Sustainable WNC

The City of Berkeley has come up with an innovative way to finance solar energy systems for homeowners. The city will pay for the equipment and installation and then the homeowner will payback the cost of the system over 20 years through their property taxes. Read more here: www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/c/a/2007/10/26/MNAIT0DQO.DTL

On September 11th, 500 UNCA Bulldogs switched out 5500 incandescent light bulbs with more efficient compact flourescents in the Asheville Housing Authorities affordable housing. The impact of something as simple as switching out these bulbs will save almost $200,000 dollars (split between the taxpayers and the tenants who need it most) over the life of the bulbs and keep 1600 tons of carbon from being released in the atmosphere. The light bulbs were donated to the Asheville Housing Authority via local businesses and individual contributions to the Appalachian Offsets program. The local businesses and individuals took the time to calculate their energy use and impact on pollution, and then paid to have it offset through this local initiative. Special thanks to Black Mountain Natural Foods, The Bend of Ivy Lodge, Laurey’s Catering, Earth Fare, Samsel Architects, Honeywear, The EcoBuilders/EcoHouse Realty, Vandemusser Designs and Jade Mountain Builders and all of the individuals that made this event possible. For more information visit www.WNCGBC.org/offset

Side Note: For those of you that are concerned about the mercury contained in the compact flourescent light bulbs (CFLs) here are a few thoughts- CFLs are helping us transition out of such an incredible wasteful technology while innovation catches up. Incandescent bulbs produce 90% heat and 10% light, and all of that energy that goes to waste is responsible for about 3000 mg of mercury being released into the atmosphere through the coal fired power plants used to produce it. Meanwhile, a CFL contains about 4 mg of mercury, about as much as a watch battery. To further put it in perspective, those old mercury thermometers have about 500 mg of mercury in them. All of that said, we recognize that CFLs aren’t perfect, and are excited about the innovations in LED technology. We advocate proper disposal (though I have yet to have one burn out and have to dispose of it)- available at fire stations throughout Buncombe County. Additionally, when it comes to greatest impact for least amount of money, cfls are a great place to start. For more information on CFLs and proper disposal: energystar.gov/ia/partners/promotions/change_light/downloads/Fact_Sheet_Mercury.pdf

There is no such thing as a perfectly green building. Just about every green feature has a pro and a con. Cork flooring? Great, it is renewable, it can be put down with minimal adhesive, but was shipped from across the world. Icynene insulation is a wonderful, non-toxic product that can create an energy efficient and durable home, but it is also energy intensive to make, uses fossil fuels and will not quickly biodegrade. The list goes on. The Environmental Building News developed criteria for what makes an individual product green. There are 26 different aspects to each material alone- this doesn’t even delve into how or where the building is built.

In my opinion, about the only truly green home is one that was built using all natural and renewable materials, is off the grid, located in town, that didn’t harm a fly to build and used no net amount of energy to create any of the materials and created no waste. We don’t have too many of those going up in around here yet. So, instead we have worked very hard to create a set of guidelines, the HealthyBuilt Homes Program, which looks at the basic criteria of what makes up a green home and requires that builders look at all sections, not just one. We based it on a bunch of other program’s experiences and it quantifies the pros and the cons of the different materials. The homes are inspected to make sure that the points were actually met and that the features were installed correctly. The program is designed to award points to builders for doing things better.

There are several other certification programs (all with pros and cons, like everything) that will soon be available, with the cooperation of the WNCGBC, in Asheville. LEED for homes will be more difficult, less versatile and more expensive. It will be great for the greenest of the homes (and similar the HealthyBuilt Homes Silver or Gold Certification). The National Assocation of Home Builders has their program coming on line which is a little less stringent, and is self certifying (though this may change?).

I swear I am not as biased as most people think I am, the WNCGBC is program neutral, our core mission is to educate our community about the importance of green building and supports many shades of green, but HealthyBuilt homes is a great place to start because it is a middle ground. It is accessible by builders who want to try something new, but aren’t ready to go all the way yet. It also serves the greenest builders. Thus the levels of certification are very important to communicate, as well as clarity on what features they represent. The checklist isn’t perfect, but in my experience with the last fifty houses, the levels of certification are on target. A certified house is energy efficient, will most likely be more durable, comfortable and have better air quality than its non certified contemporary. A gold level is most likely very efficient, probably incorporates renewable energy, will have great air quality, and is probably either infill development, or in a environmentally sensitive planned community.

All three programs focus on the building itself and while the site is an important aspect to the programs, there is much left to be desired by many in this aspect. Thus some other programs have come up with “community checklists”. It is basically and addendum to the building specific checklist. As more developers become interested in the HealthyBuilt homes program we are left with a dilemma. If they encourage but don’t require green building, are they green? If they require green building, but don’t minimize there impact on local infrastructure or the land itself are they green? Well, again, yes and no.

There is no one size fits all approach. It is my opinion, and my recommendation, to the increasing number of folks that are aching for a definitive yes or know that we take this approach to new homes in Asheville.

1) The home must have to have a third party inspection

2) It must require HealthyBuilt Homes or LEED (to be available this fall). Energy Star can have a place, and has its own marketing, but green has to be more than efficiency.

