Southern California Green Real Estate Blog

GREEN BUILDING FOR ALL IN SANTA MONICA

If you’ve been reading this blog at all you know that the City of Santa Monica has a commitment to protecting the environment, improving quality of life, and promoting sustainability.

Therefore, the City has adopted a set of requirements and recommendations to encourage the development of “green” buildings without forcing excessive costs or other burdens upon property owners + developers. There is an official document dubbed the Green Building Guidelines to explain possible ways of achieving green building goals.

The City says, the approved measures will lower the cost of home ownership, reduce the burden on the utility infrastructure, curtail the production of greenhouse gas emissions, and decrease the city’s overall water demand.

Here are the new ordinances courtesy of http://www.smgreen.org/mainpages/newordinances.html
To know all about Santa Monica green building requirements go here:
http://www.smgreen.org/requirements/index.html

And by the way, did you get the note that said your water bill was going up in August.

 

 

 

 

Info courtesy of:
http://www.smgov.net/news/releases/archive/2008/epwm20080514.htm
http://www.smgreen.org/
http://www.smgreen.org/requirements/index.html
http://www.smgreen.org/mainpages/newordinances.html
http://www.smepd.org
http://www.3619motorave.jodisummers.com/
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For More Information, contact:
Brenden McEneaney
Green Building Program Advisor
brenden.mceneaney@smgov.net
www.smgreen.org
310.458.8549

NEW IN SMART BUILDING + REMODELING

NEW IN SMART BUILDING + REMODELING

So many possible things to talk about..we’re still steamed about Dodger Stadium’s “green necklace” update. (Great stadium, great location, traffic nightmare. No greening could possibly not include better mass-transit options.) So, let’s not talk about that, instead, let’s take a look at some significant green updates in home building + remodeling which recently debuted at from the National Association of Home Builders’ International Builders Show.

Steel Beams for Light Residential: There are certainly any number of applications in new building and remodeling where the strength of a steel beam would be a real advantage, but these massive beams had always been too difficult to deal with. The new LiteSteel Beam was developed to provide the greater structural strength of steel in a beam that is light, easy to carry, and can be cut, nailed, drilled and otherwise worked with on the job site using standard tools. www.litesteelbeam.com.

Spray Foam: For larger insulating and sealing projects, Touch-N-Seal offers a two-part expansive spray foam in disposable containers. Compete with gun, hose, tanks and tips, this spray foam is ideal for a wide variety of sealing, insulating and sound-proofing applications, and is more economical and easier to use than traditional spray cans for those larger projects. www.touch-n-seal.com.

 

A Smarter Lockset: Kwikset has introduced its new line of SmartKey deadbolts and locking knobs. The?new technology replaces the old standard of pin and tumbler technology with its patented side-locking bar. What that means for you is greater security, and the ability to re-key locks yourself in seconds, without removing the knob or deadbolt from the door.www.kwikset.com.

The King of Caulking: Newly introduced from Red Devil is King Kaulk, which the manufacturer guarantees is the only caulk you’ll ever need. King Kaulk is a hybrid polymer composition that replaces all of the caulks, sealants and adhesives you currently have around the house, and will bond and seal virtually every construction material. It can be used indoors or out, has low odor, and is completely paintable. www.reddevil.com.

Energy-Saving Wall Heaters: Offered by ECO-heaters, these wall-mounted electric panels can heat an entire room while using less than one-third of the energy of regular wall heaters. According to the manufacturer, the heaters use the same amount of electricity as four 100-watt light bulbs, yet will heat an entire room. And the panels can be painted to match any d飯r. www.eco-heater.com.

 

Energy-Saving Bathroom Comfort: The Enerjoy Bathroom Comfort Center is an all-inclusive unit that provides heating, lighting and ventilation for your bathroom. The Enerjoy combines radiant heat panels, a room light, night light and low-noise fan in one unit that the manufacturer claims uses half the energy of conventional units. www.sshcinc.com/BarNone2.htm

 A More Convenient Seat: Seating Innovations offers a variety of attractive and innovative seats for eating bars, tables, desks and other areas. The seats are suspended from the wall on steel pivots rather than having legs that sit on the floor, freeing up floor space, making cleaning easier, and eliminating floor damage. www.seating-innovations.com.

