The fundamental, unanswered — perhaps unanswerable — question. And it’s not just people new to the concept of “green” who are asking it as technology, information, and philosophy continue to evolve. “Green” seekers are all spread out on an incredibly wide path, and all are at different points along the way. At least most of them seem to be heading in more or less the same direction.

One of the things we do as a public service at BuildingGreen is facilitate a couple email lists — greenbuilding (begun in 1996, it’s hosted by REPP and we provide day-to-day management)… and focusing on large-scale projects, Big Green (begun in 1999, which we host and manage). Recently there was a thread on the greenbuilding list hashing over the basest definition of “green building.” You can read it in the archives if you’d like.

I posted the following, which appears to have been a thread-killer. But it feels like it’s lacking something fundamental; what did I miss?

Here’s what I’ve learned as an associate editor for BuildingGreen (publisher of Environmental Building News, which is now in its 17th year, predating the USGBC and LEED and even “green building” as a recognized movement); as co-editor of the GreenSpec database (online and in print); as co-editor of the book Green Building Products (now in its third edition); as products editor for GreenSource (the member publication of the USGBC, published by McGraw-Hill); as blah blah blah —

It comes down to this: What makes anything green is having any person (as often as not somebody in marketing) point at any given item or assembly of items and invoke the following incantation: “This is green.”

There are labeling programs, there are design guides, there are books, and there are endless opinions, but there’s no universal law about what “green” is. Nor does any individual hold a universal definition of it.

Is energy use reduction the most important aspect of green building? It’s been argued on this list recently that to say so reveals a limited focus, that it’s a distortion of the reality that green building is more than just energy efficiency… that a residence needs to also have low emissions and be happy-making and the like in order to be green. Well, sure. But there’s a counterpoint: It can easily (and successfully) be argued that restricting the green baseline to what an individual residence has to be in order to be green is actually the far more egregious limited-focus distortion — one that fails to consider the global perspective.

In the larger view — the other, possibly truer, more holistic view that sees the world at large rather than the world as a single-family dwelling (even though that’s a really great analogy) — energy use reduction is the most imperative green thing to do. Yes, it’s the first thing on the list. Other things are also important… but no amount of zero-VOC materials or design-for-spiritual-well-being is going to compensate for the effects that unchecked energy use has on the health and happy-making of our Earth.

by Mark Piepkorn

Original Article

Book written by:
Meg Calkins, LEED AP

The adventure into this book started one day, as I sat at the London Public Swimming Pool, while attending the London Under Water Hockey Tournament, as a member of the Guelph University team. The sport, I may add is exactly as it sounds. As I rested there waiting for our next match, I realized something. Bewildered by the other athletes, from all over Canada and the United States that I was actually doing ‘school work’, I was forced to justify to many a score of confused persons, the actual practice of Landscape Architecture.

With Calkins book on my lap, I engaged these listeners with tidbits of historical facts, techniques we learn at school and in the field, and the different pathways one is able to take in this career. At this point I gave the person the book, and said ‘these are the necessary developments in our profession that as a landscape architect, we all need to address.’

The general thoughts that I heard that day were simply ‘cool’ and ‘neat’, while others were very fascinated. I realized more so at that tournament that very is little known about our profession, despite our long history of creating outdoor spaces. I pointed out to my athletic friends that the term ‘landscape architect’ was developed by a Scottish man a few hundred years past. There is a great misconception of our profession by the general public, and for many colleagues this is exceedingly frustrating. We ‘landscapers’, work with nature, science and art to fashion a worldly combination of architecture, ecology within scientific boundaries and engineering. As to what we do truly with our hands to conceive these memorable outdoor spaces, these tools are identified in the book by Meg Calkins, Materials for Sustainable Sites.

The Problems
Today, from looking at events and current trends, we all have to be concerned with being ‘green’ and environmentally friendly. It should be questioned then if there need be any development at all. If so, what is its environmental impact? So what does being ‘green’ mean to us? The element of being ‘green’ is to produce less waste, being conscious of unfriendly environmental choices and of course building with sustainable materials. This is a trend that is becoming more popular, just by acting green.

Being green though, does not mean just the average person simply switching to a more efficient light bulb, but an act of a more drastic and bigger nature. It is an environmentally friendly energy source. It is the air we don’t pollute. It is the water we don’t waste and the land we protect.

