Practical Eco

Home Energy Audits for Greening In Place

Earlier this week I tagged along with an energy auditor, Bill Klotz from Eco-Anthracite. I wanted to see how it all works and besides it was an interesting project which I'll be writing more about soon. A group of UNC Fraternity brothers are forming a non-profit venture to green-up fraternity and sorority houses in the region.

Two of the fraternity brothers and I followed Bill,the energy auditor, around the building from basement and crawlspace area up to the attic looking for a wide range of signs and clues. We found clear indications of moisture condensing on the stone walls in the basement, not far from the kitchen. And we found plenty of leaks in windows, doors etc.

In the photo to left Bill does what he calls the "door dance" which is a tricky maneuver to fit the blower door into position. This enables the house to be pressurized and helps find leaks as well as measuring the overall seal of the building.

In the end the owners get a detailed report indicating areas of concern and recommendations. In this case it was recommended that a $2000 spend (this is a very big house remember) on sealing and tightening would save half that each year in energy costs. Which is a great ROI anywhere.

 

Piedmont Real Estate Council meeting to focus on green building

On March 14th from 11:30 to 1pm at the Piedmont Club in Winston-Salem, the regular monthly meeting of the Piedmont Real Estate Council will discuss Green commercial building practices and techniques.

Rence Callahan, vice president of Walter Robbs Callahan & Pierce architectural firm, and Greg Savage, director of sustainable construction for John S. Clark Co., will present an overview of the emerging environmental trends in commercial buildings.

The meeting is open to the public at a cost of $14 which includes lunch, tax and tips.  You can find the Piedmont Club at 200 W. Second St.

For further information, contact Judy Sutherin at 724-7077 or Judy.Sutherin (at) ourclub (dot) com.

East 54 Construction Cam is live

East 54 is a development led by East West Partners in Chapel Hill. It's yet another green neighborhood development being built in the town. Greenbridge being the other main one that broke ground a few months ago. What's quite cool is that they've got a web cam on the scene which you can view here.

East 54 is participating in the LEED^® Neighborhood Development pilot program, which they say will make them among the most environmentally sound, mixed-use communities in the country.

They're aiming at LEED Silver or better when completed. Perhaps that's why of the 53 units shown on the website, only one remains unsold, even at 660k for a 1677 sf 2 bedroom apartment. The community plan shows another building so there may be hope yet if this is what you're looking for.

Raleigh's Earth Day Celebrations

The City of Raleigh is collaborating with Burts Bees and the NC Museum of Natural Sciences on the biggest Earth Day celebration Raleigh's ever seen - April 19 on Fayetteville Street. The all-day celebration will feature bands, activities, a green bazaar, artists and other Earth-friendly exhibits.

The City of Raleigh will feature exhibits focusing on water conservation and the City of Raleigh’s Solid Waste Services composting, recycling, and mulching initiatives.

The participants in the Planet Earth Celebration have taken a pledge to make the day a zero-waste and zero-carbon footprint event, using only items that can be composted or recycled and leaving no trash behind.

NC State University will also be holding events the entire week, culminating with a fair on Friday April 25th in the Brickyard where  non-profits and vendors are invited to participate.

Wilmington gets greener with Sapona Green Building Center

It seems like green building supply centers are flourishing in North Carolina this year. Now Wilmington has its own called the Sapona Green Building Center with a showroom in Anderson Square.

The store carries a wide range of interior products such as counter tops, paints, adhesives, natural plaster, flooring, window treatments, fabrics and wallpapers.  They also offer solar hot water installation, carpentry woods, water heaters, lighting low-flow water fixtures, insulation and even green roofs.

Sapona has positioned itself as a well-rounded building and home remodeling supply store with design and consulting services to help local builders, developers and home owners to make the right green choices.

The store is owned and run by Matt and Elaine Jack who saw a need when they tried to remodel their own home with green products. The cost of freight quickly mounted up when ordering items online. So they decided the time was right for a retail store.

If you're in Wilmington drop by at 4113-b Oleander Dr. 28403. And if you happen to be there on Saturday Feb 23, they are having a grand opening celebration in the store from 3pm to 7pm.

Renewable Energy award nominations sought

I mentioned the NC Sustainable Energy Conference in a post back on Feb 18th. It's on April 8 and 9 in Raleigh. What I failed to highlight then was that they are seeking nominations for The North Carolina Leadership in Sustainable Energy Awards.  The deadline to nominate is February 29th (a week away.)

I'm thinking of nominating my 2 year old. She just keep going and going and going ...

Conference details and nomination form can be found at their website: http://www.energync.net/conference/

And while we're on the subject of awards, there's also the Holcim awards for sustainable construction. The deadline is in 7 days.

 

Porto offers sustainable furniture

Emily Barrett and Michael Perry are people living their dream. Having worked for other home furnishing stores for years, in 2004 they struck out one their own to create something beautiful and eco-friendly too. Their first Porto store in Raleigh's North Hills shopping center is where they refined that vision selecting products that are uncompromising in quality of craftsmanship and original design. Since then, in 2007 they opened a second store in Chapel Hill's Eastgate shopping center which has just undergone a major refurbishment with the arrival of Trader Joe's.

