Green Building and Manufacturing

SolarWorld Donates Solar Panels to Pump Water in Earthquake-Ravaged Haiti.
The SolarWorld group is donating solar modules to power 10 pump stations to provide clean, safe water for up to 175,000 earthquake survivors in Haiti. "Through SolarWorld's assistance, WMI continues to place solar-powered water systems in the neediest areas. We have been incredibly blessed by our relationship with SolarWorld, and we know thousands of lives will be saved as a result of its hard work and generous efforts."
SolarWorld is donating modules to the nonprofit Water Missions International (WMI) for use in water-pumping stations in the Haitian capital of Port-Au-Prince. At a discount, the company also has shipped modules to operate about 25 additional WMI water stations. The company could speed product to Haiti because, from its U.S. sales hub in Camarillo, California. SolarWorld has been active in the Latin American market about 30 years. The company is the largest and most experienced solar manufacturer in the United States.
"Fuel shortages in Haiti are causing major roadblocks in providing aid," said George C. Greene IV, WMI vice president for international programs. "Through SolarWorld's assistance, WMI continues to place solar-powered water systems in the neediest areas. We have been incredibly blessed by our relationship with SolarWorld, and we know thousands of lives will be saved as a result of its hard work and generous efforts."
SolarWorld is donating the 10 kilowatts of solar equipment through its Solar2World program, which provides equipment for off-grid rural solar projects in the developing world. Last summer, the program gave more than 10 kilowatts in modules to a clinic in a remote Haitian village. The clinic reportedly is serving quake refugees.
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NYC Passes Landmark Green Building Legislation
At the end of last year, the New York City Council passed a package of legislation, known as the "Greener, Greater Buildings Plan," to reduce the city's carbon footprint by 5 percent - a figure that has been compared to the entire carbon footprint of Oakland, California.
The legislation is a component of PlaNYC, a broad strategy introduced in 2007 with the goal of reducing New York City's carbon footprint 30 percent by 2030. The four major building-related elements of the legislation are: the creation of a citywide energy code; a benchmarking requirement; lighting system upgrades and tenant submetering; and required energy audits and retrocommissioning.
The New York City Energy Conservation Construction Code closes a loophole in the New York State Energy Code - which is based on the International Energy Conservation Code (IECC) - that previously allowed renovations comprising less than 50 percent of the building area to remain noncompliant. Now all renovation projects must comply with IECC in the portions of the building that are renovated.
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Hot Cars, Cool Planet - At auto shows, carmakers say electricity is the future
Visitors have streamed through the North American International Auto Show in Detroit, MI over the past two weeks to look at innovative new designs from the industry. And this year's batch is the greenest yet.
It's no wonder automakers are beginning to design more fuel-efficient vehicles. There was no incentive to do so under the Bush administration, which for years blocked efforts by California and 16 other states to reduce greenhouse gas pollution from motor vehicles. Yet President Barack Obama changed that mentality last year, and in May he announced an agreement with California, the auto companies, and the United Auto Workers to establish the first-ever greenhouse gas limits for motor vehicles (see "White House rolls out details of fuel economy, emissions standard - The biggest step the U.S. government has ever taken to cut CO2").
The plan would increase fuel economy standards by one-third by 2016, which would save 1.8 billion barrels of oil. It would also cut greenhouse gas pollution by nearly 1 billion metric tons, which is equivalent to removing 177 million cars from the road. The plan should be final in March 2010.
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DATA HIGHLIGHTS - U.S. FEEDS ONE QUARTER OF ITS GRAIN TO CARS WHILE HUNGER IS ON THE RISE
The 107 million tons of grain that went to U.S. ethanol distilleries in 2009 was enough to feed 330 million people for one year at average world consumption levels. More than a quarter of the total U.S. grain crop was turned into ethanol to fuel cars last year. With 200 ethanol distilleries in the country set up to transform food into fuel, the amount of grain processed has tripled since 2004.
The United States looms large in the world food economy: it is far and away the world's leading grain exporter, exporting more than Argentina, Australia, Canada, and Russia combined. In a globalized food economy, increased demand for food to fuel American vehicles puts additional pressure on world food supplies.
From an agricultural vantage point, the automotive hunger for crop-based fuels is insatiable. The Earth Policy Institute has noted that even if the entire U.S. grain crop were converted to ethanol (leaving no domestic crop to make bread, rice, pasta, or feed the animals from which we get meat, milk, and eggs), it would satisfy at most 18 percent of U.S. automotive fuel needs.