But for the landscape architect, the act of being green and conscious of the need of environmental protection, means that we are the individuals to set that standard. Our designs and ideas shadow what and how society shall perceive an outdoor space, especially if it is a unique site that uses sustainable materials. These are all ideas that Calkins reflects upon in her seminal book.

The Breakdown
In thirteen chapters, Meg Calkins investigates and recommends how sustainable materials are used and should be used. Calkins also includes an excerpt by Ruth Stafford in the last chapter on biobased materials that substantiates her overall message. This book, for the profession of landscape architecture is highly important in identifying the consequences of poorly chosen materials on human health. Calkins emphasizes this point throughout the entire book. She provides an inventory of common materials and their environmental impacts. In Chapter Three, Calkins states by “determining how much importance to assign a given environmental or human health impact is challenging.” This reflects the fact that any environmental or human impact can occur from the usage of any given material. She also makes the point that “different projects and clients will have different priorities” which could compromise the environment.

More importantly this book identifies the issues surrounding the waste crisis., Calkins discusses this significant issue in Chapter Four. She notes that factors such as time frames and deconstruction costs and the politics surrounding these issues often lead to the decision to go more practical in terms of development rather advocating for the sustainable options. On this point, it must not be misinterpreted that it’s necessarily the designer who is responsible for such construction decisions. Often the “client” sets budget constraints or judgments are made by people “higher up” who too often override concerns about environmental sustainability.

The Chapters Five through Twelve elaborate in greater detail on the different materials commonly used in site designs and on their own respective productivity and efficiency levels. For example Calkins looks at concrete, one of the most commonly used design materials, which has drastic environmental costs. Production of concrete heavily uses fossil fuels, and generates high carbon emissions produced during construction and extraction. Calkins remarks that there are “several measures [that] can be taken to minimize the environmental and human health impacts of concrete – and some can result in improved performance and durability.” This means using recycled materials in place of new course and fine aggregates, or using porous concrete to reduce urban heat effects.

In relation to the topic of concrete, there have been several alternatives found, one being Hemp. Mme Perrier, a French inventor and designer, discovered that the leftover parts of the hemp plant when mixed with lime, petrifies and is stronger and even lighter at 1/6th of normal concretes weight and therefore can last longer than any concrete mix. Of course this type of production for such a product is restricted from current laws in France on hemp production. Mme Perrier has built 300 houses a year with the Hemp ‘concrete’.

Another key component of landscape architecture is our usage of gravel and asphalt, which Meg Calkins thoroughly explains in Chapter Nine. Calkins relates that “currently over 90% of stone is mined in surface quarries; however underground mining, though more expensive, is increasing due to extraction efficiencies and increasingly stringent environmental regulations in some areas.” That is just another example of essential decision making and professional changes that as landscape architects, we need to embrace.

This guide book illustrates further information on subjects such as brick masonry, asphalt pavement, metals, plastics and rubber and even biobased materials. The last chapter in the book was written by Ruth Stafford on the subject of biobased materials. These are materials that we must consciously think of, as they are non-toxic, biodegradable and don’t produce a hazardous waste. There are many materials to choose from such as cellulose fiber mulch, bamboo products, straw mulch, water soluble polymers, and jute textiles. These are products that can lead to healthier and safer design choices that protect the natural environment and even human health.

The Final Word
The practice of landscape architecture unfortunately relies upon industries that highly damage natural landscapes, such as concrete production, gravel and stone mining, cutting trees, transportation of products which sometimes are at great distances, and the draining swamps and wetlands. Calkins advocates, and I wholeheartedly agree that we must make a change in how we function, produce and practice our profession. Our actions may not be thought as damaging the environment, but in today’s modern world, one could hardly say that they have ‘clean hands’. And yet in this book, there is a tremendous volume of information that can aid our profession to be more protective of our natural landscape, for after all it is our thinking and decisions that reflect upon the natural world.

So read this book, and use it as a guide. Even more importantly, lend it to others and teach the world the importance of the practice of being sustainable. It’s no longer just up to the landscape architect to change our landscapes – but we can help lead the way.

Notes:
Calkins book is visual stunning, filled with wonderful imaging and plates. The format to this book contributes greatly to the field as a useful reference tool.

