By Erin WeaverThe U.S. government is greatly underestimating the costs of carbon pollution, according to a study in the Journal of Environmental Studies and Sciences. “The Social Cost of Carbon in U.S. Regulatory Impact Analyses” says the Office of Budget Management (OBM) uses a faulty analytical model, utilizing an unjustifiably high discount rate to translate future costs into present values and ignoring the greater economic impact on poor regions.

The model was developed in 2010, when the OBM estimated the “social cost of carbon”—the value to society of reducing carbon emissions—to be $21 per ton of emissions. The new study argues that a more accurate cost is between 2.6 and 12 times higher, but coauthor Laurie Johnson, Ph.D., economist with the Natural Resources Defense Council, points out that even the study’s high-end estimate of $266 per ton leaves out worst-case scenarios and damages that couldn’t be quantified.

As EBN noted in 2011, the Economists for Equity and Environment network estimated that the social cost of carbon could be as high as $894 per ton (see “Report: Government Way Off on Cost of Carbon,” EBN July 2011). These numbers show that a shift to wind and solar power would be more cost-effective than natural gas or coal, says Johnson.

By Erin WeaverThe ozone-depleting refrigerant HCFC-22 is being phased out in many countries under the Montreal Protocol, but a recent investigation in Florida indicates that illegal quantities are being smuggled into the U.S. and Europe.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency licenses companies to produce, purchase, or sell limited quantities of HCFC-22 (also known as R-22) for use in air conditioners, but the gas is still produced in large amounts in many countries, including China, India, and Mexico. While new air conditioners in the U.S. have not used HCFC-22 since 2010, large quantities are still needed to refill old equipment, and the limited supply of legal gas has created a black market for imports.

The vice president of St. Louis-based Marcone, a manufacturer of appliance parts, was recently sentenced to 13 months in federal prison for importing unlicensed refrigerant, and shipments have been intercepted in eastern Europe. The smuggled gas canisters can be easily disguised by mislabeling, and inspections require expensive testing equipment.

The current property tax system assesses the overall value of a development project without reference to the size of the lot; instead, says Joseph Minicozzi of consulting firm Urban3, we ought to tie a project’s value to its per-acre productivity. An acre of land might become the clothing department or parking lot of a big-box store, but it could produce far higher tax revenue by supporting stacked retail, residential, and parking uses.

Minicozzi analyzed data from 12 communities in North and South Carolina, Colorado, Florida, Idaho, Montana, and Wyoming. On average, an outlying Wal-Mart generated $7 per acre in annual property taxes, while a two-story mixed-use building generated $53.70 per acre, and six stories in mixed use generated $415 per acre, surpassing the average sales tax revenue from a sprawling retail store. The current system, says Minicozzi, places too little value on land and encourages “disposable buildings” by assessing lower taxes, so that “the community loses, both in terms of the property tax it collects and the long-term legacy of cheap, single-use buildings.”

 

By Erin WeaverThe U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has revised its WaterSense specifications for homes to include new apartments and condominium units. At the same time, EPA has added new requirements: showerheads in all homes covered by the program must now be WaterSense-labeled models using no more than 2.0 gallons per minute, and weather-based irrigation controllers must also be WaterSense-labeled models (see “Smarter Irrigation for a Parched Landscape,”

EBN Sept. 2012). The revised specifications also require that landscape design be informed by EPA’s Water Budget Tool.

For more information, see www.epa.gov/watersense.

By Alex WilsonA long-time champion of building energy efficiency, Steve Selkowitz, is one of two recipients of the new Lifetime Achievement Award from Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL). Selkowitz received his award in the Societal Impact category for “solving important challenges for society, research that furthers solutions to large social problems, or scientific breakthroughs that have improved the world.”

For 35 years, Selkowitz has led the Building Technologies Department at LBNL, a group that includes 80 researchers and carries out some of the world’s leading research on energy efficiency in such areas as building simulation, window glazings, daylighting, electric lighting systems, and demand-response technologies. The nomination statement for the award noted that “few in the world have had as big an impact on reducing energy use in buildings” and went on to describe Selkowitz as “the ‘Steve Jobs’ in the world of energy-efficient buildings,” adding, “he has literally changed how we design, build, and inhabit buildings the world over.”

By Erin WeaverFixed awnings in cool climates can create a net increase in energy spending, while retractable devices are more likely to increase energy savings, according to a new study.

