Berlin at Forefront of Urban Green

by Stockholm Resilience Centre: http://www.stockholmresilience.org/21/research/research-news/10-28-2014-berlin-forefront-of-urban-green.html

The URBES project launches video from Berlin



As one of the cities represented in the Urban Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services project (URBES), coordinated by Stockholm Resilience Centre, Berlin has much to show when it comes to development, policy and strategies for enhancing green areas.

Green initiatives across the city are enabling people from all walks of life to get involved, and through for example local gardening and education projects adults and children alike are connecting to nature and creating spaces of development and prerequisites for social equality.

Berlin is expected to grow by a quarter of a million people in the next 15 years. The video Berlin - A thriving city embraces its green spaces shows that insightful decision making and actions from city administration, preserving urban biodiversity and giving unrestricted access to urban green and blue space in Berlin, is of great importance for the city’s sustainable future.

A multi-city project

Researchers at the Centre are coordinating the URBES-project and are also conducting studies in Stockholm, as one of the cities connected to the project.

"Together with ICLEI - Local Governments for Sustainability and the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), we are developing a professional communication and training programme, and will actively link to important policy mechanisms and contribute to global partnership," says Thomas Elmqvist, researcher and project coordinator.

World Green Building Week Pushes New Ground

Carbon balloons for World Green Building Week

by Tina Perinotto, The Fifth Estate: http://www.thefifthestate.com.au/event-news/world-green-building-week-pushes-new-ground/68003

While the world takes a deep dive into uncertain territory, especially on climate issues and especially in Australia,  the world of green buildings moves inexorably onwards.

For World Green Building week concluding Friday the focus broadened from buildings and owners to tenants, emerging stars and now the concept of positive development through social outcomes.

At 50 Bridge Street in Sydney, AMP Capital did some “gamification” with tenants to drive home some key messages on carbon consumption and savings using balloons, lollies in giant jars and guessing competitions.

According to national sustainability manager for AMP Capital, Dominic Ambriano, the exercise played into the company’s Building Connections program designed to engage tenants in “nodes” of focus such as sustainability, health and well-being.

• See Chapter 8 of the Tenants and Landlords Guide to Happiness for more on this.

The balloons were to demonstrate, in anyone’s visual language, just how much carbon could be saved from a single office building. In the case of 50 Bridge Street, which has shaved around 45 per cent of carbon emissions from the base building in recent times, that’s about 3000 tonnes of carbon – the equivalent of taking 1000 cars off the road each year.

Put that way, tenants can see for themselves that the common refrain that buildings are a powerful way to save greenhouse emissions (and money) just might have the ring of truth to it. The guessing game was for how many balloons exactly were displayed (here’s a hint, it’s somewhere in the 300 mark) and winners will be announced next week.

The exercise was repeated with about 10 other major buildings owned by AMP throughout the country including the huge Collins Place in Melbourne, while smaller buildings had signs displayed in the foyer and large jars with lollies to symbolise the carbon count

With the “gamification” the idea is simple - to “get people’s attention”, Mr Ambriano said. “Tenants are invited to try to count the balloons [or lollies] and we present information on energy to try to make it more meaningful.”

There’s also an implied message that while owners have been slashing the carbon production of their buildings, tenants have been lagging.

With building energy use split roughly 50:50 between base building and tenancies the savings by owners means the scales are tipping - negatively - towards tenants in terms of carbon produced.

Mr Ambriano said that the environmental node in the tenant engagement program is probably the easiest to get across because people are hearing the message on environment from so many sources and because there is money to be saved from energy efficiency.

“It’s been difficult in the past but we’re making breakthroughs and that’s because of the building connections program.”

As revealed in the “Happiness” book, the tough part is encouraging tenants to share their electricity billing data, which, as owners know, is the start of reform, exemplified in the old adage, “you can’t manage what you don’t measure”.

Having fun helps, so the gamification of the program has extended to the company’s “floor wars”, which pits one floor of tenants against another to save the most energy.

Green leases are emerging, he said, but there are still “a good percentage” of properties not subject to green leases where more information and collaboration can yield the right results.

Cundall’s David Collins Introducing the evening

Impact development

Cundall chose impact development as the theme for 10 events it held world wide as its contribution to World Green Building Week this year.

“Traditional sustainability and environmentally sustainable development is not enough”, the company said in a promotional statement. “The property industry is looking to the next wave of innovation.” Instead of limiting negative outcomes the push is on for regenerative development, positive impacts and an urban environment that “gives something back”.

Right on cue the company has launched a consulting service to do just that, called Impact Development.

About 30 people attended the event this week which was likewise designed to have a positive social impact. The venue was Y Hotel, the former YWCA hostel next to Hyde Park in the city.

Profits from the event were directed to the YWCA, music was provided by a social charity called Music Makes a Difference which aims to help children with confidence issues,and art on the wall was provided by Alan Streets who has used art as a pathway to recover from drug and alcohol abused which initiated from struggling with paranoid schizophrenia.

Host for the night was principal Alistair Coulstock, who took over from Simon Wild who is soon to join Lend Lease.

Rory Martin

Future Green Leader

On the personal front Rory Martin, national sustainability leader with dwp|suters, was named the inaugural Future Green Leader.

The judging panel for this inaugural award from the Green Building Council of Australia was impressed with “the depth of Rory’s experience and commitment to buildings that respond to their climate, are economic anchors, aesthetically appealing and healthy places for people” a statement from the panel said.

Mr Martin who handles strategic planning, environmental modelling, design reviews, policy development and marketing says his passion for sustainability started when he was a student and has driven his professional development in the 10 years since.

Chief executive of dwp|suters Leone Lorrimer said Mr Martin had helped embed sustainability into the company and “further woven sustainable thinking into the fabric of our design thinking”.

Solar Streets: New Roadways May Ditch Asphalt for Energy-Generating Sunshine Collectors

by Kristina Bravo, TakePart: http://www.takepart.com/article/2014/05/18/solar-roadways

Kristina Bravo is a Los Angeles-based writer. She is a fellow at TakePart. full bio
 

As a kid in the 1960s, before most people had even heard of solar power, Scott Brusaw imagined “electric roads.” 

Almost five decades and two government-funded prototypes later, the electrical engineer from Ohio is on his way to raising $1 million to start producing solar panels for our streets and highways.

Not to power the light, mind you - to function as streets and highways. Soon you may be driving on solar panels that power the buildings you’re passing by.

“We can use [photovoltaic panels] to create roads, parking lots, tarmacs - anything under the sun,” Brusaw says. “All of the current asphalt and concrete currently soaking up the sun can be covered with our technology to turn that sunlight into clean, renewable electricity.”

The biggest challenge Brusaw faced was engineering a case to protect the fragile solar cells. He began by researching the technology used in black boxes for airplanes and ended up using thick hardened glass.

It sounds fragile, but after impact resistance and traction testing, it has proved able to handle trucks weighing several times the legal limit. A prototype solar parking lot in Sandpoint, Idaho, has been successful as well. If Brusaw’s crowdfunding campaign reaches its goal, production of the roadway panels could begin within a few months.

