Green Technology Forum

The demand for education in green building practices is outpacing the building industry’s ability to provide it, according to a recent article in the Wall Street Journal. A few of the highlights:

“Builders who aren’t familiar with eco-friendly construction methods may be at a big disadvantage in this new market.”

“In the past two years, the number of [LEED Accredited] professionals has doubled to over 60,000 from 30,000.”

“The American Institute of Architects recently passed a continuing-education requirement that all members take four hours of sustainable-design course work each year.”

“Any contractor or subcontractor who doesn’t learn green building practices will go out of business.”

Last week I attended the 31st annual Monumental Affair Awards ceremony in Indianapolis. The Keep Indianapolis Beautiful, Inc. Headquarters, pursuing LEED gold certification, took home awards for Innovative Reuse and Community Development. The building’s green features include:

Reuse of urban lot (saves natural resources)

Reuse of existing building (saves resources)

Parking lot paved with pervious pavement (reduces stormwater runoff)

A white “cool roof” system with high reflectance (reduces heat from roof, reduces energy usage and costs)

10,000 gallon cistern (reduces stormwater runoff for reuse in watering trees and plant materials)

A rain garden (reduces stormwater runoff)

Central atrium (captures natural daylight, adding to quality of life, reducing energy usage and costs)

Used and/or recycled/recyclable furniture (saves natural and financial resources)

Bike rack (accommodates for and encourages bicycle travel to and from the facility)

Low VOC paints (reduced use of toxic chemicals)

Occupancy sensor-activated lighting and energy-efficient bulbs (reduces energy usage and costs)

Energy efficient appliances (reduces energy usage and costs)

Landscaping with native plants, shrubs and trees (saves water)

Wind Energy (utilizes renewable energy, reduces energy and costs)

The Green Enterprise Unconference is a gathering of professionals leading social responsibility, sustainability or environmental concerns and social entrepreneurship programs in their organizations.

It is inspired by the “open space” conference format, which puts control of the event content in the hands of the attendees. The Unconference format allows the best ideas of the group to come forward, facilitates extensive networking, and ensures thorough documentation of the proceedings.

The Green Enterprise Unconference is intended for those in their organizations responsible for green strategy and leading sustainability initiatives. We also expect related professionals, including other corporate representatives (such as from manufacturing, facilities, marketing, or IT); service-related companies relevant to this topic, VCs, the Press, and interested individuals from academia or the public. We expect several dozen sessions covering a broad range of topics relevant to enterprise green strategy, implementation, measurement, education, and practical experience regarding best practices.

And Green Technology Forum readers are eligible for a $50 discount on conference registration. Just enter the discount code: blgeu.

Some of the tiniest solar cells ever built have been successfully tested as a power source for even tinier microscopic machines, reports azonano.com.

The cells, each one about a quarter the size of a lowercase “o” in a standard 12-point font, were made of an organic polymer and were joined together in an experiment aimed at proving their ability to power tiny devices that can be used to detect chemical leaks and for other applications, says Xiaomei Jiang, who led the research at the University of South Florida.

“I think these materials have a lot more potential than traditional silicon,” says Jiang. “They could be sprayed on any surface that is exposed to sunlight — a uniform, a car, a house.”

USGBC reports that President-Elect Obama has proposed the expansion of federal grants to assist states and localities in building more efficient public buildings through the use of LEED. In addition, under President-Elect Obama’s plan, all new federal buildings would have to be carbon-neutral by 2025. This plan also would commit all new federal buildings to a 40% improvement in efficiency within five years and would seek a 25% improvement in the efficiency of existing federal buildings within the same period.

President-Elect Obama has also proposed a goal of carbon-neutrality for all new buildings by 2030. This will be achieved by establishing a goal of 50% greater building efficiency for new buildings and 25% greater efficiency for existing buildings over the next decade. Under the plan, the federal government would award grant funds to states and localities that implement new, energy efficient building codes, and would provide matching grants to states that promote building retrofitting through public benefits funds.

EnerTech Environmental, Inc. announced today that it has signed an Expression of Interest to build a SlurryCarb demonstration facility at Masdar City in Abu Dhabi. Masdar City will be the world’s first zero-carbon, zero-waste, car-free city, completely powered by renewable energy.

EnerTech’s SlurryCarb demonstration facility will process biosolids (sewage sludge) produced from the permanent buildings erected during Masdar City’s first phase as well as from the accommodation for the several thousand workers building Masdar City between 2008 and 2016. Biosolids from the Masdar Institute of Science and Technology, the workers’ accommodation, and the headquarters of Masdar will be converted into renewable E-fuel, a fossil fuel replacement. The demonstration facility is the first step towards installing a permanent SlurryCarb facility in the city.

