GreenClips.143 05.03.00

LANDSCAPE ARCHITECTS CAN HELP IMPROVE ECOTOURISM'S FUTURE
What is the track record of ecotourism today? Despite some problems with existing ecotourism projects, a panel of experts convened by Landscape Architecture magazine expressed cautious optimism for the future. The Ecotourism Society's Megan Epler Wood points to "the need for planning on a national scale....What we need next are protective policies at the regional and local levels-legislation and guidelines with teeth in them that require developers to meet certain standards and respect 'green' zones." Oliver Hillel of Conservation International's Ecotourism Program believes that NGOs working with community groups on ecotourism projects need to become "aware of the value of landscape architects and include them in the grant phase of their financing. Because the community won't be able to pay for design services, a nonreturnable investment is needed." Mark van Leest of the H20 Group notes the trade-offs inherent in ecotourism: "If you want to bring ecotourism to a bigger market, people still want their air-conditioning. I think the landscape architect has a kind of mitigation role, particularly in the field of ecotourism, where he or she is trying to reduce impacts and come up with alternatives that preserve the environment as much as possible-but at the same time, trying to comply with the conditions as set by the market." Hitesh Mehta, ASLA, is encouraged that ecotourism planning and design has emerged from its infancy and become established in a few places. Australia is the world leader in this field, with the US lagging near the rear. - Landscape Architecture, April 2000, p 80, by J. William Thompson.  [More: www.ecotourism.org]

FEDERAL AND STATE ACTIONS BOOST RENEWABLES
Under the biggest-ever federal contract for "green power," US agencies in the Denver area have agreed to buy 10 megawatts of power yearly from wind farms operated by Public Service Co. of Colorado and other utilities, Energy Secretary Bill Richardson announced on April 27. Meanwhile, Arizona has ordered utilities to produce a certain percentage of their electricity from solar sources, a move that could revive Arizona's lagging solar industry. Although 27 other states have mandated clean-energy portfolios, Arizona is the first to require that solar energy make up a specific portion of the mix. Under the Solar and Environmentally Friendly Portfolio Standard, electricity providers will have to derive 1.1 percent of their total product from renewable resources by 2007. They must begin implementing the program this year to achieve a mandated four-tenths of 1 percent by Jan. 1, 2001. For Arizona Public Service Co., that's about 22 megawatts, or enough electricity for 1,100 homes. Furthermore, the companies must derive at least 50 percent of their renewable power from solar-generating facilities. The remainder can come from such sources as landfill gas, wind and biomass generators. Also in Arizona, Gov. Jane Hull signed a bill into law providing tax breaks for contractors who install solar devices and companies that build electric generating facilities that use renewable energy sources. - Associated Press, 28 Apr 00; The Arizona Republic, 24 Apr 00 and 27 Apr 00, by Max Jarman. [More: www.eren.doe.gov/news and www.cc.state.az.us/utility/electric]

UK OFFICE BUILDING DISPLAYS ECOLOGICAL BIAS
A new building for the UK Environment Agency's Bodmin regional offices fills the space between two Victorian buildings with a modern structure that makes its ecological bias clearly visible. The idea of an environmentally conscious design, including a planted roof and natural stained timber cladding, was suggested to the client by the architect, Form Design Group of Plymouth. "We wanted to avoid compromising the Victorian integrity of the two [adjacent] buildings, so our concept was a low, single story and relatively unobtrusive structure, but one which would complement the environmental aims of the agency and the parkland frontage of the site," says architect Stephen Taylor. The planning authority eagerly took up the design, convinced that the building's low profile and flat planted roof would reduce its impact on the Victorian buildings. The new building's timber construction uses wood from a  managed woodland at Longleat Estate in England. The southwest facade consists of a treated timber sub-frame inset with fixed and opening double-glazed windows. The oak-faced spandrel panels below are "breathing" walls with Masonite sheathing filled with Warmcell recycled insulation. Oak cladding is treated with a tinted organic coating of oil and wax. An Erisco-Bauder Eco-roof, including insulation, vapor barrier, waterproofing and plant growing medium, is laid on the roof deck, providing insulation to stabilize internal temperatures. Rainwater drains off the rooflights onto a gravel  margin and waters the rooftop vegetation. - The Architects' Journal, 13 Apr  00, p 41, by Susan Dawson.  [For more email Steve Pring: admin@form-design.co.uk]