Thanks to Brian Caicco and Meg Calkins for introducing this beneficial working tool that I shall always utilize from now on.
Review Written by Liisa Mountain

One of the most optimistic and exciting sessions at Davos was named The Girl Effect. After much effort by the Nike Foundation, run by Maria Eitel, and the UN Foundation the folks at Davos were pursuaded to have a plenary focused on how unlocking the potential of adolescant girls in all parts of the world could have tremendous social and economic impact.

The session was an interesting lesson in experience design. Conventionally Davos sessions go straight into introductions and statements by the panelists. This time two videos were shown that powerfully communicated the potenial of this movement. Before one word had been said by the panelists the audience was engaged. This made a big difference to the energy in the room and the sense of momentum that came from the session. Once again it was an example of the power of storytelling to open up opportunities. I hope the folks at Davos take note and make more use of good storytelling to set the scene for future panels.

Original Article

Villagers want to remove the Daeheungpo Seawall, left. By Oh Jong-chan
A high seawall separates land and sea in Sopo-ri, a village in Jindo County, South Jeolla. Rice farms inside the seawall cover 1.12 million square meters (276 acres). The area used to be a mudflat, but that changed in 1977.

While the land reclamation project has been a success, a project to demolish the seawall is under way. This would be the first such restoration in Korea, though similar projects have been done in countries like Germany, Britain and the Netherlands.

“Among the 80 areas recommended by specialists and local governments for tideland restoration, we have been doing feasibility studies and we will select three places for pilot projects,” said Yun Hyun-soo, maritime and ecology director at the Ministry of Land, Transport and Maritime Affairs. “Sopo-ri, Jindo County will be included in the three.”

The other two places are unused farms. The ministry, Jindo County and the National Nature Trust had a workshop in Sopo-ri Saturday to discuss project details.

Residents initiated the restoration in Sopo-ri. “We don’t earn much from rice farming, and it is better to restore tidelands to use them for ecological tourism,” said Sopo-ri resident Kim Byeong-cheol, 45. “The seawall was built to create rice paddies and increase rice production, but now residents in Sopo-ri value tidelands more than farmlands.”

The restoration project started in 2006 when Kim was village headman. Most of the 340 residents support the idea.

There have been other changes in how people view tidelands. During the controversy over the Saemangeum reclamation in North Jeolla, experts argued that mudflats are more productive than farmland, considering fishery products, pollution reduction and the species of animals that make their homes there.

Rice consumption is also declining in Korea and the total area used for rice paddies is getting smaller. There is less need to reclaim mudflats. People in rural areas are also aging.

Outside Korea, there have been numerous tideland restorations in efforts to revive seashore ecology.

According to Kang Ho-jeong, a professor at Yonsei University, tideland plants grow faster and absorb more carbon dioxide, which causes global warming, than other plants.

Jindo County also supports the restoration. “We will spend 100 million won ($72,358) on the feasibility study this year and form a committee of specialists and residents,” said Park Hye-gyeong, a county employee. The National Natural Heritage Trust will sign a memorandum of understanding with Jindo County on March 24 to start the restoration in full.

When Sopo-ri is selected for the pilot project, the ministry and Jindo County intend to purchase 70 to 80 percent of the farmland slated to be returned to the sea. “It’ll take six to seven years for the farmland to become mudflats again,” said Chung Seung-soo, a professor at Chonnam National University.

For the project to go smoothly, there needs to be some agreement on how to raise funds to build an ecology park, how much will be paid to purchase land and how residents will make a living during the restoration. Tidelands in South Korea cover 2,550 square kilometers, or 42 percent of the tidelands that existed in 1960.

A total of 810.5 kilometers of tidelands was reclaimed between 1987 and 1998. In the last 10 years, projects to reclaim over 100 kilometers of land have been under way.

By Kang Chan-su JoongAng Ilbo [jbiz91@joongang.co.kr]

Original Article

Premium Power is a leading provider of energy-monitoring and -management systems, power quality solutions and critical load management systems. Established in 2001, it supplies, integrates and supports enterprise energy management systems for utility, industrial, commercial and IT customers. Premium Power provides integrated, enterprise wide and web-enabled solutions, and supports revenue certified metering, power quality management, load control and energy monitoring for all utilities.

