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28 Jan 03 - reuse agreements; LEED; phone books; durability; cleaning ** WASTE PREVENTION FORUM ** -- A project of the National Waste Prevention Coalition -------- Forum archive: http://www.reuses.com/nwpcarchive -------------------- Excerpted from a message from Dwight Mercer, waste diversion program, City of Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada: The Habitat for Humanity ReStore here in Regina contacted me looking for examples of what they termed a "protocol agreement" to encourage reuse. These agreements basically acknowledge that a corporation, a university, a municipal government, etc., consider a non-profit (such as the Regina ReStore) as a place to direct their used and reusable building materials. Does anyone have any examples of such protocol agreements that might be used as a template for the Regina Habitat for Humanity ReStore? Thanks. E-mail: dmercer ( AT ) regina ( DOT ) ca -------------------- From Katie Jensen, Austin Energy Green Building Program, Austin, Texas, responding to the New York Times article, posted 1/15/03, which reported that commercial developers have not embraced green building, for economic reasons: I want to share the article below, to show that not all building developers and professionals agree with the thoughts of a few nay-sayers. E-mail: katie ( D O T ) jensen ( A T ) austinenergy ( D O T ) com -------------------- Excerpted from a guest column by Richard Hunton in the 1/27/03 Boston Business Journal (forwarded by Katie Jensen): GREEN BUILDING ON THE RISE ON COLLEGE CAMPUSES A decade ago, environmentally sensitive design and construction was deemed a costly luxury for most campus construction projects. Today, architects and engineers are turning to green building methods to reduce construction costs, trim operating expenses and measurably improve productivity. Green building design also is being used to ensure compatibility between campus buildings and surrounding communities, and to reduce liability risks. The U.S. Green Building Council has developed standards, called Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED), to promote buildings that are environmentally responsible, profitable and healthy places to live and work. Case studies show that LEED can directly reduce building construction and operating costs on college and university campuses. Greater durability and enhanced occupant productivity make green design features and materials even more cost-effective. While LEED is least costly for original designs, there are cost-effective ways to apply it to retrofit existing buildings as well. The LEED rating system applies different levels of certification depending on varied design elements. Whether LEED is right for a given building depends in part on the goals of the campus planners and the types of amenities they wish to include. Dozens of colleges and universities are building facilities registered to be LEED certified, including: University of Cincinnati, Emory University (in Atlanta), Pima Community College (in Tucson, Ariz.), Oregon State, Berea College (Kentucky), Dartmouth College, and the University of Georgia. LEED encourages collaborative design and construction management, which results in savings that can be applied elsewhere in a project. For instance, energy-efficient building envelopes can enable the facility planner to downsize chillers and eliminate other equipment, such as perimeter heating. LEED also recognizes the careful selection of building materials, waste reduction and smarter design, all of which can reduce resource costs. Lower-cost salvaged or recycled materials can be specified, and locally produced materials may be less expensive due to lower transportation costs. The LEED system places great emphasis on energy and water management. Case studies demonstrate that utility costs can be cut in half on LEED projects compared to traditional construction. LEED sets energy performance targets by encouraging the use of: Passive energy design; energy-efficiency technologies; and renewable energy systems. Traditionally, colleges and universities have relied primarily on demand-side management programs to control energy usage and expenditures. LEED also provides credits for innovations above requirements set by the rating system. One possible type of innovation could be the use of a broader energy-management strategy, which would then encompass energy procurement, operational integration and various other elements to reduce energy costs and manage commodity and financial risks. A comprehensive energy-management program can favorably influence building design. Illinois State University, for example, developed an energy-management program to control costs and provide support to a number of facility organizations. The first phase of the program was an analysis of natural gas and electricity rates and tariffs, storage agreements, and costs and savings of past purchasing agreements. As a result of this analysis, the university adopted a special utility rate for ISU that provided annual savings of $250,000. By reducing or eliminating indoor pollutants at the source, managing pollutants through indoor air quality plans and other strategies, LEED promotes improvements that can reduce legal and insurance risks. The decision to shift toward LEED, be it for just one building or several, can be a challenge for college and university