Southern California Green Real Estate Blog

PUBLIC COMMENT ON LEED FOR NEIGHBORHOOD DEVELOPMENT DESIRED

by Jodi Summers

In their own green way, the U.S. Green Building Council values your opinion. And now, they have opened a second public comment period for LEED for Neighborhood Development. Make your voice heard on neighborhood greening through Sunday, June 14, at 11:59 p.m. PDT.

See http://lists.usgbc.org/t/943571/18403397/91/0/ to submit your comments.

During the first public comment period, the US Green Building Council received more than 5,000 comments. Reponses are said to be posted at the above link.

The LEED http://lists.usgbc.org/t/943571/18403397/1552/0/ for Neighborhood Development rating system integrates the principles of smart growth, new urbanism and green building into the first national rating system for neighborhood design.

The program is the result of a collaboration among USGBC, the Congress for the New Urbanism, and the Natural Resources Defense Council. The rating system has been in pilot since July 2007, with nearly 240 projects participating. Feedback gathered from those projects, as well as countless hours of USGBC volunteers’ time, have led to the current, more-sophisticated and market-responsive draft of LEED for Neighborhood Development.

THE LOS ANGELES CLEAN TECH CORRIDOR WILL MAKE L.A. THE LEADER IN GREEN TECHNOLOGY

By Jodi Summers

Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa and the Community Redevelopment Agency (CRA/LA) hope to transform L.A. into ‘the global capital of clean technology.” The goal is to transform the manufacturing corridor east of downtown into the center of green innovation. The mayor and his team are marketing this industrial parcel, dubbed the CleanTech Manufacturing Center, as a green business incubator, the way Silicon Valley hatched technology.

“We will make clean tech as synonymous with LA as motion pictures,” Mayor Villaraigosa boldly declared. “We will make LA the capital of green technology … and transform the city into a laboratory for green development.”

The CleanTech Corridor city planners envision spans 2,236 acres — about 10% railroad-owned — east of Alameda Street, and is accessible by the Metro Gold Line. It begins at a swath of land straddling the L.A. River, near Los Angeles State Historic Park (the former Cornfield), that Councilman Ed Reyes hopes to transform into a neighborhood where bicycles and pedestrians would rule and carbon emissions would be cut by 35%. Then it runs south through the site of a future Department of Water and Power research center into the Artists-in-Residence district, which stretches from Alameda to the river and from 1st Street to south of 7th Street. The vacant CleanTech Manufacturing site at Santa Fe Avenue and 15th Street, just south of the 10 Freeway, forms the corridor’s southern anchor.

“…The City is standing with the world-class academic institutions of Los Angeles and our dynamic business community to stake a claim as a global leader in the clean and green technologies that will drive the 21st century economy,” the mayor pronounced. “From R&D to manufacturing to design, this partnership taps into the creative assets and innovative spirit of our City to foster new industry and spur job growth.”

Of course, there are no local funds to make this conversion happen, so the city of Los Angeles will be calling for private investment and money from state and federal sources,

Last fall, CRA officials and the mayor’s business team began courting clean technology companies — talking up the purchasing power of the city’s public utilities, as well as the array of federal, state and city tax incentives available to business.

More than 100 companies, from solar and electric car manufacturers to a garment recycling business, expressed interest in the CleanTech site, which the city purchased from the state last April for $14 million.

“The Los Angeles Business Council believes that attracting green-tech companies will be a prime economic driver for the region,” said Los Angeles Business Council President Mary Leslie. “We were proud to launch the website CleanTechLA.org at our Sustainability Summit last year and look forward to continuing our partnership with the consortium to build a vibrant green economy in Los Angeles.”

For capitalist development, the Los Angeles Times reports that the most intensive push has been for an Italian rail manufacturer, AnsaldoBreda, which is angling for a $300-million rail car construction contract with the Metropolitan Transportation Authority. If it secures the contract, AnsaldoBreda has promised to build a $70-million manufacturing plant. The contract is controversial because some MTA officials have been unhappy with the company’s performance in meeting rail car contract specifications in the past, but the company has several political insiders in town pushing this deal, said to be Los Angeles County Federation of Labor lobbyist Chris Lehane, and the green building company Shangri-LA Construction, founded by prominent Democratic contributor and Villaraigosa donor Steven Bing.