Porto is more than a home furnishings store. Emily and Michael wanted it to be a part of the global community, and it is. They believe that their responsibilities go beyond the showroom doors, so Porto’s collections are designed and manufactured by companies who practice environmental and social responsibility. Porto is a founding member of the Sustainable Furniture Council, and so far the only store in the State to be acccredited by the organization.

They've also found that being green can save money. They estimate that the new store which is completely lit by compact fluorescent bulbs is saving them over $10,000 per year in energy costs.  So they're in the  process of replacing the bulbs in the North Hills shop too.

As a business, Porto also makes it a practice to give back to the community. The partners do that by sponsoring and participating in many charitable endeavors, including an annual fundraiser for Habitat for Humanity.

USGBC & ASID to unveil Green Residential Remodeling Guidelines

The Nation’s First Green Residential Remodeling Guidelines will be unveiled March 14th at the INTERIORS 08 event.

The news guidelines to be called REGREEN, are a collaboration between The American Society of Interior Designers (ASID) Foundation and the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC). The USGBC,  coordinates the well-known LEED guidelines for the construction of green buildings.

The REGREEN program is a series of guidelines designed for use by residential designers, construction professionals and homeowners alike.  It includes best practices, learning programs and other resources for those looking to green up an existing home whether it’s room by room, or an entire house.

The website at, www.regreenprogram.org, is still in development but it is intended to house all REGREEN related resources and will include interactive links to case studies, products and educational materials.

ASID Executive Director Michael Alin, Hon.FASID, said, “REGREEN is not just a set of guidelines, it’s much more than that. We are developing
a curriculum for learning programs and designing a comprehensive and user friendly consumer and professional website to assist in green residential remodeling.”

Sarah Susanka speaking tonight in Raleigh

Sarah Susanka, who wrote the book, The Not So Big House, and several books that followed it in the series of Not So Big ...., will be speaking tonight in Raleigh at 7pm.

Sorry for the late notice, this event slipped right past me and came up just now on the NC Sustainability Network list and on the Emerging Green Builders list, thanks to Tracey Dixon.

Tonight's event is sponsored by Unity Church of the Triangle and is being held at:

The Longview Center - the 1880 Hall
118 S. Person Street
Raleigh NC
Telephone: (919) 832-8324

Open to Public: Limited Seating, first-come basis
For more information about the venue, see Long View Center

For further details of her other appearances across the country, see her Not So Big website  here.

Raleigh water conservation raises conflicts

Sue Sturgis, in her fabulous Raleigh Eco News blog, just ran an article about the conflicts within the Raleigh system where water
conservation is at odds with their commercial structure. Raleigh seems unable to implement a tiered billing structure and
can not reveal the usage from their largest commercial users.

5th Annual Sustainable Energy Conference

The State Energy Office is hosting a Sustainable Energy Conference on April 8-9. It will be held at the McKimmon Conference Center at NC State University, Raleigh.

Attending the event you will learn what local and national leaders are doing right now to strengthen our energy future.

This year's conference will focus on current forces driving energy efficiency and alternative energy, the role of infrastructure and carbon emissions and how new technology is making sustainable energy resources available and affordable.

An exhibit hall featuring businesses and agencies doing work in these fields and an alternative fuels "Car Corral" will be available, as well an awards luncheon and an evening reception.

Break-out sessions on April 8 will cover:

• Public buildings and energy
• Mass Transit and Infrastructure
• Residential efficiency update
• Using schools to advance sustainability
• RECs and Carbon Credits
• NEW for 2008! New Technology Showcase
• Plus- an REPS update from our utilities

The April 9 sessions will feature targeted technical sessions for public agencies, architects and industry.  For details see the State Energy Office here.

Eco-X recycled concrete surfaces from Meld

Jetson Green just wrote about a great looking green countertop material called eco-X made right here in Raleigh by Meld.  (Thanks Preston)

Eco-X contains nearly 70% post-consumer and post-industrial recycled content.
It comes in 12 standard colors and you can order custom colors.  As a product with high recycled content if offers potential LEED points too.

The products are sealed with a low-VOC penetrating sealer making the surface stain resistant - though not stain proof.

Counter tops are 1.5" standard but greater thicknesses are available. Tiles, pavers, table tops and 3-dimensional forms are also available.

Custom edges profiles, inlays, irregular shapes and integral concrete sinks are all available with this product.

NC Green Business Fund - Grant Program for Small Businesses

For the second time this week Governor Mike Easley has hit our radar. Today he announced new North Carolina Green Business Fund grants that small business owners and entrepreneurs can apply for. These grants are intended to help small businesses develop green and alternative energy technologies and bring cutting-edge, environmentally-friendly products and services to the marketplace.

“The Green Business Fund helps encourage the growth of North Carolina’s clean energy economy,” Easley said. “These grants will tap our state’s entrepreneurial talent and help North Carolina’s small businesses develop innovative technologies that are critical to our future growth.”