“This is an opportunity to showcase the SlurryCarb process to the Middle East and work with the international community to build a city that truly embodies sustainable living and working,” said Kevin Bolin, EnerTech CEO. “It showcases the SlurryCarb process as the best available biosolids technology when it comes to sustainability, renewable energy, and the reduction of greenhouse gases.”

Masdar is Abu Dhabi’s multi-faceted, multi-billion dollar investment in the development and commercialization of advanced and innovative technologies in renewable, alternative and sustainable energies as well as green design. By applying scale and leveraging Abu Dhabi’s low-cost, tax-free manufacturing base, businesses will enjoy significant competitive advantages, allowing them to compete internationally and provide significant diversification to the Abu Dhabi economy. On February 9, 2008, Masdar broke ground for Masdar City.

Source: prweb.com

A Pacific Northwest renewable heating solutions manufacturer - Greenwood Technologies - is blazing a new trail in the clean technology market. The company has overhauled the traditional outdoor wood boiler to create a next generation of indoor and outdoor wood-fired furnaces, and investors are starting to take notice. Recently, Martin Tobias, formerly of Imperium Renewables, a biodiesel company located in Washington State, signed on as an investor.

Located in Bellevue, Wash., Greenwood Technologies manufactures low emission appliances that can heat spaces up to 12,000 square feet. The furnaces are available through more than 100 North American Greenwood Dealers. The company’s distribution is currently in the mid-West and Eastern states and provinces, and is expanding into overseas markets. Greenwood Technologies sales are on track to reach more than $10 million by the fourth quarter of 2008 and could reach $30 million by 2010.

“Just like other clean tech companies, we are developing competitive products that exceed the performance of similar conventional products,” noted Tom Eckmann, CEO of Greenwood Technologies. “With the rising cost of oil and gas, high efficiency wood-fired furnaces provide a significant economic relief to their owners.”

Clean tech wood boilers are helping households and light commercial businesses address rising fuel costs because of the locally available and renewable fuel source – firewood. They also produce approximately 90 percent less wood smoke and are twice as efficient when compared to traditional wood boilers. These significant benefits are making a difference to communities struggling with federal non-attainment for air quality.

Source: businesswire.com

This Wednesday, May 14, actor Ed Norton, San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom and experts in the field of green building appeared before Chairman Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.) and the Select Committee on Energy Independence and Global Warming to discuss how more efficient buildings and better building policies can reduce energy costs and cut global warming pollution. Norton is a Trustee for the Enterprise Foundation and works to bring green building practices to low-income housing development.

The building sector is responsible for 48 percent of all heat-trapping emissions, and it is estimated that 76 percent of all electricity generated by U.S. power plants goes to operate buildings. As energy prices rise — increasing the costs of cooling, heating and construction — green building has become a popular mantra for homeowners, corporations and environmentalists alike. Yet the numerous definitions of green buildings can lead to confusion, inaction or ineffective policy. As Congress examines all sources and causes of global warming emissions, it must consider how the buildings we work and live in can contribute to reducing the impact of climate change.

Source: globalwarming.house.gov

With the cost of energy rising almost daily, it only makes sense to focus on energy efficiency in homes built for Habitat for Humanity families. That’s exactly what they’re doing in Harrisonburg.

In fact, the Central Valley Habitat for Humanity chapter there is working on its fourth house built to higher energy standards that conserve resources. The program is one that would benefit Habitat programs here and elsewhere across Virginia.
The recently built homes are equipped with solar water heaters and solar panels. The water heaters use sunlight to heat water.

Although the systems cost thousands of dollars to purchase and install, they reduce electricity bills substantially, said Johann Zimmerman, a construction manager with Habitat for Humanity. At one house, he said, the panels and an attached system could reduce the family’s water-heating bills by 80 percent. That’s good for the family’s budget and for the finite energy supplies that fuel power generation across Virginia.

The panels, Zimmerman said, “are part of the design instead of an after-thought. It’s economically stupid not to do it.”

Source: newsadvance.com

In keeping with its penchant for innovation in the mobile space, Samsung has announced the development of a cell phone that is powered by a fuel cell that uses water to begin the chemical process. Samsung Electro-Mechanics’ research center developed the fuel cell and water-induced process.

When the mobile is turned on, metal and the water that has been added to the phone react to produce hydrogen gas. The gas is then sent to the fuel cell where it reacts with oxygen in the air to generate power. The micro fuel cell and hydrogen generator can charge mobile devices for 10 hours (about 3 watts), and uses just ordinary water to start the chemical process.

“If the user uses the phone for four hours a day on average, they would have to change the hydrogen cartridge about every five days,” Oh Yong-soo, vice president of Samsung Electro-Mechanics’ research center, said.

Source: brighthand.com