Green Options » green construction

Stimulus Money Going to Green Jobs

Cassie Walker — Thu, 26 Mar 2009 10:00:57 +0000

At least in California, that’s where some of it’s going - $10 million dollars to be exact. The money will be used to fund the Green Corps, a program that will provide training for underprivileged youth to learn jobs in green construction, energy, and technology. The funding will be matched by an additional $10 million from public-private partnerships.

Announced by Gov. Schwarzenegger last week, the program provides for 1,000 youth, ages 16-24, to be enrolled. They will learn 21st century skills in energy and technical fields, while continuing their education and giving back through community service. The Green Corps will be housed within CaliforniaVolunteers, which (thankfully) already has experience in administering similar job corps programs.

Though this program will provide opportunities for these kids that they might not get elsewhere, it’s really a drop in the bucket as far as the number of workers needed for green jobs. The NRDC recently reported that between 52,000 and 114,000 new workers will be needed by 2010 to fill jobs created by green investments. Let’s hope that’s true!

Photo credit: Office of the Governor

Green Building Elements: Structural Insulated Panels (SIPs)

Joel Bittle — Sat, 27 Dec 2008 02:43:25 +0000

Fast becoming staples of the green building industry are pre-assembled structural insulated panels, or SIPs, which replace conventional framing and offer greater energy efficiency, reduced lumber usage, and quicker construction. SIPs are polystyrene foam sandwiched between oriented strand boards that provide structural framing, insulation, and exterior sheathing in one piece. They can be used as floors, walls, and roofs and provide much greater energy efficiency than insulation in stud walls with an R-value improvement of 15% to 40%. The oriented strand boards are made from wood of fast growing trees and emit very low levels of urea-formaldehyde. The polystyrene foam can also consist of recycled content.

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Doing Business in a Green Office Building

John Ivanko — Wed, 05 Nov 2008 20:29:59 +0000

For a growing number of people, sustainable living means endeavoring as ecopreneurs for organizations with missions they believe in while working in a “green office” space that incorporates green or sustainable design. Typically, “green design” addresses energy efficiency, preservation of resources and the minimization of detrimental effects of construction - if not also improving the health and well-being of the local community as a whole. Some ecopreneurs might work from a home green office, like me, while others find it necessary to gather in office spaces that are, in various ways, ecologically sound and healthier for all.

In State College, Pennsylvania, I had the opportunity to tour the 2,400 square feet Matson & Associates Eco-Building, home to three ecopreneurial enterprises: Matson & Associates, an environmental assessment services company, often engaged to provide “expert witness” testimonials on some of the most timely waste processes issues; Envinity, a green building and home energy audit consultancy; and Matson Biofuels, a company developing a more ecological and non-toxic approach to making biodiesel called Green Biodiesel. For all three of these triple bottom line green enterprises, it’s not just what you create with your product or service — but where you work to create it.

As one of the first examples of green architecture and integrated energy efficient design in State College, the Matson & Associates Eco-Building received the Energy Star certification as a residential office in 2007. The Energy Star certification designates buildings that use 30 percent or less energy than similar code compliant buildings. As an added bonus, the construction cost of this green building was no greater than that for a conventional one.

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Green Home: How to Make your Home Energy Efficient using Mainstream and Green Building Techniques

Amiel Blajchman — Tue, 21 Oct 2008 07:00:44 +0000

Former Canadian municipal councilor and current building design consultant David Braden, has built himself a green home using current building techniques that doesn’t even require a furnace.

We’ll be able to heat our entire house with a common hairdryer, Dave boasts. No furnace even in the extreme Southern Ontario weather.

Braden is not the first to promote taking one’s home off the grid, but he is trying to do it in a way that utilizes common building techniques and architectural devices (i.e. not with flushless toilets, buried geothermal lines, and other techniques that are available, but that most observers associate with “treehuggers”). According to Braden

I don’t want to be conveyed as a hippie. I want to get the message to the mainstream. People need to know that in fact there is a great solution sitting right in front of us.
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Chicago Gets First Green Jewel-Osco Grocery

Shirley Siluk Gregory — Fri, 26 Sep 2008 15:50:16 +0000

The Jewel-Osco grocery chain opens its first green store today in Chicago’s River West neighborhood. The new store features not only green construction but some green items inside as well, including locally produced foods and organic selections.

The Chicago Sun-Times reports that the new store took five years to develop, thanks to a slew of special engineering and site use requirements. Among the challenges: building the facility 25 feet over Metra’s train tracks to provide bridge access for local residents.

