Wind Power to the People

While this isn't about building per se, I just couldn't resist passing this story along. The energy of this young man (and the energy he's producing) is awe-inspiring.

William Kamkwamba, a 19-year-old high-school student from the East African country of Malawi, had to quit school at the age of 14 because his family couldn't afford to send him anymore. William, fortunately, made the best of a bad situation. Using objects like scrap wood and a bicycle, along with information from a book on electricity, William built a windmill. As a result, he was able to supply electric lights for his family, replacing the candles that caused eye irritation and respiratory problems. Soon he was charging batteries for other people in the village.

William was invited to the second biannual TEDGlobal conference (TED stands for Technology, Entertainment, Design), where his three-minute presentation about his windmill won him a standing ovation. At the conference, he was introduced to the internet. Two weeks later, he started his windmill blog. The donations he has received from all over the world have allowed him to start new projects and to finance his return to school. His next goal is to build a solar- or wind-powered water pump to supply water to his home and irrigate the family crops.

While we're not advocating that everyone starts building windmills in their backyards (or the roofs of their apartment buildings!), this story certainly shows wind's potential as a source of power. Although wind power currently accounts for just over 1 percent of world-wide electricity use, it accounts for approximately 20 percent of electricity use in Denmark, 9 percent in Spain, and 7 percent in Germany. Globally, wind power generation more than quadrupled between 2000 and 2006.

In New York City, wind power is used to power some high-profile buildings and monuments. Last year, the General Services Administration, the U.S. government agency that oversees management of federal buildings and federal monuments, announced that it will be buying all of the electricity needed to light up and power the Statue of Liberty, Ellis Island and 22 other federal buildings from windmill farms in western New York, Pennsylvania and three other states.

Wind power still has a long way to go before being an economically viable energy alternative. Despite state and federal tax credits for suppliers and purchasers, many more windmills will have to be built before wind power is cost competitive with coal-burning and other, traditional electricity generation methods. In a bid to add visibility to the issue, BQ Energy, with the encouragement of Staten Island Borough President James Molinaro, is investigating the feasibility of installing at least five windmill towers on the tallest mound at the former Fresh Kills landfill in Staten Island. These turbines could produce enough electricity to power 5,000 homes.

Green Roofs, Cool Cities

As part of its weekly Pulse video podcast, RiverWired has produced a video about green roofs in New York City. The video focuses mainly on the green roof at Silvercup Studios in Long Island City, which is the largest green roof in the city. Leslie Hoffman from Earth Pledge (which is overseeing the installation of a green roof at the former Gratz Industries Building in Long Island City) provides details about how her team is tracking the roof’s performance. The podcast also offers a good overview about how a green roof is physically put together.

Green Roofs, Cool Cities
Uploaded by RiverWired

A September 2006 article in Metropolis magazine cites the following green-roof statistics:

Fraction of U.S. energy that goes toward cooling buildings: one-sixth

Temperature of a conventional-roof membrane on a 95° F day: 158° F

Temperature of a green-roof membrane on the same day: 77° F

Heat loss of green roof as compared with conventional roof: 18% less

Stormwater-retention rate of green roof as compared to conventional roofing material: up to six times greater

Increase in sound insulation of a building: up to 8 decibels (ten decibels represent approximately twice-loudness).

And check out this link for the only accepted standards for green roof materials. They're published by FLL, the German Research Society for Landscape Development and Landscape Design (Forschungsgesellschaft Landschaftsentwicklung Landschaftsbau).

Home Energy Audits

New York is one of the most energy efficient cities in the United States. The city's mass transit system, multifamily housing, mixed neighborhoods, and the fact that developments no longer go up on virgin land make building in New York very energy efficient. While New York City has a larger population than all but eleven states, if it were granted statehood it would rank 51st in per-capita energy use. The average New Yorker consumes less than half of the electricity of someone who lives in San Francisco and nearly one-quarter the electricity consumed by someone who lives in Dallas.

