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GreenClips.205
12.04.02
SEATTLE PILOT PROJECT
REDUCES RUNOFF BY 98 PERCENT
In Seattle's Broadview neighborhood, a 660-foot-long "superblock"
is testing an innovative system for providing natural drainage in place of the
traditional curb-and-gutter designs that send tainted runoff into area waters.
"Our objective is to now engineer our streets in a new way. We are mimicking
nature's functions," said Denise Andrews, an adviser for Seattle Public
Utilities' drainage and wastewater programs. To allow for a larger surface area
for landscaped swales, the driving lane is narrower than usual, with a sidewalk
on only one side and limited street parking (each house has off-street parking).
Three types of swales were used, each of which serves a different purpose during
larger storms. Flow control swales regulate the flow of stormwater for all swales.
Conveyance swales drain excess water through connecting overflow pipes. And
holding swales absorb the most water into the ground and receive water from
other swales. After taking measurements for two seasons--one dry, the other
wet--a University of Washington professor found that the design reduced runoff
by 98 percent. Although the price tag was $800,000, Andrews said the use of
a natural drainage system costs about the same as a typical curb-and-gutter
design. And that's before the environmental benefits. The prototype carried
additional costs for documenting the project and fixing mistakes as it progressed.
Seattle Post-Intelligencer, 20 Nov 2002, by Margaret Taus. [Full text: http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/local/95881_model20.shtml
; Pdf file with project details: http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/dayart/20021120/day3secondave.pdf
]
SPRAWL REPORT RANKS THE BEST AND WORST U.S. CITIES
The advocacy group Smart Growth America recently released a report, titled "Measuring
Sprawl and its Impacts," that ranks 83 major metropolitan areas in four
major categories: by residential density, by how well they incorporate a mix
of homes, jobs and services; by the strength of their downtowns and town centers;
and by how interconnected their streets are. Sprawl is unplanned urban growth
that happens outside the existing infrastructure. The amount of land that's
built upon isn't the point; the way it's used is. In Omaha, for instance, which
ranked sixth in the least-sprawling ratings, there's room to spread out, and
the city does (it has a below-average residential density). But it scores well
with its active, vibrant downtown and smaller commercial districts, and for
its mix of housing, shopping and offices. The 10 areas with the most sprawl
are: 1) Riverside-San Bernardino, CA; 2) Greensboro-Winston-Salem-High Point,
NC; 3) Raleigh-Durham, NC; 4) Atlanta, GA; 5) Greenville-Spartanburg, SC; 6)
West Palm Beach-Boca Raton-Delray Beach, FL; 7) Bridgeport-Stamford-Norwalk-Danbury,
CT; 8) Knoxville, TN; 9) Oxnard-Ventura, CA; 10) Fort Worth-Arlington, TX. Metropolitan
areas with the least sprawl are: 1) New York, NY; 2) Jersey City, NJ; 3) Providence,
RI; 4) San Francisco, CA; 5) Honolulu, HI; 6) Omaha, NE; 7) Boston, MA; 8) Portland,
OR; 9) Miami, FL; 10) New Orleans, LA. The Christian Science Monitor, 4 Dec
2002, by Ross Atkin. [More: http://www.smartgrowthamerica.com/sprawlindex/sprawlindex.html
]
SEEKING BEST SOLAR POWER SITES, SAN FRANCISCO MAPS ITS FOGGY ZONES
The San Francisco Public Utilities Commission (PUC) is attempting to transform
San Francisco into the country's largest municipal generator of solar power
and other renewable energy. The PUC plans to position solar panels around the
city that will add 10 megawatts of power to the electricity grid over the next
five years. On average, 1 megawatt is enough electricity for 1,000 homes. The
long-term goal is to increase solar generation an additional 40 megawatts--enough
to meet about 5 percent of the city's peak electricity needs--by installing
photovoltaic panels on dozens of publicly owned structures. The PUC is currently
mapping the sunniest and foggiest neighborhoods, looking to increase the odds
for success (the data is available at http://www.solarcat.com/sfsolar/main.htm
). The solar power effort is the result of a ballot measure passed last year
that allows the city to issue $100 million in revenue bonds for renewable energy
systems. The city's first solar project, set to begin construction in March,
will carpet the rooftop of the Moscone Convention Center in solar panels designed
to generate 675 kilowatts of energy. Statewide, a program offering rebates to
homeowners who install photovoltaic systems was so popular that last month it
ran out of money. State officials said an additional $100 million would be available
in January. The New York Times, 24 Nov 2002, p 18, by Dean E. Murphy.
FOUNDATIONS SET UP PANEL TO CHART U.S. ENERGY POLICY
A group of prominent philanthropic foundations has created a $10 million commission
of former energy-policy planners from both the Bush and Clinton administrations
as well as representatives from industry and environmental groups to chart a
long-range energy policy. The National Commission on Energy Policy expects to
present its report in two years. A goal of the 18-member panel is to develop
a centrist approach between Republicans and Democrats that will avoid the clashes
that killed energy legislation in Congress this year. Another goal is to make
progress on the issues of climate change and the nation's growing dependence
on imported oil. The commission, which was selected and financed by a group
representing the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation, the Pew Charitable Trusts,
the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, and the David and Lucile
Packard Foundation, among others, recently held its second meeting in Chicago.
"There really hasn't been an energy policy in this country for the last
30 years," said Hal Harvey, a program officer for the Hewlett Foundation.
"The cost of the absence of one is staggering. It ranges from pollution
and global warming to the paralysis that is happening in some of our industry
sectors, particularly the electricity sector." The Wall Street Journal,
26 Nov 2002, p A6, by John J. Fialka. [More: http://www.energycommission.org
]
NEW FUND OFFERS
GRANTS FOR SUSTAINABLE AFFORDABLE DESIGN
The Oak Hill Fund, formed this year after the W. Alton Jones Foundation was
split into three separate foundations, is seeking grant applications from nonprofits
with 501c(3) standing for its Environmentally Sustainable Affordable Design
program. The program offers grants in four areas intended to encourage sustainability
and affordability in residential design: 1) educational initiatives; 2) initiatives
that incorporate sustainability and affordability in residential design and
construction; 3) efforts to provide the public in the Southeastern U.S. with
access to green building technologies; and 4) local grants for nonprofits in
the Charlottesville, Virginia area. The Oak Hill Fund expects to disburse $1.5
million during its first year. More: http://www.oakhillfund.org <http://www.oakhillfund.org/>
. Environmental Building News, Nov 2002, p 4
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