Southern California Green Real Estate Blog

LOS ANGELES WINS THE ENERGY STAR GREEN PRIZE

LOS ANGELES WINS THE ENERGY STAR GREEN PRIZE

By Jodi Summers

Yeah for us! Los is the most Energy Star efficient city in the United States!

This information comes courtesy of our government. The latest U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) index of the 25 U.S. cities with the most Energy Star buildings. Los Angeles leads the list with more than 260 buildings encompassing 74 million square feet, or about as much floor space as 27 Empire State buildings.

“We’re setting the green standard in LA. Reducing our carbon footprint by 35 percent below 1990 levels is the most ambitious goal set by a major American city,” stated Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa.

The goal for the city’s GREEN LA imitative is to reduce Los Angeles’ greenhouse gas emissions by 35 percent below 1990 levels by 2030. This target is greatest reduction target of any large U.S. city. The core of GREEN LA is increasing the city’s use of renewable energy to 35 percent by 2020.

San Francisco, Houston, Washington, DC, and Dallas-Fort Worth round out the top five.

“Energy Star buildings typically use 35 percent less energy and emit 35 percent less greenhouse gases than average buildings,” noted EPA administrator Lisa Jackson. “They are saving energy, saving money and protecting our environment.”

The EPA noted that Energy Star buildings in just the top five cities have saved more than $315 million in energy costs.

The list did have some surprises. Big East Coast hubs did not fare well, with just two — Washington, DC, and Atlanta — placing in the top 10. In fact, the total number of Energy Star buildings in New York (#12), Boston (11), Philadelphia (17) and Miami (23) was less than the number in Los Angeles, EPA reported.

Also being savvy enough to make the list were several smaller, Midwestern cities where energy tends to be cheaper, such as Grand Rapids, MI, and Madison, WI.

Details courtesy of http://www.costar.com/News/Article.aspx?id=0F9ACA2C00BDA94C9DB4DED0A6B19C9B&ref=100&iid=123&cid=383F14EEE265B182474DA2442BACBBBF

http://www.ens-newswire.com/ens/may2007/2007-05-15-01.asp

http://www.daylife.com/topic/Antonio_Villaraigosa

LEED WORKSHOPS 4 U

Two exciting US Green Building Council workshops have been added on Thursday, April 16, 2009, the day following the 8th Annual Municipal Green Building Conference and Expo.

LEED Core Concepts and Strategies - Thursday, April 16 -  8.30 am to 5.00 pm

Registration and Continental Breakfast available at 8:00 a.m. (Lunch included)

This workshop provides essential knowledge of the LEED Rating Systems and energy efficient, sustainable building concepts for those seeking a better understanding of LEED or pursuing GBCI’s LEED Green Associate (Tier I) credential. By presenting LEED concepts at the credit category level across building types and rating systems, and basics on the building certification process, this workshop provides the foundation required for any 300-level LEED education offering. Real project examples help demonstrate and reinforce learning.

LEARNING OBJECTIVES: After completing this course, you will be able to:

• Identify the key components of the LEED Rating System
• Discuss overall LEED Certification process
• Describe the intents and associated concepts of each LEED credit category
• Recognize successful LEED strategies and measurements for achieving credit category goals
• Explain regulations, recognitions and incentives related to each credit category
• Prepare for the LEED Green Associate exam

WHO SHOULD ATTEND? 

Any and all industry professionals seeking to use LEED to build green or to provide services  to the building industry:

• Design Professionals
• Real Estate Professionals
• Building Owners
• Service Providers
• Product Manufacturers
• Government Officials
• Contractors
• Tenants
• Educators

LEARNING LEVEL: Familiarity with USGBC and LEED, or USGBC’s “Green Building Basics and LEED” instructor-led workshop or online program.

