Green In The News

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Job Losses From Obama Green Stimulus Foreseen in Spanish Study

http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?p...d=a2PHwqAs7BS0

By Gianluca Baratti

March 27 (Bloomberg) -- Subsidizing renewable energy in the U.S. may destroy two jobs for every one created if Spain’s experience with windmills and solar farms is any guide.

For every new position that depends on energy price supports, at least 2.2 jobs in other industries will disappear, according to a study from King Juan Carlos University in Madrid.

U.S. President Barack Obama’s 2010 budget proposal contains about $20 billion in tax incentives for clean-energy programs. In Spain, where wind turbines provided 11 percent of power demand last year, generators earn rates as much as 11 times more for renewable energy compared with burning fossil fuels.

The premiums paid for solar, biomass, wave and wind power - - which are charged to consumers in their bills -- translated into a $774,000 cost for each Spanish “green job” created since 2000, said Gabriel Calzada, an economics professor at the university and author of the report.

“The loss of jobs could be greater if you account for the amount of lost industry that moves out of the country due to higher energy prices,” he said in an interview.

Spain’s Acerinox SA, the nation’s largest stainless-steel producer, blamed domestic energy costs for deciding to expand in South Africa and the U.S., according to the study.

“Microsoft and Google moved their servers up to the Canadian border because they benefited from cheaper energy there,” said the professor of applied environmental economics.

[Krases]

It would seem that shutting down a coal plant when a new green energy plant comes online may not be an option.

I honestly think a lot of research needs to go into reducing nuclear waste, then building more power plants when the waste problem becomes minimal.

How is Canada keeping it's power cheap?

[vid]

Canada's power is cheap?

It's probably because in most cases it is generated and distributed through crown corporations, so making profits isn't as important for them as it is for American energy companies. I think most of them are in debt though. There is a price to pay for cheap energy. There is a heavy dependence on hydroelectricity in the Hudson Bay watershed, and hydro is very, very cheap. The US doesn't have as many large rivers as Canada.

Nuclear waste in Europe is recycled. America and Canada don't do this because apparently at some point the waste is "weapons grade" and they're afraid of terrorism or something. Someone posted a story about it on here once, apparently 97% of nuclear waste can be recycled and re-used, but instead we put it in tanks and stuff it underground so that it can do damage instead of generating energy. We just love to waste things.

[M II A II R II K]

German Energy Giants Eager for US Green Transformation


10/29/2009

By Christopher Lawton in Berlin

http://www.spiegel.de/international/...656476,00.html

Many climate change activists have been disappointed with the administration of US President Barack Obama so far. But German energy giants are ecstatic. With US money flowing into alternative energies, companies from this side of the Atlantic are eager to get their share.

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Overseas firms collecting most green energy money


Thursday, October 29th, 2009

By Russ Choma

http://www.investigativereportingwor...-energy-money/

The president and many other advocates of alternative energy argue that an investment in green energy would lessen the nation’s reliance on foreign oil, cut greenhouse gases, and most importantly, create thousands of new jobwind money washington s for out-of-work Americans.

But of the $1.05 billion in clean-energy grants handed out by the government since Sept. 1, 84 percent – a total of $849 million – has gone to foreign wind companies. Spanish utility company, Iberdrola S.A., alone has collected $545 million through its American subsidiary.

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The need for sustainable building design


10/26/09

By Timon Singh

http://www.euinfrastructure.com/news...ilding-design/

The chemical, transport and even food industries are all criticised for their impact on the environment, but construction and building operation is often overlooked. Sure, we all think about switching off the office lights and finding more energy efficient servers, but the amount of resources that actually go into a construction project can drastically impact upon the environment. As such, sustainable building design is becoming more and more important, with designers and construction firms finding the most eco-friendly ways to get buildings made.