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Global Warming Solutions Reports
America's current fleet of gasoline-powered cars and trucks leaves us dependent on oil, contributes to air pollution problems that threaten our health, and produces large amounts of global warming pollution. "Plug-in" cars are emerging as an effective way to lower global warming emissions, oil use, and smog. A "plug-in" car is one that can be recharged from the electric grid. Some plug-in cars run on electricity alone, while others are paired with small gasoline engines to create plug-in hybrids. Many plug-in hybrids can get over 100 miles per gallon, while plug-in electric vehicles consume no gasoline at all.
As automakers race to become the first to introduce a mass production plug-in vehicle to American consumers, citizens and decision-makers are grappling to understand the implications of switching to a vehicle fleet fueled primarily by electricity for our environment, for consumers, and for the nation as a whole.
Plug-in vehicles show great promise for addressing the nation's environmental and energy challenges. But it will take strong public policy action to help plug-in vehicles make the leap from promising technology to everyday reality for Americans.
Plug-in cars can make a major contribution to America's efforts to reduce global warming pollution.
  • More than 40 recent studies show that plug-in cars produce lower carbon dioxide than traditional gasoline-powered cars. One study by the Department of Energy's Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) found that a car fueled by unused capacity in the current electric system would emit 27 percent less global warming pollution than a car fueled by gasoline.
  • Studies also found that plug-in cars reduce global warming emissions even when electricity comes primarily from coal, because plug-in cars use energy more efficiently than conventional cars. The PNNL study found that plug-in cars would produce lower global warming emissions than conventional cars in almost every area of the country, using the current electric system.
  • America can reduce emissions even further by making its electricity supply cleaner. A study by the Electric Power Research Institute and the Natural Resources Defense Council found that a plug-in hybrid with a 20 mile electric range running on completely clean electricity would emit less than half the global warming emissions of a plug-in hybrid running on electricity from coal-fired power plants.
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    More states adopt new standards for energy efficiency
    Additional states have adopted the 2009 I-Codes for energy efficiency from the International Code Council.
    The California Building Standards Commission voted this month to adopt the 2009 International Building, Existing Building, Fire, and Residential codes statewide, effective Jan. 1, 2011. The International Residential Code adoption is a first for the state of California. Additionally, the state of California adopted the first-in-the-nation mandatory Green Building Standards Code.
    The California action adds to the growing list of 2009 I-Code adoptions at the state and local levels; recent adoptions include Penn., N.J., and N.H. The Pennsylvania Uniform Construction Codes were updated to the 2009 versions of the International Building, Existing Building, Residential, Fire, Energy Conservation, Plumbing, Mechanical, Fuel Gas, Performance and Wildland-Urban Interface codes. The new codes went into effect on Dec. 31.
    The New Jersey Department of Community Affairs approved the adoption of the 2009 International Building, Residential, Energy Conservation, Mechanical and Fuel Gas codes, to take effect in February with a six-month grace period.
    The New Hampshire State Building Code Review Board updated the state's building code to include the 2009 International Building, Residential, Energy Conservation, Plumbing and Mechanical codes, effective April 1.
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    Drilling Tactic Unleashes a Trove of Natural Gas - And a Backlash
    SHREVEPORT, La. - A mounting backlash against a technique used in natural-gas drilling is threatening to slow development of the huge gas fields that some hope will reduce U.S. dependence on foreign oil and polluting coal.
    The U.S. energy industry says there is enough untapped domestic natural gas to last a century - but getting to that gas requires injecting millions of gallons of water into the ground to crack open the dense rocks holding the deposits. The process, known as hydraulic fracturing, has turned gas deposits in shale formations into an energy bonanza.
    The industry's success has triggered increasing debate over whether the drilling process could pollute freshwater supplies. Federal and state authorities are considering action that could regulate hydraulic fracturing, potentially making drilling less profitable and giving companies less reason to tap into this ample supply of natural gas.
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    Red Tape ties up green movement
    NAHB Looks at Steps to Ensure Appraisers Aren't in the Dark
    In round two of NAHB's appraisal summit in the National Housing Center in Washington, D.C. on Nov. 3, participants honed in on what can be done to enable builders, lenders and real estate agents to provide appraisers with information they should know in determining the value of a home.
    Following up on the meeting - which assembled leaders from major appraisal, lending and housing agencies and federal housing and banking regulators - NAHB will be moving ahead to clarify how builders and others can communicate with appraisers under the Home Valuation Code of Conduct (HVCC) that went into effect last spring.
