Energy-efficiency advocates fighting profligate energy use to overcool workplaces in summer and overheat them in winter now have a compelling new argument: people are healthier in spaces that are less severely conditioned. That is the finding of a peer-reviewed study by Mark Mendell, of Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, entitled “Indoor Thermal Factors and Symptoms in Office Workers: Findings from the U.S. EPA BASE Study.”

Mendell analyzed data from 95 buildings characterized in the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's Building Assessment Survey and Evaluation (BASE) Study, comparing indoor temperatures to recommended comfort levels. They found that the buildings were consistently overcooled in the summer and some were overheated in winter. They then checked for a range of building-related health symptoms, and found that both cooler indoor temperatures in summer and warmer temperatures in winter consistently correlated with more symptoms.

The paper, LBNL-2083E, was posted online on August 24, 2009, and has been accepted for publication in Indoor Air.

– Nadav Malin

 

The inherent unpredictability of LEED projects creates a unique liability for green building owners and contractors that is rapidly gaining momentum. In an effort to ease its clients’ elevated legal anxiety, Energy Ace, an Atlanta-based consulting firm, is guaranteeing LEED certification—or your money back—when the company supervises administration, fundamental commissioning, and energy modeling to meet LEED standards.

The firm first establishes a contractual agreement with clients, then, through a series of LEED charrettes, provides a number of sustainability measures. Once all parties accept the measures, the certification guarantee is complete.

If a refund is granted, clients receive only monies associated with Energy Ace’s LEED administration fees—about 30%–45% of total fees. Through this partial refund, Energy Ace is able to allay client fears and limit its own risk.

The company has nearly 100 LEED projects under its belt and publicly backs its certification success rate. More information can be found at energyace.com.

– Emily Bragonier

 

If you’ve ever wondered where AstroTurf gets its vibrant color, consider the mystery solved: turf-makers use lead to keep artificial grass green. Now, as the result of a 2008 California lawsuit against the Georgia-based company, AstroTurf will drastically reduce the lead content in its imitation turf.

Studies show lead levels of more than 5,000 parts per million (ppm) in certain AstroTurf products. Of particular concern are older AstroTurf fields from which dust can form and ultimately be ingested by those who come into contact with it.

The lawsuit—filed under California’s Proposition 65, which requires the labeling of products that contain toxins known to cause cancer or birth defects—establishes the movement to make playgrounds and recreational fields safer. The settlement requires AstroTurf to limit the lead content of products sold in California to 50 ppm.

According to AstroTurf general manager Lou Ziebold, the lead chromate used for fiber pigmentation was replaced with a non-leaded component. “We have two pigment suppliers who each have their own unique formulation but neither has any lead in the formula. The new pigments have been extensively tested and we've been using them now for over a year,” Ziebold told EBN.

The company will pay $170,000 in civil penalties, grants, and attorney fees and $60,000 for testing artificial playing fields around the state. Additionally, AstroTurf will provide safety information via the Internet and send lead content warnings to California consumers who purchased artificial grass in the last five years. California Attorney General Jerry Brown’s office has additional lawsuits pending against AstroTurf’s competitors, Field Turf and the Beaulieu Group.

– Emily Bragonier

 

Traditional leases in commercial buildings are either gross leases (the landlord pays for utilities and other expenses) or net leases (the tenant pays for everything). According to Glenn Fischer, executive vice president of The Corporate Realty, Design, and Management Institute (CRDMI), neither situation works particularly well for promoting green building. “All of the benefits of energy efficiency and other improvements are flowing to one party,” he said of typical leases. CRDMI created a task force to write a lease that would benefit both building owners and tenants, which the organization released in July 2009. The lease not only splits up the financial benefits of green building but also requires both parties to prepare environmental performance reports annually. The lease is available for download for $90 at www.squarefootage.net/mgldwnld.htm.

 

Formerly the senior vice president of policy and public affairs at the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC), Michelle Moore has moved on to join the Council for Environmental Quality as the federal environmental executive.

In her new role, Moore will promote sustainability in the federal government’s operations.

Rick Fedrizzi, president and CEO of USGBC, said of Moore’s work at the organization: “She’s been at the center of our most important initiatives.”

He continued, “Her new role at the White House is only a change of address for her contributions, from which we will all continue to benefit.”

