Southern California Green Real Estate Blog

WAYS THE OBAMA ADMINISTRATION WILL BUILD A GREEN ECONOMIC SECTOR

WAYS THE OBAMA ADMINISTRATION WILL BUILD A GREEN ECONOMIC SECTOR

Allow us to share with you a collection of green initiatives proposed by President-elect Barack Obama. The quotes come from the President-elect’s website @

www.barackobama.com and information has yet to be offered as to how these initiatives will be implemented and funded. Nonetheless, we like to concept.

 

BUILDING EFFICIENCY

 

* Weatherize 1 million homes annually. “Obama will make a national commitment to weatherize at least one million low-income homes each year for the next decade, which can reduce energy usage across the economy and help moderate energy prices for all.”

 

* Set building efficiency goals. “Obama will establish a goal of making all new buildings carbon neutral, or produce zero emissions, by 2030. He’ll also establish a national goal of improving new building efficiency by 50 percent and existing building efficiency by 25 percent over the next decade to help us meet the 2030 goal.”

 

* Establish a grant program for early adopters. “Obama will create a competitive grant program to award those states and localities that take the first steps in implementing new building codes that prioritize energy efficiency, and provide a federal match for those states with leading-edge public benefits funds that support energy efficiency retrofits of existing buildings.”

 

* Expand federal efficiency grants. “Obama will also expand federal grant programs to help states and localities build more efficient public buildings, including libraries, schools, and police stations that adopt aggressive green building provisions like those provided by the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) program of the U.S. Green Buildings Council.”

 

UTILITIES AND ELECTRIC GRID

 

* Flip incentives to energy utilities. “An Obama administration will ‘flip’ incentives to utility companies by requiring states to conduct proceedings to implement incentive changes and offering them targeted technical assistance. These measures will benefit utilities for improving energy efficiency, rather than just from supporting higher energy consumption. This ‘regulatory equity’ starts with the decoupling of profits from increased energy usage, which will incentivize utilities to partner with consumers and the federal and state governments to reduce monthly energy bills for families and businesses.”

 

APPLIANCE/PRODUCT EFFICIENCY

* Overhaul federal efficiency standards. “The current Department of Energy has missed 34 deadlines for setting updated appliance efficiency standards, which has cost American consumers millions of dollars in unrealized energy savings. Obama will overhaul this process for appliances and provide more resources to his Department of Energy so it implements regular updates for efficiency standards. He will also work with Congress to ensure that it continues to play a key role in improving our national efficiency codes.”

 

* Phase out incandescents. “Obama supports the effort led by Senate Energy and Natural Resources Chairman Jeff Bingaman (D-NM) to update federal lighting efficiency standards to ensure that new lighting technologies are phased into the marketplace. As president, Obama will implement legislation that phases out traditional incandescent light bulbs by 2014.”

 

RENEWABLE ENERGY

 

* Increase share of government electricity from renewable sources. “As president, Obama will ensure that at least 30 percent of the federal government’s electricity comes from renewable sources by 2020.”

 

* Require 25% of electricity to come from renewable sources by 2025. “Obama will establish a 25 percent federal Renewable Portfolio Standard (RPS) to require that 25 percent of electricity consumed in the U.S. is derived from clean, sustainable energy sources, like solar, wind, and geothermal by 2025.”

 

COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT

 

* Build neighborhoods around alternative transportation. “Obama believes that we must devote substantial resources to repairing our roads and bridges. He also believes that we must devote significantly more attention to investments that will make it easier for us to walk, bicycle, and access other transportation alternatives. Obama is committed to reforming the federal transportation funding and leveling employer incentives for driving and public transit.”

 

CARBON EMISSIONS

 

* Implement an economy-wide cap-and-trade program to reduce greenhouse gas emissions 80% by 2050.  “Obama’s cap-and-trade policy will require all pollution credits to be auctioned, and proceeds will go to investments in a clean energy future, habitat protections, and rebates and other transition relief for families.”

 

GREEN JOBS

* Invest in clean energy. “The Obama-Biden comprehensive New Energy for America plan will help create 5 million new jobs by strategically investing $150 billion over the next 10 years to catalyze private efforts to build a clean energy future.”