Managing LEED Documentation - Thursday, April 16, 2009 8.30 AM - 12.30 PM 

Registration and Continental Breakfast at 8:00 a.m. (Lunch provided)

Submitting the documentation for energy efficient, sustainable buildings takes a special skill. This course is designed for design, construction, and operations professionals who want to build on their existing knowledge of LEED with in-depth instruction on the LEED submittals, how to manage documentation and using LEED Online. After completing this course, you will be able to:

• Manage the documentation process for LEED certification, including the use of LEED Online
• Guide project team members on effective documentation management practices
• Identify and correct common mistakes in LEED documentation
• Anticipate challenging LEED credits and effectively manage them

WHO SHOULD ATTEND? Project team members new to the LEED documentation process or who need additional support.

LEARNING LEVEL: This is a 300-level course. Consider Green Building Basics and LEED or LEED for New Construction Technical Review as prerequisites.

For registration and fees for the events: CLICK HERE

These events are sponsored by The Gas Company in association with USGBC-LA.

David Stevens
Energy Resource Center
Southern California Gas Company
562-803-7435

2008 Sustainability Awards

Green Building Pages has announced the 2008 Benchmarking Sustainability Product Awards
raising the bar, recognizing transparency, and product manufacturers’  achievements in reducing the global environmental impacts of their products, creating a more sustainable world.

2008 Production & Manufacturing Award

GLI Systems - Rain Tube

2008 Installation, Use & Maintenance Award

EcoTimber - Hand-Scraped Flooring, Exotics, Classics
Thermaflex - EverClean
Trim Technologies - Trim Tech
Allmet Roofing Products - Signature Series
VITRASTONE - ViTRASTONE
GLI Systems - RainTube

2008 End of Product Life Award

Liberty Valley Doors - Rediscovered Wood Doors
GLI Systems - RainTube
Pacific Coast Lumber - Urban Forestry Products

2008 Social Sustainability Award

GLI Systems - Rain Tube

2008 Innovative Achievement Award

Herman Miller - Celle, Mirra, My Studio Environments
Interface - Interface FLOR
Interface - Bentley Prince Street Cool Carpet

2008  Global Climate Award

GLI Systems - RainTube

These product manufacturers have achieved exemplary performance against comprehensive Green Building Pages Benchmarking Sustainability evaluation criteria, in alignment with the ASTM-E2129 and the Sustainable Materials Rating Technology (SMaRT) building product consensus standard recognized by the U.S. Green Building Council.

ASES OFFERS ENERGY POLICIES TO SPEED THE RECOVERY

ASES OFFERS ENERGY POLICIES TO SPEED THE RECOVERY

By Brad Collins

The American Solar Energy Society has assembled some of the nation’s leading experts on renewable energy and energy efficiency to develop, scrutinize, and refine these recommendations. The goal was to provide a menu of policies needed to propel the U.S. economy and tackle climate change.

These policy recommendations can generate a total of 37 million jobs in renewable energy and energy efficiency in the U.S. by 2030 - while reducing greenhouse gas emissions 80 percent by 2050 (compared to 2006 levels).

Here’s an overview of the seven areas addressed in this policy document:

·         CARBON EMISSIONS: Establish an upstream ‘cap and auction’ system to regulate carbon and other greenhouse gases at the points where they first enter the energy economy. The allocation should be auctioned to avoid a windfall to existing emitters.

·         BUILDINGS: Adopt the Architecture 2030 target of reducing energy consumption in all new buildings and retrofits by 50% compared with the regional average, advancing to carbon neutral buildings by 2030.

·         RENEWABLE ELECTRICITY: Establish national renewable portfolio standards (RPS) reaching at least 50% of total electric generation by 2030. Establish the federal RPS as a floor and encourage state RPS and/or feed-in tariffs to exceed federal standards.

·         TRANSPORTATION: Establish national targets and supporting policies to end dependence on foreign oil by 2025. A total of 22 supporting policies and actions are specified in the report.

·         SMART GRID & GREEN TRANSMISSION: Conduct nationally coordinated large-scale transmission studies. Establish national standards to enable smart grid development and require smart grid plans and investment as prerequisites for states to access carbon auction revenues.

·         GREEN ECONOMY & WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT: Establish an aggressive set of federal drivers for the green economy, including a national renewable energy standard with a solar set aside, tax incentives for the creation of domestic renewable energy and energy efficiency jobs, and a domestic green job corps.