planners. Starting the process at the earliest possible stage of design will yield the maximum benefits of green design and engineering. --- Richard Hunton is a senior mechanical engineer and LEED certified professional in the Columbus, Ohio, office of URS Corp. ------------------- The next two postings follow up on the 1/24/03 message from Tom Watson, describing how the National Waste Prevention Coalition is moving ahead on the Junk Phone Books Reduction Project, starting with a research and fact-finding phase. ------------------- From Susan Kinsella, Conservatree, San Francisco, CA: Another piece of info for the phone books project: When I called Pacific Bell (now SBC) a few years ago to talk about how people could opt out of getting so many phone books (especially companies that get multiple unneeded copies), they told me that the California Public Utilities Commission required them to deliver a phone book for every phone line. Therefore, they said, they could not NOT deliver the phone books. If this is true, then it seems that part of this problem, and part of its solution, is to work with government utilities regulators to change some of what now are outdated regulations. E-mail: seek [AT] susankinsella [DOT] com ------------------- From Tom Watson, King County Solid Waste Division, Seattle, WA, and the National Waste Prevention Coalition: I wanted to add one more thing about the junk phone books issue. This project fits in perfectly with the product stewardship/producer responsibility movement. Our goal is to get the producers and distributors of these phone books to take responsibility for them through the end of their life (at the very least by making it easier for people not to receive them). Phone books have become a symbol of waste in the past few years, as competing phone books have proliferated. If anyone is interested in working on this project, please let me know. Thanks to those who have already contacted me! E-mail: tom [ DOT ] watson [ AT ] metrokc [ DOT ] gov Phone: (206) 296-4481 -------------------- Also from Tom Watson: I just want to let people know I will be out of the office on jury duty, starting tomorrow. I don't know how long I'll be out, but the Forum may be less frequent during this time. -------------------- Excerpted from a message from Renee Kimball, Enuf!, Portland, OR, responding to the Bill Rathje column (linked to in the 1/24/03 Forum) about the durability of bulky items: My personal opinion of Rathje's findings is loads of caution and maybe Tucson is a very unusual place if his statistics are correct. I think one week at the transfer station in Portland and a couple of weeks working the Metro (Portland) recycling info phone line would alter his perception. Both the number of bulky items and their type are very noticeable in the transfer station pit. A large portion of people do not change bulky items for "gizmo" or style reasons. We do it because it is not even remotely cost-effective to have the item repaired OR because regulations have changed (anybody who owned a propane tank in Oregon recently found this out). This includes ALL electronics (large and small, including computers, TVs, stereos, video/DVD, clock radios and the list never ends), refrigerators, ranges, toilets, sofas and woodstoves. Rathje's reason for writing the article (other than to, yet again, dismiss this idea that we actually generate waste) is beyond my understanding. If someone else can distill his point I would appreciate it. Another thing - I would REALLY like to have seen the questions on his survey and frankly, 184 households (especially in a city the size of Tucson) is not exactly a HUGE sampling in my book. E-mail: rrrrenee (A T) aracnet (D O T) com Note from Tom: The Rathje column is at: http://www.forester.net/mw_0301_beyond.html -------------------- Link to the Organized Home website, which includes a number of tips for simplifying, reducing wastes, and reducing toxics: http://www.organizedhome.com This website is written and edited by Cynthia Townley Ewer, a resident of eastern Washington state, who is a nationally-recognized expert on organizing, managing and cleaning the home. Some of the articles on this website may be several years old, but in most cases that doesn't affect the information in the articles. Features include: - Make your own cleaning wipes. http://organizedhome.com/clean/wipes.html Store-bought cleaning wipes are "wickedly convenient - but also wickedly expensive and often contain harsh chemicals. The alternative: Make your own! Homemade cleaning wipes are easy to make, economical, and contain only those cleaning agents you select." - Reusable electrostatic cleaning cloths and mops. http://organizedhome.com/clean/update.html "Many readers have commented that while they like the way electrostatic dry cleaning cloths capture and remove dust, they would prefer a reusable product to a disposable one. Whether you're motivated by environmental concerns or by considerations of economy, we've got good news: Reusable electrostatic dry cleaning cloths and sweepers are available." - Homemade cleaning recipes. http://www.organizedhome.com/clean/cleansol.html "Simple recipes using products from your pantry make effective household cleaning solutions that are inexpensive and easy to make. An added plus: These natural products are more environmentally friendly than detergent- and fragrance-laden commercial alternatives." - end -