It may take some time to see them on highways, though. Neil Fromer, executive director of the Resnick Sustainability Institute at the California Institute of Technology, says installing solar power on large structures will take a lot of testing and paperwork.

“The regulatory challenges of putting solar panels on rooftops were significant over the last 20 or 30 years,” Fromer says. “It’s only an avalanche [of effort] that managed to get it really working, so doing the roads would be a big challenge.”

Electric safety concerns would also need to be addressed, he says, considering that the road is not controlled. But the end product might be well worth it.

“The tremendous amount of solar energy that hits the earth’s surface in an hour is enough to power the planet for a year,” Fromer explains. “So when you think about renewable energy in the long term, solar is a huge part of that.” Considering that pavement covers as much as half of many U.S. cities, a lot of electricity could be generated by covering it all with solar panels.

Brusaw’s project could have a huge impact - if it overcomes the many challenges to getting it out into the real world.

“I think this is pretty cool, and I don’t want to sound too pessimistic about it,” Fromer says. “It’s really just a question of integrating [solar energy] into our existing electrical system. Roads are great surfaces to try it ... technology innovation always helps.”

University Sustainability Research: The Latest Update

Uni of Queensland’s carbon neutral Global Change Institute

by Willow Aliento, The Fifth Estate: http://www.thefifthestate.com.au/archives/60491/

From practical research into technology, materials and techniques through to big picture policy and planning studies, almost every university in Australia is contributing in some way to creating a greener society.

In a recent Green MashUp we published a “glance” at research work under way.

Here is a more comprehensive list. And it’s one we’ll keep adding to. 

University of New South Wales

The University of New South Wales has been a leader in the sustainability field for several decades, offering the first masters in sustainability in the country.

UNSW’s Faculty of the Built Environment hosts the CRC for Low Carbon Living, an innovation hub with a budget of over $100 million that is specifically focused on developing methods of achieving a more sustainable built environment.

Chief executive Scientia Professor Deo Prasad was this year recognised with an Order of Australia for services to architecture, particularly in the area of sustainable urban design and the solar energy sector.

• See our story Sustainable Built Environment Professors receive Order of Australia

“About 50 per cent of world [photovoltaics] arguably finds its IP origins at UNSW,” Professor Prasad told The Fifth Estate. “We also have the largest water research centre, and SMART [UNSW’s materials research centre] is among the best known building materials groups in Australia.”

The CRC’s research is divided into three programs: building scale sustainability, precinct scale sustainability and community scale sustainability. In all three the focus is on developing the tools, techniques and technology to reduce carbon impacts and improve sustainability. There are currently 42 research projects underway.

“We explore innovations for Australian industry and professions which will allow businesses to complete globally in a low carbon world,” Professor Prasad said. “We also [create through research] the tools and assessment methods which give a better understanding of the evidence base for high performance buildings.”

UNSW also hosts the City Futures Research Centre, led by Professor Bill Randolph.

The specific programs of City Futures include Sustainability and Climate Change Adaption, and the Healthy Built Environments Program (HBEP) funded by the NSW Ministry of Health, which brings together health practitioners and built environment practitioners to connect the dots between urban design and human health impacts including obesity and diabetes.

The university also has a Sustainable Design and Development Research Hub that is examining issues including product lifecycles. 

University of Technology Sydney

The Institute for Sustainable Futures at UTS is engaged in multiple research streams, including transport, water and sanitation, corporate sustainability, sustainable buildings, energy and climate change, international development, local government, natural resources and ecosystems, resource futures and social change. The research is highly geared towards both policy change and practical applications.

An example of their corporate sustainability stream projects is Green Chrysalis, a research project commissioned by the Australian Business Foundation, which is investigating the processes that drive innovative SME business activity in response to the new green economy.

Through extensive case study research with SME businesses, the research aims to outline methods by which SMEs can innovate and capitalise on the green economy and also where the opportunities are for universities to support this innovation.

The Institute is involved in a number of collaborative projects with other universities and the CSIRO. The Wealth from Waste Research Collaboration Cluster, for example, is a three-year research program funded by the CSIRO that aims to identify viable options for the recycling of metals from existing products in Australia.

The aim is to expand Australia’s mineral resource base from being focused largely on extractive processes to one that capitalises on secondary production to reduce the environmental, social and economic impacts of primary minerals production, and to expand the supply of mineral and metal resources available for advanced manufacturing.

The research cluster is running until 2016, and the other partner universities include Monash University, the University of Queensland, Swinburne University, and Yale University (USA).

UTS is also one of the universities collaborating on The Intelligent Grid with University of Queensland, Queensland University of Technology, Curtin University of Technology, University of South Australia and CSIRO.

The Intelligent Grid Research Program, is investigating technologies and practices to make our electricity networks smart, greener and more efficient.

The plan is for this cluster of research to contribute to the CSIRO Energy Transformed Flagship’s research goal of halving greenhouse gas emissions and doubling the efficiency of Australia’s new energy generation, supply and end use technologies. Watch this space. 

Australian National University

In the national capital, the Australian National University has several bodies engaged in research around climate change and sustainable energy. The ANU’s Energy Change Institute delivers education and research across the science and engineering of energy generation and energy efficiency, through to energy regulations, economics, sociology and policy.

Programs include research into fusion technologies, the energy-water nexus in sustainability and carbon capture and storage.

ECI is also a collaborating member of the ANU Climate Change Institute, which has a range of research programs around climate change from basic science through to impacts and adaptation, and solutions based on economics, institutions and energy technologies.

These include Smart Grid at the College of Engineering and Computer Science at ANU, and the Optimisation Research Group at NICTA.

Together the research teams are jointly building new technologies based on mathematical optimisation and artificial intelligence to support the future of energy systems and the transition from today’s power systems.

Specific research areas include demand management, microgrids, power systems planning and operations and resilience and self-healing.

ANU has been engaged in solar energy research for 40 years. The Centre for Sustainable Energy Systems (CSES) in the Research School of Engineering undertakes work in the areas of photovoltaic and solar thermal energy conversion.

Its activities span the range from basic R&D through to commercialisation. CSES currently has 20 research projects with a combined value exceeding $30M, and two solar technologies moving towards commercialisation including SLIVER solar cells and photovoltaic/thermal micro concentrators. ANU is one of three core members of the $150 million Australian Solar Institute. 

RMIT

Victoria’s RMIT University has several strands of sustainability research focused around the interaction between social factors and the built environment.

The Sustainable and Urban Regional Futures (SURF) program brings together researchers from geography, planning, cultural studies, sociology, business, architecture, media studies, economics and education to find solutions to the sustainability challenges faced by both urban and regional communities.

RMIT’s Climate Change Adaptation Program focuses on how cities and communities might best respond to the complexity of global environmental change and adapt to the on-the-ground issues associated with a changing climate.

Darryn McEvoy, the Program Leader of CCAP also occupies the role of Deputy Director of the Victorian Centre for Climate Change Adaptation Research (VCCCAR).

