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The official newsletter of the U.S. Green Building Council - Central California Chapter

Inside the August 2007 issue:

Want to submit an article for the Green Builder? Click Here.

Don’t miss the opportunity to be listed in the USGBC Central California Membership Directory. Listing by last name is FREE to members (and membership is currently FREE – what a deal!) There will be a nominal fee for companies that wish to be listed in the Listing by Company Name and/or the Listing by Industry. Government agencies and non-profits will be listed in all three Listings at no charge!
Download a membership application today!

CELEBRATION OF CENTRAL VALLEY’S 1st LEED® REGISTERED AND ‘FRESNO GREEN’ BUILDING

FRESNO - BMY Construction Group Inc., Unitarian Universalist Church of Fresno, & the U.S. Green Building Council are celebrating the completion of Fresno's 1st LEED® Registered & 'Fresno Green' Certified Building. The U.U. Church, the building’s owner and tenant, has participated in the "Savings by Design" program of PG&E, which offers incentives to the owners and designers of builds that will have substantial energy savings. With a 33.5% energy reduction, PG&E has said that the UU Church is the most energy efficient church in the PG&E service area. PG&E presents the church and the design team with their incentive award checks at a Celebration taking place August 7th.

The UU Church project is the first LEED® registered project in the Central Valley between Bakersfield and Modesto and the first LEED registered church in California. It is also the first commercial project to qualify for the "Fresno Green" incentive program. Some key facts about the construction of this building:
• Energy use 33.5% below Title-24 standard
• Water use 43% less than ASHRAE standard
• 100% of construction waste diverted from landfill to recycling
• 14 mature trees retained on site
• Heat Island mitigation with "cool" roof and shaded parking
• High degree of thermal comfort for occupants
• Use of low-VOC carpet, paint, sealants and adhesives

Fresno Green is an incentive program developed by the City of Fresno Planning Department which uses fee waivers/reductions and expedited processing to encourage environmentally friendly building practices. The program addresses the building envelope (e.g. design and energy efficiency), the building’s context (neighborhood), as well as connectivity (transportation and walkability), historic preservation and public art. Rather than adopting another program the City of Fresno Planning Department staff, working with volunteer consultants, has developed one that is specific to Fresno’s climate and history.

The U.S. Green Building Council is the nation’s foremost coalition of building industry leaders working to promote buildings that are environmentally and socially responsible, profitable and healthy places to live and work. USGBC includes more than 7,200 member organizations in its network of more than 60 local organizing groups and chapters throughout the U.S. USGBC is recognized for its development of the LEED Green Building Rating System ™. The Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Green Building Rating System™ is the nationally accepted benchmark for the design, construction, and operation of high performance green buildings. It is a voluntary, consensus-based national rating system for developing high-performance, sustainable buildings.

By: Kiel Famellos-Schmidt

The Tower District Design Review Committee is tasked with reviewing building permit application within the Historic Tower District of Fresno. The area is roughly bounded by Shields, Fruit, Blackstone and Interstate 180. On June 26th, my first meeting on the committee, among the preliminary reviews was Warren Kessler's application for a 14 panel solar array on the South, street facing slope of his home's roof. This was a heated debate among committee members, the home owner and a representative from the contractor Solar City.

Little headway was made during this debate. The committee resolved to investigate the State laws presented by Solar City, regarding limiting restrictions on solar installations specifically for aesthetic reasons. On July 10th, Mr. Kessler’s again came before the committee. After additional discussion it came to a vote and the application was denied 3 to 1.

I held the minority opinion on the committee that state law limited our jurisdiction to deny or delay such project and that Solar panels visible from the street do not adversely affect the neighborhoods character and aesthetic value.

One of the most substantial challenges for any historic neighborhood is how to integrate and adapt to new technologies. We have reached a point environmentally that it is impossible to ignore the necessity for renewable energy and conservation. To deny a solar project for purely aesthetic reasons is not only irresponsible, it is now a violation of state law.

After denial by the committee an appeal was filed. City Council members, and management of the Planning & Development Department, requested an opinion from the City Attorney's office on the matter. The opinion issued by the City Attorney was that:

“State law [Health & Safety Code § 17959.1] has specifically preempted local regulation of the installation of solar panels for reasons other than public health and safety. Accordingly, the City is precluded from placing any conditions on the installation of solar systems to address any aesthetic concerns…Accordingly, it our position that because the Tower District Design Review Committee reviews projects on matters beyond public health and safety concerns review of solar projects is not permitted under California law.”

Due to the City Attorney’s opinion the appeal hearing was cancelled and the building permit for Mr. Kessler’s solar installation was issued.

