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USGBC— Green fits message of worship buildings

Thu, 04 Mar 2010 18:26:00 GMT

As Americans are becoming more environmentally conscious, more religious groups are looking to make their worship spaces sustainable. The efforts range from small country congregations using energy-efficient bulbs to megachurches complying with complex green-building codes.

By going green, most worship buildings can cut their energy costs by 30 percent, said Jerry Lawson, of the Environmental Protection Agency's Energy Star Congregations program. About 2,000 of the nearly 310,000 houses of worship in the U.S. participate in the EPA program.

Houses of worship often have specific environmental needs, he said. For instance, stained glass windows could be insulated from weather and pipe organs protected from humidity, but this would require additional expense up front before any energy savings could be realized.

To read the full article go to
http://www.usgbc.org/News/USGBCInTheNewsDetails.aspx?ID=4071

Where It's Greener

Thu, 04 Mar 2010 17:51:00 GMT

"Where It's Greener: As sustainability becomes more important, these cities are setting the standard"
Author:   Tiffany Meyers
Source:   US News & World Report
Date Written:   1/27/2009

Cities across the U.S. have at last realized the need to take action against global warming. Implementing some of the most innovative, far-ranging environmental programs and plans for residents and, in particular, business owners, the 10 cities featured here have earned themselves a rightful place on Entrepreneur's sustainability map.

Chicago
Population: 2,836,658
LEED -Certified Buildings: 48 (More Than Any Other North American City)
New Take On Futures Trading: The Chicago Climate Exchange Is North America's Only Voluntary, Legally Binding Cap And Trade Program To Reduce Co2--The Future, Indeed.
The Green Exchange: At its launch this year, this renovated factory aims to be the epicenter of green commerce, housing more than 100 green businesses (greenexchange.com).

Seattle
Population: 594,210
LEED -Certified* Buildings: 46
More Than 800: Number of mayors who've pledged to meet or beat Kyoto Protocol targets since 2005, when Seattle's mayor, Greg Nickels, launched the U.S. Mayors Climate Protection Agreement
Ecotuesday: Eco-minded businesspeople meet on the fourth Tuesday of every month (ecotuesday.com).

Portland, Oregon
Population: 550,396
LEED -Certified Buildings: 47 Likes Bikes: Portland was the first major U.S. city to earn a Platinum rating from the League of American Bicyclists.
Succession Planning: With a $149,000 Coleman Foundation grant, The University of Portland teaches sustainable entrepreneurship, cultivating the next generation of ecologically responsible businesspeople.

San Francisco
Population: 764,976
LEED -Certified Buildings: 23
Solar-Incentive Program: The nation's largest, providing up to $6,000 for residential installations and up to $10,000 for businesses.
Clean-Tech Open: Entrepreneurs pitch their clean-tech business ideas here, competing to win a "Start-Up in a Box" prize package of $50,000 and donated business services (cleantechopen.com).

Minneapolis
Population: 377,392
LEED -Certified Buildings: 2
Goal Set: Reduce CO2 emissions from city operations 12 percent by 2012 and 20 percent by 2020.
Green Consulting Services: are available to entrepreneurs at The Green Institute.

Los Angeles
Population: 3,834,340
LEED-Certified Buildings: 24
By 2010, 20 percent of Los Angeles' energy is expected to come from renewable resources.
Leaders of Green Economy: They're waiting to meet you at Los Angeles' annual Opportunity Green Conference.

Boston
Population: 599,351
LEED -Certified Buildings: 21
Bellyaching: Heard from taxi stands across town when Mayor Thomas M. Menino announced that city cabs will be required to be fully hybrid by 2015.
Net Impact Boston: Boston professionals join forces to promote social responsibility in their communities and businesses (netimpactboston.org).

New York City
Population: 8,274,527
LEED -Certified Buildings: 21
Goals Set: Reduce greenhouse gas emissions by more than 30 percent by 2030, plant 1 million trees, clean up "brownfields," upgrade the city's energy infrastructure for efficiency.
Environmental Entrepreneurs: Known as E2, New York chapter members serve as the "voice of business" on the environment, advocating for green legislation.

Philadelphia
Population: 1,449,634
LEED -Certified Buildings: 9
Greenlight: Philadelphia was the first large U.S. city to replace traffic signals with LEDs, in 1999.
The City's Sustainable Business Network brings together green entrepreneurs committed to a socially, environmentally and financially sustainable economy.

Austin, Texas
Population: 743,074
LEED -Certified Buildings: 18
Goals Set: Power city facilities with renewable energy by 2012 and require new single-family homes to be net-zero-energy capable by 2015. SEEN, the Solar Energy Entrepreneurs Network, lets green entrepreneurs exchange ideas about solar innovation.

Green-Retrofit Work Thrives In Uncertain Economic Times

Thu, 04 Mar 2010 17:48:00 GMT

As the recession grinds on, some consultants are finding an emerging outlet by updating older buildings from power hogs into green stewards. The trend is attracting a fresh round of eco-savvy tenants.

Chicago is home to two large projects, examples of advancing efforts to green up existing buildings. In early December, 172 buildings nationwide were certified under the U.S. Green Building Council's LEED for Existing Buildings Rating System, a program created in 2004. More than 2,000 other buildings are seeking to obtain such certification, according to the Washington, D.C.-based group.

