GreenClips

Issue No. 262 | April 13, 2005

OUR EARTH DAY FUNDRAISER
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HIGH-PERFORMING ENVELOPES DEMAND KNOW-HOW

The job of designing a building's outer shell is becoming more complicated with new materials, products, and systems, and ever more stringent energy, security, and other requirements. Three new initiatives will help architects better apply building science and technology to the design of building envelopes. The first is publication of the Building Envelope Design Guide, a comprehensive resource for the design and construction of institutional and office buildings. The Guide, which will be posted on the Whole Building Design Guide Web site, will include generic construction details in CAD format with extensive explanatory notes. The next initiative is the Exterior Enclosure Commissioning Process, which outlines a step-by-step process to ensure that a new envelope will function as intended. The National Institute of Building Sciences (NIBS) is preparing the guideline to be called NIBS Guideline 3-2005: Exterior Enclosure Technical Requirements for the Commissioning Process. Finally, AIA and the Building Environment and Thermal Envelope Council (BETEC), a long-standing NIBS committee, are forming building enclosure councils in major U.S. cities. These will establish a forum within which practicing architects throughout the country can begin to learn the fundamentals of building science and discover regionally appropriate solutions.
Architectural Record, April 05, by Nancy B. Solomon.
www.wbdg.org

TO THESE DESIGNERS, YOU ARE WHAT YOU SIT ON

"Good Wood," an exhibition of furniture made with wood that is either salvaged, recycled or harvested responsibly with abundant materials like Plyboo (bamboo plywood) or Kirei (sorghum waste), is making its way across the U.S. The exhibition is sponsored by the Woodworkers Guild of Southern California and TreePeople, a Los Angeles tree-planting group. Good Wood, which opened in April at the Pasadena Museum of California Art, features furniture such as a Monolith bench that William Stranger forged out of a California walnut tree.
The New York Times, 7 Apr 05, p D3

www.woodguildsocal.com

NON-CHEMICAL WATER TREATMENT FOR COOLING TOWERS

Most of the dirty work in the half-million cooling towers in the U.S. is accomplished with biocidal, conditioning, dispersant and scale-inhibiting chemicals, including chlorine, various brominated compounds, phosphates, molybdates, acids (including sulfuric acid) and zinc compounds. Various alternatives are being used to reduce or eliminate this chemical usage, including ozonaton, ionization, and UV light treatment, all of which kill bacteria. Another option is the Dolphin Series, manufactured by Clearwater Systems, LLC, of Essex, Connecticut. It exposes recirculating cooling-tower water to electromagnetic fields, strength-varied and pulsed 60 times per second. The Dolphin's "pulsed power" pipe assembly is wound with coils that "impart pulsed, high-frequency electromagnetic energy" into the water. The pulsing electric field induces the coagulation of colloids - very small electrically charged particles - which create nucleation sites that encourage calcium carbonate to precipitate as a powder in the bulk solution rather than as a scale on surfaces. The system has earned LEED® points for half a dozen projects. Even if how it works is confusing and perhaps not entirely proven, the Dolphin Series does seem to offer an alternative treatment for recirculating water systems, including cooling towers, boilers and display fountains.
Environmental Building News, Apr 05, p 7, by Mark Piepkorn.

www.clearwater-dolphin.com

WAL-MART DONATES $35 MILLION FOR FISH AND WILDLIFE CONSERVATION

Wal-Mart is donating $35 million over the next decade to an ambitious new conservation effort by the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation. The gift will be used to buy land or secure conservation easements that limit development to protect a property's ecological value. The land will consolidate existing nature preserves to protect larger areas from development and encroachment. For instance, the purchase of two ranches spanning 1,200 acres will pull together 850,000 acres of protected lands from the Grand Canyon National Park in northern Arizona to Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument in southern Utah, home to one of the largest remaining stands of old-growth ponderosa pine and a sanctuary for California condors. The program created by Wal-Mart and the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, called Acres for America, intends to eventually acquire 138,000 acre using Wal-Mart's gift. That's as much land as Wal-Mart projects that its American stores, parking lots and supply centers will occupy in 10 years.
The New York Times, 13 Apr 05, p 13, by Stephanie Strom.
www.nfwf.org/programs/walmart/