    "At the end of the day, a fair appraisal is what all of us want," NAHB Chairman Joe Robson told the summit.
    The appraisal issue has emerged as one of the top priorities for NAHB leaders as the housing industry struggles to gain momentum and gather sufficient strength to create jobs and support a strong rebound in the nation's economy.
    At the center of the problem, some appraisers have been using foreclosure and other distressed sales as comparables for appraisals without making proper value adjustments for differences in the quality and condition of the new homes they are assessing. Properties involved in distressed sales often are in poor condition due to neglect or deliberate damage.
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    Future Home Buyers - A Smaller and More Energy-Efficient Home
    Executive Editor Presents Survey Results and Key Trends at International Builder Show
    Las Vegas, NV (January 20, 2010) - Better Homes and Gardens today revealed proprietary research and insights on what consumers are looking for in their next home and overall priorities guiding current and future home improvement projects.
    In a speech at the NAHB International Builders Show, Eliot Nusbaum, Better Homes and Gardens Executive Editor Home Design, presented the results of the Next Home Survey along with reported trends from a nationwide network of field editors, the magazine's Home Improvement Challenge and editorial coverage. The survey of nationwide potential new home buyers and existing home owners who are planning improvements in the next few months found top priorities to include price, energy-efficiency, organization and comfort.
    "Not surprisingly, we continue to see a ‘cents and sensibility' approach when it comes to buying or improving a home, with practicality and price being top priorities," says Nusbaum. "Today's homeowner is also looking for a home that fits the entire family - from a multi-tasking home office, to expanding storage space needs, to a living room that can adapt to advancements in home entertainment and technology."
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    Six States Chosen To Develop Building Retrofit Policies
    The National Governors Association (NGA) announced Monday that six states have been chosen to develop comprehensive action plans to improve the energy efficiency of existing buildings.
    Colorado, Hawaii, Massachusetts, North Carolina, Utah and Wisconsin will participate in the Policy Academy on State Building Efficiency Retrofit Programs, led by the NGA Center for Best Practices
    Buildings consume more energy than any other sector of the U.S. economy and account for the majority of the nation's electricity consumption. Current efforts at cost-effective energy upgrades touch a very small portion of buildings every year. The Policy Academy will help participating states develop and refine a number of policy options including: innovative funding and financing mechanisms; building energy use benchmarking tools; targeted education and outreach measures; and workforce training programs. These measures will be used to help states design larger-scale building retrofit programs that lead to lower energy use, the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions and the creation of new jobs.
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    State adopts greenest building codes in U.S
    Newly constructed hospitals, schools, shopping malls and homes in California will be some of the greenest in the world, after a state commission voted unanimously Tuesday to approve the most stringent, environmentally friendly building code standards of any state in the nation.
    The new code, dubbed Calgreen, will take effect next January and requires builders to install plumbing that cuts indoor water use, divert 50 percent of construction waste from landfills to recycling, use low-pollutant paints, carpets and floorings and, in nonresidential buildings, install separate water meters for different uses. It mandates the inspection of energy systems by local officials to ensure that heaters, air conditioners and other mechanical equipment in nonresidential buildings are working efficiently. And it will allow local jurisdictions, such as San Francisco, to retain their stricter existing green building standards, or adopt more stringent versions of the state code if they choose.
    "This is (something) no other state in the country has done - integrating green construction practices into the very fabric of the construction code," said Tom Sheehy, acting secretary of the state Consumer Services Agency and chair of the California Building Standards Commission, which approved the standards. "These are simple, cost-effective green practices. ... California should be proud."
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    NASA technology to enhance `Green` building efficiency
    NASA today announced that it is collaborating with Integrated Building Solutions (IBS), Inc. to develop a next-generation intelligent, automated, and integrated environmental monitoring and management capability for office buildings and research environments.
    The building control systems being developed jointly by NASA's Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, Calif., and IBS signal a new era in the evolution of 'green,' sustainable buildings. They will enhance energy efficiency, reduce energy consumption, and maximize worker performance and comfort. 'Sustainability Base,' the environmentally friendly building that is being constructed at NASA's Ames, is expected to be completed in late 2010 and will be a testbed for these new 'smart' systems.
    'We are thrilled to be applying NASA aerospace technologies to our everyday living and working environments,' said Steven Zornetzer, associate center director at NASA Ames. 'This collaboration represents the first of many research partnerships for Sustainability Base that will bring NASA technologies down to Earth and connect them with capabilities from the private sector to leverage taxpayer investment and improve the quality of life for everyone.'
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