Still, there's room for improvement. Many New Yorkers are striving for greater energy efficiency in their homes. A recent article in the New York Times cites several examples of residential buildings and developments that have achieved significant reductions in energy consumption through plans drawn up by energy auditing companies. Examples range from the basic (saving 7 percent on common-area energy costs replacing incandescents with fluorescents) to the more involved. One co-op in Manhattan installed heat sensors and upgraded the computer that regulates the heat. These changes, which cost about $8,000, saved the building $8,500, or almost 16 percent, on fuel bills, from December 2006 to April 2007, despite a spike in heating oil prices. Other changes commonly suggested include replacing old boilers with more efficient units (old boilers can account for more tan 85 percent of a building's energy waste), installing double-paned windows, insulating the roof, and installing motion sensors to common-area lights.

Such efficiency increases have been credited with delaying or offsetting maintenance-fee increases. In addition, much of this type of work can be financed through below-market loans subsidized by the state. Solar panels often qualify for subsidies and tax breaks offered by the state and federal governments, and Mayor Bloomberg has proposed an additional subsidy for installing solar panels on buildings in New York City.

Companies that perform residential energy audits include:
Power Concepts: (212) 419-1900
Association for Energy Affordability
Steven Winter Associates

Top 10 Green Building Products - Part 2

Below are the last five entries in BuildingGreen's top-10 list of environmental building products.

Recycled-Content Interior Molding from Timbron International

Timbron International produces interior molding in a variety of profiles that are made from at least 90% recycled polystyrene: 75% post-consumer and 15% pre-consumer, certified by Scientific Certification Systems. The product is made from both expanded polystyrene packaging foam and high-impact polystyrene (from such sources as compact disc jewel cases), small quantities of a coloring agent, a UV stabilizer, and a foaming agent. Timbron is highly durable, waterproof, termite-proof, paintable (though also suitable unpainted as white), and fully workable with carpentry tools. The manufacturer is planning to have third-party VOC emissions testing conducted and expects Timbron to be certified as non-emitting. While usable anywhere indoors, the product is especially appropriate for kitchens, bathrooms, laundry rooms, and basements, where moisture or humidity levels may be high. Timbron is available at Home Depot.

What makes this product green?

• Post-consumer recycled content
• Pre-consumer recycled content
• Exceptional durability or low maintenance
• Low emitting

Water-Efficient Showerhead with H2Okinetic Technology from Delta

In April 2006, Delta Faucet Company introduced a revolutionary showerhead that delivers superb performance using just 1.6 gallons of water per minute. Delta worked with Bowles Fluidics Corporation to develop their H2Okinetic Technology, which produces droplets that are fairly large, resulting in good heat retention and body wetting. By comparison, many low-flow showerheads either create very small droplets or aerate the water, either of which can allow the water to cool quickly and make showering less satisfactory.

What makes this product green?

• Fixtures and equipment that conserve water
• Equipment that conserves energy

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WeatherTRAK Smart Irrigation Controls from HydroPoint Data Systems

The best option for outdoor landscapes is usually native, climate-appropriate plantings that do not require irrigation, but where irrigation is required, efficiency is essential. WeatherTRAK irrigation control systems from HydroPoint create watering schedules based on physical landscape features (soil type, slope, and plantings) as well as weather data that is beamed wirelessly to the controllers each day. According to HydroPoint, 60%-65% of urban water use goes to outdoor irrigation, and 30%-60% of that is wasted. The WeatherTRAK system has been shown to reduce outdoor water use by up to 59% and reduce non-point source runoff pollution by as much as 71%. The company has partnerships with irrigation equipment providers The Toro Company and Irritrol Systems.

What makes this product green?

• Fixtures and equipment that conserve water
• Reduces stormwater pollution

Coolerado Cooler Advanced, Indirect Evaporative Air Conditioner

The Coolerado Cooler is a revolutionary air conditioning system that relies on the evaporation of water to cool a space. While, conventional (direct) evaporative coolers cool the air that is blown into the living space by evaporating water into that air, raising the humidity, the Coolerado is an all-indirect system that does not add any moisture. It can be used in series or parallel with conventional compression-cycle air conditioning, because it won't add moisture and make the conventional system work harder. The cooling output depends on the temperature and humidity of the outside air; in Las Vegas the cooling output in tons will be much greater than in Boston. According to the company, it is two to three times as efficient as the best compression-cycle air conditioners. Water consumption is comparable to or slightly lower than that of direct evaporative coolers—as much as 12 gallons per hour at peak load, but typically averaging about 4 gallons per hour over the cooling season.

What makes this product green?

• Energy savings

Renewable Energy Credits from Community Energy, Inc.