In conjunction with the Professional Awning Manufacturers Association and screen manufacturer Phifer Incorporated, California firm White Box Technologies modeled the energy performance of various awnings and exterior roller shades in 50 locations across the U.S. In cities like Miami, with the longest cooling seasons, fixed awnings reduced solar gain and yielded cooling energy savings, but those savings decreased in cooler climates. Even when used only during the cooling season, fixed awnings in northern cities like Boston can block the sun’s heat when it’s needed and result in heating penalties of up to $60 a year at standard fuel prices—canceling out money saved on electricity for cooling.

In all but the hottest climates, retractable or removable awnings are preferable, the researchers conclude. Modeling for exterior roller shades exhibited similar trends, but with average savings of about 25% less than that of awnings.

By Paula MeltonThe American Institute of Architects (AIA) is updating its Contract Documents program to integrate new language about building information modeling (BIM) and other digital design and communication tools. Still in their draft form, the changes should help project teams agree on details that historically have been absent from building contracts, like who is legally responsible for maintaining data and models; exactly what the models must include; and how models will be used before, during, and after construction.

Although project teams have been using BIM for many years to aid integrated design and increase material and construction efficiencies in buildings, the technology has been slow to realize its full potential for sustainable design, in part because of contractual issues. With new language available, incorporating BIM into the scope of work for projects should become easier. For more information, visit www.aia.org.

By Erin WeaverIn the “urban canyons” of cities, wind carries a number of hazardous chemicals—including exhaust fumes, VOCs, ozone, and dust—in seemingly random patterns. A new paper in the journal

Physics of Fluids reveals that pollutant particles, rather than dissipating randomly, actually accumulate in specific areas and even form coherent patterns.The results, say the authors of “The geometry of inertial particle mixing in urban flows,” could be used to map areas susceptible to high concentrations and help decision-makers address urban pollution. This could include determining where greenery could be most effective: a recent study in

Environmental Science & Technology found that plants can reduce levels of nitrogen dioxide and particulate matter by up to 40% and 60%, respectively—eight times more than previously thought.

By Erin WeaverResearchers in Norway have developed a new method of using radioactivity to track nanoparticles in animals and soil, with initial results indicating high toxicity with nanosilver.

Nanoparticles are used in an increasing number of products, from building materials to cosmetics; nanosilver in particular is widely used as an antibacterial coating in appliances and clothing. Because nanoparticles are so small—a nanometer is a billionth of a meter—they cannot be tracked by typical methods (see “Nanomaterials: How Big a Concern?”

EBN June 2012). Deborah Oughton, Ph.D., head of the project (which was commissioned by the Research Council of Norway), notes that researchers studying the effects of nanoparticles “often resort to the use of unrealistically high concentrations,” which can change the properties of the particles and reveal little about their behavior at commonly used levels. The new experiments were able to trace very low concentrations of nanoparticles by making them radioactive.

Earthworms and fish were exposed to radioactive silver, cobalt, and uranium nanoparticles, which were then tracked and found to accumulate in different parts of the body. “Surprisingly low” concentrations of nanosilver led to gill failure and death in salmon; aquatic species are a particular concern because nanosilver has been detected in wastewater from sewage treatment plants. Researchers also found that nanoparticles in soil break down through the slow release of potentially toxic ions over a long period of time.

By Erin WeaverThe United States is “essentially tossing every other piece of food that crosses our path,” according to Dana Gunders of the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC). A new NRDC report reveals that up to 40% of the U.S. food supply is wasted each year—the equivalent of $165 billion annually.

Food waste is the single largest component of solid waste in U.S. landfills, with a 50% increase in food waste since the 1970s. “Wasted: How America is Losing Up to 40 Percent of Its Food from Farm to Fork to Landfill” finds losses at every level of the supply chain and offers tips for minimizing them. The report notes that grocery stores lose up to $15 billion annually in produce, partly from the “unnecessary abundance” in produce displays, which accelerate spoilage. The majority of losses occur in restaurants and homes, with people taking servings two to eight times larger than recommended and discarding leftovers. (If food must be disposed of, the greenest option is diverting it to a municipal composting facility; see “Composting Is Winner in Food Waste Disposal Study,”

EBN Sept. 2011.)

The report calls for collaboration between government, businesses, and consumers, noting that a five-year public awareness campaign in the U.K. has helped reduce food waste there by 18%. More information is available at www.nrdc.org.