GreenClips.36 12.06.95 US BEHIND IN REDUCING EMISSIONS At the 1992 United Nations conference on the environment in Rio de Janeiro, 142 countries including the US pledged to cut carbon emissions to 1990 levels by the year 2000. The non binding treaty aims to cut emissions as a first step in a decades-long effort to deal with the risk of climate change. But despite efforts to reduce emissions, US levels are edging up, and eight other industrial countries are falling short of the treaty goal. The Clinton Administration's Climate Change Plan, adopted two years ago to reduce emissions, relies on voluntary measures by business, industry, and homeowners. The plan's 50 measures include awarding "Energy Star" labels to energy-efficient office equipment, appliances, and computers, planting more trees to absorb carbon dioxide, and setting higher efficiency standards for home appliances. The Administration patterned many measures on the EPA's Green Lights approach that stimulates investment in efficient lighting. Through the Green Lights program, American Express installed energy efficient lighting in its 51-story Manhattan headquarters saving the company 40 percent on electricity bills. The US could fall even farther behind if the Republican-run Congress carries out plans to cut up to 40 percent of the money used mainly to stimulate private investment in energy-saving measures. Automobiles like the new 1996 Ford Explorer don't help either. The carbon dioxide emitted by about 700 Explorers - less than half a day's production -more than cancels out all of American Express's gains. - The New York Times, November 28, 1995, p. A1, by William K. Stevens. EPA HELPS CITIES REDEVELOP BROWNFIELDS With support from the EPA, local officials and developers have begun to redevelop old industrial sites, called brownfields. Concerned about legal liability for pollution and contamination, they have long neglected these sites. To spur commercial development of thousands of less-polluted properties, the EPA has removed them from its list of possible Superfund sites. Environmentalists applaud efforts to reclaim brownfields noting that redeveloping them will slow urban sprawl, thereby reducing driving and easing air pollution. One project underway deals with a former USX Corporation steel mill on Chicago's South Side. The nearly one square mile of vacant lakefront property offers a spectacular view of downtown skyscrapers. USX believes it could sell the site for $80 million if it can navigate the environmental, bureaucratic, and political obstacles ahead. - The New York Times, December 4, 1995, p. A1, by John Holusha. CHILLERS With the end of chlorofluorocarbon (CFC) production less than two months away, facility managers should opt to contain, convert, or replace existing CFC chillers. Containment devices can bring the refrigerant leak rate down to two or three percent annually, well below the EPA's 15 percent limit. For a facility with several chillers, the best strategy may be to contain the most efficient chiller and continue to run it with CFCs. Other chillers could be replaced, and the refrigerant from those units could be banked for use with the first chiller. Conversions are major overhauls, but a well planned one can go beyond merely eliminating dependence on CFCs. Working with chiller manufacturers, building owners can also reduce energy consumption and improve indoor air quality as they convert. For chillers more than 20 years old, simple economics favor replacement. Replacing chillers gives facility managers an opportunity to accommodate loads more accurately by changing the combination or capacity of chillers, and to change fuel type mix. And, advanced microprocessor controls on new chillers reduce maintenance costs by preventing failures. - Building Operating Management, November 1995, p. 26, by Edward Sullivan. RECYCLED-CONTENT FIBERGLASS In theory, manufacturers could make fiberglass entirely from broken or refuse glass, called cullet, without using virgin material. Yet the use of cullet in fiberglass is not likely to increase much in the next few years unless cullet quality and affordability improve significantly. Joe Kaplan is a manufacturing support engineer for Owens-Corning Fiberglass Corp. in Toledo, Ohio. He says using 100 percent cullet is not practical due to its geographical availability and relative cleanliness. Owens-Corning works with processors across the continent to supply cullet that meets the company's specifications. - Recycling Today, November 1995, p. 14. WASTESPEC WasteSpec helps architects and engineers specify measures that reduce, reuse, and recycle construction waste. The 114-page manual provides model specifications, information for bidders on estimating recyclable waste, a sample waste management plan, a checklist of 135 materials and items found in demolished buildings, and resources for further information on greenbuilding. "WasteSpec: Model Specifications for Construction Waste Reduction, Reuse and Recycling" is available, complete with model specifications on computer disk, from Triangle J Council of Governments in Research Triangle Park, North Carolina. 929.549.0551. - Recycling Today, November 1995, p.18. ECO-RESORT WITHSTANDS MARILYN Hurricane Marilyn hit the US Virgin Islands in September damaging nearly every hotel including developer Stanley Selengut's eco-resorts Maho Bay Camp and Estate Concordia. But Marilyn left Selengut's newer resort Harmony unscathed and operational. Its recycled building materials withstood 115 mile-per-hour winds, and its off-the-grid power systems never faltered. Across the island, Estate Concordia's self-contained utilities also survived the storm intact, although winds tore the eco-tent fabric. Estate Concordia reopened nine days after the hurricane hit, while Maho Bay Camp reopened in early November. - Urban Land, November 1995, p. 12. FROM THE FARM A recent Southern California Edison Company seminar on new uses for agricultural products featured several building materials. Kansas-based BC Lumber presses rice or wheat straw with No. 2 and 3 plastic to create Formica-like tables, wood-like beams, or hollow conduit pipe. Kenaf Fiber Products in Bakersfield, California uses kenaf as a lightweight substitute for fiberboard. And Long Beach, California-based Gridcore heats and presses kenaf with pulp from recycled corrugated cardboard to make super-strong, super-light wall panels. The Gap uses Gridcore panels for its retail storewalls. Gridcore's David Saltman says that using cardboard and kenaf keeps chain saws out of the forest, an environmental benefit that many consumers appreciate. - The Bakersfield Californian, December 1, 1995, p. A19, by Jim Carnal.