RAINWATER HARVESTING: RECONSIDERING AN ANCIENT TECHNOLOGY
Rainwater collection in cisterns and on roofs, a traditional means of storing water for irrigation and other uses, is attracting renewed interest as concerns grow about depleted aquifers and chemically treated municipal water supplies. Rainwater harvesting systems typically include six components: catchment area, roof-wash system, conveyance system, cistern, delivery system, and water treatment system. The most common contemporary catchment areas are roofs, with stainless steel or galvanized steel with a baked-on enamel, lead-free finish considered the best roofing materials for rainwater collection. To figure rainwater yield: 1 inch of precipitation on 1 square foot of collection area yields 0.6233 gallons. Gutters, downspouts, and piping convey rainwater from the catchment area to a filtration or storage unit. For collection systems used solely for irrigation, filtration can be as simple as leaf screens combined with a roof-wash system that drains particulates from the roof during the first flush of rain. To achieve potable water quality, appropriate filtration systems include a simple microfiltration process employing gravel, sand, and charcoal; UV sterilization; or ozonation. Cisterns, which range from small drums to structures storing thousands of gallons, can be made from a variety of materials, including galvanized steel, concrete, and polyethylene. Construction costs tend to be high (a common rule of thumb is one dollar of construction cost per gallon of water stored), but rainwater harvesting may become more economically feasible if municipal water costs rise. - Landscape Architecture, Apr 00, p 40, by Daniel Winterbottom. Yield formula  from: Natural Home, May/Jun 00, p 74, by Molly Miller.

CONSERVATION LEARNING CENTER OPENS AT DISNEY PRESERVE
The new Conservation Learning Center at The Nature Conservancy's Disney Wilderness Preserve helps to facilitate work and study at the preserve, while reflecting the environmental concerns of the project's partners. The 12,000-acre preserve, a cooperative effort between The Nature Conservancy, the Walt Disney Company, the Greater Orlando Airport Authority and several public agencies, was established in 1992 near Orlando, Florida to compensate for the loss of wetlands caused by additional development of the Walt Disney World Resort. In addition to repairing drained wetlands, the preserve's mission includes reintroducing natural fire cycles, replacing non-native pest plants with native vegetation, and studying and monitoring the 16 threatened and endangered species that inhabit the site. Cooper Johnson Smith Architects of Tampa, Florida designed the Conservation Learning Center, which opened in 1999. The Center incorporates a host of environmental features, including high efficiency lights, extensive daylighting, and separate air-conditioning systems in the administration building that allow different functional areas to be cooled separately. Other environmental strategies include: the use of energy-efficient autoclaved aerated concrete block; a photovoltaic system to generate solar power; a cistern to collect water for maintenance uses; and exterior wood that was pressure-treated with ammoniacal copper quaternary (ACQ), a less toxic approach than traditional treatment methods. - Interiors & Sources, Apr 00, p 66, by Janet Wiens.  [More: www.cjsarch.com/projects/disney.htm]

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

GreenClips is free of charge thanks to individual members and these sponsors:

BANK OF AMERICA http://www.bankofamerica.com For information on Bank of America's environmental programs, select Inside  Bank of America, and then The Environment.

EPA'S ENVIRONMENTALLY-PREFERABLE PURCHASING PROGRAM Greening the government, one purchase at a time. http://www.epa.gov/opptintr/epp

INTERFACE, INC. More than a carpet company. Much more. http://www.interfaceinc.com

WSU ENERGY PROGRAM http://www.energy.wsu.edu Providing objective research, information and solutions. Washington State  University Cooperative Extension Energy Program in Olympia, Washington.  Subscribe to GreenClips and other mailing lists on energy and the environment  at <http://listserv.energy.wsu.edu/guest/RemoteAvailableLists>.

 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

ABOUT THE PUBLISHER Sustainable design consultant Chris Hammer publishes GreenClips in San Francisco. Ms. Hammer helps her clients with environmentally responsible approaches to urban planning and development, and to building design, construction, and operation. GreenClips is written by Chris Hammer and Jennifer Roberts.

To CONTACT THE PUBLISHER Email GreenClips@aol.com or call 415.928.7941.
BACK ISSUES Two Internet sites host GreenClips archives for reference and research:  http://solstice.crest.org/sustainable/greenclips-info.html (keyword search) http://www.greendesign.net/greenclips (browse contents)

REDISTRIBUTION Please do not redistribute or post copies of GreenClips regularly. Encourage readers who receive GreenClips from you to subscribe directly. Continuing sponsorship depends on accurate reader counts.

To SUBSCRIBE or UNSUBSCRIBE Subscribe, unsubscribe, or change your address at this web site: http://listserv.energy.wsu.edu/guest/RemoteListSummary/GreenClips

You can also do this by email following these instructions: Address an email message to <GreenClips-request@listserv.energy.wsu.edu>.  In the body of the message (not the subject line) type either: subscribe <your internet email address> unsubscribe <your internet email address>

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Copyright 2000 Sustainable Design Resources. All rights reserved. Republishing GreenClips in print or on a web site, in whole or in part, or commercial distribution in any form requires advance permission of the publisher.