GreenClips.135 01.12.00
NY GOVERNOR PROPOSES GREEN BUILDING TAX CREDITS
Gov. George Pataki has proposed a $25 million tax credit program designed to create demand for environmentally beneficial technologies and materials used in building construction. The credits, part of Pataki's budget proposal for the next fiscal year, would be spread over several years. Many states, including New York, already have some incentives encouraging building energy efficiency, but the proposed program would be much broader. To qualify for the credits, which would only apply to buildings over 20,000 square feet, an architect would certify that construction plans met standards like using recycled content materials, nonpolluting air-conditioning systems, and other requirements. A builder could get a tax credit for up to 6 percent of the cost of environmentally beneficial technologies or materials. If tenants follow the same standards, an extra 2 percent could be claimed. "We've been wanting to attack the energy crisis in this state from both the consumption side and the price side," says Assemblyman Paul Tonko. "Consumption here is still higher than the national average." The first structure to take advantage of the program could be a 25-story, 337,000-square-foot residential tower proposed for Manhattan's Battery Park City. The building proposal contains "high environmental standards that put New York State and Battery Park City solidly in the green," says Pataki. - The New York Times, 11 Jan 00, p C30, by Andrew C. Revkin. [More: <http://www.state.ny.us/governor/press/year00/jan10_5_00.htm>]
PROMISING TECHNIQUE USES PLANTS TO ABSORB TOXICS
Colorado researchers are conducting a six-month study to determine whether plants can be used to absorb toxic heavy metals in leaking mine tunnels. An underground "greenhouse" developed by Frank Burcik of Lakewood's Water Treatment and Decontamination International may help Leadville, CO get off the US Environmental Protection Agency's Superfund list of most polluted sites. Inside the Leadville Mine Drainage Tunnel, contaminated water runs over shelves of plants being studied for their absorption abilities, including carrots, spinach, beets, radish, canola and mustard. The phyto-remediation process includes harvesting the saturated plants, re-seeding new ones, and possibly extracting profitable amounts of metals from the crop. It may be possible to use the remaining plant fiber to supply a particleboard factory. A water-treatment facility currently handles contaminated water from the mine, but additional capacity is needed. Using plants to treat the "less dirty" water might free some of the capacity of the water-treatment facility to handle the more polluted water. "The EPA is asking us if we can treat 600 gallons per minute," says Brad Littlepage, supervisor of the mine-drainage tunnel. "The [initial] pilot program removed 71 percent of the contaminants in about 5 gallons per minute, and we were running a system (of plants) only six feet long. Now we can run one 50 feet long." - The Denver Post, 10 Jan 00, by Steve Lipsher. [For more information email Frank Burcik at <wtdifb@juno.com>.]
BASIC DESIGN RULES YIELD EFFICIENT, AFFORDABLE HOMES
In Montreal, housing researchers have teamed with local design/build firms to offer affordable energy-efficient houses that have proven highly popular with homeowners. Designed by Avi Friedman of McGill University and Witold Rybczynski, the Grow Home is a two-story, 1,000-square-foot, 14-foot-wide row house. Approximately 6,000 units ranging in price from $69,000 to $95,000 (Canadian) have been built in the Montreal area since 1990. Grow Homes demonstrate that efficient planning and appropriate construction assemblies can reduce heat losses by half compared with typically constructed detached, single-family homes. The savings are achieved by adhering to the following basic design and construction rules. Avoid heating unused space and reduce heat loss through exposed wall sections by reducing the unit's size, simplifying the floor plan, and stacking the floors on two levels. Reduce thermal bridging by avoiding overdesigned structural frames (use 24-inch stud spacing, for example) and by replacing exterior sheathing with rigid foam insulation. Improve thermal performance by ensuring good workmanship, including proper installation of insulation and flashing. Minimize openings in the vapor barrier by not placing plumbing in the exterior wall and by avoiding recessed lighting fixtures. And control heat loss by using high-quality, properly oriented windows. For more information email <afried9@po-box.mcgill.ca> - Home Energy, Jan/Feb 00, p 24, by Avi Friedman.
STEELCASE TO BUILD LOW-EMISSIONS PRODUCTION FACILITY
Steelcase, an office furnishings manufacturer, is working with architects William McDonough and Partners to develop a low-emissions wood manufacturing facility in Gaines Township, Michigan. The new facility is designed to reduce emissions by 380 tons a year or by 70 percent compared to an existing company facility. Steelcase has already reduced VOC emissions by more than 60 percent from two of its existing facilities by converting its steel finishing systems to new, low-emitting powder coating technology. The new facility will be the first manufacturing building of its size to seek registration in the US Green Building Council's Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) program. Construction will begin in the first quarter of 2000 and be complete by the third quarter of 2001. More than 700 Steelcase employees will work in the building, producing wood furniture including desks, file cabinets and seating. - The Green Business Letter, Jan 00, p 2, and Steelcase press release, 9 Dec 99. [More: <http://www.steelcase.com/corporate/nwood.html>]
SAN JOSE TO IMPOSE RECYCLING DEPOSITS ON C&D WASTE
The city of San Jose, California has proposed an advance-recycling fee for construction and demolition waste (C&D) that may take effect as early as this summer. The program will help San Jose meet the state's mandate that by 2000, at least 50 percent of municipal solid waste be diverted from landfills. The program should also stimulate growth of the region's C&D recycling infrastructure. Under the program, developed by San Jose's Environmental Services Department, the city will collect a deposit when a building permit is issued for construction, demolition, and remodeling projects. The deposit, typically paid by the project's general contractor, will be based on the type and quantity of C&D waste expected to be generated. A cost range for the deposits hasn't been determined yet. To have their deposits returned, contractors must provide receipts showing that the project's C&D waste has been accepted by a city-certified recycling facility. The city may decide to use a tiered system for rating recycling facilities, with the tiers based on how successful the facility is at diverting waste from landfills. If contractors take their C&D waste to a recycler with a low diversion rate, they may receive a reduced deposit refund. As part of the program, the city will provide a list of certified recyclers and information on how to keep C&D waste out of landfills. - Construction Materials Recycler, 14 Jan 00, p 1, by Stephen Bantillo. [For more information email <Stephen.Bantillo@ci.sj.ca.us>]
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