Affordable Renewal Energy

Author Archives for ENN: Green Building

California First State to Adopt Green Building Code


The California Building Standards Commission announced on Friday the unanimous adoption of a statewide “green”ť building code, the first in the nation. The new standards will call for a 20% improvement in water use efficiency for both residential and commercial plumbing fixtures as well as target a 50% increase in conservation for water used in landscaping. The new code will also require all new construction to reduce energy consumption by 15%.

The Costs of Not Building Green


Despite the narrowing gap in cost between green building and traditional “to-code” building, most builders and home buyers still perceive the green option to be significantly more expensive. The reality is that due to increased builder education and an influx of affordable green building products, a building can be built green within the same budget as a non-green building. According to Clark Wilson, CEO of Austin based Green Builders, Inc., “It’s our job as builders to find those green products that don’t drive up the price of the home.”

U.S. Utilities Advance Solar Projects


Several major U.S. utility companies may accelerate plans to integrate solar power into their electricity mix following a fact-finding trip to Germany.

Twenty-three electric utilities were represented on the trip to Germany, the world’s leading producer and installer of photovoltaic (PV) solar cells. All of them may now advance solar projects in the United States, a trip leader said, further expanding a growing solar market.

Eco-tower rising in Lower Manhattan to include hotel and meeting space


Developers recently broke ground on an Earth-friendly, $600 million mixed-use skyscraper in Lower Manhattan that will include condominiums, retail, a boutique hotel and meeting space. Located at 50 West Street, the 580,000-square-foot tower is expected to achieve LEED Gold certification when completed in 2011.

UN climate talks advance on forests, industry


U.N. climate talks in Ghana are making progress on ways to help developing nations slow deforestation and have eased disputes over use of greenhouse gas targets for industrial sectors, delegates said on Monday.

Green Building Standards Under Construction


The world’s leading certification system for sustainable architecture is set to undergo its most sweeping changes in 2009. The proposed revisions encourage designs that would reduce a building’s impact on global climate change.

Group to promote state legislative efforts to build green schools


A trade group that promotes green building design is urging state legislatures to form caucuses to support environmentally sustainable schools.

The U.S. Green Building Council, the Washington, D.C.-based group that promulgates the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) rating tool, is spearheading the “50 for 50″ effort to lower school energy and maintenance costs and bolster student learning and health.

Taking a Bite out of Cement’s Global Warming Potential


Hardcore greenhouse gas (GHG) geeks will recall that cement is a huge source of greenhouse gas emissions, with approximately 1 ton of CO2 equivalent emitted into the atmosphere for every 1 ton of cement produced. Damn. Forget your carbon guilt from flying, people! Cement is responsible for 5% of the Earth’s CO2 emissions, and it’s the third largest source of greenhouse gas pollution in the US according to the EPA.

Office Building Is 100% Sewer-Free


The sewer systems we use today are entirely ineffectual and unnecessary. The primary flaw in our design is that we use freshwater to dispose of feces. This is perhaps the most ineffectual thing to do with human manure — it pollutes fresh water, and it requires municipalities to maintain extremely costly sewage treatment infrastructures. Even after treatment, sewage can still wreck havoc on rivers and groundwater.

Home buyers look to cut climate control costs


NEW YORK (Reuters) – Home buyers increasingly want architects to give them green features like extra insulation instead of extra room to host in-laws, an architects’ trade group said.