GreenClips.249 09.29.04 HAPPY BIRTHDAY GREENCLIPS! This year is GreenClips' 10th birthday! Celebrate by donating to GreenClips. Your donations keep us going year after year. Visit www.greenclips.com for info. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . NEW STUDY LINKS SUBURBAN SPRAWL AND HEALTH AILMENTS People who live in sprawling communities tend to suffer more health problems, according to a new study that analyzed data on more than 8,600 Americans in 38 metropolitan areas. Rates of arthritis, asthma, headaches and other complaints increased with the degree of sprawl, according to the study, which was led by Roland Sturm, a senior economist at the Rand Corp. of Santa Monica, California. The researchers examined whether there was an association between 16 health problems and the amount of sprawl where participants lived, using a scale that includes such measures as population density, street patterns and proximity of businesses and workplaces to residences. But Peter Gordon, a professor in the school of policy, planning and development at the University of Southern California in Los Angeles called the study "junk science." The areas studied, he said, are so large they could not distinguish important neighborhood differences. The study appears in the October edition of the journal Public Health. Washington Post, 27 Sept 2004, by A3, by Rob Stein. [Rand press release: http://www.rand.org/news/press.04/09.27.html] PETITION FILED AGAINST EPA RULE THAT WEAKENS FORMALDEHYDE CONTROLS Environmental groups have filed a petition with a federal appeals court and the Environmental Protection Agency, seeking to overturn a federal rule intended to spare many wood product plants from strict pollution controls. In a 77-page petition filed with the EPA, the Natural Resources Defense Council and the Sierra Club said the rule disregarded the latest health warnings on formaldehyde, a carcinogen emitted during the manufacturing of plywood and other timber products. Further, the environmental groups said the EPA rule, which in effect exempts so-called low-risk plants from regulation, runs contrary to the intent of the Clean Air Act and is a giveaway to industry. The petition asks for an immediate stay of the rule, which the EPA issued in February. In early June, a group of international scientists gathered in France to consider the latest data on formaldehyde. They concluded that the new studies from the U.S. warranted upgrading the risk of formaldehyde from being classified as a probable carcinogen to a compound that is "carcinogenic to humans." Los Angeles Times, 29 Sept 2004, by Tom Hamburger and Alan C. Miller. [See GreenClips.241 05.26.04 for more about the EPA rule: http:/www.greenclips.com; see also press release and related info from environmental law firm Earthjustice: http://www.earthjustice.org/news/display.html?ID=909] REDUCING AIR CONDITIONING'S CONTRIBUTIONS TO GLOBAL WARMING In the European Union, the energy consumption of air conditioning systems is an area marked for particular scrutiny by legislators working to curb greenhouse gas emissions. There is little information, however, on how much energy air conditioning systems consume when used in the real world. To help answer that question, in April 2000 the Welsh School of Architecture at Cardiff University studied the energy consumption of over 30 air conditioning systems in office buildings, monitoring them at 15-minute intervals over a three-year period (systems included all-air, fancoil, chilled ceiling, DX split, DX vrf and unitary heat pump). The findings show that chilled ceiling and beam systems appear to be the most efficient way of providing cooling in UK offices where appropriate. In general, most systems appear to be poorly controlled; 50 percent savings appear feasible from effective time control alone. Also, most systems appear to be sized to be twice as large as required by the loads encountered; further savings are therefore possible from improved system sizing. What are the implications of this study? If all air conditioning systems, both new and existing, are progressively replaced with the most efficient currently available, i.e., chilled ceiling systems, then by 2020 air conditioning system carbon emissions could be reduced by 58 percent from 2000 levels, despite projected market growth in air conditioning systems over this period. Building Services Journal, Aug 2004, p 34, by Ian Knight and Gavin Dunn. METHODOLOGY FOR SIMPLIFIED PRODUCT LIFE-CYCLE ASSESSMENT In the early phases of product development, a full life-cycle assessment is not suitable because it is very time consuming and requires very specific data that is normally not available at this stage. Instead, researchers from the University of New South Wales, Australia, and the University of Kalmar, Sweden, propose a methodology for a simplified life-cycle assessment that can be used in the early stages of product development to evaluate the environmental impacts of various materials. The researchers grouped materials into six generic categories: glass and ceramics, ferrous metals, non-ferrous metals, paper and board, polymer, and wood. These six categories are further divided into 16 subcategories, each of which is assigned an average Eco-Indicator expressed as a single score. To better interpret this single score assessment, the researchers developed a compact life-cycle inventory (LCI) list, which includes the most significant impact categories for each material group. An LCI list is typically very long, so this short LCI list enables designers to more quickly assess the environmental impacts of a material, and to apply their own weighting method. While this simplified approach enables designers