·         FEDERAL LEADERSHIP: Further establish the federal government as a leader in the procurement of new renewable energy resources and in improving the energy efficiency of vehicles and buildings to reduce energy use and greenhouse gas emissions. Move to end subsidies for mature energy industries.

Get the policy document with the details and analysis here: www.ases.org/policy2009

March for Water

GREEN LEASING TOOL KIT

GREEN LEASING TOOL KIT

By Jodi Summers

Studies and Awards are praising green commercial buildings for creating higher occupancy rates, stronger rents and higher sales prices. As we’re in a down market for leasing, those in the know want to share, so the California Sustainability Alliance has developed and test strategies to green California’s commercial office space. This effort focuses on “green leasing”, i.e., integrating sustainability practices into the entire commercial leasing process. The Green Leasing Toolkit 2.0 includes insight on service provider selection; marketing of buildings, development of green specifications; request for proposal (RFP) and letter of intent (LOI) drafting; site selection and due diligence; and the negotiation and drafting of realistic and enforceable lease language.

The tools offered in Green Leasing Toolkit 2.0 are relatively easy to implement. These tools can be used by both landlords and tenants who manage or occupy large portfolios of facilities as well as small business owners and landlords who hope to green an individual building.

The Toolkit supports tenants and landlords in the following ways:

* Educating their organizations

* Developing their own green leasing policies and requirements

* Communicating policies and requirements to the market

* Measuring and comparing the green attributes of different buildings

* Developing specific lease language

http://sustainca.org/green_leases_toolkit

http://www.socalgreenrealestateblog.com/?p=52

Southern California Residents Should Still be Weary of Asbestos in the Home

This post was submitted by the Mesothelioma Cancer Center - http://www.asbestos.com/

Southern California Residents Should Still be Weary of Asbestos in the Home

Highly sought after throughout the 20^th century, asbestos gained heavy use due to its fire, heat and weather resistant qualities. It was an ideal candidate for the needs of construction and building industries. With a strong economy in ship building, asbestos use was extremely heavy.

Many citizens became aware of the harmful health affects that can arise as a result of prolonged exposure to asbestos. Even though asbestos use has decreased substantially in the United States since 1980, homes and buildings built prior to that time still could harbor asbestos-containing materials. Citizens of Southern California who are seeking to purchase or remodel older homes should be aware that there are many eco-friendly, green alternatives that replace the need for asbestos.

California’s economy has garnered much success in industries such as ship building, power generation and mining. The real estate industry has also encountered asbestos problems. Occurring naturally in 44 of California’s 58 counties, citizens of California are no strangers to asbestos. Although asbestos exposure does not always lead to a related illness, it will greatly increase those odds. The inhalation of airborne asbestos fibers can cause serious health ailments such as asbestosis and mesothelioma. Asbestos exposure can cause a severe lung ailment known as mesothelioma. This aggressive form of asbestos cancer accounts for nearly three percent of all cancer diagnoses in the country. Mesothelioma treatment is unfortunately almost always unsuccessful and physician prognosis is poor. One of the more difficult diseases to accurately diagnose, many symptoms of mesothelioma do not appear for up to 20 to 50 years…

…As responsible inhabitants of Earth, we are obligated to nurture and sustain this planet. These options include the use of recycled building materials like cotton fiber, cellulose and lcynene.

Implementing eco-friendly materials will also result in a decrease in energy costs and help maintain southern California’s beautiful environment. The United States Environmental Program states that that cotton fiber insulation can reduce costs anywhere from 25 to 35 percent annually. Not only do these alternatives save you money, they allow a lifestyle free of health corroding materials.

Removal of asbestos in any type of location must be performed by licensed abatement contractors who are trained in handling toxic materials. Despite knowledge of the state’s asbestos problems, many communities throughout California still find themselves constructed atop asbestos deposits. . Environment California is a public organization that administers a number of programs which are aimed at preventing asbestos exposure in public facilities, workplaces and homes. They also advocate pro-environmental policies to help the move to a green paradigm.