 

Info courtesy of

http://www.barackobama.com

http://www.ecohomemagazine.com/news/obama-wins-green-movement-wins.aspx

 

 

WHY COMMERCIAL PROPERTIES ARE BUYING INTO GREEN

WHY COMMERCIAL PROPERTIES ARE BUYING INTO GREEN

by Jodi Summers

 

Now that we’re living in a green age, we know that buildings are responsible for 40% of emissions - and the upside of this statistics is that it presents an enormous opportunity for builders. Even though the construction sector continues to struggle, sustainable building is growing at a 30% annual rate, hands down the fastest-growing sector in the building industry, noted David Gottfried, CEO of Berkeley, CA-based Regenerative Ventures and a founder of the U.S. Green Building Council. “The growth in this world right now is green.”

 

The latest reports confirm this trend, as California total nonresidential construction activity continued to slide in October with permit values declining by -35.5% to $1.3 billion (year-over-year), according to the Construction Industry Research Board.  During the ten-month period of 2008, nonresidential permit values totaled $16.9 billion – a decline of -10.2% from the comparable period in 2007. 

While commercial sectors such as industrial and office are greening to cut costs and attract hipper clients, retailers have an added benefit. Retailers are strongly adopting green commercial, because it results in net profits, observed Joseph Feldman, managing director and senior research analyst Telsey Advisory Group, noting that the pioneering ‘green’ Wal-Mart in Lawrence, KS, posted higher-than-average sales for the chain. Target has started placing motion sensors in their stores that will dim lights in unoccupied aisles. The Gap and the Limited also are making efforts at energy efficiency, with the latter replacing roofs at three distribution centers to make them more energy efficient.

 

Even comparatively small efforts, such as Lowes’ decision to replace all of the lights in its stores with energy-efficient models, add up over time. “It’s relatively easy to become green,” Feldman said, noting that “green” retailers “mostly are the leaders in their spaces.” But the extra interest could be a double-edged sword.

 

That is supported by the growth of the USGBC, and the soaring interest in LEED certification or equivalents worldwide, Gottfried said. LEED is now developing a specific designation for retail; currently retail stores and shopping center developers can apply under the new construction or existing building standards. The standard will be up for member ballot this month, with a market launch expected in spring 2009.

 

The interest in standards also is expanding worldwide, with 13 countries–including India, Mexico, Brazil, Japan and Australia–now having green building councils. Another 50 nations are creating councils.

 

“It’s a United Nations of councils,” Gottfried said. Even the Chinese government is trying to impose more green regulations on its manufacturers, Feldman reported.

 

Info courtesy of

http://www.globest.com/news/1296_1296/insider/175575-1.html

http://laedc.org/eedge/index.html#4

DANCING PRESIDENTS TO DELIGHT U

As a holiday delight, please enjoy these disco dancing presidents courtesy of www.elfyourself.com

Click on

http://elfyourself.jibjab.com/view/9L025guZb3dngeLSREh0

and prepare yourself for some holiday cheer.

THE HISTORY OF THE FINANCIAL BUBBLE

THE HISTORY OF THE FINANCIAL BUBBLE

by Jodi Summers

Allegedly, the first recorded speculative financial bubble occurred in the Netherlands in the 1630s when, according to Wikipedia, tulip contracts sold for 20 times the annual income of a skilled craftsman. When tulip prices came crashing down so did the economy, according to reports that have not been sufficiently documented for historians to conclude exactly what occurred.

sources:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/jimg944/2229214461/

http://www.inman.com/news/2008/10/23/dutch-toughen-downturn

TRAINS ARE A GREAT WAY TO GREEN INDUSTRIAL PROPERTIES

TRAINS ARE A GREAT WAY TO GREEN INDUSTRIAL PROPERTIES

by Jodi Summers

 

As oil prices remain uncertain, growing numbers shippers, suppliers and retailers throughout the world are looking at rail as a more efficient and reliable alternative to container ships and trucks for long-distance freight transport. Freight trains are said to be three times more fuel-efficient than over-the-road trucks and have less impact on greenhouse gas emissions than trucks. Train lines are gearing up worldwide.

 

In North America, the US Surface Transportation Board granted Canadian Pacific Railway regulatory approval for its estimated $1 billion acquisition of the Dakota, Minnesota & Eastern Railroad Corp. The acquisition was initiated in September 2007 but delayed a full year due to opposition from US political interests. The purchase, which received final approval early in the 4th quarter, includes the Sioux Falls, SD-based companies two subsidiaries: Iowa, Chicago & Eastern Railroad and Cedar American Rail Holdings.

