Sustainable Design Blog

Home and business renovations feel like a fresh, healthy start - until you stop to consider the environmental impact of newly harvested or wasted materials. A well planned green renovation can help you take advantage of the newest products and materials that have a smaller footprint on our environment. Read on to learn more about the The Three Tiers of Your Eco-Friendly Remodel.

TIER ONE - Business Operations – Conserving and Reducing Operations Purchasing supplies – evaluate which supplies can be purchased with recycled content Printing - Provide policies to try and reduce in-office printing Promoting alternative means of transportation - Car Pools; Mass Transportation; Fuel efficient vehicles; Bicycling Institute a recycling program Provide a designated smoking area away from building openings and/or institute a smoking policy that provides assistance in reducing smoking. Institute a cleaning program with low or no VOC cleaning agents Energy Lamps – change incandescent to fluorescent Implement a policy to turn lights off when not in use Water Low-flow aerators Materials Any new finishes to have recycled content and/or low or no VOC’s (ex. Paint) Environment Provide access to temperature controls with a policy for how to regulate control, especially while there are no occupants in the space TIER TWO - Facility Upgrades – (all the pertinent above mentioned strategies plus those outlined below) Energy Upgrade lighting fixtures Purchase green power credits Provide occupancy sensors to regulate lights Water Implement upgraded fixtures for those that do not meet current code Alternatively, upgrade all plumbing fixtures to low-flow Materials Any new finishes instituted to have recycled content and/or low or no VOC’s (ex. Paint). Environment Provide programmable temperature controls based on occupancy of space TIER THREE - Major Renovation – (all the above mentioned strategies plus those outlined below) Operations Re-landscape with drought tolerant and native species for minimal irrigation use Increase landscaped areas Introduce building commissioning Provide a designated recycling center Provide detailed construction waste management and waste diversion plans Energy Upgrade roofi  to highly reflective material Upgrade exterior lighting – timers/ light sensors Upgrade HVAC equipment Implement renewable energy technologies Upgrade building envelope – Windows, doors and insulation Reuse as much of building as possible Water Replace all fixtures to ultra low-flow Evaluate use of reclaimed or cistern water Materials Any new finishes to have recycled content and/or low or no VOC’s (ex. Paint) Use rapidly renewable materials in renovation where possible Use regional materials in renovation where possible Use certified products where possible Environment Increased ventilation – fresh air Use only low emitting or no emitting VOC materials, adhesives, paints, carpets, composite woods Provide lighting control Provide temperature control Provide programmable temperature control based on occupancy of space Provide natural day-lighting and views for regularly occupied spaces

Coming to you from the Greenbuild International Conference and Expo at the Morial Convention Center in New Orleans, with news and updates on happenings and important topics from the event...

My first session today was Marketing and Sustainability: The tools + tips to tell your story.

This was an interesting session with presenters from Herman Miller. Gabe Wing, Herman Miller representative, spoke about storytelling, and HM's Earthright Strategy:

• transparency
• collaboration
• resource responsibility
• community driven

The idea being to "make a living or make a difference". Find your bee story - Look it up on the Herman Miller web site.

My late morning session was on Climate Change. This was part of the Master Speaker Series, with Katherine Hayhoe as the presenter. She is a scientist at Texas Tech, and involved in the ATMOS Research. 

To pull out the bullet points of her presentation:

• Climate Change - it's the biggest health risk of the century
  
  
• It is the story of Energy Industrial revolution: coal, natural gas and oil
  
  
• 41% of US energy use is by buildings
  
  
• Energy use has increased by 400% since the 50's in the United States
  
  
• The invisible problem: invisible heat-trapping gases - Carbon Dioxide
  
  
• The United States has produced 30% of greenhouse gases over past 30 years. This is a higher level of GHG production than that of any other country.
  
  
• For the past 8,000 years of Earth's history, CO2 levels have varied from 180-300 in their historical ranges. In 2014, CO2 levels are now at 400 ppm.
  
  
• Our planet has seen a 43% increase in greenhouse gases since the industrial revolution
  
  
• The data shows a 30-year trend that is clearly warming
  
  
• Ice Age causes: changes in the earths orbit, tilt of axis wobbles and over long periods of time (1000's of years) the earth does gradually cool or warm.
  
  
• Temperature was trending down over last 6000 years, indicating a cooling cycle, until the industrial revolution. Now, temperatures are clearly and abnormally at higher degrees. 
  
