"SERVICIZING" MAY BENEFIT ENVIRONMENT, BOTTOM LINE
A growing number of manufacturers are shifting their focus to the services their products deliver instead of the physical products themselves, according to a new report from the Tellus Institute, a Boston-based nonprofit research and consulting group. This "servicizing" of industry, says Tellus, may be a significant driver toward extended product responsibility, the principle that companies share responsibility for a product's environmental impacts along its entire life-cycle, including its sourcing, manufacturing, use, and disposal. But the underlying reasons for servicizing have less to do with environmental stewardship than with other business strategies--it is "one aspect of a major shift in how firms think about and approach competitiveness," says Tellus. The report examines the servicizing efforts of seven companies, including furniture maker Herman Miller's subsidiary, Coro, Inc., which provides large corporate buyers with move and reorganization services. The company is the only furniture maker to have post-occupancy support as an integral part of its business strategy. With its reverse-logistics system, including product take-backs and trade-ins, Coro hopes to position its service as an environmentally responsible alternative to typical disposal methods, which often include landfilling. Servicizing doesn't automatically lead to environmental gains in product design and manufacturing methods, however, if a company doesn't have a mechanism for service activities to influence design and manufacturing activities. Other impediments to servicizing include the complexity of life-cycle design, the need for a closer seller-buyer relationship, and tax policies such as those favoring equipment ownership over leasing. Download 90-page report: <http://www.tellus.org/servicizing.pdf> - Green Business Letter, Aug 99, p  1.

SPRAWL SUBJECT OF TWO REPORTS
Business and government leaders are increasingly concerned about the economic, social, and environmental impacts of urban sprawl, say two new reports. A study by the National Association of Local Government Environmental Professionals profiles the responses of 19 companies and business coalitions to sprawl, and catalogues the institutional barriers, tax policies, and local and federal government regulations that must be overcome if "smart growth" practices are to become widespread. "Some American business leaders are beginning to recognize that sprawl can raise the cost of doing business and reduce long-term profitability," says the report. NALGEP defines sprawl as "low-density, discontinuous, automobile-dependent, new development on the fringe of settled areas, often surrounding a deteriorating city or  town core." Some businesses are taking steps toward "smart growth" by finding "ways to grow while respecting and enhancing the communities they call home," says the NALGEP's report. Quality of life, these business leaders recognize, directly affects economic prosperity, and sprawl threatens the quality of life in many communities. And in a survey conducted for the American Institute of Architects, 68 percent of state and local government executives and policymakers said they believe concern over "livable communities" is growing. Nearly two-thirds said they were involved in initiatives that address ways to solve quality-of-life issues such as traffic, urban sprawl, and preservation of open space. Order NALGEP report: <http://www.nalgep.org> - Green Business Letter, Aug 99, p 3 (NALGEP report); Washington Post, 15  Aug 99, p A02, by Terry M. Neal (AIA survey). [Download AIA report:
<http://www.e-architect.com/gov/livcomsurvey/home.htm>]

SAN FRANCISCO ADOPTS GREEN BUILDING ORDINANCE
In July, the City of San Francisco became one of the nation's first municipalities to adopt a green building ordinance for City-owned projects. The additions to the San Francisco Municipal Code, known as the Resource Efficient Building Ordinance, consist of two distinct parts. The first part specifies a few requirements for water conservation, energy-efficient lighting, indoor air quality, and recycling. The second part requires the City to designate a number of pilot green building projects that will demonstrate innovative designs and materials. Each of these projects will be evaluated after construction, and their performance reported to the City's Board of Supervisors. More: <http://www.ci.sf.ca.us/environment> -  Environmental Building News, Jul/Aug 99, p 3.

ELEVATOR TECHNOLOGY PROMISES ENERGY SAVINGS
In 1998 Montgomery KONE introduced an elevator technology to the U S market that may provide significant energy savings over competing systems used in low- and mid-rise buildings. The EcoSystem elevator is driven by a thin permanent magnet motor mounted directly to the hoisting rail. This drive system is about 40 percent more efficient than overhead traction elevators typically used in mid-rise applications-even those with variable speed drives-and 60 percent more efficient than hydraulic elevators often used in  low-rise buildings. In addition to saving energy, this efficiency may translate into reduced sizing requirements for electrical service and emergency back-up systems. Also, with EcoSystem and other non-hydraulic elevators, there is no risk of hydraulic fluid leaking and contaminating groundwater. The EcoSystem model that is currently available is relatively small, with a 2,500 pound maximum capacity and top speed of 200 feet per minute. It can handle up to 10 landings and 80 feet of vertical travel. Later this year Montgomery KONE plans to introduce a larger, faster version of the EcoSystem, capable of carrying 4,000 pounds and serving up to 24 landings. More: <http://www.montgomery-kone.com> - Environmental Building News,  Jul/Aug 99, p 7. [Full EBN text:  <http://www.ebuild.com/Archives/Product_Reviews/Ecosystem.html>]

AND THE WINNERS ARE...
The Adam Joseph Lewis Center for Environmental Studies at Oberlin College, designed by William McDonough + Partners, has received the 1999 American Architecture Award of the Chicago Athenaeum Museum of Architecture. Also, AIA/Portland's 1999 Architecture + Energy Awards, sponsored by the Northwest Energy Efficiency Alliance, recently recognized two buildings with Awards of Honor: a renovation and addition to the 1951 Frye Art Museum in Seattle by Olson Sundberg Architects; and Emerald People's Utility District Headquarters in Eugene, Oregon by WE Group PC and Equinox Design. And the Boston Society of Architects' 1999 Sustainable Design Awards, cosponsored by the Manhattan chapter of The American Institute of Architects, recognized two projects with Honors Awards: The Maine Audubon Society's Environmental Education Center in Falmouth, Maine by Van Dam & Renner/Carol A. Wilson Architects; and Van Atta  Design Studios in Santa Barbara, California by Blackbird Architects. -  Environmental Building News, Jul/Aug 99, p 6.

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ABOUT THE PUBLISHER Architectural researcher and environmental consultant Chris Hammer of Sustainable Design Resources publishes GreenClips in San Francisco. Ms. Hammer helps planners, developers, building owners, designers, builders, and facility managers practice sustainable planning, development, building design, construction, and operation. GreenClips is written by Chris Hammer and Jennifer Roberts.

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