 

The DM&E, which connects with Canadian Pacific at Minneapolis, Winona, MN and Chicago, is the largest regional railroad in the US and the only Class II railroad that connects and interchanges traffic with all seven Class I railroads.

 

A Class II railroad in the United States is a mid-sized freight-hauling railroad, in terms of its operating revenue. As of 2006[update], a railroad with revenues greater than $20.5 million but less than $277.7 million for at least three consecutive years is considered a Class II railroad. Switching and terminal railroads are excluded from Class II status. Railroads considered by the Association of American Railroads as “Regional Railroads” are typically Class II railroads. A Class I railroad is a large freight railroad company, as classified based on operating revenue.

 

The Dakota, Minnesota & Eastern Railroad Corp. serves eight states, including Illinois, Iowa, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, South Dakota, Wisconsin and Wyoming. In addition to Chicago and Minneapolis, it provides access to Kansas City and key inland ports. The railroad has 2,500 miles of track, including approximately 500 miles of track rights, and rolling stock consisting of 7,200 rail cars and 150 locomotives. The acquisition enables Canadian Pacific to get containers more quickly and efficiently from the ports of Vancouver and Prince Rupert, BC to the central US.

 

As CP was receiving the transportation board’s blessing, rival Canadian National Railway pressed a US federal court to force the same board to speed its decision regarding the railroad’s proposed $300 million acquisition of the Elgin, Joliet & Eastern Railway. The Montreal-based railroad wants to secure the suburban Chicago rail line to bypass rail congestion in the central Chicago area and shorten its delivery times. Like its rival, Canadian National serves Vancouver and Prince Rupert, but it also links to Halifax and the St. Lawrence Seaway ports, including Montreal and Toronto.

 

Also in North America, at the US-Mexico border, New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson met with Mexican communications secretary Luis Tellez to iterate support for a new railroad bypass and international rail crossing that would shift some rail traffic from the congested border cities of El Paso, TX and Ciudad Juarez, Mexico west to Santa Teresa, NM. According to Richardson, the bypass and crossing is essential to increasing US-Mexico trade.

 

Meanwhile, in Europe and Asia, DB Schenker, Germany’s leading forwarder, announced plans to launch scheduled rail cargo service between China and Germany in response to requests from its client Fujitsu Siemens Computers. According to Schenker, a unit of German state railway Deutsche Bahn, the computer company favors rail because it is a quarter of the cost of airfreight, takes much less time than the 30 to 35 days required to ship by sea and reduces CO2 emissions by 95%.

 

According to the Adam Smith Institute in London, which is sponsoring a European rail conference in Brussels in November, rail currently accounts for just 2% of freight traffic between Europe and Asia. But it says the significantly shorter transit times compared to shipping by sea is attracting the attention of retailers.

 

Train line evolution now include outposts outfitted with solar panels, a small windmill and communications equipment, representing part of a $12 million Federal Railroad Administration funded Collision Avoidance System now being developed and implemented by some railroads. The system is designed to optimize train operations by automating many dispatch, train crew, and on-track equipment operator functions that will ultimately make the rails safer for locomotive engineers, track workers, passengers and freight transport.

 

Info courtesy of:

 

http://www.globest.com/news/1263_1263/insider/174511-1.html

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Class_I_railroad

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Class_II_railroad

http://cache.daylife.com/imageserve/0gsPgZA9BJ8nj/610x.jpg

http://www.turnagaintimes.com/current%20issue/4-17-08/Solar-Wind2.jpg

http://www.uprr.com/she/emg/

http://www.geocities.com/sssmre/dakota-minnesota-and-eastern-railroad.gif

TWO BUTTON TOILETS

TWO BUTTON TOILETS

by Jodi Summers

Americans traveling abroad are sometimes surprised to discover two buttons
on toilet –one for a small flush; the other for a full flush. This is a
great water-conservation option developed in the 1980s that is only recently
finding its way to North America. Using only the water you need to discharge
waste makes great environmental sense.

