The New York State Education Department and New York State Energy and Research Development Authority have released final guidelines for high-performance schools. Based on the Collaborative for High Performance Schools (CHPS) guidelines developed in California, the voluntary New York guidelines (called NY-CHPS) have been adapted to reflect state codes as well as heating and cooling needs based on the state’s climate. A proposed addition to a high school in East Hampton, New York, was the first project designed using the guidelines; features include an energy-efficient building envelope, a reflective roof, daylighting, and water conservation efforts in plumbing and landscaping. A downloadable version of the guidelines is available at http://emsc33.nysed.gov/facplan/.

At a September 2007 meeting celebrating the 20th anniversary of the Montreal Protocol, government representatives agreed to an accelerated schedule for phasing out hydrochlorofluorocarbons (HCFCs), chemicals that damage ozone and act as greenhouse gases, used as refrigerants in air conditioners as well as in some foams. The accelerated schedule would have developed countries eliminating all forms of HCFCs by 2020, ten years ahead of schedule; developing countries would have until 2030 to phase out the chemicals, although small amounts of HCFCs could remain in circulation until 2040 for servicing older technologies. For the U.S., this accelerated schedule means minor adjustments to the schedule set by the Clean Air Act, including greater reductions of HCFCs by 2010 than originally legislated. More information on the Montreal Protocol is available at ozone.unep.org.

Computer-aided design (CAD) is old hat, but now the Internet is offering manufacturers new opportunities to market to designers using CAD. Google’s 3D Warehouse allows manufacturers to create three-dimensional models of their products for use in its SketchUp design tool; many of these products are green. Whirlpool, for example, offers a group of its Energy Star appliances, Sloan offers models of its waterless urinals, and Google has gathered a collection of generic green building components such as photovoltaic systems and wind turbines. Architects are also uploading designs for green buildings: Michelle Kaufman Designs has uploaded models of its green prefabricated houses, and a model for a green dormitory at Stanford University allows users to explore early design ideas from the project. More information is available at sketchup.google.com.

The Gaia Napa Valley Hotel and Spa in American Canyon, California, incorporates many of the curving architectural forms that its architect, Mickey Muennig of Big Sur, California, is known for. The first hotel in the nation to earn a Gold rating in LEED for New Construction, it also features a real-time energy use display in the lobby and educational kiosks where guests can learn about the building’s systems. The hotel uses extensive daylighting, from windows as well as tubular skylights, and photovoltaic panels provide around 10% of the hotel’s electricity. Low-flow toilets and showerheads reduce water use by 40% compared with a conventional hotel; graywater is collected and filtered before being used in a decorative fish pond. Lumber used in the project was certified to Forest Stewardship Council standards, and all paints and finishes in the building have low levels of volatile organic compounds. More information is available at www.gaianapavalleyhotel.com.

In a report commissioned by the nonprofit organization CEOs for Cities, economist Joe Cortright finds that the average vehicular commute in Portland, Oregon, is four miles (6 km) shorter than the national median of 24.3 miles (39.1 km) for metropolitan areas. This difference adds up to $2.6 billion per year in savings on travel expenses and time, and, although the money is hard to track, Cortright argues that commuters spend much of their out-of-pocket savings in the local economy on housing or entertainment. Cortright also finds that commuters in Portland are twice as likely as the average metropolitan resident to use public transportation to get to work and seven times as likely to use a bicycle. Finally, Cortright suggests that land development policies that encourage density, among other factors, have had a large impact on the average commute in Portland, and that these policies have also attracted residents who are more likely to desire dense neighborhoods and strong public transit systems. The full report is available at www.ceosforcities.org/rethink/research/.

Several organizations have joined forces to create Minnesota GreenStar, a residential green building program. The program will consist of two rating systems, one for remodeling projects and the other for new construction. Corey Brinkema, executive director of the Green Institute, which led the effort to write the system, said that Minnesota GreenStar is a more prescriptive rating system than LEED for Homes, although the systems share much in common. “Builders want a standard that is a ‘how-to’ rather than a ‘what-to-do’,” he said. After a successful pilot program in the Minneapolis area, the rating system for remodeling projects throughout the state was launched in October 2007. Currently in its pilot phase, the system for new construction should launch in March 2008. More information is available at www.mngreenstar.org.

The U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) has announced the next phase of its initiative to review how forest certification programs are addressed in the LEED Rating System (see

EBN

Vol. 15, No. 6). The Yale University-based consultant team hired to support the effort has posted its research reports for expert review, and LEED’s Materials and Resources Technical Advisory Group (chaired by

EBN editor Nadav Malin) is slated to meet on October 1–2, 2007, and release any proposed changes to the certified wood and rapidly renewable materials credits for public comment on November 3. The Yale team’s reports are posted at www.yale.edu/forestcertification/usgbc.htm; comments on the reports are requested by October 1.

 

The National Association of the Remodeling Industry (NARI), working with GreenHome Guide, has developed a certification program for remodeling professionals using green building techniques. Applicants must have five years of remodeling experience, have been focused on green remodeling techniques for at least three years, and have 16 hours of continuing education related to green building. They must also pass a test, drawn in part from the Green Building Guidelines developed by the National Association of Home Builders, that covers building science principles, indoor air quality, energy efficiency, and deconstruction techniques, among other topics. NARI organizes study groups for all of its certification programs through its local chapters; more information is available at www.nari.org/certify/.

Air-quality test results confirm that it’s possible to reduce the concentration of fine particulate matter, which is harmful indoors even at extremely low concentrations, by using cleaner-burning woodstoves certified by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). University of Montana researchers saw a 72% reduction of residential indoor particulate matter of 2.5 microns and smaller during the 2006–2007 winter, after the replacement of 20 older woodstoves in Libby, Montana. While the new stoves reduced both acute and chronic exposure to woodsmoke, the study did not confirm whether EPA-certified woodstoves reduced exposure to volatile organic compounds. Information on the study is available at www.umt.edu/cehs/ibshe_presentations/Ward IBSHE.pdf; more information on woodstoves can be found at www.epa.gov/woodstoves/.

Perhaps gearing up for the 2007 Chicago-hosted Greenbuild convention, Illinois recently passed two innovative green building laws. The first bill enacts a “smart cities” grant program to fund urban preservation, redevelopment, and green technology at the municipal level; it also creates a “green cities” grant program for municipalities whose buildings conform with “nationally recognized and accepted green buildings guidelines, standards, or systems.” The “green cities” grants may be used for new construction, existing buildings, commercial interiors, core and shell development, homes, schools, or neighborhood development. In a separate piece of legislation, the Green Neighborhood Grant Act provides funds of up to 1.5% of the total cost of up to three private developments that achieve certification under the LEED for Neighborhood Development rating system, currently being piloted by the U.S. Green Building Council. More information is available at www.ilga.gov/legislation; search for HB3394 and SB135.