Mr. Kessler's neighbors have been supportive of his project and that is an important aspect to keep in mind. They do not see this as blight on the neighborhood, but as investment and a step in the right direction. This brings us to a second point of contention. The discussion in the Tower community involved a concern of street facing solar panels on real estate values. However, the growing trend is to promote renewable energy, conservation, and sustainability. And as this moves forward, solar installations will boost property values.

It was very satisfying that I was able to voice the opinion of my community and that many of you hold. The lesson in this experience is that it is important that young professionals step up for such roles on volunteer committees. We need to make our voice heard in how the central valley is taking form.

 

Courtesy of www.greenbuildingnews.com

Jul 20 2007
Misperceptions have punctuated major industrial and IT changes and, according to a CNET article by Kirk Washington, they’ve taken hold today, as the clean-energy revolution gains currency in companies and communities
There are five dirty truths about clean technology people must keep in mind to make real progress.
According to Washington:

#1 Clean tech is a puzzle that is not easily solved. There are a number of complex pieces that have to fit together, including cost, efficiency, emissions and, ultimately, sustainability. There is no magic energy elixir.

#2 Clean tech may reverse rampant globalization. As the cost of transporting certain forms of energy across vast distances becomes prohibitive, energy use will undoubtedly become more local and make better use of indigenous sources.

#3 We are probably offering false hope when we suggest that there is another generation of Edisons and Hewletts working in garages around America to fix our unprecedented environmental problems. In the end, this clean-technology revolution, unlike that for IT, may not be driven by venture capital-backed start-up companies.

#4 Collaboration, rather than competition, is going to win the day here. The large incumbent organizations in the old energy economy aren’t innovating fast or well enough. Their R&D budgets are shrinking, and the best and brightest engineers are no longer flocking to them.

#5 The only way that clean technology can fulfill its promise and potential is if venture start-ups and large established companies handle the upside and downside together. Venture capitalists routinely deal with risk, so that’s not a problem. The real issue is whether shareholders of publicly held enterprises will stomach the risk.


The UC Merced Campus is located in the San Joaquin Valley in the middle of California. This new campus is 910 acres total with each new construction project pursuing LEED Silver Certification. This project is the UC Merced Garden Suites and Lakeview Dining Facility, which received LEED Silver Certification on July 23, 2007. Consisting of three types of spaces; student housing, commons and dining, the housing buildings are 2-stories, totaling approximately 22,700 square feet. The commons building is 1-story of approximately 18,200 square feet. The dining building is 1-story and is approximately 14,800 square feet.

The campus submitted through the Volume Build program and achieved a total of 35 points through the LEED-NC rating system.

The campus plans to use low-water vegetation including the use of “meadow” grasses, low-water turf grass, and groundcover along with highly efficient irrigation system. The irrigation system has a controller that is capable of fine tuning the scheduling of irrigation based on outdoor temperature. Bubblers, and drip elements will also be incorporated. Where turf has been planted a strategy of using shade trees to decrease evaporation has been implemented.

For building water use a combination of strategies were used including waterless urinals for the areas that would support large populations like the dining and commons facilities. Low flow showers in the housing units and low flow lavs throughout.

Commissioning is being implemented through a third party team that works closely with the University facilities staff and the contractor to insure the buildings operation will be in compliance with the design intent and plans.

The contractor as the lead on the design/build team was successful in achieving a very high percentage of construction waste, local/regional and recycled content. The pursuit early of a working waste management plan with the landfill and waste hauling vendors outlines the details of how they were able to achieve a 91% rate of construction waste recycled. Early specifications for 100% recycled content drywall and manufactured wall systems contributed to MR credits 4.1 & 4.2 and 5.1 & 5.2. The contractor had a
number of employees attend LEED training programs to insure tracking of paperwork would not create obstacles to achievement of LEED Silver Certification.

Low Emitting Materials were also tracked carefully and checked in the field to verify that materials approved were in fact installed.

Every concrete load ticket was tracked to demonstrate the achievement of over 40% Fly ash used as a cement substitute.

The design also reflects the projects commitment to quality indoor space through the many operable windows. Many of the windows are controlled electronically and therefore linked to the mechanical system for coordinated operation.


Operable windows above.

From any location on the project interior or exterior students and faculty will be able to
see views of the Sierra Mountain Range and the Valley vistas. Windows are integrated
into each of the three facilities.

For more information on the U.C. Merced LEED Buildings contact Mark Maxwell (209) 724-4465 or visit UC Merced's Green Buildings and LEED webpage..