As reported to The Fifth Estate by Matthew Francis in feedback to Green MashUp: Aussie universities - A glance at what their research teams are up to on sustainability, RMIT’s School of Property and Construction Management has begun research on what constitutes sustainable outcomes through retrofitting of existing buildings, the processes of using Energy Performance Contracts in these upgrades, and how these environmental upgrades contribute with workplace productivity gains. 

University of Melbourne

University of Melbourne’s Faculty of Architecture, Building and Planning is the home of the Melbourne Sustainable Society Institute.

The MSSI operates a Seed Funding Scheme called Societal Transformation, which supports research projects aimed at building capacity towards the wider societal transformation to an affordable economy that emits zero carbon, is less consumptive, more equitable, and that provides personal fulfilment, longevity and reasonable health.

The MSSI’s position is that the impediments to transformation are not technological, they are social and economic. Projects underway at the MSSI include Post Carbon Pathways.

The same faculty’s School of Design is the home of the Victorian Eco-Innovation lab. Research topics at VEIL include transport, “eco-acupuncture”, food security and visions for Melbourne peri-urban and urban communities in 2032.

The Melbourne Energy Institute is another research body within the University of Melbourne that focuses on energy economics and policy.

It focuses on researching innovative solutions in the following areas: new energy resources; developing new ways to harness renewable energy; more efficient ways to use energy; securing energy waste and framing optimal laws and regulation to achieve energy outcomes. 

Swinburne University of Technology

The fine detail of materials and methodologies within the built environment is a strong theme at Swinburne University of Technology. The current sustainability research initiatives also include a research project on Indigenous participation in a low-carbon economy.

The aim of this unique research is to investigate how Australian Indigenous people can be included in the emerging opportunities of a low-carbon economy, particularly in relation to the up-skilling of young people.

A heavy emphasis is being given to integrating Aboriginal approaches in stakeholder engagement and the incorporation of traditional cultural knowledge.

Swinburne is also engaged in research into plasmonic and nanoplasmonic solar cells, and a number of projects around infrastructure materials and methodologies through the university’s Centre for Sustainable Infrastructure. The CSI also undertakes research into transportation systems and water resources modelling. 

Charles Darwin University

In the Top End, Charles Darwin University’s Research Institute for the Environment and Livelihoods is examining range of topics with a strong focus on Indigenous peoples and endemic natural resources both in Australia and the wider Asia-Pacific region.

CDU also hosts the Darwin Centre for Bushfire Research, and The Centre for Renewable Energy,which is a partnership with the Northern Territory Government working to promote the Territory’s renewable energy sector and to provide leadership on the uptake of renewable energy, low emissions and energy efficient technologies. 

James Cook University

James Cook University’s Centre for Tropical and Environmental Sustainability Sciences is undertaking research programs including the potential of silvopastoral agricultural systems (that is, combining livestock production with tree planting) for greenhouse gas abatement while maintaining food and fibre production.

This CSIRO-funded project aims to investigate the barriers and opportunities around tree planting as a carbon farming initiative by primary producers, examining the commonly held concern it will negatively impact their productivity in terms of stock and cropping.

It will assess the short and long-term carbon-production tradeoffs of silvopastoralism and how these vary spatially in relation to climate.

Other TESS programs include the integration of Indigenous knowledge and practices into natural resource management; biochar chemistry and applications including field trials of biochar in soil improvement projects and carbon farming pilots. 

The University of Western Australia

Two climate change projects led by The University of Western Australia - one a study into reporting on climate change in the media, and another focusing on the challenge of ancient soils under modern land use - have been chosen for funding by the Worldwide Universities Network (WUN).

UWA has also partnered with Impact Building Systems of Queensland, and the National Centre of Excellence in Desalination (NCEDA) to develop technology to combine solar power generation with desalination.

The UWA researcher behind the innovation is Winthrop Professor Hui Tong Chua, who is also research theme leader for geothermal energy and waste heat utilisation in the University’s Centre for Energy. 

Macquarie University

Macquarie University hosts The Australian Research Institute for Environment and Sustainability (ARIES), a not-for-profit research and consultancy centre that exists to promote change for sustainability.

Projects include Accounting for Energy Efficiency: a Roadmap for Transition. This is a partnership between ARIES and the Faculty of Business and Economics to drive sustainability in the business sector by educating accountants.

This timely project was motivated by the realisation many SMEs rely on their accountants to help them save money, and ask them for advice on energy efficiency, which the advisor is often unable to effectively give due to lack of expertise in that field.

The project aims to redress the lack, and give accountants greater skills in the area of energy efficiency advice and carbon/energy accounting. 

LaTrobe University

La Trobe are working on projects around the sustainability of the food supply and the environment which supports it.

Researchers are working on improving the efficiency of agricultural production and the protection and enhancement of environmental integrity and ecosystem services (for example, water and soil health).

A multidisciplinary approach is being taken to food security issues, bringing together the disciplines of science, sociology, planning, policy development, economics, law, education and communication. 

University of Tasmania

The University of Tasmania is one of the participants in the Antarctic Climate and Ecosystems Cooperative Research Centre along with Australian National University, Murdoch University, Griffith University and Charles Sturt University.

UTAS staff at the CRC include Professor Nathan Bindoff, one of the scientific team who contributed to the Nobel Peace Prize winning body of research for the UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. 

Flinders University

And in one of the driest states, research is being undertaken into more effective modelling and management of our scarce freshwater resources, through the National Centre for Groundwater Research and Training at Flinders University in South Australia. 

University of Newcastle

At the University of Newcastle, fixing the legacy of past bad practice is a major research focus. The Uni’s Centre for Sustainable Ecosystem Restoration brings together researchers and the academic streams with community groups, industry and government to address significant ecological problems.

Current activities include research into mine spoil rehabilitation, forest-woodland restoration and reconstruction.

Having access to some extremely degraded ecosystems and polluted sites thanks to the region’s mining and heavy industry sectors allows researchers to carry out long-term site-based studies aimed at developing models and methods for determining restoration potential, dispersal potential, species migration capacity, sustainability and resilience.

The Newcastle Institute for Energy and Resources is another research body looking at sustainable energy production. NIER’s priorities include clean energy production, energy efficiency and the minimisation of carbon emissions.

There is certainly no shortage of genius at work across our universities, and an encouraging sign is how many of the projects are being undertaken collaboratively, including joint efforts with industry and government.

There is still a gap, however, between the groundbreaking research and the investment of funds, will and focus to put it all into practice and build a more sustainable world. Over to you, business sector.

Please contact editorial@thefifthestate.com.au if you know of an Australian university engaged in groundbreaking sustainability research.

Below we republish universities featured in Green MashUp: Aussie universities – A glance at what their research teams are up to on sustainability

The University of Queensland

The University of Queensland Global Change Institute is doing research into food security in an era of climate change. This will become a critical issue. It has economic and political repercussions with an estimated global population of 9 billion by 2050.