Green-Retrofit Work Thrives In Uncertain Economic Times

Chicago holds claim to the world's largest commercial building, and now the largest rated under LEED-EB. Built in 1930, the behemoth Merchandise Mart is attracting a new generation of tenants focused on green standards. "We got started on the idea of becoming LEED certified after many of our tenants were pursuing the certification [for their own build-outs]," says Myron Maurer, senior vice president of operations for the 4.2-million-sq-ft facility. The supertall Sears Tower, built in 1974, is next on the list in a project that could cost $150 million, according to published reports.

Although the Mart's managers set out with visions of green roofs and mechanical change-outs, certification typically calls for less-drastic measures. "It isn't so much about the project as it is about process," Maurer says. The investigation began in early 2006 and certification came in November 2007, thanks in part to a grant from an initative led by the William J. Clinton Foundation, which also is helping fund the Sears job.

Merchandise Mart hired Chicago-based nonprofit Delta Institute to navigate the checklist, costing about $200,000. That led to rewriting the facility's construction and operating guides, under which $1 million in capital improvements were made in 2006-07. "Everything we purchase and every contractor we work with has to have the right sustainable products," says Lloyd Davidson, vice president of construction services. "We're changing the way the building operates, from capital construction to tenant construction and from how we clean the floors to the kind of light bulbs we use and our choice of carpet."

The effort worked. "Overall there has been a 10% decrease in energy usage, and the Mart has pledged to make another 10% reduction by the end of 2010," Davidson says. Its occupancy rate also is in the mid-90 percentile. "We have 3.5-million sq ft of rental space," explains Mark Bettin, vice president of engineering. "Being LEED certified has helped us retain existing tenants and has garnered interest from new tenants."

Sears' managers are working with local Adrian Smith + Gordon Gill Architecture on a LEED-EB rating. Among its improvements may include installation of the tallest green roof in the U.S. Chicago's large stock of middle-aged buildings, like Sears, is especially ripe for greening because many already need renovations and mechanical upgrades, notes Robert Forest, AS+GG managing partner. "Nobody wants to go to a building that's out of date or unhealthy."

BAS Choices — Publication: Buildings

Thu, 04 Mar 2010 18:25:00 GMT

BACnet 'opens' the gates to interoperability.
By Mark Bevill

Building owner/operators today deal with a very complicated world that stretches from indoor air quality (IAQ) to energy deregulation. Many of these issues will be addressed using an information network via the traditional building automation system (BAS). Given the importance of the BAS, there are several choices an owner/operator must make when selecting a new system or expanding a current one, including:

Selecting a vendor that supplies a proprietary system.
Selecting a vendor that offers a proprietary system with gateways.
Installing a system using the new "open" protocols, such as LonWorks or BACnet.

When choosing to work within a proprietary environment, a number of pitfalls must be considered. One is that using a proprietary system will lock an end-user into that vendor's offering for future changes or additions. These offerings vary from new hardware and software to the associated services provided by the exclusive vendor.

As anyone in business knows, more options mean greater flexibility in the selection of services and pricing. Although a proprietary solution may be the least expensive solution when expanding or upgrading a system, it also may not be the best solution for the long-term viability of the BAS.

A second choice is to use a vendor that offers a proprietary system using gateways. A gateway is simply a translator that allows two dissimilar systems to communicate. Gateways have been promoted by several major vendors as the answer to the issue of open systems. These gateways, however, are expensive to both supply and support.

Given the nature of a gateway, it is most likely proprietary on one side and may or may not be proprietary on the other. Since a gateway is proprietary on one side, end-users are still "locked-in" to that vendor's offering.

Additionally, a gateway increases both the sophistication of the system and the cost of maintenance. Why? Vendors on each side must agree when they change software versions, so the gateway is still compatible on both sides. Some vendors promote the capability of using gateways with hundreds of systems, which can cause support problems.

A final choice is to upgrade or purchase a new BAS, using an open protocol. The question then becomes, "which one?" Consider the following about the BACnet open protocol:

BACnet was developed in a public forum by users, vendors, and engineers under the aegis of the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE), Atlanta. BACnet is published by ASHRAE, and may be used free of charge.
The BACnet protocol was developed by ASHRAE for building automation.
BACnet is scaleable and can be used for small or very large networks.
BACnet is being implemented by nearly all vendors at high-end environments, and by some at low-end environments, fulfilling both needs through one language.
BACnet can only be modified or enhanced through ASHRAE after a complete public review.
BACnet is an American National Standard Institute (ANSI) government standard.

In conclusion, today's building owners/operators will need to plan for the future. This planning includes creating an information network environment that relies on one language for transmission of all critical data.

BACnet and 'Native' BACnet.

There is much confusion presented to owner/operators by the building automation industry concerning BACnet. The fact is that nearly all major vendors implement or will implement BACnet at some level. The question then becomes, "At when level?"

BACnet was designed to be a scaleable protocol, which means it can be used for both low-level and high-end control using high-speed networks. "Native" BACnet means that BACnet is being implemented at all levels. Without "native" BACnet, the true benefits of BACnet can never be realized.

These benefits include:

Not dealing with gateways.
The ability to get a third-party organization to service the complete network.

To realize the total benefits of BACnet, "native" BACnet is the BACnet of choice. ~

Mark Bevill has been an ASHRAE member since 1984 and is president of Automatic Building Controls Inc., Rolling Meadows, IL, a building automation systems integration company.