* ?Please note that all the information is based on the manufacturer’s own product research and claims.

This is excerpted from an article from Inman Newshttp://www.inman.com/buyers-sellers/columnists/paulbianchina/new-home-technology-wows-builders#comments

10 REASONS IT MAKES SENSE TO BUILD GREEN

10 REASONS IT MAKES SENSE TO BUILD GREEN

 The Urban Land Institute and the U.S. Green Building Council offer 10 reasons that green development makes smart business sense:  1) Upfront costs can be recovered 2) Integrated design lowers operating costs 3) Better buildings mean better employee productivity 4) Green technology provides healthier indoor air 5) Healthier buildings reduce owner liability 6) Tenants’ costs can be lowered 7) Property values will rise Public and some private financial incentives are available 9) Recognition as a good community steward builds public relations and 10) Using best practices yields more predictable results.  The Urban Land Institute is a nonprofit education and research institute whose more than 20,000 members represent all aspects of land use and development disciplines.The ULI uses a variety of media to clear up misinformation and help green and sustainable development become a standard practice.

Recycling Reaches Commerical Customers Santa Monica

Recycling Reaches Commerical Customers in Santa Monica

by Matt Henigan
Account Executive, BGPThe City of Santa Monica’s Solid Waste Division has begun the process of taking over as the only waste hauler in town. By the end of this year, all trash collection services for residential, multi-family, and commercial customers will be handled by the City. Until this month, the stores, offi ces, and restaurants of Santa Monica were served by a patchwork of 20 trash hauling companies, each sending their own trucks into the city. While city owned trash trucks run on clean burning natural gas, small private waste haulers often rely on old, exhaust spewing, diesel trucks. Amazingly, they City plans to serve their 1400 new customers with only two new trucks, increasing their fl eet to 8 trucks total. This change brings us cleaner air and fewer trucks on the road. But the environmental benefi ts of this change go beyond clean air.Many of the private waste haulers operating in the city do not offer recycling services. In our green city, there were entire offi ce complexes and shopping centers that had no recycling options. The major reason the city council voted for this change is to bring city recycling services to every building in Santa Monica. The Solid Waste Division accepts a much wider range of recyclable materials than any of the private waste haulers. In addition to paper, plastic, cans and glass, plastic bags and fi lms, #3-5 plastics, food waste, and garden waste are all accepted in various city recycling bins. No private companies even come close to accepting this range
of materials for recycling. The expansion of commercial recycling and food waste recycling programs will help the City meet the Sustainable City Plan’s goal of 70% diversion from the landfi ll and to move the City closer to its long-term goal of zero waste.

The Commercial Collection Implementation Plan was initiated March 1st. Within a week, the city had taken over the customers of United Pacifi c Waste, one of the smaller private haulers. Solid Waste rolled out 40 new dumpsters, many of them for recycling, to UPW customers who until now were unable to recycle at work. By
the time the transition is complete, over 2,500 new dumpsters will have been distributed. If your workplace doesn’t have recycling bins, just be patient, by the end of this year, we will all be able to recycle at work.

http://www.sustainableworks.org/

THE LOS ANGELES GREEN BUILDING ORDINANCE VS. CALIFORNIA?S OTHER GREEN CITIES

• THE LOS ANGELES GREEN BUILDING ORDINANCE VS. CALIFORNIA?S OTHER GREEN CITIES

Being green means different things in different parts of the country. In places like St. Louis or Seattle, eco-friendly construction standards apply only to city-owned or city-funded buildings. In Boston green construction codes also apply to major commercial or residential developments. New York City has taken very bold steps, with 127 eco-friendly initiatives to green the city by 2030?to date, 14 cities and 1 state - Connecticut - require private developers to meet green building standards.