As part of its work, the university is producing a series of maps for the Australian context. These include:

(1) national maps on plant productivity and the current production of major foods;
(2) national maps that depict food fluxes for domestically-produced food both within Australia and to global markets, and;
(3) national maps that project, on a decade by decade basis to 2050, potential shifts in plant productivity and national food production taking into consideration predictions for climate change, the national landscape, and land use patterns.

The University of Western Sydney is the first university in Australia to install and pilot “pulpmaster” - an innovative food waste to energy recycling system. The system is an Australian patented design and is a best practice state of the art food waste to energy system in the newly upgraded Food Science precinct at UWS Hawkesbury.

The Pulpmaster system converts food waste into pulp which is then transported to a facility where it is transformed into green energy and/or fertiliser. For every 100 tonnes of food waste diverted from landfill, enough green energy is produced to power 34 homes per annum.

So far they have recycled 52 tonnes of food waste in 3 years, saving tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions and plastic bags being sent to landfill.

The University of South Australia is leading research into heat stress in Australian cities. It’s the kind of work that could save lives and reduce the carbon footprint.

UniSA’s Zero Waste Centre for Sustainable Design & Behaviour is examining urban micro climates in Sydney, Melbourne and Adelaide.

A project that spans three years, it will bring together three universities and eight industry and government partners. It will provide directions for urban planners.

According to this brief, the project aims to develop new summer design conditions for 2030 and 2050 and establish new adaptive thermal comfort criteria for buildings, incorporating anticipated climate change.

It will examine current behaviour of households during heatwaves and develop designs to avoid heat stress and ensure safety and comfort during heatwaves.

Curtin University has been doing some interesting research into different areas. It has looked at the impact that removal of tree canopies in cities has on public health. It has also done research identifying future habitat locations for precious flora and fauna threatened by climate change.

The University’s Sustainable Built Environment National Research Centre is examining what the roads of the future will look like.

The Centre’s Charlie Hargroves says the research is looking at incorporating renewable energy generation in road infrastructure.

“So you can have your off-site wind farms and that kind of great stuff, but what we’re looking at is, can we tender road projects that have renewable energy components in the actual road project?’’ Hargroves says.

“So things like if someone’s building a bridge, they can put some tidal or wave turbines underneath the bridge, or they can put some wind turbines under the bridge or inside the bridge structure.” Roads could also be designed to allow electricity generation through capturing solar or kinetic energy, he says.

• See our recent article exploring this work, The 21st century road could take you somewhere interesting … and more sustainable

Monash University has one of the nation’s largest and most diverse sustainability research programs, built on a collaborative partnership approach with other universities, the private sector, government and global experts across many disciplines.

The Monash Sustainability Institute’s research partnerships include Monash for Liveability, Green Steps and the Sustainable Development Program, as well as cross-disciplinary programs including Economics for Sustainability, Indigenous Communities and Climate Change, Soil Carbon program, Systemic and Adaptive Water Governance and the Australian Bushfire Prevention Initiative.

ClimateWorks, created by Monash University and the Myer Foundation, has been doing research into best practice standards for light vehicles.

ClimateWorks executive director Anna Skarbek says this would achieve more than a 50 per cent reduction in the average vehicle’s fuel use over 10 years. “Even taking account of rising fuel prices, this would see the average driver pay less per year for fuel in 2020 than they do today, even after considering potential fuel price rises,” Starbek says.

Anyone wanting to find out the latest thinking in green buildings should check out the Sustainable Buildings Research Centre at the University of Wollongong.

The university recently won the Solar Decathlon which was conceived in 2000 by the US Department of Energy as a competition for university student teams “to design, build, and operate solar-powered houses that are cost-effective, energy-efficient, and attractive”.

It was the first time any team has scored 957.6 out of a possible 1000 points.

Team UOW’s house project, labelled “Illawarra Flame”, also scored first place in the categories of Engineering, Architecture, Solar Application, Energy Balance and Hot Water.  Among the winning design’s many innovative features was an internal thermal mass wall, 90 per cent of which was constructed from recycled content, including crushed terracotta roof tiles from the ‘original’ house.

The university has also developed a “transpired solar collector” which is a solar wall (a modern, unglazed adaptation of the age-old Trombe wall idea) suitable for both new and retrofit applications. It uses exterior metal cladding to capture solar energy, which then heats and ventilates indoor spaces.

Murdoch University’s Institute for Social Sustainability has been doing some work into areas like the relationship between climate change,ecosystem health and human mental health.

And the University of Sydney’s unit called Integrated Sustainability Analysis has produced a Consumption Atlas, in collaboration with the Australian Conservation Foundation which shows people the greenhouse gas emissions created by households in their suburb.

The atlas shows households in areas straddling Sydney Harbour and Queensland are the country’s biggest greenhouse gas emitters.

These areas are closely followed by inner suburban Canberra, Woollahra and Mosman in Sydney, Southbank and Docklands in Melbourne and Fortitude Valley and Newstead in Queensland. The lowest greenhouse gas emitting households are in Tasmania, specifically in the Derwent Valley, Kentish and Brighton areas.

Lismore’s Southern Cross University together with the Gold Coast and Tweed Campuses engages in a range of sustainability research and development programs under the banner of Sustainability, Partnerships and Community Engagement (SPaCE) - this includes the Regional Food Network, a network of scholars and practitioners focused on developing partnerships within and across regions in the Asia Pacific.

SCU has also undertaken pilot projects into the effectiveness of hemp for effluent mop-up and the subsequent use of the hemp fibre as a building material.

Griffith University has an Asia Pacific Centre for Sustainable Enterprise doing some important work on creating green businesses throughout the region.

All this research from Australia’s universities is globally significant. Potentially it could change the world. It’s time for industry to step up.

Living Buildings: The Bullitt Center

by Glen Hiemstra, The Futurist: http://www.futurist.com/2013/08/02/living-buildings-the-bullitt-center/

 

Last week we had the pleasure of visiting The Bullitt Center in Seattle. 

 

It’s a net-zero energy building, complete with compost toilet, rooftop solar panels, and a rainwater capture garden.

 

Each desk is monitored so they don’t go over a certain amount of energy consumption. 

The building houses several independent contractors and small business groups, making it a lovely collaborative workspace.

Most groups working in the building are interested in sustainability.

Sustainable Seattle is one such group, and they were kind enough to give us a tour.

Sustainable Seattle’s mission is to bring together individuals, organizations, and businesses in the greater Seattle area to build a sustainable future through innovation, education and on-the-ground projects.

One of the most ambitious aspects of the Bullitt Center will be achieving the goals of the Living Building Challenge (version 2.0), as described by the International Living Building Institute.

Before they can complete the Living Building Challenge, they must fulfill a few more requirements, such as filling the space with more occupants, and ensuring that most of the inhabitants are using sustainable or shared transportation methods.

Find out more about the Living Building Challenge and why they are important.