- General construction work uses an inordinate amount of energy, water and raw materials and more often than not, generate large amounts of waste and potentially harmful atmospheric emissions. As a result, companies are facing demands to make environmentally friendly and eco-efficient buildings, whilst at the same time minimising their actual impact on the environment.

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Urban Greenhouses Aim to Help Cities Combat Climate Change


12/04/2009

By Jess Smee

http://www.spiegel.de/international/...665236,00.html

With its massive glass dome, the Plantagon Greenhouse wouldn't look out of place in a sci-fi movie. And if all goes smoothly, one may soon crop up in a city near you. In these days of global warming, its creators argue, it's not a question of if it will become reality but, rather, when. Nestled among the skyscrapers is a gigantic glass sphere housing a mysterious spiral pathway. At first glance, the structure may look like an alien spaceship or a modernist architectural fantasy. But, in fact, it is an unusual response to climate change and the challenges of urbanization.

- This UFO look-a-like is an ambitious take on the classic backyard greenhouse. Towering up to 100 meters (328 feet), it is designed to grow plants on its carefully lit and heated spiral platform. Crops are planted at the bottom of the sphere and gradually climb higher before ultimately being harvested at the top. The idea for the Plantagon Greenhouse comes from a Swiss-American company of the same name -- and they are confident that their dramatic creation will one day become a reality.

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Transamerica Pyramid Achieves LEED Gold and Mayor Releases EB Recommendations


Monday, 21 December 2009

Read More: http://www.usgbc-ncc.org/

Mayor Gavin Newsom announced new legislation aimed at improving energy efficiency for existing buildings in San Francisco at a LEED Gold plaque presentation for the Transamerica Pyramid. The Mayor convened a task force on existing buildings to come up with recommendations; included on the task force were two of USGBC-NCC's Boardmembers, Barry Giles and Lisa Galley.

USGBC-NCC Executive Director Dan Geiger presented the LEED Gold plaque to Christof George of AEGON Insurange Group. The iconic Transamerica Pyramid in San Francisco received LEED for Existing Buildings: Operations & Maintenance (EBOM) Gold, symbolizing the city's efforts to go green.

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New Karolinska Solna: Sweden's sustainable advanced hospital


05/07/10

By Timon Singh



Read More: http://www.euinfrastructure.com/news...olinska-Solna/

In terms of technological advances, medical research and even sustainable design, Sweden is aiming to make the world's most advanced hospital in Solna - New Karolinska Solna. The Karolinska Solna University Hospital (or New Karolinska Solna (NKS) won't just be a pinnacle of scientific and medical achievement, but the architects and designers have ensured that the building is environmentally friendly and sustainable, even aiming for a LEED Gold certification.

The hospital is also a ground-breaker by being the first project in health and medical care in Sweden to be conducted as a Public-Private Partnership (PPP). The building is being developed by a consortium consisting of Swedish firm Skanska and UK investment fund Innisfree, and will also be the world's largest PPP hospital. Under the agreement of the deal, Skanska and Innisfree will be responsible for financing, construction, operation and maintenance of the new hospital until 2040. The construction contract amounts to approximately US $1.8 billion and Skanska is investing US $84.7 million. It is not Skanska's first dabble in the healthcare industry, having years of experience of hospital construction in the Nordic region, the UK and the US As such, they will be of significant importance in the work on the New Karolinska Solna.

Designed by Tengbom Architects, the new hospital will "place a strong focus on the patient, and the design is based on research to reduce the spread of infection and promote rapid recovery," however it is the use of sustainable materials and green design that has caught the eye of EU Infrastructure. As one would expect in a building going for LEED Gold status, one of the main aspects of the hospital's design has been energy efficiency, with architects hoping to half the amount of power that a hospital of the NKS's size usually uses. Systems like advanced lighting controls based on daylight coming into the building will aim to save energy as will a controlled ventilation system to enhance air quality.