More altruistically, farther north in the corridor, a DWP research center focusing on renewable energy, climate change and water intended to attract companies that want to work with area universities.

Dubbed CleanTech Los Angeles, the city is seeking to create a research alliance (not unlike the Department of Energy’s Commercial Building Energy Alliances) involving local area educational institutions, with major roles being played by the California Institute of Technology, University of California Los Angeles and the University of Southern California, among others.

“I’ve often said that Los Angeles may have the best collection of intellectual talent of any county in the nation. I believe it’s important to invest our intellectual capital in programs that enhance the quality of life for all of our citizens” noted University of Southern California President Steven Sample. “USC is delighted to partner with our colleagues in higher education, and with our friends from the public sector and from private business, to help make Los Angeles the greenest city in America.”

“Broader recognition of Los Angeles as a global regional center of science and engineering research and clean technology development bodes well for its economic competitiveness in a rapidly changing world,” added Dr. Jean-Lou Chameau, President of the California Institute of Technology.

The cluster of laboratories would be housed in an old transformer warehouse overlooking the river on the DWP’s Main Street site, and the DWP recently secured a private donation that will allow the department to perform a $4.5-million “green retrofit” of the building.

Among the projects planned: development of aerospace technology with Caltech and NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory that would help the DWP better measure snowpack in the Eastern Sierra and dust in the Owens Valley.

In the basement of the DWP building, UCLA would build a wind tunnel testing facility. Meanwhile, USC is exploring the site as a home for a research institute that would study how to make data centers more energy efficient.

“The city really provides a platform to have a lot of technologies tested,” said John X. Chen, the DWP’s executive director of customer service and water conservation. He said the city will be spending billions of dollars trying to reach the mayor’s renewable energy goals. For those reasons, he argued that when competing for grants, “We will be very, very competitive against anybody out there.”

And, you can’t have business without housing nearby. At the northern end of the corridor, the Cornfield/Arroyo Seco specific plan area spans more than 600 acres — from Los Angeles State Historic Park, across the river into Lincoln Heights. It will be one of those picture pretty pedestrian- and cyclist-centered neighborhood

The city would also place special restrictions on developers within a mile of the river, requiring open space and measures to reduce carbon emissions in the neighborhood.

FYI…The L.A. Times notes that the CleanTech corridor is a critical component of the mayor’s “green jobs” agenda as he eyes a probable run for governor in 2010. And it could be a test of his pledge to transform Los Angeles into “the greenest and cleanest big city in the nation,” drawing more than a third of its electrical power from renewable sources by 2020.

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http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-clean-tech28-2009apr28,0,669366,print.story

http://www.ioe.ucla.edu/news/article.asp?parentid=3347

http://www.today.ucla.edu/portal/ut/la-to-become-the-capital-of-green-88893.aspx

http://cleantechlosangeles.org/

http://www.lachamber.com/clientuploads/EWE_committee/RFI_FINAL_9_16_2008.pdf

http://www.zimbio.com/pictures/hoDaoA3nwB-/Mayor+Antonio+Villaraigosa+Votes+Election/jvGcHFcTcLF/Antonio+Villaraigosa

THE GOVERNMENT’S COMMERCIAL PROPERTY ENERGY GOAL: TO MAKE BUILDINGS NET ZERO BY 2025

By Jodi Summers

The US Department of Energy wants to reduce the amount of energy used by commercial buildings from about 19% of total US energy consumption to 0% by 2025.

To achieve this goal (watch, Santa Monica), the DOE is offering solutions sector by sector, dialoguing with owners and developers about ways to capitalize on new technologies and reduce energy consumption,.

The DOE kicked off its Zero-Net Energy Commercial Building Initiative lastyear by establishing the National Laboratory Collaborative on Building Technologies and developing the Commercial Building Energy Alliances.

The objective of the Alliance is to share best practices and practical experiences in energy efficiency.

The Commercial Building Initiative focuses on “turning tomorrow’s buildings into domestic energy assets by constructing energy-efficient, high-performancebuildings that expeditiously and cost-effectively achieve sustainable carbon reductions and enable, through energy-efficient buildings, higher ROIs for building owners and occupants as well as to economy as a whole.” - Official word from says Drury B. Crawley, team leader in commercial buildings research and development for the DOE’s Building Technology Programs.