The General Assembly approved creation of the Green Business Fund last year and directed $1 million for the first round of grants. North Carolina-based small businesses with 100 or fewer employees can apply for grants to pursue original, pioneering ideas that are both good for the environment and good for the economy.

Under this Program, grant awards may be made to North Carolina organizations in support of competitively assessed projects focused on the following three Priority Areas:

1. Development of the biofuels industry in the State.
2. Development of the green building industry in the State, and
3. Attraction and leverage of private sector investments and entrepreneurial growth in environmentally conscious clean technology and renewable energy products and businesses.

A company can receive a maximum of $100,000 per grant. Deadline for grant applications is April 30, 2008. See the solicitation and application details here.

Join Historic Green New Orleans March 8-23

For two weeks in the middle of March, hundreds of students and professionals will converge on New Orleans to help the people of the Lower 9th Ward revitalize their community.

New Orleans’ Holy Cross Neighborhood and the Lower Ninth Ward offer one path to “sustainable preservation”. Nowhere else could it happen on such a scale as here: an entire community brought to its knees in the aftermath of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita. Struggling to recover and rebuild. To restore in a way that makes it even better than before.

Whether you are an architect, engineer, planner, landscape architect, interior designer or contractor consider joining them for what ever length of time you can. You’ll work hand in hand with neighborhood residents on their historic houses, parks, playgrounds and community centers.

Historic Green is an unprecedented opportunity to integrate sustainable practices with preservation of a place; to increase energy efficiency; to enhance its quality of life, housing and transportation; and to protect the wetlands. Help create the nation’s first carbon-neutral community by joining the team. For more information contact info@historicgreen.org.

Advanced Transportation Energy Center to be set up at NC State

North Carolina Governor Mike Easley today announced the creation of the Advanced Transportation Energy Center to be located at North Carolina State University's Centennial Campus. The center aims to: 

• Serve as a catalyst to attract jobs to the state
• Contribute to reducing the nation’s dependence on imported oil
• Cut greenhouse gas emissions

It is being set up as a public-private partnership to include the university, Progress Energy and Duke Energy. Together they will develop practical technology for plug-in hybrid vehicles and other energy-efficient transportation.

Specific practical objectives are to: 

• Develop batteries that are more powerful and less costly (it currently costs about $10,000 to convert a hybrid to a plug in) 
• Create the infrastructure to make use of electric vehicles, such as convenient charging stations. 

For the full press release including great quotes from the Governor, the Chancellor and the CEO of Progress Energy click here.

Good energy saving advice for heat pump users

The Energy Boomer has just written a great summary of tips for home owners with heat pumps. As there are a lot of heat pumps here in NC, I think this is a post that really needs to be shared here.

Carolina Collegiate Conference on Sustainability on Saturday, April 5th

UNC-Wilmington will be hosting the 2008 Carolina Collegiate Conference on Sustainability on Saturday, April 5th.   

The Student Government Association of UNCW is organizing the conference for students from across the state in an effort to encourage more discussion on the topic. The event will focus on ways for students to help their campuses and communities become more sustainable for future generations.

Debra Rowe, President of the US Partnership for Education for Sustainable Development, will deliver the keynote presentation.

Early registration, by March 5th,  is only $25. 

Floating Energy Islands

Sounds like something out of Jonathan Swift's writing but you have to love the idea of floating energy islands.  The plants will use the temperature difference between surface water and deeper water to drive turbines.  The developers estimate that each island complex could produce abou t 250MW, and that 50,000 islands could supply the entire world’s energy and produce tons of fresh water as a byproduct. Of course they'd still have to ship that water someplace.

Read the full story on Inhabitat, one of my favorite blogs. 

New Green Building store in Durham

Common Ground Green Building Center has just opened its doors in Durham. They're located in the central park neighborhood downtown near the old baseball park.

The store has been launched by a husband and wife team, Paul Toma and Dawn Hintgen, who have been in the building trades for 25 years between them. Their specialties carpentry and kitchen & bath design respectively seem to underpin the focus of the store.

The products on offer, so far, include No VOC paints, FSC certified flooring, formaldehyde-free kitchen cabinets, counter tops (such as Paperstone) made from recycled materials and air and water filtration systems.

They also offer design services for kitchens and bathrooms.

I'm sure Paul and Dawn are right in betting that now more than ever people are looking for greener cleaner, healthier solutions for their homes. And if the story from the SF Chronicle back on Jan 3rd is right, homeowners are investing more in green features and renovating green rather than moving.
 

3rd Annual Celebration of Earth and Sky in Carrboro

This Sunday Feb 10th from 2-6 in the Carrboro Century Center will be the 3rd annual Celebration of Earth and Sky. This event is sponsored by the Chapel Hill High School Students United for a Responsible Global Environment (SURGE).
The aim of this event is to connect high school students with the community for teaching, learning, networking and creative collaboration.
There should be among other things, student musical performances, displays of student projects, local and state environmental organizations and food and beverages available.
Suggested donation is $2.

Community leaders, residents, environmental organization members, teachers, parents and students - If you would like to become involved in this event, we welcome your participation. Contact Rob Greenberg.