GreenClips

Issue No. 278 | Dec 21, 2005

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PROMOTING PRODUCTS MADE OF "ECO-EFFECTIVE" COMPONENTS

To help companies better formulate eco-effective products, McDonough Braungart Design Chemistry, in Charlottesville, Virginia, has launched Cradle to Cradle Certification. A manufacturer can submit a homogenous or simple product to MBDC for review of its health impacts and potential for being safely composted or truly recycled. A successful candidate within this track is certified as a biological or technical nutrient. A manufacturer can also submit a product with multiple material components for evaluation of health impacts; ability to be disassembled so constituent parts can decompose or be reused; quantity and source of production energy; amount of water used during manufacture, and quality of wastewater; and the company's commitment to social justice. A product within this second track may earn a silver, gold, or platinum rating. MBDC analyzes all ingredients representing at least 100 parts per million of a product's formulation and codes them according to the chemicals' documented effects. MBDC may suggest alternative ingredients or assembly techniques so that product components have a better chance of staying on a biological or technical track after the particular assembly reaches the end of its useful life. The business policies and actual logistics to alter products are the responsibility of the manufacturers and product distributor. Manufacturers who have worked with MBDC admit that this is the most challenging aspect of the cradle-to-cradle approach.
Architectural Record, Dec 05, p 159, by Nancy B. Solomon.

www.mbdc.com

STUDY LINKS GREEN BUILDINGS TO HIGHER MARKET VALUE

A new study led by the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors�a global standards and membership organization for professionals involved in land, property, construction and environmental issues�shows a clear link between the environmental friendliness of a building and its market value. The international study, released in November 2005, is entitled Green Value: relating the market value of a real estate asset to its green features and related performance. It found that green buildings can: earn higher rents and prices; attract tenants and buyers more quickly; cut tenant turnover; cost less to operate and maintain; and benefit occupants. The study also noted that roughly 40 percent of carbon emissions come from buildings. So finding incentives to make buildings greener is critical.

The Green Business Letter, Dec 05, p 2. www.rics.org

BUILDERS IN CALIFORNIA'S CENTRAL VALLEY MAY FACE AIR POLLUTION FEES

Builders in California's fast-growing, smoggy Central Valley could be required to pay air pollution fees on new commercial and residential developments beginning in March. A proposed rule also would require builders to reduce air pollution. The fees, believed to be the first in the nation, are part of new regulations approved by air quality officials in Fresno. The rules, which apply to Fresno County and seven other counties in the largely agricultural valley, are intended to encourage builders to cut emissions during construction and reduce pollutants by incorporating energy-saving and traffic-reduction features into developments. The building industry fought for two years to block the regulations, which are intended to control indirect source pollutants, the chemical emissions and fine particles caused by vehicle traffic and population growth. Tim Coyle, senior vice president of the California Building Industry Association, said the rules were unfair, excessive and vague. The rules call for environmental designs that discourage use of vehicles, lawn mowers and service deliveries. An example is shopping malls that are compact, close to housing and have energy-saving landscaping, wider sidewalks and bicycle paths. The regulations apply to new residential developments greater than 50 units, commercial projects larger than 2,000 square feet and industrial spaces greater than 25,000 square feet. Kathryn Phillips, an air pollution manager with Environmental Defense, an advocacy group, said the region's sprawl problem needed to be addressed because the manufacturing and automobile industries had done what they could to reduce harmful emissions.
The New York Times, 17 Dec 05, by Carolyn Marshall.

UNDERSTANDING PERVIOUS CONCRETE

Pervious concrete is a performance-engineered structural material using the usual constituents of Portland cement concrete, only with little or no sand in the mixture, allowing for a 15- to 30-percent air void factor. The decreased density makes the concrete able to absorb stormwater, while still providing a quality structural pavement. A pervious concrete system can be designed with an appropriate porous aggregate base layer to function as a stormwater storage basin for a design storm event. Pervious concrete can be colored or painted, made smooth for shopping cart mobility, and made into a non-slip surface. U. S. Environmental Protection Agency regulations require owners of newly developed (or redeveloped) sites of 0.4 ha (1 acre) or more to have an on-site management system for treating stormwater. Often, this requires dedicating 10 to 20 percent of the overall site to non-revenue-generating detention/retention ponds and swales or using expensive underground storage treatment systems. But pervious concrete can double as a parking facility and stormwater treatment system. Pervious concrete handles moisture in excess of 5080 mm (200 in) of water hourly per 0.09 m2, translating to 11.4 to 19 L (3 to 5gal) a minute. The design of the aggregate base, sometimes called the recharge bed, is critical to pervious concrete performance and durability. The percolation of the soils, combined with infiltration rate dynamics is important, especially where freeze-thaw durability is a concern. Contrary to traditional concrete (where larger sizes and angular-shaped aggregate frequently provides the best performance) smaller aggregate and rounded shapes appear to not only provide the best porosity for pervious concrete, but also better strength, smoothness and appearance.
The Construction Specifier, Dec 05, p 42, by Dan Huffman

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ARMSTRONG CEILING SYSTEMS

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ATHENA SUSTAINABLE MATERIALS INSTITUTE

The Athena Institute is a non-profit research institute dedicated to sustainability of the built environment. Its main activities are: developing comprehensive, comparable LCA databases for building materials and products; developing software that incorporates the databases for use in the design process; and participating in international activities to further the science of LCA for buildings. www.athenaSMI.ca

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RUMSEY ENGINEERS

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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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