The rollout was a collaboration between U.S. Department of Energy and 19 commercial real estate companies, with the goal of linking building owners to the latest efficiency research and technologies from the agency’s laboratories. High profile retailers including Wal-Mart, Target and Macy’s have become involved in the Retailer Energy Alliance.

The DOE proudly notes that this “public-private partnership designed to minimize the energy consumption and environmental impact of commercial buildings.”

The focus of thе latest phase of the Alliance is to minimize energy use in leased space, offices, shopping malls and the hospitality industry.

Kudos to the DOE for this bold attempt to curtail usage in properties that involve so many random people passing through who give no thought to the building itself.

With commercial buildings comprising roughly 18 percent of the country’s energy consumption, the DOE feels that commercial holdings represent a large opportunity to cut usage. Best practices are shared and the alliance, and the goal is to serve an industry voice to advocate for more energy efficient equipment from the nation’s building materials suppliers.

Henry Chamberlain, president and COO of Building Owners and Managers Assoc. International, called the Alliance “a catalyst for long-term change” that can reduce the use of energy, cut greenhouse gases and drive innovation in the marketplace.

Each Commercial Building Energy Alliance brings together industry experts who can influence the energy footprints of the companies or institutions they represent. Members discuss energy challenges, share non-proprietary information, conduct energy saving assessments and cut the cost of high-efficiency building equipment through group purchases. They can also benefit from the technical assistance of the DOE.

The DOE has already created a steering committee for the next Commercial Building Energy Alliance, which will examine energy use in hospitals. The DOE describes the nation’s 8,000 hospitals as among its “most energy intensive commercial buildings, with more than 2.5 times the energy intensity and carbon dioxide emissions of office buildings. Unlike most other commercial buildings, hospitals are operational 24 hours a day, seven days a week and provide services even during power outages, natural disasters…”

All alliances are part of the DOE’s Net-Zero Energy Commercial Building Initiative targeting zero-energy commercial buildings by 2025.

Go to http://www1.eere.energy.gov/buildings/tax_commercial.htmlFor tax deductions that are available for improving the energy efficiency of commercial buildings, as well as links to qualified software available for calculating the savings.

The Net-Zero Energy Commercial Building Initiative was signed into law by former President Bush as part of the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007, and is authorized for more than $1 billion in federal funds over the next decade. DOE committed $15 million last year to the program’s first phase, a research project involving two national laboratories and 21 companies that will produce new and retrofitted buildings with significant cuts in energy consumption.

Tools:

The DOE has taken a number of steps to encourage energy efficiency in the design of new buildings. EnergyPlus is an energy modeling tool, which is augmented by OpenStudio, a plug-in for the Google SketchUp 3-D drawing program that allows SketchUp to work seamlessly with the EnergyPlus program.

Both are available on the EnergyPlus page of DOE’s Building Technologies Program Web site.

http://apps1.eere.energy.gov/buildings/energyplus/

That site also features a selection of benchmark models for 16 types of building in 16 locations to help designers understand the energy use of similar new buildings- http://www1.eere.energy.gov/buildings/commercial_initiative/new_construction.html

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sources:

http://www.globest.com/news/1391_1391/insider/178282-1.html?type=pf

http://www.energy.gov

http://apps1.eere.energy.gov/news/news_detail.cfm/news_id=12446

http://www.greenbiz.com/news/2009/04/10/doe-forms-commercial-real-estate-alliance

http://www1.eere.energy.gov/buildings/retailer

http://www.ggashrae.org/meetings/2008-2009/speaker_presentations/Crawley.pdf

http://www.costar.com/News/Article.aspx?id=C94B2CDD13C1546D6DBB4F76C65D20B1

http://apps1.eere.energy.gov/news/news_detail.cfm/news_id=12450

http://www1.eere.energy.gov/buildings/commercial_initiative/new_construction.html

http://itecsinsider.com/?tag=green-buildings

http://jcwinnie.biz/wordpress/imageSnag/nzero01.jpg

http://naturalpatriot.org/wp-content/uploads/2007/09/livingroof.jpg

http://www.building.lv/latinzenieris/images/99265_01.jpg

NEW GREEN LEED FOR RETAIL OPTIONS TO BUY SOON

NEW GREEN LEED FOR RETAIL OPTIONS TO BUY SOON

By Jodi Summers

“LEED for Commercial Interiors 2009 is a system for certifying high-performance green retail interiors, and LEED for Retail: New Construction 2009 is designed to guide and distinguish high-performance green retail buildings,” proclaimed the US Green Building Council. “The LEED for Retail rating systems were designed to recognize the unique nature of the retail environment and address the different types of spaces that retailers need for their distinctive product lines.”