“World’s Greenest Office Building” Makes Net-Zero Look Easy

by Samantha Thomas, Yes! magazine:
http://www.yesmagazine.org/planet/world-s-greenest-office-building-makes-net-zero-look-easy

It’s a commercial office space equipped with composting toilets, rainwater showers, and a stairway designed to be so beautiful that no one ever takes the elevator.

Bullitt Center, Seattle (Ben Benschneider)

Peering down Seattle’s Capitol Hill, the Bullitt Center appears to be just another high-end commercial building - until you look up and notice the roof, which is overlaid with shiny silver photovoltaic panels that extend far beyond the building’s exterior walls.

Even in the cloudiest of cities, the panels generate all the electricity the six-story structure requires.

The building is a project of the Bullitt Foundation, which calls it “the greenest commercial building in the world.”

The foundation, which was founded in 1952, has focused since the 1990s on helping to create cities that function more like ecosystems.

Its new building provides office space for eco-conscious tenants, but also functions as a learning center that demonstrates how people and businesses can exist in harmony with nature.

The Bullitt Center was built according to a demanding green building certification program called the Living Building Challenge, which lists net zero use of energy and water among its many requirements.

The standards specified by Living Buildings far surpass those of the better-known Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design, or LEED, program, which even at its highest level still produces buildings that harm the environment.

Jason McLennan, the founder of the program, says the goal of the Living Building Challenge is to create a structure that is in harmony with nature. “Even when buildings are promoted as 10 to 30 percent greener than the traditional code, the building is still extremely harmful to the environment.” 

A tour of the world’s greenest office building

It turns out that making a building beautiful can help to make it green.

In an effort to encourage people to take the stairs instead of the elevator, the architects of the Bullitt Center created an “irresistible stairway” encased by floor-to-ceiling glass walls that allow for an abundance of light and offer captivating views of Puget Sound and the Olympic mountains.

Office spaces are airy and bright, so the center requires no artificial illumination even on the dreariest Seattle days. And since most of the walls are made of glass, employees can see straight through one side of the building to the other, creating a feeling of community and openness.

What do tenants think of the space? “Everybody seems to be wildly enthusiastic,” says Bullitt Foundation president and CEO, Denis Hayes.

“Psychological studies show that people perform better when they have the diorama going by outside - they are happier, healthier, take less sick leave, and are more productive.”

With no on-site parking for cars, tenants are encouraged to ride bikes to work and park them in a space the size of a three-car garage. And for those who arrive sweaty from the bike ride in, rainwater-fed showers are available on every floor.

While some developers may argue that it is too expensive to build this way, the Bullitt Center’s initial costs were only one-fifth above average for an office building of its class.

And that’s not mentioning savings from energy and water bills, which will amount to zero when measured across 12 months.

The sewage bill is also zero because the building requires no hookup to the city’s sewer system. Composting toilets produce biologically pure waste, which is mixed with King County’s compost facility to produce agricultural grade compost.

The Bullitt Foundation hopes others will replicate their building. Bankers, developers, appraisers, insurance companies and government officials are invited to visit the center to learn more about building and investing in sustainable buildings.

McLennan concludes by suggesting that the Bullitt Center demonstrates the viability of taking a stronger approach to sustainability. “Washington is the least sunny state in the United States, and this building is still able to obtain 100 percent solar,” he says.

He hopes that the Bullitt Center’s example will help to encourage others to build more enjoyable, sustainable, and affordable buildings around the world.

Samantha Thomas wrote this article for YES! Magazine, a national, nonprofit media organization that fuses powerful ideas with practical actions.

Samantha is Project Consultant for DreamChange, a nonprofit organization dedicated to creating a better world for future generations, by building cultural bridges between people, societies and corporations.

She is also a freelance writer, green business consultant, and eco-fashion model based in New York City.

Interested?

• Living Buildings, Living Economies, and a Living Future
  David Korten: Two ideas that bring me renewed hope that we can end our isolation from nature and from each other.
• The World’s First Living Buildings
  Once deemed too ambitious, the next generation of green building is now a reality.
• Big City Farmers Take to the Rooftops
  Space is expensive in Brooklyn, so Gotham Greens built their urban farm on a rooftop.

6 Star Mud Brick House Study

Composition: wall with mudbricks (Photo credit: 10b travelling)

by Caleb M Young

A study was conducted earlier this year to help determine the viability and potential costs involved in building a 6 Star mud brick home.

The study, funded by Sustainability Victoria, involved thermal energy assessments of four typical mud brick house designs using the FirstRate 5 house energy rating software. An objective was to determine simple and cost effective ways to take each design up to 6 Stars while maintaining each building's unique character.

All four designs successfully achieved the 6 Star target, however, some proved more difficult than others. In most cases, double glazing was required to the living areas of each home as a minimum, and higher levels of insulation was needed in the ceiling/roof. The more difficult cases benefited greatly from an insulated slab-on-ground or 'waffle pod' slab, and higher performance double glazing incorporating low-e coating and argon gas filled cavities.

One design was able to score an extra 1.2 stars by reducing the length of the northern eave to allow greater solar access in winter. This house was the only one in the study to achieve the 6 Star target without using any double glazing.

The orientation of the house also proved to have a great effect on the energy rating. One of the designs was assessed multiple times, each time facing in a different direction - north, south, east and west. It was found that when oriented in an optimal direction, the house was able to achieve the 6 Star target with no double glazing. When this same house was oriented in a less optimal position, double glazing was needed throughout the whole house in order to reach the target.

Findings also proved that with good orientation, generally the additional cost of building a 6 Star mud brick house was not unreasonable. Just as importantly, this goal could be achieved without compromising on the design features which make mud brick homes so unique.

The study was seen to be a success, as it found that a typical mud brick house could in fact achieve a 6 Star energy rating by employing a range of techniques, despite earlier misconceptions.

The Nillumbik Mudbrick Association (NMA) are intending to publish a hand book which will use the findings of this study to assist mud brick house designers, builders and home owners meet the mandatory 6 Star rating. The hand book is expected to be made available to NMA members later this year.

Green Rate is an experienced building energy consultancy - specialising in BCA Section J reports, 6 Star energy rating, and ESD reports for residential and commercial developments.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Caleb_M_Young
http://EzineArticles.com/?6-Star-Mud-Brick-House-Study&id=7183507

Why Buy A Custom Green Home?

Image via WikipediaBy Ginger A. Heise

"Going green" has become the viral phrase these days. You see commercials for it on primetime television, entire shows on cable networks, and billboards on every corner. It's fascinating that we are able to make such a great concept widespread and popular.

If you haven't heard the phrase "going green" or don't really know what it means, understand that it is a means of actively altering your lifestyle to reduce your consumption of energy and resources. What's the ultimate goal? The goal is to allocate those resources for posterity, and to reduce the already existing pollution.

Recently, this phenomenon has extended to our homes, in all manner of aspects. "Green" homes sell faster than non-green homes. Though they may cost more, this is generally because they are custom-built. However, the savings you earn over the course of your ownership far make up for the increased cost of the home. There are many benefits to be derived from green homes, and many reasons why people buy them.