‘‘Premium Power has the expertise to identify and manage mission-critical electrical engineering issues for utility, industrial, commercial and IT systems,” said Colin Wright, project director of Premium Power. ‘‘We can analyse difficult engineering problems, then design, specify and project manage cost-effective solutions.

We have expertise in all of the technologies and tools required to improve the reliability and uptime of electrical power systems and supply.” Premium Power offers its customers expert knowledge and comprehensive support for the systems, products and services it supplies.

‘‘Our engineers and IT specialists have excellent project management skills and a track record in completing large projects successfully,” said Wright. ‘‘We can also provide advanced training on mission critical electrical system and energy management issues.”

Among its portfolio of products and services, Premium Power offers enterprise-wide energy management systems, electrical monitoring systems designed for energy management and mission-critical applications, and portable power analysis for customers who wish to use such units in place of permanently installed instruments.

Premium Power also offers SynuSoft Energy System (ES), an energy-monitoring and targeting system that also provides documentation control to support the IS393 standard.

‘‘SynuSoftES is a web-based rich client application solution used on company intranets,” Wright said. ‘‘It monitors energy consumption and acts as a central repository for enterprise energy bills and energy related data. ES allows for the data gathered from metering systems to be organised into a hierarchical structure that is easily understood by users.

‘‘By making the enterprise energy cost and consumption data transparent, we can profile the data and therefore assign targets on the process cost, emissions and consumption data.

‘‘Managers want to know what each process uses in order to have the ability to track and budget for future cost and to identify possible savings. Energy management systems are now capable of giving a breakdown of energy consumption per unit of production, or per throughput for commercial and IT processes.”

For further information, see www.premiumpower.ie or tel: 01-8105032

Corporate responsibility is crucial

This week, Helena Hurley, corporate responsibility consultant with Business in the Community Ireland (BITCI), the country’s leading organisation dedicated to corporate social responsibility (CSR), called on Irish businesses not to allow the recession to cloud their responsibility towards climate change.

BITCI has over 55 of Ireland’s leading companies as members, including, Glanbia, Intel, IBM, Abbott, Diageo, Hibernian Aviva, Microsoft, Irish Life & Permanent, Vodafone and Pfizer.

‘‘A key aspect of any CSR strategy is identifying, measuring and managing a company’s impact on the environment,” Hurley said. ‘‘Business in the Community Ireland works with member companies, providing advice and guidance on the development of environmental policy and strategy to assist members to manage and improve their environmental performance.

‘‘While fostering greater environmental awareness and enabling behavioural change in the workplace improves the environmental performance of our member companies, it can also encourage employees to reduce their environmental impacts in the home, which is a really positive benefit for the environment.”

In the current economic environment, many questions are being asked about corporate responsibility.

‘‘The economic crisis cannot be allowed draw our focus away from the responsibility business practice has with regard to climate change,” Hurley said. ‘‘Business has a critical role to play in the fight against climate change. Even in times of financial turmoil, climate change, perhaps more than ever, is a strategic issue for companies.

In October 2008,Business in the Community Ireland convened Ireland’s first CEO Forum on Climate Change, which was attended by over 80 of Ireland’s chief executives and senior executives. As a key outcome of the forum, BITCI is producing a report later this spring, which will highlight the key issues and challenges facing business in Ireland.

For further information on Business in the Community Ireland, visit www.bitc.ie or tel: 01-8747232

WED has the wind in its sales Limerick-based Wind Energy Direct (WED) is negotiating with a number of large energy users with regard to installing on-site wind turbines.

‘‘Energy costs have hit companies’ competitiveness, and this is driving the move towards the onsite wind model which breaks the link with energy inflation,” said Dominic Costello, managing director of Wind Energy Direct.

WED’s model promises to deliver day one cost savings of at least 10 per cent and up to 25 per cent within five years. It aims to create and maintain an increasing discount to future energy prices from the grid.

WED hopes to have 15 turbines in place across Ireland within the next four years and expects the first turbine to be operational this year. WED will manage, finance, develop and maintain the projects. This turnkey solution is delivered without any capital outlay from the customer. ‘‘We install wind turbines on customers’ sites,” Costello said.

‘‘The electricity produced is then sold to our customers at a significant discount compared to their retail rate. It makes excellent financial sense, with the potential to deliver substantial savings, with no capital outlay.