 

A study by the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corp. found that flushing the toilet accounts for approximately 30% of total residential indoor water use. The study showed that dual-flush toilets reduce volume by 68% percent in single-family homes, and that  85% of users rated them either “good” or “satisfactory” for appearance, clearing solids and clearing liquids.

 

http://go-to.realtor.org/r/XTDRUV/ZBFIU/G2F8R/P187C/YO8TD/CM/h

The American Solar Energy Society is Honored

Dear Solar Supporter,

Your hard work is being honored.

The American Solar Energy Society has been officially inducted into the Environmental Hall of Fame! This special event in Chicago recognizes ASES’ more than 50 years of leadership and dedication to creating a sustainable energy economy.

But this distinguished award really belongs to you.

Your support and passion provides the fuel that powers ASES’ efforts. Together we’re working to increase the use of solar energy, to generate green jobs, and to tackle climate change. Thanks to dedicated supporters like you we’re advancing cutting-edge research and promoting the education and outreach that’s leading the renewable energy revolution. 

Thank you.

You’re a key part of our success — and you now have a place in the Environmental Hall of Fame. We appreciate all that you do to support ASES and to create a more sustainable energy economy.

Best regards,

Neal Lurie
American Solar Energy Society

A GLOSSARY OF GREEN LIVING TERMS

A GLOSSARY OF GREEN LIVING TERMS

A glossary of green living terms. Be green + grow:

· 2000-watt society — The 2000-watt society (2,000-Watt Society) is a vision, originated by the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Zürich at the end of 1998, in which each person in the developed world would cut their over-all rate of energy use to an average of no more than 2,000 watts (i.e. 17,520 kilowatt-hours per year of all energy use, not only electrical) by the year 2050, without lowering their standard of living.

· Carbon Diet — A carbon diet refers to reducing the impact on climate change by reducing greenhouse gas (principally CO2) production.

· Carbon Footprint — A carbon footprint is a measure of the impact that human activities have on the environment in terms of the amount of greenhouse gases produced, measured in units of carbon dioxide gases produced by the burning of fossil fuels for our everyday living.

· Carbon Intensity — The ratio of Carbon Dioxide to energy: a measure of the “greenness” of different fuels.

· Chief Green Officer — A Chief Green Officer (CGO), or Chief Environmental Commitment Officer (CECO), is a corporate officer responsible for implementing and managing the corporation’s commitment to reducing its carbon footprint and protecting the environment.

· Dual-flush toilet — A type of water-conserving toilet that is relatively common in the commercial sphere but is only now becoming available for the home. After each use you have a choice of low flush (using as little as 0.8 gallon) or a more powerful flush (about 1.8 gallons).

· Earthcheck – An adaptable environmental benchmarking tool that measures an organizations environmental output. This is done across a variety of areas, including energy consumption, waste production and resource conservation for the core areas of an organizations operation.

· Ecological Footprint — a measure of human demand on the Earth’s ecosystems. It compares human demand with planet Earth’s ecological capacity to regenerate it. It represents the amount of biologically productive land and sea area needed to regenerate the resources a human population consumes and to absorb and render harmless the corresponding waste, given prevailing technology and resource management practice. Using this assessment, it is possible to estimate how many planet Earths it would take to support humanity if everybody lived a given lifestyle.

· Ecosharing – is an environmental ethic for people to live by: that their own impact on the Earth’s biosphere be limited to no more than their own fair ecoshare.

· Energy Neutral Design - an Energy Neutral Design is a design of any type (Website, Multi-media, Architecture, Art, Music, Entertainment, etc) that has the environment and low energy consumption practices in mind during all stages of planning and production.

· Energy Policy – The manner in which a given entity (often governmental) has decided to address issues of energy development including energy production, distribution and consumption. The attributes of energy policy may include legislation, international treaties, incentives to investment, guidelines for energy conservation, taxation and other public policy techniques.

· Energy Star (www.energy star.gov) — An energy-efficiency rating system sponsored by the Environmental Protection Agency. A high Energy Star rating means that the product — from small household appliances to entire homes — is designed to minimize its energy consumption. The theory being, using as little energy as possible helps protect the environment, conserves fossil fuels and saves you money on the electric bill.

· Forest Stewardship Council (www.fsc.org) — A third-party certification for wood, wood products and forests. The FSC tracks the wood from its forest of origin all the way through the chain of custody to where the product is sold. If a product is FSC certified, you can count on its having been harvested and produced in a stringently eco-sensitive manner.