Locally, in Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa recently signed into law the Los Angeles Green Building ordinance, and it is being heralded as “the most far reaching plan of any big city in America to promote green building practices in the private sector.”

The ordinance would reduce the City’s carbon emissions by more than 80,000 tons by 2012, the equivalent of taking 15,000 cars off the road - this objective surpasses any other major city in the country. (Now if they’d only find a way get 15,000 cars off the road as well.)

Given that greenhouse gas emissions from buildings account for more than 40% of global warming pollution, the Los Angeles Green Building ordinance is a good first step towards building an energy-efficient, climate friendly, sustainable city,? observes Global Green USA President Matt Petersen. ?While certainly not an end destination, it is important that Los Angeles has become the first big city to codify a private sector green building program.?

 

Above and beyond, Mayor Villaraigosa has pledged to reduce the city’s carbon emissions 35% below 1990 levels by 2030 (Will he stay in office that long - which is longer than Tom Bradley’s mayorial rein - or will this pledge be adopted by forthcoming mayors?). The goal goes beyond the targets set in the Kyoto Protocol and is the greatest reduction target of any large US city. Logistically, a move such as this what necessitate curtailing L.A.?s? coal-dependent municipal utility and a move toward electricity from renewable sources.

 

The new standards go into effect Nov. 1^st, for commercial projects and for high-rise residential development, and on May 1, 2009 for low-rise residential projects. It applies to existing buildings under certain conditions in redevelopment projects, and it outlines a host of other requirements for builders.

The L.A. Green Building ordinance requires all projects at or above 50,000 square feet - or 50 units - comply with the general LEED-certified standard. The US Green Building Council awards LEED silver, gold and platinum certifications based on the level of environmental sustainability met by a developer.

The City has agreed to work with builders to speed up approvals and to remove obstacles in the municipal code for elements of sustainable building design, such as green rooftops, cisterns and permeable pavement. City officials said about 150 new and renovated buildings, or about 7.5 million square feet, would be covered by the ordinance each year.

“The world,” Villaraigosa said, “is following in our footsteps.”

(See the previous posting Key Points of the Los Angeles Private Sector Green Building Ordinance for details.)

 

In six months, the Los Angeles City Council will review and decide whether a stricter standard should be adopted. “We will continue to push the envelope,” said Council President Eric Garcetti. He said he expects that “in a couple of years, every single building over 25,000 square feet will be covered” by the new law. By this summer, he said, the city expects to raise the bar for its municipal construction to Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design “silver” — a higher standard that would match San Francisco’s threshold.

L.A.’s Green Building ordinance raises the number of US municipalities that have enacted green building rules to somewhere around 120 and growing. California cities are enacting a variety of green building rules, as we will now share

• SAN FRANCISCO

Not considered part of Southern California, but worth mentioning for obvious reasons.

San Francisco mayor, Gavin Newsom, has proposed an ordinance that some consider to be the most stringent green building requirements in the nation.

The ordinance would require commercial and residential projects over 25,000 sf or 75 feet in height to meet the base level of LEED certification starting in 2008. Large commercial projects would have to achieve LEED Silver certification starting in 2009 and LEED Gold staring in 2010. Large residential projects would have to achieve LEED Silver starting in 2010.

Mid-sized buildings would have to complete a LEED checklist but would not be required to achieve any LEED credits or points (the basis for the rating system) until 2009. Starting then, mid-size commercial buildings would have to achieve three LEED credits. The bar would be raised to four points in 2010, six points in 2011 and seven points in 2012.

Small and mid-size residential projects, starting in 2009, would be required to achieve 25 points from GreenPointRated, a rating system of BuildItGreen, a professional nonprofit membership organization that promotes energy- and resource-efficient buildings in California. The hurdle would increase to 50 points in 2010 and then 75 points in 2011 or 2012. The earlier increase would occur for multifamily residential buildings with more than five units.?

Cumulative benefits this ordinance is expected to achieve through 2012 include: reducing CO2 emissions by 60,000 tons; saving 220,000 megawatt hours of power; saving 100 million gallons of drinking water; reducing waste and storm water by 90 million gallons of water; reducing construction and demolition waste by 700 million pounds; increasing the valuations of recycled materials by $200 million; reducing automobile trips by 540,000; and increasing green power generation by 37,000 megawatt hours.

