Southern California Green Real Estate Blog

Global Green International Trade Show

Mark your Calendars: 27 thru 30 Want to Exhibit? Click here…   Let’s save our planet! The Global Green International Trade Show is the most exciting event of the year that focuses on environmental protection. We are bringing together manufacturers, buyers, inventors and investors from around the world to one big celebratory event to usher in the new era of environmental protection that is about to begin. We are inviting the general public to attend for FREE with pre-ordered tickets that can be obtained by filling out our online form. Don’t miss your chance to participate and learn about new technologies and ideas geared towards environmental protection. This Trade Show breaks new ground with workshops and conferences, bringing various entities together in the fight to improve our environment. We are inviting educators, consumers, government representatives and other groups to interact and work toward a positive change. Please visit our website, sign up to our newsletter, reserve a booth, order free tickets, and learn more about this ground breaking event!

You can help us spread the word… Download the file below (just click at the image to get the PDF) and send it to all your friends, co-workers and family members. You can freely print and distribute as many copies as you desire, or send it by e-mail to everyone you know… You can also use our automated Send to a Friend tool at the Trade Show Web Site to simplify this task. Your assistance is very important. The environment needs our help too!

INSTALLING SOLAR FILMS CUT UTILITY EXPENSES

INSTALLING SOLAR FILMS CUT UTILITY EXPENSES

 by Jodi Summers

Thin solar films are now covering the windows of office buildings around the country, reducing the temperature inside, cutting back on cooling costs and increasing user comfort.

The newer, thinner, solar films being placed over the building’s glass that is completely clear, yet cuts ultraviolet and infrared light. “This is a clear film that takes your window and makes it into a smart window,” says Dan Venet, executive vice president of CHB Industries. “It’s nice to have natural light coming in, and gives you an opportunity to reduce your lighting needs.”

Earlier versions of this film kept out heat, but the tint created a gloomy environment, something you don’t need more of in the northern part of the country. Newer solar films take advantage of technology that filters out UVA and UVB rays, while reflecting infrared radiation. That reflection reduces 55% of the sun’s heat without affecting the visible spectrum of light – a giant leap for mankind.

Key is the clarity of the new films, which allow in maximum light and decreases energy consumption.

“We’ve had tenants put no lighting in perimeter offices because of that,” notes Herb Gonzalez, a property manager at L&L Holding Co., about how the new film impacts office buildings. “We notice a significant heat rise in areas not yet filmed. We find it does cool the building.”

The technology has advanced to the point that some films not only will block light, they also contain ultra-thin photovoltaics to allow the film to produce energy. The payback period on solar films varies by region. In the West, payback can range from six months to three years, Smith observed.

The October 2008 Emergency Economic Stabilization Act allows tax credits for homeowners who install energy efficient improvements in 2009, with window films possibly qualifying, according to the International Window Film Association (IWFA), in Martinsville, VA. Commercial real estate, however faces greater economic challenges.

“There’s a tremendous amount of interest,” with the recent spikes in the price of oil, says Darrell Smith, executive director of the IWFA. “But the same people who are worried about energy bills also are worried about layoffs.”

http://www.globest.com/news/1342_1342/insider/176890-1.html

http://www.euroguard-spain.com/solar-film.html

http://www.protint.ca/ComResInd.htm

http://www.windowfilmdepot.com/blog/index.php

SUPERMARKETS GO GREEN

SUPERMARKETS GO GREEN

By Jodi Summers

In SoCal, we think we’re so green with Whole Foods and other green grocers, but the Cub Foods in St. Paul, MN, is going for LEED Gold certification from the US Green Building Council – making Cub Foods the second LEED Gold grocery store in the United States–to do so. (Giant Eagle in Columbus, Ohio is the first.)

The 62,900-square-foot Cub Foods store boasts 44 skylights that will illuminate 75% of regularly occupied spaces, using a solar-powered GPS system that redirects sunlight as needed. LED lights are used exclusively in the parking lot.

“We never intended for this story to be green,” says Lee Ann Jorgenson, a community relations manager of Stillwater, MN-based Cub Foods. But President Brian Huff suggested the possibility and the process took off from there, she noted.

Other techniques used at the store include recycling half the waste from demolished buildings on the site, a water-saving landscape irrigation system, and recycling of building construction materials. But those technologies can be used at many other building types.

Because they sell food and other perishable items, supermarkets have special needs require adaptation to be ‘green’. Cub Foods has received an award from the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) GreenChill Partnership at Gold-Level Certification. The award is given for outstanding use of environmentally friendly refrigeration technology. Even lighting refrigerated cases can be managed.

“Our cases use lights that are triggered by motion,” Jorgenson says. The result for all initiatives is a 35% savings on energy.

Packaging is also another important area for sustainability. Johnson Diversey is producing a highly concentrated sanitizer for sinks that automatically dispenses the proper amount of cleaner while reducing the amount of plastic in the store.

Cub Foods is not alone in pursuing sustainability. Corporate parent Supervalu also is building sustainable stores among its other banners, including testing a natural-gas powered fuel cell for its refrigeration system in a Star Market in Newton, MA. Stop & Shop, too, is building sustainable stores, and Fred Meyer hopes to achieve LEED Silver status for a unit in southeast Portland, OR. If it succeeds, the store would be the first grocer in Oregon and parent Kroger’s first unit to do so.

“There is certainly a great deal of interest in building green stores,” says Jeanne von Zastrow, a senior director overseeing sustainability efforts of the Food Marketing Institute, Arlington, VA. “About two years ago, we saw that our member companies wanted assistance to understand this issue.”

The notoriously tight-margin business must carefully track each expenditure, so FMI has created materials for executives to justify the return on investment of green building.

These include simplified carbon calculators to allow companies to assess their energy usage and emissions over a portfolio.