 

A recently adopted addendum to the Massachusetts state building codes, known as the “stretch code,” exceeds the 2009 International Energy Conservation Code (IECC) by 20%. The optional code sets performance standards for commercial buildings over 5,000 ft² (460 m²) and residential buildings (see table above). According to Mike Guigli, technical director for the Department of Public Safety, “about a dozen municipalities at this point in time are considering adoption of the stretch code.” All buildings in the state will need to meet 2009 IECC standards when they become the baseline code for the state in 2010.

 

A recent report from the Energy Information Administration confirms a rapid increase in the percentage of electricity generated from renewable sources, crediting renewables with 11.1% of total U.S. electrical generation. The report covered a 12-month period ending in April 2009 and examined both hydropower and non-hydro renewables, including wind, solar, biomass, and geothermal. According to the findings for absolute output, hydropower generation jumped 8.22%, while non-hydro renewables saw a 12.47% increase over the previous year. Moreover, 4.24% of U.S. electrical output in April came from non-hydro renewables—1.24% higher than the target in the pending Senate energy bill for 2013. Energy conservation also increased, with net electricity generation dropping 5% from April 2008 to April 2009. Conversely, generation from coal, natural gas, and nuclear power declined as much as 13.9%.

The Landscape Institute at Arnold Arboretum, formerly run by Harvard University, has joined the Boston Architectural College (BAC) and is now named the Landscape Institute at the BAC. Starting in fall 2009, BAC will run all of the Institute’s educational programs, incorporating them into its catalog of continuing education courses. “Landscape Institute students will now be an integral part of an academic community committed to comprehensive design education,” said Heather Heimarck, director of the Institute. The connection to Harvard, which owns the arboretum, will continue as a way for students to receive hands-on experience with plant species and care. More information is available at www.the-bac.edu.

Green insurance coverage is not a new concept, nor are the risks associated with green building considered extraordinary. Nevertheless, American International Group (AIG) is now offering two advanced insurance policies for property owners and managers of LEED-certified buildings via its Risk Management Green (AIGRMGreen) product line: Indoor Environment Coverage and Reputation Coverage.

The company’s Indoor Environment Coverage guards against claims of bodily injury occurring from substances or odors originating from equipment used to improve air or water quality. “Claims of bodily injury from pollution may occur even with the most careful planning, construction, maintenance, and certification of a green building,” says Joseph Fobert, zone executive for AIG’s commercial risk division.

The Reputation Coverage, on the other hand, covers costs associated with reputational crisis management that result from adverse publicity, providing up to $50,000 per occurrence. More specifically, it “provides funds to employ crisis management specialists to manage adverse publicity; guide and counsel key company personnel; and provide other necessary services to assist in restoring a company's reputation,” according to AIG’s website. It should be noted that this policy does not cover actual financial loss resulting from damages to a company’s reputation.

“When a green building experiences the threat of adverse publicity, it may be more damaging than what is traditionally experienced by conventional properties. Raised expectations and increased public scrutiny may expose the owners of these buildings to negative media coverage should such a building fail to meet green industry standards,” Fobert told EBN. The policy is one response to lawsuits surrounding green buildings, which are becoming more common. A 2008 lawsuit that was brought by Shaw Development against contractor Southern Builders (see EBN Mar. 2009) is one example of many: when the Captain’s Galley condominium building in Crisfield, Maryland, failed to achieve LEED Silver standards, Shaw sued for breach of contract. The Reputation Coverage would have insured the contractor in this case, or any team members who are sued when a building fails to achieve certification under LEED or other rating systems.

According to Barbara Batshalom, executive director for The Green Roundtable in Boston, Massachusetts—a nonprofit organization that collaborated with AIG to shape its green policies—green projects often involve many independent entities working toward the common goal of LEED certification. This planning model makes liability issues tricky since it’s not always easy to ascertain where responsibility lies, or if it even lies with one party.

But how cost-effective will these policies be? “These forms are available as endorsements to our current insured’s commercial general liability programs, and would represent a small additional premium,” says Fobert. “It is very costly for property owners to build or upgrade their buildings to green. Likewise, it is important to make sure they properly protect these investments and should research all available insurance options to do so.”

– Emily Bragonier

For more information:

American International Group