· Formaldehyde — A toxin found in many adhesives, such as those in plywood and panel board; it also can be found in paints, caulks and other building materials. The World Health Organization recently upgraded it from a possible carcinogen to a known one. When present in the home, it tends to “off-gas” and pollute the indoor environment.

• Global Warming — The increase in the average measured temperature of the Earth’s near-surface air and oceans since the mid-20th century, and its projected continuation. In media, it is synonymous with the term “climate change.”

· Greenhouse Debt - The measure to which an individual person, incorporated association, business enterprise, government instrumentality or geographic community exceeds its permitted greenhouse footprint and contributes greenhouse gases that contribute to global warming and climate change.

· Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design (www.usgbc.org/leed) — Developed and administered by the U.S. Green Building Council, the LEED rating is the most widely known and accepted green certification program.

· Life Cycle Analysis — The process of tracing a product, material or practice from its origin through its final disposal or reuse, from factory to landfill or recycling plant.

· Linoleum – A natural and eco-sensitive alternative to petrochemical-based vinyl. Linoleum is typically made from the renewable materials jute (used for backing), linseed oil, pine resin and sawdust. Eclipsed by vinyl in the 1960s and ’70s, it’s now experiencing a revival; it comes in both sheets and tiles, in a wide variety of colors.

· Low Carbon Diet — A low carbon diet refers to making lifestyle choices to reduce the greenhouse gas emissions resulting from energy use.[1] More specifically, a low carbon diet refers to making choices about eating that reduce greenhouse gas emissions (GHGe) as a response to estimates that the U.S. food system is responsible for at least 20 percent of U.S. greenhouse gases.

· Low-flow faucets and shower heads – Installing low-flow fixtures is a simple and cheap way to conserve water. If you’re in love with your current faucets and shower heads, you can instead choose to amend them by installing aerators, which slow the flow and disperse water. These simple steps can reduce water use by about 10%.

· Off-gassing – Also known as outgassing, this is the emission of chemicals from building materials, furniture, textiles, bedding or other products in the home. Many of those “new house” smells that we’ve come to enjoy are actually hazardous to our health — they accumulate in the bloodstream and have been linked by some scientists to the increasing rates of asthma and some cancers, particularly in children. The best way to avoid off-gassing is to look for natural products that don’t contain toxins such as formaldehyde.

· Recycled content — Refers to the amount of recycled (reused) material in a given product. There is post-industrial recycled content, which refers to the use of scraps from industrial manufacturing, and post-consumer content, which is the reuse of products that consumers have used and thrown away.

· Solar — Simply put, solar processes harness energy from the sun. The solar panels that most of us associate with solar energy are called photovoltaic panels; they transform the sun’s rays into usable electricity. Solar thermal processes can be used to heat our hot water. Technological advances in recent years have made both photovoltaic and solar thermal systems amazingly effective. And prices are more affordable nowadays, in part because many utility companies and local governments offer rebate programs that lower the initial costs of purchase and installation.

· Water Footprint — an indicator of water use that includes both direct and indirect water use of a consumer or producer. The water footprint of an individual, community or business is defined as the total volume of freshwater that is used to produce the goods and services consumed by the individual or community or produced by the business. Water use is measured in water volume consumed (evaporated) and/or polluted per unit of time. A water footprint can be calculated for any well-defined group of consumers (e.g. an individual, family, village, city, province, state or nation) or producers (e.g. a public organization, private enterprise or economic sector). The water footprint is a geographically explicit indicator, not only showing volumes of water use and pollution, but also the locations.

· Weighted Average Cost of Carbon — A term used in finance to measure a firm’s specific cost of carbon. It expresses how much an organization is expending to either reduce carbon emissions internally (abatement) or offsetting externally (carbon offset). As such, the weighted average cost of carbon is the cost a company incurs to balance its carbon liability (carbon footprint).

· Volatile Organic Compounds — The toxic or noxious chemicals that are found in or released from paints, stains, adhesives and sealants. Whenever possible, look for products labeled as having low, no or zero VOCs.

Please help us add to this list.

Info courtesy of:

http://www.globalgreen.org/gbrc/

http://wikipedia.org