If your grocery store would like consultation, please contact us.

http://www.greenerbuildings.com/news/2008/10/17/giant-eagle

http://www.globest.com/news/1278_1278/insider/175032-1.html

http://www.thefoodtrust.org/…/green.grocery/index.php

http:// www.inspiro.com.au/about_non-woven_fabric.html

http://www.instablogsimages.com/images/2008/02/26/recycled-plastic-clothing_5965.jpg

http://www.newsoftheworld.co.uk/news/article19414.ece

GREEN BUILDING INSIDER SURVEY CONCLUDES THAT COMMERCIAL BUILDERS, BUYERS AND SELLERS FEEL GREEN IS GOOD, LEED IS O.K.

GREEN BUILDING INSIDER SURVEY CONCLUDES THAT COMMERCIAL BUILDERS, BUYERS AND SELLERS FEEL GREEN IS GOOD, LEED IS O.K.

By Jodi Summers

The third annual Allen Matkins/CTG/Green Building Insider Green Building Survey reveals that 93.4% of those surveyed agreed that it is worth the time and effort to build green, but only 66.2% believe that obtaining LEED certification is worth the effort.

More than 900 green building professionals – from design professionals, contractors, subcontractors, construction planners to building owners - completed the survey.

Additional findings in the survey were that designers, owners and contractors each offered differing results when assessing the risks involved in green construction or whether green construction adds to the cost of projects.

Bryan Jackson, chair of the green building and sustainable construction group at the Los Angeles office of the law firm of Allen Matkins Leck Gamble Mallory & Natsis, confided to GlobeSt.com that, “…New LEED requirements being introduced this year include a carbon overlay that should bring many of the survey respondents back into the fold with respect to LEED certification. Another change in the new LEED requirements is that the certification process takes into account regional differences, which should also help the LEED process to regain some of its lost adherents.”

Tools are coming to make communicating green commercial design easier. Building Information Modeling employs computer-aided design to produce three-dimensional models of projects for incorporating green design elements from the very start of and throughout a project. Those surveyed estimate that green construction adds between 1% and 4% to the cost of a project, but those who use can BIM see a better rate of return.

“If you design for green and sustainable elements from the very beginning, you will be able to come out with a project in that could certify to Green, LEED, Gold or Silver without spending any more than conventional construction, which is pretty amazing,” Jackson says.

See the whole survey @ http://www.allenmatkins.com/emails/GreenSurvey/Third%20Annual%20Green%20Building%20Survey_v5.pdf

Info courtesy of:

http://www.globest.com/news/1354_1354/losangeles/177097-1.html

CALIFORNIA’S GREENEST CITIES

CALIFORNIA’S GREENEST CITIES

CALFORNIA IS THE MOST ENERGY EFFICIENT STATE

CALFORNIA IS THE MOST ENERGY EFFICIENT STATE

 by Jodi Summers

According to the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy (ACEEE), California is tops in employing energy efficiency as a way to grow its state economy while meeting electricity demand, combating global warming, and contributing to U.S. energy security. Following California was Oregon, Connecticut, Vermont, New York, Washington State, Minnesota and Massachusetts (tied), Wisconsin, and New Jersey.

The ACEEE based this finding on its State Energy Efficiency Scorecard, which rates and ranks state-level action on model energy efficiency policies, programs, and practices.

“The top ranked states are demonstrating great leadership in promoting energy independence with cost-effective energy efficiency investments,” Maggie Eldridge, a research associate at the organization and lead author of the report, said in a statement announcing the findings. “By setting innovative policies and programs that help consumers save energy, states are using energy efficiency as the first line of defense

against rising energy prices while increasing our nation’s energy security, fostering economic prosperity, and combating global warming.”

In ranking the 50 states and the District of Columbia, ACEEE examined eight energy efficiency policy areas: utility-sector and public benefits programs and policies; transportation policies; building energy codes; combined heat and power; appliance efficiency standards; “lead by example” practices in state facilities and fleets; research, development, and deployment; and financial and information incentives.

“We looked at things like investment in smart growth [development], money spent on public transportation, and tax incentives for hybrid vehicles,” said Max Neubauer, ACEEE policy program research assistant and co-author of the report. Moreover, he adds, the group looked at what percentage of a state’s revenue are spent on energy efficiency and looked at how strict the states enforce the building codes.

As the leader, California scored a 14.5 (out of 20) in the “utility” section and had perfect scores in five other categories, losing two points (out of six) in the transportation section and losing two points (out of three) in the financial and information incentives section. It had a total score of 40.5.

Second-ranked Oregon scored high in the utility section (13.5), but did poorly in the lead by example and research and development sections. It scored a 37 overall.

Connecticut also had high marks in the utility section (15.5), but also lost points in building codes (four out eight), research and development (0.5 out of two), and financial and information incentives (one out of three). Final score was 36.

Vermont scored a near-perfect 19 (out of 20) in utility and public benefits, but its other sections were unimpressive, leading to a score of 33.

The most improved states since last year’s scorecard were Idaho, Florida, Maryland, Ohio, Illinois, Louisiana, Arkansas, and Virginia. “These states have stepped up efforts in various important ways, such as setting aggressive new energy savings targets, ramping up funding for programs, or improving efficiency of the state’s own public buildings and vehicle fleets,” Neubauer explained.

This is the second year that ACEEE has done the scorecard report. The 2008 State Energy Efficiency Scorecard report can be downloaded at

www.aceee.org/pubs/e086.htm.

Info courtesy of:

http://www.acore.org/files/images/ACEEE_2007_logo.jpg

http://www.builderonline.com/energy-efficiency/california-tops-list-of-states-adopting-energy-efficient-policies.aspx?cid=BLDR081215003

http://www.californiagreensolutions.com/images/car.jpg