Green retail is the next big push from USGBC Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) suite of rating systems. New Construction 2009 and LEED for Retail: Commercial Interiors are now being reviewed by the FCC.

More than 80 individual retailers worked with the USGBC and the LEED Retail Core Committee to formulate the draft. Both systems offer variations on site selection, water efficiency, energy and atmosphere, materials and resources, indoor environmental quality, innovation and design process, and regional priority.

Once confirmed, these new LEED for retail benchmark will join standards for New Construction, Core and Shell, Schools, Existing Buildings: Operations & Maintenance and Commercial Interiors. More systems are planned.

“Much has been invested in the development of these current LEED for Retail draft rating systems and a concerted effort has been made to ensure that both of the LEED for Retail 2009 rating systems capitalize on the existing market momentum while addressing the needs of LEED users,” the USGBC announced. “Most of the structural and technical changes incorporated into LEED for Retail 2009 drafts were also designed to create a rating system that can be part of a continuous improvement cycle.”

Info courtesy of http://www.globest.com/news/1361_1361/insider/177441-1.html

http://www.inhabitat.com/2008/01/06/foliage-covered-building-in-seoul-by-mass-studies-architects

http://worldcentric.org/biocompostables/categories/retail

http://www.sustainablebuildings.gc.ca/default.asp?lang=En&n=75F4A2E5-1

Organizers of America’s Largest Solar Conference and Expo Announce the Opening of Exhibit Space Sales to Public

Organizers of America’s Largest Solar Conference and Expo Announce the Opening of Exhibit Space Sales to Public

Brisk Pace of Solar Power International’s First Day of Exhibit Sales Defies Economic Downturn

Solar Power International organizers quietly opened exhibit space sales to the general public and by the end of the day had booked an astonishing 100 new exhibitors (in addition to the 308 “priority points” exhibitors who had already secured space in advance of the public sale date). In spite of current economic realities, it appears the sixth year of this quintessential industry event, which will be held in Anaheim, California, October 27-29, will prove to be another for the record books. According to the show organizers, Solar Electric Power Association (SEPA) and Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA), the exhibit floor is expected to sell out quickly as potentially 650 companies from around the world gather to showcase their technologies. To date, 128,000 net square feet has been sold-more than last year’s overall total of 87,000 net square feet-to a total of 408 exhibitors.* Overall attendance is expected to top 25,000 in 2009.www.SolarPowerInternational.com.
For exhibit sales questions contact Marilyn Sawyer: msawyer@solarelectricpower.org or call 202-559-2031.www.solarelectricpower.org www.seia.org

“The industry has gained significant momentum in the U.S., especially with the recent eight-year extension of the solar investment tax credit and growing interest from electric utilities worldwide”, said SEPA Executive Director Julia Hamm. “With a new Administration and Congress committed to expanding renewable energy resources and protecting the environment, the U.S. is poised for continued growth of solar energy. And Solar Power International is where it all comes together, covering policy, finance, technology and market opportunities.”

Solar Power International 2009 will feature keynote speeches from world and industry leaders and more than 65 breakout sessions. Together the conference program and exhibit hall encompass the complete range of solar energy technologies, including photovoltaics, concentrating photovoltaics, solar thermal electric, solar hot water, and space heating and cooling. Attendees represent every part of the solar value chain and its customers-including solar industry professionals, utility executives, investors, engineers, and policymakers-with an international contingent representing more than 90 countries. New this year, the exhibit hall will be segmented by product/service type to enhance the experience for attendees in this large trade show.

“The event’s growth has mirrored that of the solar energy industry,” said Rhone Resch, president of SEIA. “Despite a challenging economic climate, we have gained significant momentum in the U.S. Hopes are that with the new administration’s commitment to renewable energy and the environment, policies will be enacted that stimulate domestic solar manufacturing and installation, creating hundreds of thousands of permanent green jobs, while increasing our energy independence and security.”