Material-wise, construction will use recyclable components based on renewable sources and attempt to be carbon neutral where possible. Designed to stand for up to 100 years, the building has been planned so it can be both durable and flexible when it comes to incorporating new advances in technology. The hope is that doctors, patients and technicians in the US and internationally who are looking to benefit from the latest technology and advances in health science will come to Stockholm and the new hospital making it a global hub for medical innovation. Construction work is expected to commence in the summer and the first patients are scheduled to be received in December 2015.

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Report: U.S. Green Building Market Will Balloon to $173.5 Billion by 2015


Jul 2, 2010

By Ariel Schwartz

Read More: http://www.fastcompany.com/1666282/r...illion-by-2015

Think the trend of businesses making green office renovations is just a passing fad? Not according to the latest issue of EL Insights, which reports that the U.S. green building market value will balloon from $71.1 billion now to $173 billion by 2015. Commercial green building is expected to grow by 18.1% annually during the same time period from $35.6 billion to $81.8 billion. In this case, green building is defined as building with resource use and employee productivity in mind.

The explosive projected growth can be attributed both to a growing recognition of green building's potential cost-savings as well as incentives from the government (i.e. the multi-million dollar Sustainable Communities Challenge Planning Grant program and the Sustainable Communities Regional Planning Grant program). Green renovation will also comprise a significant portion of future green building, thanks in no small part to government projects like then Recovery through Retrofit initiative, which offers $80 billion energy and environmental retrofits for federal buildings.

The growth in green building will lead to a number of changes in the larger building market, according to EL Insights: Construction workers will increasingly seek out green training programs, companies will spend more cash on green building technology (GE is already doing with its ecomagination initiative), and homes touting green building features will do better on the real estate market. All of this will result in cost savings for building and home owners, who will reap the benefits of lower energy and heating bills.

[KevinFromTexas]

The 2010 list of the most energy efficient cities according to the number of Energy Star rated buildings.

http://www.energystar.gov/ia/busines...ties_chart.pdf

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D.C. among ‘greenest’ for buildings


http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/...HZD_story.html

The report, compiled by the group’s planners and presented Wednesday to the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments, offers the first comprehensive look at how the push to build greener buildings is playing out in communities.

Between 2003 and 2009, the Washington region added about 23 million square feet of LEED-certified green building space through new construction and conversion of existing space. The District led the way, with 72 projects that earned LEED certification, followed by Northern Virginia with 59 projects and Maryland with 40. The Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design certification rates buildings based on how well they meet certain green standards for construction and operation.

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LEED for Healthcare Latest USGBC System


by Susan DeFreitas, April 15th, 2011

http://www.earthtechling.com/2011/04...-usgbc-system/

In addition to the U.S. Green Building Council’s (USGBC’s) LEED certification for homes and commercial businesses, recent years have seen the advent of programs like LEED for Neighborhood Development, aimed at lessening the footprint of developments as a whole, and LEED for Core Shell, specifically designed to serve developers of commercial space building on spec.

Now the trend continues with LEED for Healthcare, a new green building rating system recently revealed by the USGBC at the CleanMed conference in Phoenix, Arizona. This rating system was created to guide the design and construction of new buildings and the renovation of existing buildings, and can be applied to inpatient, outpatient and licensed long-term care facilities, medical offices, assisted living facilities and medical education and research centers.

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New York’s Green Grid


Read More: http://www.nytimes.com/2011/04/17/op...%20grid&st=cse

Plan: http://www.nyc.gov/html/dep/html/pre.../11-06pr.shtml

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Manhattan’s natural resources were a major reason that Native Americans, and then the Dutch, settled here: the soil is easy to dig, the drinking water is excellent and the soft ocean breezes and startling vistas make it a pleasant place to live. The early 19th-century planners who created the grid knew how to make the most of these attributes. They laid out the grid so that the sun sets precisely in line with east-west streets several times a year. The short north-south blocks mean more streets lead to the rivers, allowing floodwaters to recede easily and drawing people to the waterfront. The plan guided raucous commerce along the route of an old canal and enticed future developers with the promise of sites on hills with enviable views north.