to conduct a timely LCA during early design without using LCA software or an extensive material database, it does not replace a full LCA, which still needs to be carried out at a later stage in the design process. The Journal of Sustainable Product Design, Vol 3 No 1-2, p 45, by M. Sun, C.J. Rydh and H. Kaebernick. [Full text: http://www.cfsd.org.uk/journal/index.html] LIKE FATHER, LIKE SON: CARL STEIN ON SUSTAINABLE BUILDING Carl Stein, of Stein White Nelligan Architects in New York, didn't set out to score LEED points for the new building he designed for the State Department of Environmental Conservation's Region 3 headquarters in New Paltz, New York. Nevertheless, it's expected to be the first office building in New York to win the LEED gold rating from the U.S. Green Building Council. Stein has some concerns about LEED, however. "The issue I have with LEED is that it's primarily a laundry list -- it doesn't force you to think about architecture in a dynamic, synergistic manner." A key issue in thinking holistically about a building, Stein says, is to understand how it uses energy. Stein is no newcomer to thinking about energy efficiency. He and his father Richard Stein wrote the seminal text, Handbook of Energy Use for Building Construction for the U. S. Department of Energy in 1981. "It documents the embodied energy of a building," Stein says, "i.e., the energy that goes into manufacturing it: raw materials, finished products, transportation associated with delivering stuff to the site, energy that is used on the site, and so on." The firm's public library in South Jamaica, Queens, made the AIA's Earth Day 2000 top ten list. Metropolis, Oct 2004, p 34, by Alex Ulam. [More: http://www.swnarchitects.com/] . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . GreenClips is free of charge thanks to individual members and these sponsors: ALAMEDA COUNTY WASTE MANAGEMENT AUTHORITY SEEKS GREEN HOMES Green Home Tour organizers seek homes built or remodeled using green building techniques and materials. The Green Home Tour will take place on Sunday, May 1, 2005. Qualifying homes will be located in Alameda County and must demonstrate a variety of green building features and techniques. For more information or to download an application visit www.stopwaste.org. Application deadline is November 5, 2004. ARMSTRONG CEILING SYSTEMS http://www.armstrong.com/commceilingsna/article10790.html Armstrong offers an expanding portfolio of sustainable ceiling products. Through the Ceiling Recycling Program, an industry first and only one of its kind, old tiles are shipped to an Armstrong plant, not a landfill; 20 million square feet recycled to date. SUN VALLEY SUSTAINABILITY CONFERENCE http://www.svgreenconference.com Join architects, builders, planners and involved citizens to learn how smarter growth policies, greener buildings, and renewable energy resources are becoming standards for western communities. Learn from experts Ed Mazria, David Johnston, John Fregonese, and industry leaders including BetterBricks, Paladino & Company, Aspen Skiing Company, and New Belgium Brewing on how sustainable actions are shaping communities and economies. The event is October 21 23 and sponsored by the Environmental Resource Center, Engelmann, New Belgium Brewing Company, Developing Green and AIA - Mountain States. $195. Early registration ends October 10. Email John@SustainableBusinessSolutions.net. EPA'S ENVIRONMENTALLY-PREFERABLE PURCHASING PROGRAM Greening the government, one purchase at a time. http://www.epa.gov/opptintr/epp GREEN BUILDING SERVICES http://www.greenbuildingservices.com Green Building Services offers environmental design and energy efficient consulting services to help you design, build and market high-performance commercial buildings, through design charrettes, energy analyses and the entire LEED certification process. NARI OFFERS CERTIFIED GREEN BUILDING PROFESSIONAL CLASS Become a certified green builder! The San Francisco Bay Area Chapter of the National Association of the Remodeling Industry (NARI SFBA) is offering a Certified Green Building Professional Class (CGBP) with sessions on energy conservation, indoor air quality, resource conservation, and green business marketing. Classes are October 6 and 9, October 14 and 16 in Pleasanton. To register visit: www.sfbanari.com. WSU ENERGY PROGRAM http://www.energy.wsu.edu Providing objective research, information and solutions. Washington State University Extension Energy Program in Olympia, Washington. Subscribe to GreenClips and other mailing lists on energy and the environment at http://listserv.energy.wsu.edu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . GREENCLIPS NEEDS YOUR SUPPORT! Twice a month GreenClips is distributed electronically to over 10,000 readers interested in sustainable building design. But we can't do it without the financial support of our sponsors and members. If you find GreenClips valuable, please consider becoming a sponsor or voluntary member. Email chrishammer@greenclips.com for details. 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 edited by Jennifer Roberts, author of "Good Green Homes: Creating Better Homes for a Healthier Planet" (http://www.goodgreenhomes.com). To CONTACT THE PUBLISHER: Email chrishammer@greenclips.com or call 415.928.7941. BACK ISSUES Two Internet sites host GreenClips archives for reference and research: http://listserv.energy.wsu.edu/read/?forum=greenclips (keyword search) http://www.greenclips.com (browse contents) REDISTRIBUTION Please do not redistribute or post copies of GreenClips regularly. Encourage readers who receive GreenClips from you to subscribe directly. 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