Renewable energy credits (RECs), often referred to as "green tags," provide a way for building owners who are unable to install their own renewable energy systems to buy conventional grid power, while also buying the environmental attributes of electricity produced from renewable energy. Buyers of RECs aren't actually getting electrons derived from wind, solar, or other renewable energy sources, but by paying extra for their power—from a fraction of a cent to several cents per kilowatt-hour (kWh)—they are helping to displace conventional grid power and subsidize the further development of renewables. Community Energy, founded in 1999, is one of the leading North American providers of RECs and one of the few that develops its own renewable energy generation capacity. Community Energy jointly owns the Jersey-Atlantic Wind Farm and the Bear Creek Wind Farm, and has additional wind projects under development in the Northeast, Mid-Atlantic, Midwest, and Rocky Mountains. To date the company, which provides RECs under the brand name NewWind Energy, has sold more than 4 billion kWh of wind energy to 100,000 residential customers and wholesale through marketing arrangements with 18 investor-owned and municipal utility companies.

What makes this product green?

• Renewable Energy

Top 10 Green Building Products - Part 1

BuildingGreen, the publisher of the GreenSpec Directory and Environmental Building News, has released a top-10 list of Green Building Products. The selections are drawn primarily from new additions to the GreenSpec product directory, to which more than 250 product listings were added during 2006. Products are selected for inclusion in the GreenSpec directory by editors of Environmental Building News based on criteria developed over the past 15 years. Manufacturers do not pay to be listed in GreenSpec, and neither GreenSpec nor any other BuildingGreen publication carries advertising; both are supported exclusively by users of the information. Five of the products on the list are described below.

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Polished Concrete System from RetroPlate

Polishing concrete is a technique for turning both new and old concrete slabs into attractive, durable, finished floors. RetroPlate pioneered this process of grinding, polishing, and chemically hardening concrete in the 1990s, and its system has now been used on more than 100 million square feet of flooring. The process involves large walk-behind diamond-wheel grinders, which remove a thin layer of the concrete floor surface. Consecutively finer-grit grinding and polishing wheels achieve a fine polish. During the polishing process, sodium silicate is applied, which reacts with the concrete to form a layer of calcium silicate hydrate. The resultant concrete surface is highly durable, easy to maintain, free of VOC emissions, and more reflective (which can reduce light level requirements). The system enables the concrete slab to serve as the finished floor surface, thus reducing material use.

What makes this product green?

• Reduces impacts from construction or demolition
• Reduces heating and cooling loads
• Alternative to hazardous components
• Releases minimal pollutants
• Exceptional durability or low-maintenance

Underwater Standing Timber Salvage by Triton Logging

Triton Logging harvests underwater standing trees from forests that were submerged decades ago by reservoirs created by hydroelectric dams. The company uses its proprietary Sawfish logging submarine, which is tethered to a surface ship and controlled remotely. The Sawfish clamps onto a tree, attaches inflatable floats, then cuts the trunk with an electric chainsaw. Because the trees are cut above the reservoir floor, sediments are not disturbed. The company recovers Douglas fir, western white pine, lodgepole pine, hemlock, and other species. All of the milled wood is certified as SmartWood Rediscovered by the Rainforest Alliance. The company produces a range of lumber products and is launching a line of glulam beams made from underwater-salvaged timber.

What makes this product green?

• Salvaged products

SageGlass Tintable Glazing from Sage Electrochromics

SageGlass is an electronically tintable exterior glazing that provides glare control on demand while preserving views. SageGlass is more durable than earlier switchable glazing products, which degraded with exposure to UV light. Used with typical clear glass in an insulated glazing unit, SageGlass significantly reduces visible transmittance and solar heat gain. Sage Electrochromics is partnering with numerous window, skylight, and curtainwall manufacturers to produce both commercial and residential products with this glazing control options; these products can provide energy savings, control peak electricity demand, enhance comfort, and potentially result in higher worker productivity.

What makes this product green?

