Green Building Articles
Best energy savers are good insulation, well-designed bldg envelope, correctly sized (not oversized) M/E systems, and lighting controls. -- Robert Cassidy
Rep. Mack proposes legislation to repeal construction wage act
FORT MYERS — A piece of legislation introduced last week by U.S. Rep Connie Mack, R-Fort Myers, would eliminate minimum compensation provisions for construction workers on public works projects.
Mack is proposing the legislation would stimulate the economy by creating more jobs by repealing the Depression-era Davis-Bacon Act, which requires workers on large, federally-funded projects to be paid a "prevailing wage."
Though the wages set by the government under the act are intended to represent the normal wages of an area, a statement from Mack's office said they often fail to do so. The wage-minimums actually reflect the "inflated pay scale of union workers," the statement said.
"Davis-Bacon prevailing wage requirements are wrong for our country," Mack said. "Instead of pandering to big labor, Congress should be fostering a competitive environment for businesses to be able to hire more people for more jobs."
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U.S. drinking water systems face $11 billion annual infrastructure shortfall
The nation's drinking-water systems face staggering public investment needs over the next 20 years. Although America spends billions on infrastructure each year, drinking water systems face an annual shortfall of at least $11 billion in funding needed to replace aging facilities that are near the end of their useful life and to comply with existing and future federal water regulations. The shortfall does not account for any growth in the demand for drinking water over the next 20 years.
Of the nearly 53,000 community water systems, approximately 83% serve 3,300 or fewer people. These systems provide water to just 9% of the total U.S. population served by all community systems. In contrast, 8% of community water systems serve more than 10,000 people and provide water to 81% of the population served. Eighty-five percent (16,348) of nontransient, noncommunity water systems and 97% (83,351) of transient noncommunity water systems serve 500 or fewer people. These smaller systems face huge financial, technological, and managerial challenges in meeting a growing number of federal drinking-water regulations.
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US EPA Issues Clean Energy Action Guide for States
The US EPA issued a report that outlines a strategy to deliver clean, low-cost, and reliable energy to state residents through the use of energy efficiency, renewable energy, and clean distributed generation. The intent is to provide states with the information they need to determine what energy options would be the most beneficial, practical, and cost-effective.
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New version of LEED tightens energy uses, mandates monitoring
The new version of the U.S. Green Building Council's Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design tackles questions over whether LEED certification translates to energy savings.
Tighter energy reduction standards and a requirement to monitor and record how much energy a building actually uses are two of the changes that will go into effect June 27.
They come as data emerges casting questions on the effectiveness of LEED in reducing energy use in buildings.
Preliminary findings of a study to be released this summer of 25 LEED certified buildings in Illinois show no correlation between LEED ranking and actual energy savings - the so-called "energy and atmosphere" or EA credits were a better indicator of true energy savings, officials said.
Rachel Scheu, green building research coordinator for Center for Neighborhood Technology in Chicago, said the research her group and several others are doing in Illinois show that EA credits are a better indicator of actual energy use than overall rankings.
"We don't see a correlation between energy performance and LEED level," she said.
Because the buildings studied have been operating for at least a year, they were under an older version of LEED, Scheu added.
Under the new version, LEED 3.0, owners of LEED-certified buildings will be required for the first time to record energy usage, report it to the USGBC, and have a plan in place to improve energy savings if needed.
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Engineering careers not as sexy
Survey indicates 85% of youth not interested in engineering careers.
American Machinist reported, "A Harris Interactive survey conducted on behalf of the American Society for Quality indicated that 85% of youth, ages 8 to 17, say they are not interested in a future engineering career for a variety of reasons.
The top three reasons were" that the students did not "know much about engineering," preferred "a more exciting career than engineering," and did not "feel confident enough in their math or science skills...to be good at it." Interestingly, "the largest number of kids ranked math (22%) and science (17%) as their favorite subjects."
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Necessity mother of invention for green building
Home builders have displayed more innovation in the past three years than they have in the three preceding centuries as they rise to the challenge of cutting carbon emissions.
This was the conclusion of Paul King, chief executive of the UK Green Building Council, as he delivered an upbeat address to delegates at the Westminster Energy, Environment & Transport Forum's seminar on zero carbon buildings this week.
He said that the Government's decision to set a deadline for zero carbon homes had been a brave one and had led to a sea change in the way the industry looked at emissions.
Where before there had previously been a series of gradual increments to steadily improve energy efficiency over time, this had made people think about what the eventual aim was instead.
He said that buildings represent the biggest and lowest hanging fruit when it comes to meeting national carbon targets and that the construction industry as a whole had an appetite for working towards zero carbon buildings and recognised the necessity of doing so.
The current emphasis on new build was needed, he said, but refurbishment could not be ignored.
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