This year's tour, coming September 29, will feature residential and commercial PV installations from many local solar contractors. The Fresno Solar Tour provides the public access to solar-powered homes and businesses that demonstrate how it works, what it costs, and why it may be a good choice for you.
* Meet neighbors who produce their own electricity
* Watch electric meters spin backwards
* Talk to solar designers and contractors
* Find out about solar electric economics and return on investment
* Go at your own pace; visit only what you're interested in seeing
* Learn about other environmental initiatives in the Fresno region

Registration: $10 pre-register (available online soon) and $15 on-site.
FREE for students and educators. Printed tour guides and maps will be available at the registration location:
Claude Laval WET Incubator (CVBI)
2911 E. Barstow Ave.
Fresno, CA 93740

On-site registration is 10:00 am to 3:00 pm, September 29, 2007.
Tour hours are 10:00 am to 4:00 pm.
Contact t.cotter@sbcglobal.net to discuss volunteer opportunities, sponsorship, or for more information.

Courtesy of www.greenbuildingnews.com

The West Coast Green Conference & Expo announced attendance exceeding industry records, an amazing feat for a 1st year enterprise, while 96% of all garbage produced at the event was successfully diverted to compost and recycling. But the waste management aspect wasn’t the only leading edge attribute of the producers.

From the herbal soap and moisturizers in both the woman’s and men’s rooms, to the nagging environmental questions and famous names quotes scattered around, to the napping room for speakers to the Action Hub this was a conference that is sure to be modeled throughout the trade show industry. Robert Kennedy’s speech mesmerized the audience in the plenary room as well as stopped traffic in the expo floor. The big screen transmission to the expo floor was a flying success allowing both venders and attendees a chance to hear and see the speeches.

The conference, held at the Bill Graham Civic Auditorium in San Francisco, drew 126 presenters, 256 exhibitors and over 8,900 registrations. With the average event producing 100 - 200 cubic yards of landfill waste in a matter of days, West Coast Green's mere 6 cubic yards of garbage for over 8,900 registrants has event-goers across the country asking how they did it. Of course this waste management effort was facilitated by the progressive cooperation of the San Francisco Dept of the Environment who participated in the production of the show.

To compensate for electricity use, 20 metric tons of carbon dioxide was offset through restoring temperate rainforests on Canada's west coast. To compensate for the environmental impact of the show's 3000 pounds of printed marketing material, West Coast Green further contracted with www.Zerofootprint.net, a program which planted 15 trees and restored 16,000 gallons of water via a watershed restoration project in the Rouge River, Canada. All food sold at this inaugural event was certified organic and served with biodegradable plates, knives, forks, cups, and spoons. Garbage stations were staffed by hundreds of volunteers who helped sort waste into the appropriate receptacle: compost, recyclables, and landfill trash.

A conference like no other: In addition to its success as a carbon-neutral event, West Coast Green drew a record-breaking public response with over 8,900 registrations, making it the largest residential green building event in history. Focused on the emerging residential efforts by the USGBC and forward thinking builders and contractors this show focused where past commercial green shows left off. Records show attendees from every U.S. state as well as Canada, New Zealand, China, Poland, Russia, Spain, the Philippines and the United Kingdom.

To compliment the event's "green" approach, the show's producers programmed its 126 presentations around what they termed a "living system" design. This provided attendees with a large, comfortable "nap room" to unwind in, a "conversation cafe" for discussing new ideas and an "action hub" for groups to form and collaborate on the ideas they generated during the show. "Track Hosts" took notes at every presentation and posted their summaries in the conversation cafe for participant's to review. An army of pumped up conference “volunteers” help direct traffic, fill empty seats in presentation rooms and make sure the proper waste was deposited in the proper receptacle.

"It's a very effective approach," said Racquel Palmese, Managing Editor of Green Technology Magazine when discussing the living system design. "I especially would like to see the conversation cafe used in more of these events."

“The idea is to tie everything together," said Christi Graham, Executive Producer for the event. "Our goal was to equally serve intellectual, inspirational and entrepreneurial pursuits of our attendees. This meant that equally important were the tasks of generating business for exhibitors, awareness for the public and momentum in the green building market. We designed the experience of attending to stimulate our attendees to make solid connections and take immediate action. Tapping into the brilliant potential of each person attending was what ultimately created such a powerful and wildly successful event."

All carbon offsets were independently verified and conform to the ISO 14064 standards. To learn more about West Coast Green, visit www.westcoastgreen.com or call (415) 383-5105.
Ian Bryan; The Sensible City 828.242.1868 ianbryan@sensiblecity.com; www.westcoastgreen.com

Green Residential CADD drafting for Powers Home Design

Powers Home Design, a local, "Green" residential design firm is looking for qualified residential CADD assistance. This is a small, three year old company & is currently considering hiring part time help. If you are interested please respond to Lyle at buildingdirection@comcast.net with a brief statement of qualifications.

WorldWater breaks ground for country's largest airport solar system at Fresno Yosemite International

Planning for Growth