• Building components that reduce heating and cooling loads
• Improves light quality

PaperStone Certified Composite Surface Material from KlipTech Composites

PaperStone, from KlipTech Composites, is a dense, hard, water-resistant, solid-surface composite material used for countertops and exterior rainscreen siding. It is made from paper fiber and a non-petroleum resin derived in part from a natural oil in the shells of cashews. There are two versions of the product: standard PaperStone contains at least 50% post-consumer recycled paper, while the newer PaperStone Certified has 100% post-consumer recycled paper. PaperStone Certified is certified by SmartWood to carry the Forest Stewardship Council recycled-content label. Overall, the product is 60% paper fiber by weight and 40% resin. While PaperStone Certified today includes some coal-derived resin, the company expects to convert to 100% natural resins this year.

What makes this product green?

• Post-consumer recycled content
• Rapidly renewable
• FSC-certified wood
• Low-emitting product with no formaldehyde

Varia and "100 Percent" Recycled-Content Panel Products

Two interior panel products from 3form offer interior designers a wide range of design opportunities coupled with recycled content and low emissions. Varia is 3form's line of transparent and translucent panels made from its 40% pre-consumer recycled-content Ecoresin, which is chemically similar to the plastic used in beverage containers. Some of the Varia products include plant materials—collected by indigenous peoples using environmentally responsible practices—that impart biophilic design features to the product, helping building occupants feel more connected to nature. The opaque 3form 100 Percent product is made from 100% post-consumer recycled high-density polyethylene. Available in a range of colors and patterns, 100 Percent is appropriate for such applications as toilet partitions, interior workstations, and interior trim. The company has recently added UV-inhibitors that make the product appropriate for outdoor applications. Scientific Certification Systems has certified the recycled content of 3form Varia and Greenguard Environmental Institute has certified its low emissions; similar certifications for 3form 100 Percent are expected this year.

What makes this product green?

• Post-industrial recycled content
• Post-consumer recycled content
• Does not release significant pollutants into the building

Green Schools Guide

The NYC School Construction Authority (SCA) and Department of Education (DOE) have released their NYC Green Schools Guide and Rating System, a set of green building guidelines that will be used to guide the sustainable design, construction, and operation of new and renovated schools. The rating system is designed to comply with Local Law 86 of 2005 (LL86/05: New York City’s Green Building Law). This law established a set of demanding sustainable standards for public design and construction projects, and makes New York City one of the first and largest school districts in the nation to have sustainable guidelines required by law.

In the introduction to the report, the SCA and DOE outline some of the incentives and benefits of these guidelines:

Sustainable school design and operation provides many benefits to students, school staff and the city as a whole. Sustainable schools:
• Conserve energy
• Reduce operating costs
• Promote a healthy environment
• Teach environmental responsibility
• Demonstrate commitment to sustainability

The NYC Green Schools Guide and Rating System is based on the U.S. Green Building Council's LEED Green Building Rating System, but also includes enhancements beyond LEED based on best practices for schools adopted from the Collaborative for High Performing Schools (CHPS) rating systems developed by the states of Washington, Massachusetts, and New York, and also on SCA best practices.

As illustrated by the table above, the SCA has expanded and placed great emphasis on the Indoor Enviornmental Quality section ofthe NYC Green Schools Guide. This emphasis is a response to concerns about the high rates of asthma among NYC school children and current concerns about the health of students and staff. Over one third of the credits in the guide are devoted to indoor environmental quality. IEQ improvements include:

• Natural day lighting, views, and glare control measures
• Indirect artificial lighting and controls
• Improved acoustic performance
• Thermal comfort control
• Improved air filtration
• Reduced levels of indoor air contaminants

Build It Green!

If you're looking for building materials and want to do your part to reduce waste, look up Build It Green! NYC. Build It Green, New York City's only non-profit retail outlet for salvaged and surplus building materials, has over 75 tons of materials for sale, including doors, flooring, sinks and toilets, lighting, windows, trim, cabinets, and metal studs. Build It Green gets its salvaged materials from a variety of buildings about to be demolished in New York City. Surplus materials are donated by building suppliers and contractors interested in protecting the environment and reducing their waste.

Build It Green is sponsored by the Community Environmental Center (CEC), a non-profit organization that provides energy, building performance, green building, and environmental services for 1-4 family homes and residential, commercial, and institutional complexes. All proceeds help support CEC's environmental education programs at Solar One, the City's first solar-powered “Green Energy, Arts, and Education Center.”

If you're looking to donate materials, check out Build It Green's list of accepted items. Build It Green provides limited pick-up service for high quality kitchen cabinets sets and appliances with total original cost of over $3000 and for other high-value donations.