The first, and most obvious reason, is to lower the money spent on energy bills. Energy costs are rising steadily, and won't be declining any time soon. Many think of the purchase of a "green home" as an investment for the future, as well as a way to save money now. As a by-product, you also end up utilizing less energy.

Again, the motive for everyone is different. Some people want to decrease their carbon footprint, some want to save money, and some want to do a combination of both. Green homes save you money in various ways. Primarily, the majority of the energy-saving comes from properly installed and high-quality insulation. Following that, these homes usually have Energy Star rated appliances. Add to that, double pane windows and high-end doors and you've got smaller electric bills.

Others opt for the green route because of their health. Typically, because of the equipment and custom design of the HVAC system, green homes have better indoor air. This decreases the amounts of pollen, pollutants, fungus, etc. that are circulating through your home. Suffice it to say that this aids anyone who has difficulty breathing, allergies, and literally everyone in general. Breathing in fungus and mold is not a picnic!

Lastly, green homes are truly an investment. Due to the construction quality, because the home is generally custom-built, these homes will have less maintenance. The equipment is also built to be more efficient, so these homes will experience fewer repairs in that area as well.

Ginger Heise is the Director of Operations for Stillbrooke Homes/Bud Bartley Homes. Bud Bartley Homes takes great pride in the value offered to each client. We build in the warmth and comfort, never forgetting that a home is where memories are born. Our building associates are craftsmen, each dedicated to fulfilling your distinctive vision for your custom home and using only the finest in materials and modern building techniques. Privately owned and operated for over thirty years, we are confident that the Bud Bartley team will exceed your home building expectations.

For more information on building a custom home, a luxury home, or a green home, please visit us at http://newgreenhomesnorthtexas.com

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Ginger_A._Heise
http://EzineArticles.com/?Why-Buy-A-Custom-Green-Home?&id=6420060

Expanded Perlite Insulation - Laying the Foundation for Green Roofs

Image via WikipediaBy Bernard Novak

The use of green roofs, date back to ancient times. The first recorded reference of a man-made garden on top of a building was during the Mesopotamia period. In France during the 13th century, sod roofs were developed to create a primitive form of thermal insulation for their buildings. Sod roofs are in fact still in use today, being used to create protection against extreme cold in Norway and the United States.

Renowned for their thermal qualities, green roofs are proving popular in high rise buildings throughout the world. Not only do they create an effective thermal insulation, but contribute to creating a recreational area for those in city central areas, improving the skyline for the enjoyment of the multi-story building tenants, these gardens continue to enhance the view in large cities, but they charge high rents.

Nowadays these types of roofs contain only one or two plant species. It is commonly designed for maximum hydrological and thermal insulation. It also provides minimum weight load for the roof, as not to place undue stress on the infrastructure of the building. Tall grasses are often considered to be a fire hazard while succulents are fire resistant.

Almost any plant can be grown in the green roof environment; however, limiting factors include climate, structural design and maintenance budgets. Expanded minerals such as Perlite are widely utilised in the construction of green roofs. This planting medium is distinguished by its mineral content. Expanded perlite is used because it is less dense, absorbs more natural minerals and provides the bases for an ultra-lightweight planting medium. Also used for a similar reason is light weight natural zeolite.

Before the installation of a green roof, a protective layer of light weight, concrete, sheet of rigid insulation, thick plastic sheet or copper foil, in combination with each other or separately, is used for protection of the building structure. It is used for protection against fertilizer and possible root penetration which can surely weaken the installation of a green roof and in some cases, be dangerous. To ensure a water proof system of the green roof, a water proofing layer is also installed.

Green roof designs are becoming increasingly specified in many parts of the world. They do not only provide insulation but also maintain the temperature in accordance to the outer climate. From an environmental point of view it will help reduce pollution related issues.

Perlite, an inert volcanic rock, is the principal material utilised in expanded perlite insulation, expanded by a heating process and often treated with water repellent material. It is renowned for its thermal properties and resistance to fire.

New Zealand Expanded Perlite Insulation is used in lightweight aggregates, and thermal and acoustic insulation.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Bernard_Novak
http://EzineArticles.com/?Expanded-Perlite-Insulation---Laying-the-Foundation-for-Green-Roofs&id=6390258

CASE STUDY: London's Most Sustainable Building

Image via WikipediaBy Alex A Richards

In recent times, the state, climate and ultimately the CO2 emissions produced in the city of London is always a topic on the governmental agenda, with MPs and environmentalists looking for ways to cut the amount of pollution produced by the iconic UK capital.

While it appears to be an uphill battle, we are making some head way with a range of environmentally friendly measures coming in to place to help reduce our impact on the planet. But what is London's most sustainable building, what makes it so eco-friendly and how can we learn from it?

Well, without further ado, we can reveal the most sustainable building throughout the city of London is 7 More London, which is the last piece of the More London office development programme on the south bank of the River Thames, immediately next to London's Tower Bridge. The area is also host to buildings which include 'The Scoop' and City Hall, which are all easily recognisable for their bespoke designs and architectural glazing.

The building is the first throughout the capital to achieve an 'Outstanding' rating for its energy efficiency and became only the third building in the country to do so.

So, what makes it so environmentally friendly? Well, as we have already mentioned, the building is constructed using architectural glazing which holds a whole host of environmental benefits. Firstly, architectural glazing allows natural light to be emitted into the building, which decreases its dependence on electrical lighting. The 7 More London building has also relinquished its dependence on heavy and expensive air conditioning units in the entrance (or atrium) of the building. To combat the heat, the building has instead covered its river facing entrance with two dark glass wings.

Then as you go through the entrance and enter the heart of the building, you come across a private garden and interior courtyard which emits light in to the centre of the office floors.

The building also has a bio-diesel fuelled heating and power plant in its basement, which is an extremely eco-friendly heating alternative as it burns sustainable alternatives, rather than fossil fuels which emit a great amount of CO2.

One of the most impressive (and technologically advanced features) is an integrated IT system, which enables all workers from within the building to manually manage and monitor the lighting and temperature of their office area, from the comfort of their desktop computer. This also enables each company to measure the amount of energy the use (and waste).

This building is truly an innovator and can lead by example for future sustainable architectural designs. The 7 More London building emits 55% less CO2 than any new build design which has been constructed under today's standard building regulations, and can really help in the push towards low or zero carbon buildings.

There is always more room for improvement and innovation in the push for zero carbon buildings, and the 7 More London Building can lead by example and hopefully inspire and innovate fellow architects to design and create eco-friendly office buildings.

OAG are specialists in architectural glazing, with a variety of solutions that include glass floors, glass roofs and glass barriers.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Alex_A_Richards
http://EzineArticles.com/?Londons-Most-Sustainable-Building&id=6382371

Increased Incentives Means More Green Power

Image by Getty Images via @daylifeby Lizzie Westminster

Governments around the globe are using incentives to try to cut their carbon footprint on the planet, this has led to a huge take up in interest in producing green energy from all areas of communities. The UK is one of the country's leading the way in this globally important field.