To purchase booth space, and to read more about the event, please visit

*Solar Power International Statistics:
2008 2009
87,000 net sq. ft. 202,000 net square feet
423 exhibiting companies 650+ exhibiting companies
23,200 attendees 25,000+ attendees expected

The Solar Electric Power Association is comprised of over 550 electric utilities, solar companies, and other industry stakeholders. From research projects and national events, to one-on-one counseling and peer matching services, SEPA is the go-to resource for unbiased and actionable solar intelligence. By bridging the electric utilities and the solar industry, SEPA pushes solar forward more tangibly, one business at a time.

Solar Energy Industries Association is the national trade association of more than 800 solar energy manufacturers, project developers, distributors, contractors, installers, architects, consultants and financiers. Established in 1974, SEIA works to expand the use of solar technologies in the global marketplace, strengthen research and development, remove market barriers, and improve education and outreach for solar.

BUY NEW GREEN HOUSES -THE ECONOMIC RECOVERY WILL DRIVE GREEN BUILDING

BUY NEW GREEN HOUSES -THE ECONOMIC RECOVERY WILL DRIVE GREEN BUILDING

By Jodi Summers

Here’s a good statistic for you - the US market for “green” building materials generated sales of almost $57 billion in 2008. Enthusiastic pundits are predicting this market is projected to expand 7.2% annually to over $80 billion in 2013, outpacing the growth of building construction expenditures over that period. A solid conclusion, since green building is in the forefront of our economic recovery. The fact that the government is leading our green revolution is confirmed in Green Building Materials, a new study from The Freedonia Group, Inc., a Cleveland-based industry research firm.

Sure, green building materials are expected to account for an increasing share of materials used, but the growth of this market will be driven primarily by the recovery of the residential market through 2013 as it rises from its depressed 2008 level.

Among the products that are favored in our new, green recovery are interior products – like lighting, wall and floor coverings, and windows – as opposed to energy efficient renewables that are leading the change.

This trend is confirmed by a National Association of Home Builders survey of multi-family builders and developers made similar conclusions. While 74% of respondents said that their buyers and renters are willing to pay more for green amenities, the median additional amount that they’re willing to pay is just 2%. Some other stats of note: 89% of respondents (again, multi-family builders and developers, nationwide) said they are currently installing energy-efficient appliances and lighting in their projects, 79% are installing low-E windows, 64% are incorporating recycled materials, and 50% are installing greater insulation than required by local code (that figure jumps to 70% among respondents based on the West Coast).

The Freedonia Group report concluded that the largest source of green building materials demand in the next few years will come from green floor coverings. Green carpets and flooring include Green Label Plus-certified carpets and products made from rapidly renewable resources (e.g., bamboo and cork flooring).

Forest Stewardship Council (FSC)-certified wood products will sell out. As controlled forestry moves forward, FSC-certified lumber and wood panels are expected to be the fastest growing green product area. FSC-certified products are produced via environmentally responsible and socially beneficial forestry practices. As supply grows, demand for FSC-certified wood panels is projected to more than triple between 2008 and 2013, growing more than three times as fast as the overall market for wood panels.

Concrete made from recycled materials (e.g., fly ash, blast furnace slag) was the second-in-demand as far as green building materials sales 2008, accounting for over 15% of the market total. The use of recycled materials in concrete not only reduces the volume of waste sent to landfills, but often enhances the performance of the concrete. Going forward, demand for concrete made from recycled materials is forecast to grow 8.4% per year to $14.3 billion in 2013, accounting for an increasing share of total concrete used.

Other products expected to see fast growth through 2013 include water-efficient plumbing fixtures and fittings, and energy-efficient lighting fixtures. Demand for each of these products is forecast to grow at a double-digit pace through 2013, but account for only a small share of total green building materials market.

Sources:

http://www.transworldnews.com/NewsStory.aspx?id=78976&cat=1

http://www.greenbuildingsnyc.com/2008/08/28/green-building-statistics-demand-is-high-design-experience-is-low/

http://www.fypower.org/partners/ilg/statistics/green_building.html

http://greendevelopmentplaybook.net/database/images/display/sb4720d928d50d3.jpg

http://www.inhabitat.com/2009/02/05/is-it-green-concrete/