Within the grid they placed an engineering marvel, the Croton Aqueduct and Reservoir; the latter is gone, but the aqueduct still delivers clean and tasty drinking water from upstate. Perhaps their wisest move was to conserve 843 prime acres as a Central Park to provide “the lungs of the city.”

But rather than continue working with nature as a template, subsequent generations fought against the city’s environment. Planners wrangled natural streams into (eventually) rusty pipe systems. The city dredged so many swamps and poured so much asphalt that the ground has become unable to handle heavy downpours. When it rains a lot — as it increasingly has in recent years — rainwater flows into the same pipes that carry sewage. When those pipes overflow, the combined liquid dumps into the rivers. That’s not how nature would manage things. Of course, nature hasn’t gone away. In fact, it is steadily wearing away at our efforts to control and repress it. Eight million gallons of water a day accumulate in the subway system’s underground network, and the Metropolitan Transportation Authority has to spend a small fortune pumping it out.

And, as we’ve seen, without marshlands or big patches of soil into which it can seep, snow hangs around on side streets for weeks and then converts to pothole-making muck. Fortunately, it’s not too late to go back to the spirit of 1811. The Bloomberg administration recently created a $1.5 billion “green infrastructure” plan to replace aging public works with nature-centered projects, like distributing free barrels to collect rainwater for outer-borough gardens. It is helping to finance a 774-apartment project near the Gowanus Canal that works with the site’s natural slope by clustering buildings where ground is highest and creating a park to sop up stormwater near the shore. And it has issued a grant for “bioswales” — natural clusters of plants — in strategic places around the city to handle rainwater on the side streets.

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With little public oversight, the organization that invented the LEED system is remaking an industry.


Read More: http://www.architects.org/architectu...dow-government

PDF Report: http://www.architects.org/sites/defa...mmer11_web.pdf

In October 2010, Henry Gifford, perennial scourge of LEED, filed a class-action suit against the US Green Building Council (USGBC) in US District Court, citing a heady mix of allegations including monopolization through fraud, deceptive trade practices, and unjust enrichment. (Gifford also included an allegation of wire fraud for good measure.) A mechanical designer and contractor, he purports that the USGBC’s claims of improved energy performance of LEED-certified buildings are unsubstantiated and that the organization has defrauded the public with a system that promotes implementation of expensive green technologies while positioning itself as a lucrative fee-generating monopoly. He has since amended the complaint to one of false advertising and deceptive trade practices, maintaining that he and other professionals implementing alternative sustainable strategies have been harmed.

While EcoBuilding Today has tartly observed that Gifford is no Rosa Parks, it was perhaps inevitable that the emergence of the USGBC, a nongovernmental private organization, and its LEED rating system as the dominant arbiter of sustainability would come under challenge. The shrill original allegations aside, at its core, the case raises the question of whether it is appropriate for a private fee-generating nongovernmental organization to assume what amounts to a regulatory role in the building industry.

Certainly examples of government regulators relying on private profit and not-for-profit institutions abound, both in the certification of professionals and in the promulgation of standards. Few would quarrel with the role of organizations such as ASTM International (formerly American Society for Testing and Materials) or American National Standards Institute (ANSI) and the incorporation of their standards in countless governmental regulations. In fact, the National Technology Transfer and Advancement Act of 1996 requires the federal government to use such privately developed “consensus” standards where possible. Other organizations whose varying degrees of self-interest are generally not questioned also come to mind: the National Fire Protection Association is one, Underwriters Laboratories is another. The difference between these institutions and the USGBC is that while government regulators rely on the standards, regulations, and research such organizations produce, the USGBC has become, in effect, a regulator itself.