In addition, the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission has approved a new local subsidy for residents and businesses who install solar power. ?The solar incentive plan provides between $3,000 and $5,000 for a home installation and up to $10,000 for businesses. With existing state and federal incentives, the city subsidy could eliminate more than half the cost of a solar installation.

“It’s groundbreaking,” notes San Francisco Assessor-Recorder Phil Ting, who assisted in the development the plan. “I think it will help ensure that San Francisco is going to be the solar capital of the world.”

• WEST HOLLYWOOD

Last year, Newsweek magazine proclaimed that West Hollywood is the American city that can lay claim to the most comprehensive green building standards. This tiny city occupies 1.9-square-milea Los Angeles and boasts 37,000 people, making it the city with the highest population density west of the Mississippi. The West Hollywood ordinance, adopted in October 2007, grants special consideration to LEED-certified projects, establishes development standards for all new residential and commercial projects, in addition to remodels and tenant improvements. The only exemptions: duplexes and single-family homes.

Requiring so many of the city’s real estate projects to meet green building standards puts West Hollywood in the forefront of the move to thrust eco-friendly design closer to the mainstream of architecture and planning.

City officials reveal that thinking about smaller projects was the only way to make a big dent in West Hollywood’s carbon footprint. “We thought it was important to involve everybody [to be part of the solution],” noted councilmember Abbe Land, coauthor of the new ordinance.

A set of rules, developed with the help of Global Green USA, insists that a project has earned at least 60 points (from a menu of 160 possible points) before developers are granted a city construction permit. Points are granted for planting canopy trees (5 points), using exposed concrete floors (5 points), bamboo or other rapidly renewable floors (up to 3 points), Cellulose wall insulation (2 points), Energy Star-certified lighting (3 points), energy-efficient windows and insulation (up to 15 points), tankless water heaters (2 points) and a green roof (8 points). Projects can earn up to 10 points (1 point per kilowatt) for using solar panels. In addition, all developers must meet mandatory requirements, such as reducing to 20 percent the construction waste they haul to the dump, making all roofs solar panel-ready, and using low-volatility paints and Energy Star appliances.

Once they get to 90 points, developers can choose between eight incentives, including expedited permitting and variances, like approval of an extra housing unit.

The new ordinance is tied to existing green building certification standards. Projects receiving a minimum rating of “Certified” with the United States Green Building Council’s Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) shall be exempt from the point requirements of the West Hollywood Green Building Program.

All projects scheduled for completion after October 1, 2007, must adhere to the provisions of Ordinance 07-762.

It’s been calculated that West Hollywood’s green initiatives will add “roughly 10 percent” to the cost of construction.

The city’s homegrown green plan is already drawing enquiries from other municipalities around the country. Global Green USA, which helped develop West Hollywood’s system, has already received calls from Henderson, Nev., Claremont, Calif., and McKinney, Texas.

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SANTA MONICA

The City of Santa Monica has a commitment to “Protecting the environment, improving quality of life, and promoting sustainability.”

Historically, Santa Monica has had green building requirements for commercial, industrial, and residential project of four or more stories. In May, the City enacted new green building requirements to apply to all new construction in the city, including single-family and duplex residential projects.

Some specific requirements include using solar heating to heat pools, limiting turfgrass (traditional sod) planting to 20% of the landscaping, diverting 65% of C&D waste from the landfill, and installing high efficiency irrigation systems.? More detailed info can be found at www.smgreen.org.

The City says, “The approved measures will lower the cost of home ownership, reduce the burden on the utility infrastructure, curtail the production of greenhouse gas emissions, and decrease the city’s overall water demand.”

Above + beyond, Santa Monica wants to be the nation’s first “Net Zero” city. Through energy efficiency, solar and other renewable energy, the city envisions generating clean energy that matches its total energy consumption.

