Southern California Green Real Estate Blog

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1. Current building codes simply aren’t formulated to accommodate the reuse of salvaged materials, leaving well-intentioned green builders caught in a classic Catch-22: As a matter of public policy, many progressive cities encourage the recycling of building materials, yet as a matter of administrative practice they make their use either economically impractical or else outright illegal.

   A common example: Modern codes require safety glazing in all glass doors and in many windows. Yet the overwhelming majority of glass doors gleaned from architectural salvage, along with most of the windows, have plain glass, which cannot comply with these requirements.

   What’s more, the cost of re-glazing, say, a pair of old French doors with code-compliant glass would typically far outstrip their value. Faced with this reality, most homeowners will either install such noncompliant doors on the sly or else abandon the whole idea of using recycled materials and buy new doors instead.

   Comment by Arrol Gellner — June 27, 2008 #

2. As we bear your grace to those who intersect our lives, send along the moneys and the resources for us to accomplish the purpose you have for us in these events.

   Comment by ACFW — June 28, 2008 #

3. Did you know?

   - You can install our Quickmats and your flooring in the same day. We provide one of the easiest products on the market.

   - It fits easily around corners and awkward shaped rooms.

   - We have many products that can be customized for your special requirements. Our floor heating solutions were specifically designed for DIY.

   Comment by Easy Warm Floor — August 22, 2008 #

4. The practice of converting old factories, industrial plants, and commercial spaces into residences is a noble pursuit that benefits communities (by preserving or reviving an area’s history, for example) and the environment (by reducing construction waste). But reusing old buildings also gives savvy architects a chance to explore the full potential of old materials and surfaces. Improvisation is common in such situations, they say, because you never know what material finds an existing structure might yield.

   Comment by Residential Architect Magazine — September 8, 2008 #

5. Enjoy your Greenopia Distinguished Business Welcome Kit with a copy of the guide, window decal and certificate.

   I wanted to personally suggest Greenopia for your holiday gift list this year. The new Los Angeles Second Edition (or any of our other cities) is a great way to extend a very special thank-you to your clients, employees and colleagues—one that will be used again and again. The Greenopia guide is a powerful, useful tool that not only helps the recipient find the eco-friendly products and services to help them green their own lives, but it also helps to support all the other local eco-friendly businesses that have been working hard to do the right thing—just like you!

   I’m attaching a price list that shows our volume discounts and even customization options if you so choose. Your gift can also be assembled in an elegant Natural Sinamay gift envelope customized with a personal note (which can be sold separately or assembled and printed for you).

   Comment by Greenopia — November 22, 2008 #

6. “Before, you could be green by being greedy,” said Jim Wilcox, a professor at the Haas School of Business at the University of California, Berkeley. “Now you’ve really got to rely more on your notions of civic participation.”

   The impact of the downturn on individual recycling efforts varies. Most cities are keeping their recycling programs, in some cases because they are required by law, but also because the economics, while they have soured, still favor recycling over landfills.

   In New York City, for instance, the city is getting paid $10 for a ton of paper, down from $50 or more before October, but it has no plans to cease recycling, said Robert Lange, the city’s recycling director. In Boston, one of the hardest-hit markets, prices are down to $5 a ton, and the city expects it will soon have to pay to unload its paper. But city officials said that would still be better than paying $80 a ton to put it in a landfill.

   Some small towns are refusing to recycle some material, particularly the less lucrative plastics and metals, and experts say more are likely to do so if the price slump persists.

   Comment by NYTimes.com — December 11, 2008 #

7. A blue-ribbon commission is calling on the Metropolitan Transportation Authority to reduce its carbon footprint and expand its reach in the coming decades, offering about 100 recommendations for doing so. The commission’s report says the MTA should draw 80% of its operating energy from renewable sources by 2050 and accommodate the daily transit needs of two-thirds of the four million new residents projected for the New York metro area by 2030.

   Comment by Paul Bubny — January 15, 2009 #

8. ‘My first impressions? Of peace, of beauty abounding, of an old-world graciousness and elegance of line. And there was something more too: a deep-dwelling spiritual presence that seemed to emanate from the earth itself…”

   That’s the narrator’s description of Taliesin, Frank Lloyd Wright’s famed home, in the latest novel by T.C. Boyle. The words also capture how Mr. Boyle felt when he first glimpsed his house: a sprawling “summer cottage” here, designed by Mr. Wright.

   http://online.wsj.com/article/SB123932717020007499.html

   Comment by NANCY KEATES — April 11, 2009 #

9. Survey: ‘durability’ ranked first in green attributes

   According to a new survey commissioned by PPG Industries, durability is the most important green building attribute. Durability was followed by ENERGY STAR compliance, life-cycle assessment, no- or low-volatile organic compound content and the ability to source products regionally. Additionally, durability is the most important attribute among building products in general, ranking slightly ahead of price.

   Comment by Sustainable Business — June 3, 2009 #

10. GREEN BUILDING STANDARDS 2009 – FEEDBACK NEEDED
    —————————————————————–
    In an effort to promote sustainable buildings, California last year became the first state in the nation to adopt a statewide Green Building Code. Known as CalGreen, it is already being updated. Your input is critical.

    Your analysis and feedback is needed on the proposed changes for non-residential properties. To read the proposed changes for California Green Building Standards Code, Part 11, Title 24 — Commercial, Industrial, and Retail Real Estate,
    http://www.cbpa.com/documents/CA%20Green%20Building%20Code%202009%20Update%20-%20Non-Residential.pdf.

    Comment by CalGreen — June 7, 2009 #

11. Most of the studies I have seen estimate that as much as 30% to 40% of the energy brought into American buildings, including residences, for space heating, air-conditioning, ventilation, water heating, and operating appliances is never put to its intended use. It is simply wasted. As for water, these waste estimates range from 15% to 35%, and even higher in some parts of the country.

    Comment by John Paul Keenan — July 17, 2009 #

12. Transportation helps shape an area’s economic health and quality of life. Not only does the transportation system provide for the mobility of people and goods, it also influences patterns of growth and economic activity by providing access to land. The performance of the system affects public policy concerns like air quality, environmental resource consumption, social equity, land use, urban growth, economic development, safety, and security. Transportation planning recognizes the critical links between transportation and other societal goals. The planning process is more than merely listing highway and transit capital projects. It requires developing strategies for operating, managing, maintaining, and financing the area’s transportation system in such a way as to advance the area’s long-term goals.

    Comment by Federal Transit Administration — August 12, 2009 #

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