On a federal level, LEED certification has been adopted as either an outright requirement or a programmatic goal by any number of governmental agencies including four branches of the armed forces, the General Services Administration, the State Department, and the Department of the Interior. At least nine states require actual certification for public building projects, while another half dozen, including Massachusetts, are presently considering such requirements. Still others do not require certification but promote the use of LEED guidelines or encourage certification by offering tax credits or other incentives. Many municipalities and some county governments also require certification. Countless private institutions, such as the Partners HealthCare system, pursue LEED certification of their building projects as a matter of policy. For projects over a certain size, Boston requires building projects to be LEED “certifiable,” which is a significant distinction in that it adopts the standard but not the process.

The issue then is not the LEED rating system, the virtues and shortcomings of which can be separately discussed, but the process of certifying buildings and the creation of a fee-generating bureaucratic structure to do so. Along with this has come the creation of a new class of professional to administer that process and, as of 2008, the creation of the Green Building Certification Institute (GBCI), a separate subsidiary organization to grant, administer, and maintain the accreditation of these new professionals. It is the accreditation of LEED professionals in particular that has evolved into an ever more elaborate administrative process.

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China has a five-year plan to lead the world in green buildings -- but can it work?


http://www.foreignpolicy.com/article...n_leap_forward

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In China, where fully half the world's new buildings are erected each year, the reason the government is interested in squeezing energy demand is simple. It's not just altruism or global ecological goodwill. As China continues to urbanize at a breakneck pace, moving a projected 350 million people from rural areas into cities over the next 20 years and erecting the floor-space equivalent of two New York Cities every year, its energy demand is rising worryingly quickly -- up 12 percent from just last year. Feeding that demand is not easy, and many cities in China continue to experience rolling brownouts (the situation was exacerbated during this summer's drought, when diminished river flows shrunk the available energy from hydropower).

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[M II A II R II K]

Via Verde’s Time in the Sun


Read More: http://www.txchnologist.com/2011/gal...ime-in-the-sun

The most celebrated building in New York City this fall isn’t perched on the edge of Central Park or in downtown Manhattan or even in trendy Brooklyn. The structure gracing the front page of The New York Times is in the heart of the South Bronx. Via Verde (“The Green Way”) is not only architecturally striking, it’s also an experiment in healthy, sustainable and affordable living for low- and moderate-income residents.

The 222-unit building, developed by Jonathan Rose and Phipps Houses Group, rises in an area that was once the face of urban blight in America. Via Verde promises urban renewal, with green rooftops for gardens and solar panels that meet 5 percent of the building’s electricity load. ”This is at the leading edge of social housing in New York and America,” said Robert Garneau of Grimshaw Architects, which co-designed the building with Dattner Architects. It’s a building that, upon its opening early next year, wouldn’t be out of place in New York’s most fashionable precincts.

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NYC launches push to enter green zone


December 12, 2011

By Amanda Fung

Read More: http://www.crainsnewyork.com/article...TATE/111219985

New zoning proposals designed to make it easier for owners to make their buildings more energy-efficient and sustainable began the formal city public approval process on Monday. Existing zoning laws can actually impede owners trying to build green or retrofit their buildings. The new proposals are expected to lift some of those impediments. The changes include allowing owners to build thicker walls to accommodate external insulation, which could reduce energy consumption by as much as half, and allowing the installation of solar panels even if they would add more height to a building than zoning rules allow.

While there is no time limit for the approval process, proposals will be reviewed by all the community boards across the city and all five borough presidents. Proposals need to be approved by the City Council before they can be adopted citywide. “This is the most comprehensive citywide initiative dealing with energy efficiency and green building in the U.S.,” said Amanda Burden, chair of the City Planning Commission. “This is about being a greener city, providing cleaner air and water as well as saving money on utility bills.” The city's roughly one million buildings cost $15 billion a year to power and heat and account for 80% of the city's greenhouse gas emissions. The changes will promote the installation of solar panels on rooftops, which will reduce electrical bills and carbon emissions.

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