At sustainable energy seminars, workshops and meetings around the country local residents, businesses large and small, landlords, property developers and farmers are learning how they could benefit from producing their own renewable energy.

One reason for an increase in interest in renewable energy generation is the impending implementation of the governments Renewable Heat Incentive (RHI) which has increased not only the interest, but excitement about potential opportunities.

The RHI payments scheme is aimed at promoting the generation of energy by providing payments over a period of 20 years to bridge the financial gap between the cost of conventional and renewable heat systems. The RHI scheme should not be confused with the longer standing electricity feed in tariffs for more general electricity, the new scheme is only for power used to generate heat. The scheme starts in July 2011 for non domestic premises, however it is hoped that a domestic version can be supported from October 2012.

Interest in renewable energy generation of all kinds is gathering momentum and again the UK is at the forefront, with farmers and landowners all over the country looking at the issues around planning permission for wind turbines as they look to create additional income streams from the land by investing in wind farm technology.

The planning issues around intentions can be complex and usually requires the intervention of a rural planning consultant or chartered surveyor. Recent news stories about the inefficiencies of large-scale wind farming has seen a growth of interest in smaller arrays of turbines in suitable areas of the country, these have less of a visual impact and are likely to meet with less objections from the local community and planning offices.

Solar power is now looking very attractive to investors and small-scale users alike, perhaps the 2 main driving forces of this are the previously mentioned debate about the efficiency of wind farming and the constantly improving Photo Voltaic (PV) technology.

With ever-increasing output and better storage and distribution abilities solar energy has become an attractive option, combined with the potential payments from the RHI scheme more and more people and businesses are looking to utilise their south-facing aspects in this way. All other renewable sources have also seen interest rise as a result of the new incentives, biomass boilers, ground source heat pumps and biogas to name but a few are all becoming the topic of hot debate.

Now is the time to consider your carbon emissions from home or business and look into how to reduce them while the incentives exist. Using naturally renewable sources such as wind power, solar energy or water if you have it makes perfect sense in today's world, the rising cost of fossil fuels, the damage they do to the environment and the availability of tax breaks, incentives, feed in tariffs and a host of other grants and financial aids means that not only can you save money but you can also turn a healthy profit and almost negate the cost of initial investment. Perhaps we can change the world after all.

Liz Westminster is an author with a keen interest in all environmental matters, she passionately believes that the time is here when we need to seriously attempt change in how we deplete the planet's natural resources. With no wish to become a Luddite or technologically retarded in anyway she is continually investigating sensible ways to change our reliance on fossil fuels and oil dependency.

When it comes to green energy she believes every one of us should take responsibility for our own environment and encourage businesses to do the same by practicing responsible consumerism, if we only support environmentally aware businesses, more of them will become environmentally aware in an effort to gain our business.

Resources used in this article:

Wind turbine planning specialists H & H Bowe Chartered Surveyors.
Build Your Own Home with green energy built in at build-houses.com.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Lizzie_Westminster
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/6354161

What Is a Green Home?

Image via Wikipediaby JeanPierre Prieur

It doesn't matter if you are a new home buyer or somebody looking to rent a green home, there are a few things that you should look for to make sure you are indeed getting a green house. The latest trend in the market today seems to be products which are energy efficient. Sustainable living is in fashion and this not only applies to a green building, but also with many things we use in our lives today. So the next big question is if you are in the market to buy a green home, how do you know it fulfills the necessary criteria to become an eco-friendly home? The following are some pointers to find a truly modern home.

Environmentally sustainable homes should not be too large in size. Obviously, a large home, say a 6000 square foot home will take more energy to live in, compared to a smaller 1500 or 2500 square foot home. Therefore, always go for smaller size if possible. However, even a large green house will leave behind a smaller carbon foot print compared to an ordinary or conventional home. Our American green architects are now capable of designing practically any size green building you need.

The next important part is the design of the house. It should be placed in such a way so that it takes advantage of the elements surrounding the house, for example sunlight. If the windows are designed and placed in a certain way, it will better be able to take advantage of outside light, which will help bring down energy consumption. This is because the dependency on electrical lights will go down. Another name for this is passive solar design.

Next we come to building materials. Materials used to make an home should be as environmentally friendly as possible. This includes renewable resources such as strawboard and bamboo. If wood is going to be used then it should be approved by the Forest Stewardship Council. This is to ensure that only cultivated woods such as pine or teak are being used. Materials that contain volatile organic compounds (VOC) such as sealants and paints should not be used.

Last but not least, location, location and location. The location of the house is almost as important as the house itself. This means not choosing environmentally sensitive locations such as wetlands, habitats where endangered species may be living and farmland.

Going green is all the rage whether in Hollywood or in the rural countryside. This is something that the environmentally conscious individual should take on, if for nothing else the benefits this sort of home profers to the environment.

Copyright © 2011 Jean-Pierre Prieur Internet Marketing Coordinator for Brian Darnell Green Architect in California. A company such as Leap Adaptive will design your new new green home with all of the above considerations in mind.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=JeanPierre_Prieur
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/6316169

Green Building Design Must Guide Our Future Building Policies

Image via Wikipediaby Garry Baverstock

Green building design will become a much sought-after specialty as the Western world is forced to address the affordability of its housing for the average home owner. As we concentrate on the rates of consumption and the sizes of our homes to address some of the many problems of climate change, we expect to find solutions that can both meet our expectations while reducing our impact on the environment.

Trend To Larger Homes

When countries experience financial booms, home sizes typically grow larger, demanding more and more energy to support the lifestyle. Thanks to the mineral resources boom, there has been a noticeable trend to larger size homes in Australia, which has been coupled with a trend to smaller sized families living in those homes.

We are developing patterns of living that are increasingly unaffordable and definitely unsustainable. In a paper entitled 'Affordability through Modesty' Dr. Linley Lutton clearly shows we are heading the wrong way. He looks at how we may start to undo the damage of wasteful patterns of development and increase density while making homes more affordable. The use of low energy or green building designs are a step forward in making homes future-proofed against the climate change problem.

Pressure For Continual Growth

One hot political issue worldwide is population growth.The fact that modern economies are based largely in continual population growth to maintain their economic growth is a major problem in itself. Given the destruction of natural habitats and depletion of the earth's resources, if one looks at it logically, it is a self-defeating strategy.

It stands to reason that this approach will come to an end. Are we going to wait until we have destroyed the natural world beyond repair and thus create mass extinctions of human populations? Or are we going to look ahead and take intelligent steps to make this a truly sustainable world for life on earth by striking the right balance?

Dr. Lutton has shown in addressing climate change, what many specialists in the solar energy industry have known for a long time. Our large building companies have been simply responding to the increasing expectations of the populace and putting pressure on government planning agencies to allow them to do so. In the end nobody wins.