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Green Science Museum Plans Eco-Friendly Grand Opening

Shirley Siluk Gregory — Fri, 26 Sep 2008 14:52:34 +0000

It took almost 10 years and $500 million to plan and complete, but the California Academy of Sciences’ new ultra-green museum in San Francisco’s Golden Gate Park is ready to open. The public will be able to get its first glimpse of the building — dubbed a “masterpiece in sustainable architecture” — starting at 9:30 a.m. Saturday, Sept. 27.

So what’s so green about the new facility? Almost everything, from basement to rooftop. The building is designed to earn the top level — platinum — of LEED certification for green construction. A “living roof” will boost insulation and prevent 2 million gallons of stormwater runoff each year. A canopy of solar cells will generate 213,000 kilowatts of electricity each year, enough to meet 10 percent of the museum’s needs. And radiant-floor heating and denim insulation will keep temperatures comfortable while minimizing energy consumption.

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Book Provides Green Options for Home Improvement

Dawn Killough — Thu, 11 Sep 2008 17:34:31 +0000

RSMeans recently published Green Home Improvement by Daniel D. Chiras, PhD. It includes 65 home improvement projects that can be used to “green up” a house or building. The projects range from laying bamboo flooring, to heating system upgrades, to building an addition.

The book is wonderfully written, and is meant for the average home owner, not contractors. However, I believe this book would be a good reference for contractors as well, as it presents projects in an easy to understand way that would help educate their customers as to what is involved in a particular project. Do-it-yourselfers would also like this book, as it tells you how much of a particular project you can do, gives pretty detailed instructions, and lets you know when you are in over your head and should call someone.

For those used to RSMeans’ other publications on construction costs, this book will be a bit of a disappointment. It does discuss cost, but only at a higher level for comparison of materials. The good thing is this can start the conversation with an owner about the cost effectiveness of a project, without locking in a price. It also compares apples to apples, when possible, allowing the reader to get a good idea of how much more or less expensive a project will be when compared to other alternatives.

Green Home Improvement is a good reference for both building owners and contractors on some of the possibilities available for greening up an existing building. It provides cost data, along with potential savings, in a way that makes assessing a project easy. With many alternatives to choose from, it allows for a high level comparison of project options. The variety of projects included ensures that information is available for any potential improvement.

AIA Launches “GreenStep” Video Series

Dawn Killough — Sat, 16 Aug 2008 16:51:50 +0000

The American Institute of Architects recently launched its “GreenStep” online video series. The series presents short episodes on several green building topics. It is meant for those planning new buildings or the renovation of existing buildings, and shows how architects can help clients address their green concerns.

The schedule for the release of the videos is as follows:

Greenstep 1: Water Conservation - already posted.
Greenstep 2: Smart Controls - already posted.
Greenstep 3: Radiant Heating and Cooling - already posted.
Greenstep 4: Vegetation for Sun Control - already posted.
Greenstep 5: The Whole Building Approach - September 2
Greenstep 6: Green Tags - September 15
Greenstep 7: Energy Modeling - September 29
Greenstep 8: Green Roofs - October 13
Greenstep 9: Daylighting - October 27
Greenstep 10: Choosing Green Materials - November 10
Greenstep 11: Carbon Offsets - November 24
Greenstep 12: Deconstruction - December 8

Links to the videos can be found at http://www.aia.org/walkthewalk/.

Bad News For Green Builders? Not So Fast

mcmilker — Thu, 14 Aug 2008 12:31:12 +0000

The collapsing housing market has wreaked havoc in a variety of industries. Everyone from realtors, to mortgage bankers to builders has seen lay-offs and steeply declining sales. The savviest of the group have realigned their businesses to go after the new markets a recession creates or focused on smaller, still growing niche markets.

For builders who thought going green was the answer there’s some bad news. While the hype surrounding green building features would make one think this trend would last forever, a recent study by the New York Times reveals some holes in this theory.

Ninety-three percent of all home buyers, both nationally and in the New York metro area, are not willing to pay more for green or energy efficient features when building a home, according to a recent independent study commissioned by The New York Times Customer Insight Group.
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Beverage Maker Unveils Green HQ

Shirley Siluk Gregory — Fri, 15 Feb 2008 17:43:41 +0000

Cott Corporation, a non-alcoholic beverage company, has opened a new “green” U.S. headquarters in Tampa, Florida.

The 60,000-square-foot facility, which marked its grand opening today, features energy-efficient lighting, carpeting that’s free of PVC and chlorine, and chairs made from 30 percent post-consumer recycled materials.

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