Energy and Green Building Program Administrator Susan Munves estimated that over 20 years, $1.4 billion is the probable investment required to achieve being a Net Zero city. This is likely to offset utility electric charges which would be higher than the $1.4 billion. The city will only invest a small part of that investment. The City’s primary role is facilitating and project management. The city offers a number of ‘carrots and sticks’ to encourage broad participation.

Santa Monica?s 20 year plan would eliminate electricity produced by coal and natural gas power plants, and all the resulting greenhouse gas emissions.

Santa Monica goes beyond clean electricity to be a city that models clean transportation. Over 80% of the City’s 519 vehicles are either alt-fuel or electric. 100 of Santa Monica’s Big Bus fleet is LNG, which they state is 77% cleaner than diesel. Liquid NG provides a 300 mile range. 88 buses run on B20 biodiesel. Only about 20 older buses run on standard diesel.

OTHER CITIES

Culver City, Beverly Hills, Inglewood, Long Beach, and Redondo Beach municipalities one and all, please enlighten the world to what your city is doing to help the environment.

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Sources of information for this article include:

http://www.cityfeet.com/News/NewsArticle.aspx?Id=29079

http://www.globest.com/news/1144_1144/losangeles/170228-1.html?type=pf

http://www.newrules.org/

http://www.newsweek.com/id/56565/page/2

http://www.newsweek.com/id/56565

http://www.globalgreen.org/press/releases/2008_04_23_la_earthday.htm

http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-green23apr23,0,4351806.story

http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2008/01/09/BAG3UUBSL9.DTL

http://www.socalgreenrealestateblog.com/index.php?s=san+francisco

http://www.socalgreenrealestateblog.com/?p=25

http://www.cicle.org/cicle_content/pivot/entry.php?id=1048

Key Points of the Los Angeles Private Sector Green Building Ordinance:

Key Points of the Los Angeles Private Sector Green Building Ordinance:

The Los Angeles Green Building ordinance was devised by the Mayor Antonio Villarigosa’s Office in partnership with City Council, the ordinance will create a series of requirements and incentives for developers to meet the US Green Building Councils Energy and Design (LEED) standards  the country’s strictest environmental building standards. Our City is growing fast and growing up, and were holding the private sector accountable to their commitment to be friends to our environment, Mayor Villarigosa declared. Already the City of Los Angeles has the largest, most aggressive municipal green building plan of any large city in America. Now it is time for green building to go private.

 

 

Key Points of the Los Angeles Private Sector Green Building Ordinance

·     Require that all new projects greater than 50 units or 50,000 square feet show compliance with the LEED Certified level. Expedite processing through all departments, if LEED Silver designation is met.

·     Initiate an ongoing review of city codes to ease use of environmentally sound and superior materials and processes.

·     Create a cross-departmental Sustainability Team to review and revise green building policies and specific projects. They will meet weekly so that the development community can enjoy ongoing interaction with City staff.

·     Direct City General Managers and department and agency heads (namely Planning, Building and Safety, Public Works, Water and Power, Transportation, and CRA) to train and certify their staff in green building methods and policies and/or as LEED Accredited Professionals. This training should be ongoing and appear in each departmental annual budget.

·     Work with the Board of DWP Commissioners to continue to add DWP financial incentives for projects that meet green building standards.

·     Create and confer the Mayors Annual Award of Excellence in Sustainable Design & Construction to recognize exemplary efforts by individuals and companies in the private sector.

 

http://www.globalgreen.org/press/releases/2008_04_23_la_earthday.htm

 

NO TO WAR

NO TO WAR We received an email worth sharing…As congress prepares to vote on another supplemental bill to fund the war in Iraq for another year. Almost five million Iraqis have been displaced by violence in their country creating a growing refugee crisis and shattering so many lives 

If you believe that the war is not representative of your vote will you please take just 3 minutes to make a call to congress?

 Ask to vote NO on more money to fund the war.  Make your voices heard. It’s easy….just call  (202-225-3121) give them your zip code and tell yout congressional representative to, “Vote NO on more money for the war.”