The Meaning Of Sustainability

In 1987 the World Commission on Environment and Development, a U.N. body entrusted to report the environment and the impact of buildings on the environment, first termed the concept of true 'sustainability'. Although at that time the term 'sustainability' included 'ecological' and 'ecologically sustainable development', the accepted meaning of 'sustainability' has since been corrupted and watered-down.

In his talk 'Project Homes Big House-Small House', Dr. Lutton describes the issues in explicit terms and offers solutions as an urban designer and planner. His presentation looks at successful models of the past and how we have destroyed the whole notion of public interest through unbridled consumption.

Green Building Design Is More Than Solar Panels

If we are to have any chance of addressing climate change we must realize that it is not sufficient to place a number of solar panels on the roof or hook up to a nuclear reactor. True green building design goes much further than this. Over 50% of greenhouse gases in the modern economies are produced from our built environments and its associated infrastructure. We simply will not solve the potential catastrophic future resulting from climate change if we do to change our building culture. Over half of the built environment comprises housing and therefore, the way we live, the patterns of our housing development and our rates of consumption, will determine greatly our future existence on this planet.

We need to change the way our society thinks in relation to our housing.

As we adapt our built environment to live more economically, with less consumption of materials, we need to integrate green building design principles and utilize solar and low energy technologies to complete the picture.

In so doing we should, over time, reduce our dependence on carbon-polluting energy sources by over 50%. Reducing the peak load demand will enable a more economically viable transition to new clean energy sources.

About Garry Baverstock

Garry Baverstock, A.M. Leading Australian architect in passive solar design, challenges government to take the initiative in the matter of climate change.

Need low energy building design expertise? Find a detailed green building design data manual here: Green Building Design Guide Solar and Renewable Energy information is our passion: solar-e.com

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Garry_Baverstock
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/6278712

Bamboo: Versatile, Sustainable, Green

Image via WikipediaBy David M Guion

You can build houses, bridges, furniture, and fishing poles from bamboo. You can make clothing, towels, and rugs from it. You can even eat its shoots. What other product is that versatile?

It grows incredibly fast with little or no need for pesticides, fertilizer, or even irrigation. Harvesting it does not kill it, so the soil has no chance to run off. It is an ideal crop for restoring wetlands and other water and land reclamation projects. What could be more sustainable?

The more products we can make from bamboo in place of, say, wood or cotton - not to mention plastic - the greener we can become. And although bamboo has many associations with China and other Asian cultures, it grows well right here in the US. We don't have to import it.

Consider the products that can be made from it. The ancient Chinese invented gunpowder, and used bamboo to make firearms. They made suspension bridges by fastening bamboo rods together. They used bamboo fiber for making paper. Various Asian peoples crafted numerous kinds of flutes and other musical instruments from bamboo. Bamboo has been used to construct houses and other buildings not only in Asia, but throughout Central and South America.

More recently, laminates from bamboo can be used for all the same products as wood laminate. Bamboo cabinetry, furniture, flooring, kitchen counters, etc. can look like bamboo, or it can look like at least three different colors of hardwood. Bamboo is better than wood for some uses. For example, because it is antimicrobial, bamboo salad bowls, kitchen tools, and especially cutting boards will not harbor germs that can cause food-borne illnesses.

Fabric from bamboo is a still more recent development. At the molecular level, bamboo is very smooth. Therefore bamboo fabric is especially soft, making it an excellent choice for clothing, sheets, and towels. At the same time, bamboo fabric retains the toughness that makes it so suitable for bridges and construction scaffolding. Therefore, not only will it not wear out as quickly as other fabrics might, it is also quite suitable for making rugs. It is water and mildew resistant, making it especially appropriate for outdoor rugs and furniture.

Bamboo grows from a rhizome underground. The visible part above the surface, called the culm, grows to its full height and girth in a single growing season and is mature enough to harvest in three years. When a culm is cut down, the rhizome simply sends up a new one in its place. A tree, on the other hand, takes 40 years to grow to a suitable size. Cutting it down kills it. Irresponsible cutting, or even deforestation through various natural disasters, results in deforestation, soil erosion, and pollution of streams. Bamboo even delivers more oxygen than a similar-sized stand of trees.

Compared to cotton, bamboo yields about ten times more usable fiber per acre. And while bamboo requires little or no human intervention to thrive, cotton requires extensive irrigation and applications of pesticides and (usually petroleum-based) fertilizers. Bamboo, therefore, is not only versatile, but as a crop, significantly greener than two other renewable resources. This article is based on a much longer blog post, Versatile, sustainable bamboo.

David M. Guion

Eco-Friendly Home Products, part of the All-Purpose Guru family. Products for your entire home and everybody who lives there.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=David_M_Guion
http://EzineArticles.com/?Bamboo:-Versatile,-Sustainable,-Green&id=6305981

Greenhouse Construction, A Way For Sustainable Living

Image via WikipediaBy Judy Stevens

Greenhouses. A wonderful and loved hobby for horticulturalists and avid gardeners but now, commercial greenhouses are staking a claim to the "green building" enthusiasts. As our world becomes more sustainable, it only makes sense to build more greenhouses. Here is one more way to reduce your person carbon footprint.

Universities and Agricultural departments have built greenhouses for educational purposes but elementary and pre-schools were also building greenhouses to teach children about life, the earth, nature, as well as good eating habits and organic growing.

As our land becomes more obsolete many have sought to build greenhouses with the use of hydroponics so the soil is preserved and the vegetation grows healthier by transporting the nutrients directly to the root of the plants.

Acreage can no longer go out so we must consider going up. With a large greenhouse structure, growing up, or "eco-building" is the idea of planting in large glass towers and keeping the glass greenhouse structures growing year round and in places that would normally be unavailable. This would create crop for countries in places where land is not available, either because of climate or because of space. It would also allow growing year round and quite possibly put a stop to much of the hunger crisis.

Supplying healthy food through greenhouse structures or supplying crops that would help our oil crisis would be a complete sustainable process.

Greenhouse construction may seem costly, as does many "green" building products but the outcome far out ways the costs. Take for example your grocery bills. Per week a family may spend hundreds of dollars. This adds up for the year and with higher costs of gas and fuel, groceries will continue to skyrocket. Wouldn't it be nice to walk into your custom greenhouse, pick a few tomatoes, grab some spinach, and eat fresh organic veggies for dinner. It pays off within a year financially as well as health related advantages of eating organic foods.

The other day I was reading an article regarding the desire to create better food products by farming with organic fertilizers. This can be accomplished by attracting insects with particular plants that kill other insects that bring disease to the crop or plants. This quickly brought to mind how the generations throughout my life have always had a wave of "naturalists" that always wanted to get back to nature.

Like myself, I have wonderful intentions. Now, it is time to do something about it. I think we can definitely make good use of what we are learning about the economy, about the earth, and about "green" living by simply following what we believe in. Building greenhouses are unquestionably can provide a sustainable living.

For more ideas on growing your own food visit http://SouthernGreenhouses.com.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Judy_Stevens
http://EzineArticles.com/?Greenhouse-Construction,-A-Way-For-Sustainable-Living&id=5546093