GreenClips is free of charge thanks to individual readers and the following sponsors:

ARMSTRONG CEILING SYSTEMS

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; 25 million square feet recycled to date. www.armstrong.com/commceilingsna/article10790.html

BALL STATE UNIVERSITY

Greening of the Campus VI: Extending Connections. This interdisciplinary conference allows people representing diverse areas in university communities to share information on environmental issues, including the practical day-to-day management of the physical plant to "green" curriculum development and utilization of campus resources. The conference is September 15 - 17, 2005. For more information and to download a registration form, visit www.bsu.edu/greening/

or email bamato@bsu.edu

BUILDINGGREEN, INC.

Build Your Expertise with BuildingGreen Suite, a revolutionary green building tool from the people who bring you Environmental Building News. Clear, powerful information presented online - at your fingertips. www.BuildingGreen.com/go/suite/

CIWMB LANDSCAPE AND BUILDING DESIGN COMPETITION

The California Integrated Waste Management Board seeks participants for its is sponsoring the "Landscape and Building Product Design Competition" at the California State Fair. Participants Designers will develop prototypes of products crafted from waste tires, crumb rubber, and other tire-derived materials. Entry forms are due by June 24, 2005, and can be downloaded at www.itsgoodforcalifornia.com

DENVER GREEN BUILDING CONFERENCE

On April 27-29 learn from renowned master developers, architects, building scientists, and technical specialists about innovation techniques and ramping up green building projects for commercial and mixed-use. Tours, keynotes, workshops and exhibits will be held at Belmar, the sustainable downtown in Lakewood, CO. Sponsored by Continuum Partners, McStain Neighborhoods, Intrawest Placemaking, USGBC Colorado and New Belgium Brewing. www.denvergreenbuilding.com

ECOSA INSTITUTE

Ecosa Institute is now enrolling for its summer 2005 Hands-On Workshops in Sustainability. Register early for discounts. Guest speakers are Pliny Fisk and John Todd. Receive a Permaculture Designer Certificate, experience with sustainable building materials, and college credit. This fall Ecosa welcomes Glenn Murcutt and Edward Mazria for its semester immersion program in Sustainable Design. www.ecosainstitute.org

GREEN BUILDING SERVICES

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. www.greenbuildingservices.com

RUMSEY ENGINEERS

Rumsey Engineers, a preeminent leader in sustainable HVAC and Plumbing design, has openings in our Oakland, CA office for mid to senior level articulate and innovative HVAC and/or plumbing engineers with at least 3-5 years of energy efficient design experience. Please e-mail resume: info@rumseyengineers.com
Website at rumseyengineers.com

GREEN BUILDING IN ALAMEDA COUNTY

On May 1st more than 30 Bay Area homeowners will open their doors for the Build It Green Home Tour. The tour covers the spectrum from remodeled bungalows to ultra-modern additions to brand-new houses. Don't miss this chance to meet homeowners and building professionals who have built and remodeled green. Volunteers can attend the tour for FREE! More information at www.stopwaste.org/home/index.asp?page=597

SUSTAINABLE DESIGN RESOURCES

As a Principal of San Francisco-based Sustainable Design Resources, Chris Hammer's sustainable design consulting services include LEED certification, building material recommendations, specifications, developing design tools, and post-occupancy evaluations (POE). www.greenclips.com/SDR

WSU EXTENSION ENERGY PROGRAM

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 listserv.energy.wsu.edu/read/ or visit their website at www.energy.wsu.edu

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. Email or call for more information: chrishammer@greenclips.com; 415.928.7941. GreenClips is edited by Susan Vogt, a Portland, Oregon freelance writer with 25 years of experience in energy-efficient and sustainable buildings.

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