‘‘Suitable organizations are likely to have significant 24/7 base electricity loads such as: factories, quarries, hospitals, data centres, and companies with large refrigeration/ heat requirements.”

Costello believes that many large energy users occupy sites that could ideally accommodate a wind turbine.

‘‘Our engineers assess each site carefully, to ensure a wind turbine is the right choice for the particular location,” he said. ‘‘After installation, we maintain and operate the turbine as part of our all inclusive service. It couldn’t be simpler.

‘‘Our team has extensive experience in the renewable energy industry, and will finance and manage each project from start to finish, so there’s no financial risk, no capital outlay and no maintenance costs.

‘‘Wind turbine technology will provide a real alternative that will not only deliver significant cost savings but will also help reduce a company’s carbon footprint. As part of the agreement, we pay for, install and maintain the turbine for the company and then sell surplus power generated to the national grid.

‘‘A medium-sized industrial energy user can save up to €1 million within five years of installation of a turbine on site.” Check out the energy saving calculator which is available online at www.windenergydirect.ie to find out just how much your company could save

Building to create a greener future

Founded in Dublin in 2005, Delap andWaller EcoCo (DW EcoCo) is an award-winning consultancy that offers integrated sustainable design solutions for the built environment. DW EcoCo is a joint venture company formed by EcoCo and Delap and Waller Services Engineers, born from a shared commitment to the belief that a truly sustainable building requires an integrated approach to the building design and its services.

‘‘Our original business plan defined the company as ‘a creative continuous learning environment’, and we have lived up to this aim by allocating time for research, employing a full-time researcher, supporting staff attendance at conferences and allowing for flexible working for staff who want to pursue postgraduate studies,” said Jay Stuart, managing director of DWEcoCo. I n 20 08, DW EcoCo achieved ISO 9001 certification and membership in the Environmental and Sustainable Construction Association (EASCA).

‘‘Both these achievements speak volumes for our ability to provide a reliable, high quality service,” Stuart said. ‘‘Uniquely, our ISO 9001 policy manual incorporates our commitment to the principles of the ‘Natural Step’ framework in all our project work.”

The Natural Step is a proven, scientifically robust methodology for assessing sustainable options that helps organisations make pragmatic decisions to move toward a defined sustainable future.

‘‘Through this approach to work, our expertise has developed from the original premise of integrating ‘building design and services’ to include innovative solutions for energy efficient building strategies and designs,” Stuart said.

‘‘These include, innovative passive ventilation systems, ecological wastewater treatment with integrated landscaping, water and planting designs, low carbon construction methods, passive building design and analysis, renewable energy systems, biochar for energy, soil improvement and carbon sequestration, design for disassembly, energy auditing, urban design masterplanning and preparing sustainable policy papers for public bodies. ‘‘Our work is both technical and educational. We are asked to provide technical solutions and to educate clients and design teams on the sustainable potential and design options for each project.”

In recognition of its leading edge position in the area of sustainable design, the directors and consultants working for DWEcoCo have become popular speakers at seminars and conferences, where they share their views and experiences on sustainable awareness and knowledge of the industry.

Ultimately though, DW Eco Co measures its success by the quality of the projects to which they are invited to contribute, the quality of its clients and the end results. ‘‘We work for local authorities, the main large contractors and developers and the most prominent architectural practices in the country,” Stuart said.

‘‘We believe we have been successful in achieving our sustainable objectives and as such have contributed to the greening of the building industry in Ireland.”

The high-profile awards won to date by this still relatively new practice include the Green Organisation Award 2008/Irish Green Awards Competition, SEI Sustainable Building Award 2007 for the Sisters of Mercy residence and Mater Orchard, Mater Hospital, Dublin.

DW EcoCo have also been members of design teams that have won several competitions for new buildings that are currently under construction including the Department of the Environment offices in Wexford, the Department of Defence Headquarters in Newbridge, the Fatima Mansions redevelopment in central Dublin and the Greystones Harbour development. Eager to point out that DW EcoCo is serious about its environmental approach, Stuart said: ‘‘Our own office is in a naturally ventilated converted school building. We use recycled paper and we recycle our paper. We have indoor plants beside every workstation, specially selected for their ability to improve air quality, and, most of our staff use bicycles to get to work.”

Original Article