is an award-winning project by Wolbrink Architects. It is the first EnergyStar rated multifamily building in Chicago, and was awarded a Mayor's GreenWorks award for Green Buildings Market Transformation.

The building follows a typical Chicago form: the 3-flat. The three units are called Garden Unit (the lowest level, half below-grade), Bay Unit (a half flight above grade), and Penthouse Unit (the top two floors).

An article from the GreenBean blog outlines the many green features of this building:

"The project includes many of the typical features expected on a small green development: compact fluorescent lighting, low-VOC paints, recycled-content carpet, sustainably harvested flooring, locally manufactured materials, etc. The outdoor patio has permeable pavers and the garage has a green roof. It's also nice how the building design respects the neighboring buildings, with a two-story gabled front elevation (matching the neighbors) and the more modern third floor set back a bit - this is atypical in speculative development that often seeks to maximize floor area."

Additionally, the building has high efficiency heating systems, and as can be seen in the photographs, each of the units (even the bottom floor Garden Unit) have lots of daylight. The architect has said that energy efficiency is the primary reason for doing green building. But indoor air quality (by using low- or zero-VOC paints and glues) was also an aspect of this project. Many of the materials were also locally sourced, rather than relying on materials with greater shipping impacts coming from distant suppliers.

One of the constant concerns in green building is how to ensure that the building gets built green. Wolbrink not only designed the building, but also managed the construction, thereby ensuring that the building was built with the green measures they intended.

A portfolio of pictures of the building is on the architect's website.

As a followup to this project, the firm is now working on "Phase II" nearby at 2012-14 W. Rice Street, which will be an additional 5 condos, and is to be built as part of the LEED for Homes pilot program.via: GreenBean and Chicagoland Avenues

Energy costs can be a surprisingly large part of the cost of owning and operating a building. As a hypothetical example, a home with average energy bills of a $300/month (heating, cooling, and electricity) will cost the owners $3600/year for the power it uses, which adds up to over $100,000 over the span of a 30-year mortgage, and approaches half a million dollars if the building stands for more than 100 years. In many cases, the cost of the energy used over the life of a building is more than the cost of the materials used to construct the building in the first place.

In order to reduce these energy costs, it is important to first identify the major energy uses. The needs and energy uses at your particular location can be a major factor in determining the best strategies for improving efficiency and reducing energy use. Additional attic insulation is much more necessary and effective in a cold northern-climate location, where heating is a major component of the building's energy use, than it is in a hot southern-climate location, where cooling is responsible for much more of the energy needs.

In some parts of the United States, homeowners can find home performance contractors working with the Home Performance with Energy Star program to evaluate the existing conditions of the house and provide upgrades to increase its performance. There are case studies from different parts of the country that explain how these contractors work with the program to improve not only the energy efficiency, but also the comfort of homes.

For the more DIY-inclined homeowner, the USGBC also offers a list of 16 Ways to Green Your Home, including simple steps such as installing a programmable thermostat, tuning up your heating and cooling system, sealing air leaks, and using Enrgy Star appliances.

Whether you adopt a whole house approach or just target known sources of energy use, like getting a new, energy efficient refrigerator (particularly if your current model is over 15 years old) or replacing incandescent light bulbs with compact fluorescents, the benefits of a greener approach to your power use will pay itself back through lowered energy bills.