  
• Natural cycles move heat around the planet, but they do not heat or cool the planet over all. It is a transferring system; up one place, down another place. (Like El Nino)
  
  
• Oceans have absorbed a lot of the heat, more than the land.

Science shows that more than 100% of our planet's warming is caused by humans. The sun is in a cooler natural cycle, and axis wobble is in a cooling cycle, yet the long term trend since the beginning of the industrial revolution (the large extraction and burning of fossil fuels) shows greater warming, overcoming all the natural cooling trends and more, into a greater warming trend than is natural.

We are facing 3 choices when it comes to climate change

1. mitigate - reduce emissions
   
   
2. adapt - to the changes (our current infrastructure can not cope with changes to our climate)
   
   
3. suffer - some suffering is inevitable; how much is up to us

For more information, visit www.katherinehayhoe.com

Stay tuned, as I'll be returning tomorrow with more topics and discussions from the Greenbuild International Conference and Expo in New Orleans!

Michael Carlson

I watched a great BBC documentary on the Industrial Revolution this past week.  It is amazing how changes in technology, energy and transportation continue to be as relevant today as they were in the 17^th century.

The documentary’s premise is the industrial revolution began in England, in the 17^th century, and the main driving force was twofold: one was the discovery of an abundance of coal that was easy to access, and the other was the social/political climate in England versus other developing countries. 

• Up until this time, wood was the primary fuel/energy source in the world.
• Coal was 3 times more efficient than wood.
• Coal was less bulky and easier to transport.
• Once the innovations occurred to begin to tap the energy potential of coal, through the creation of the steam engine, that new energy drove the industrial revolution and made it possible.
• Constant improvements in efficiency of steam engines provided the essential tool for constant innovation in the manufacturing of products and materials that drove the economy, and provided an opportunity for private entities to profit from the innovations.

There was a great deal of scientific research and understanding of the natural world around us during this time.  Understanding our solar system and the universe, gravity, evolution, forces of nature etc., were being discovered, tested and proven.  Religion often tried to sensor the scientific knowledge of the time because it felt threatened.  It was hard to grasp that we (the earth/mankind) were not the center of the universe.  We were not even the center of our solar system.   And yes, the earth was round, not flat, and so on and so on, with discovery through all of recorded history.  Science continues to discover new things and refine existing knowledge constantly.  I do not see that as a threat to my beliefs any way.

I think about the forces trying to hang onto our petroleum-based energy economy until the last drop/lump is burned and inserted into the atmosphere. 

Then I think about how much energy is delivered by the sun to every square foot on this planet - free renewable energy from the sky, evenly distributed to be used everywhere, by everyone. 

Renewable energy can drive our economy and provide opportunities for the public and private sectors today.

I think of the changing climate and what the next less than 100 years is going to bring.   It is OK to think the 7 BILLION + people on the planet can likely impact our environment and change the climate.  How could that many people not affect this third rock from the sun? 

The government of England in the 17^th and 18^th Centuries invested in the infrastructure of transportation networks, both toll roads to provide consistent access across areas controlled by different counties, and canals that made transportation much cheaper and easier to bring in raw materials and distribute products to market.

I think government still has a role to play today in getting us into the next phase of energy (renewable energy sources) and reducing the amount of carbon we inject into our atmosphere.  The documentary does get into the differences between the government’s approaches in England versus France and how those polices affected the ability for those societies to innovate and advance.

I was reminded of the book, The Third Wave, by Alvin Toffler.  I always loved that book. The 3 waves of society he write about are the Agrarian Age, the Industrial Age, and the post industrial age, aka the Information Age.  That is another whole discussion for another day.

Check it out the BBC documentary (it is only an hour long) for yourself at: www.youtube.com/watch?v=JhF_zVrZ3RQ

Renewable Energy and Sustainability

At Carlson Studio Architecture, our LEED Certified architects look at renewable energy and sustainable design as part of the greater "whole system." Everything is part of one Whole System. Ecological thinking means looking at living things in their whole context, while seeking also to understand the interconnections between all living beings and their environment. It recognizes that no living being — including human beings — exists in isolation.

We are happy to provide a complimentary eco-consultation to determine how your building designs can utilize renewable energy sources as part of your sustainability goals. Just click the button below to submit your request, and we'll respond promptly to schedule your consultation.