3) Land planners/designers and a few others get together to review what already exists and create an addendum to HealthyBuilt Homes for communities. The debate about whether or not anything built out of the urban core can really be green will continue, but the houses in these sprawling developments are going to be built anyway. I feel that we need to help them minimize their impact, and allow them to market their accomplishments (though admittedly, a pale shade of green).

This leaves us still to deal with existing homes. We are working on renovation guidelines, but I don’t think it will have a certification aspect. I think the most important thing for realtors, is to market the green features of existing homes and not to market them as green homes.
We don’t want to green wash, but we do want to acknowledge and commend the steps that are being taken to make a difference to become more “green”, no matter what shade.

Concerned individuals and businesses have a new way to make a difference in the amount of greenhouse gasses that are released into the air in our local community. Appalachian Offsets is a nonprofit, voluntary carbon offset program to combat global warming through local renewable energy and efficiency projects in Western North Carolina. The program is a three step process. First, visit www.AppalachianOffsets.org and calculate your “carbon footprint”. Second, reduce as much energy as you can and third, offset the rest. The tax deductible donation will be spent on energy efficiency and renewable energy projects in local affordable housing that would not have been possible without the offset donation. For instance, if an individual calculates that their lifestyle is responsible for emitting eight tons of carbon into the atmosphere due to their energy use, they can pay to eliminate eight tons of emissions somewhere else. Thus, their footprint is “offset”.
There is a lot of discussion on a national and international scale about Carbon Offsets and Renewable Energy Credits (or RECs). The programs all attempt to address climate change through economic actions, but some are more legitimate than others. First, Appalachian Offsets stresses the importance of people and organizations to attempt to save energy first, not just buy their way out of it. Second, it is important to fund projects that wouldn’t have happened without the donation. This is the concept of additionality. Many programs buy offsets from renewable energy systems that already exist, but Appalachian Offsets will pay for new projects only. Third, it is important to take action locally.
The first project will replace incandescent light bulbs with compact fluorescents in the Asheville Housing Authority’s low-income rental housing. Using a single 13-watt compact fluorescent bulb instead of a 60-watt incandescent bulb saves over 470 kWh of electricity over its lifetime. A single CFL will save 425 pounds of coal that would release 583 pounds of carbon dioxide and 17 pounds of sulphur dioxide, not to mention a variety of other harmful pollutants. By eventually replacing over 13,000 incandescent bulbs, the Housing Authority and its residents will reduce carbon emissions by more than 3790 tons and sulphur dioxide by more than 100 tons. Participants in this project will be helping clean the air for the region’s children and saving money for themselves and the Housing Authority.
Carbon calculations are a great way to learn about how you use energy in your personal life or business and with Appalachian Offsets, you can actually do something about it. Offsetting a ton of carbon costs about $15, but if an organization gets together, that can reduce the cost per ton and make a large impact. Plus, if a business or organization offsets their entire footprint, they can market that they are “Carbon Neutral”. Carbon Offsets are certainly not the answer to climate change or our reliance on fossil fuels, but it is a great educational tool that does make a difference.

At the April 24th City Council meeting, late into the evening, the City Council adopted a LEED resolution to certify all municipal buildings over 5000 square feet at the Gold level. I have to admit that after countless deliberations where members of staff and council had uneducated discussions (some may call them arguments) about LEED and its associated costs and requirements I was relieved and impressed with the presentation by the Sustainable Advisory Committee and its effectiveness. Having a presentation that preempted questions and concerns, it was an easy decision to make. You mean we can save money and do the right thing?! Additionally, the city agreed to reduce its carbon emissions by 2% per year until it has reached the goal of a 80% total reduction in carbon emissions. There are many more details to work out with this goal, but it is great to see some action behind the many idealistic goals of our city. It is also a relief to see the governing institutions and the business community begin to realize that we can have a quality of life, clean air and a vibrant economy. I also appreciated Mayor Bellamy’s challenge to the Sustainable Advisory Committee that its next goal be to educate the community to begin saving energy in the homes and businesses of our community. Since many of us began working with the City to consider adopting a LEED resolution, the idea has always been for the City to LEED (sorry) by example. Thanks.

If you have a few minutes please visit www.oursoutherncommunity.org/ and take the Community Energy Survey. The data is being compiled to help asses our communities energy needs and willingness to reduce energy consumption. The data will help debunk the myths so that we can make decisions about our energy future based on facts. Thanks to Ned and everyone who has worked so hard to make this a REALITY.

The following bills which contain tax credits for energy efficient and HealthyBuilt Homes made it through the 1st House committee on friday!

http://www.ncleg.net/gascripts/BillLookUp/BillLookUp.pl?Session=2007&BillID=S505 Senate

http://www.ncleg.net/gascripts/BillLookUp/BillLookUp.pl?Session=2007&BillID=H526 house

The amount of development in Western North Carolina is staggering. There is so much happening and changing in our region that it is very difficult to keep up. I hope that the launch of SustainableWNC.org will help facilitate education and interconnectedness in our region so that as we grow, we can do so in a way that serves our ecological community and our future generations. I have a vision for WNC that I still believe is possible to create. With abundant natural beauty, resources and temperate climate people flock here, many of which, ironically, do so to learn about sustainable living. Maybe we can’t stop the growth completely, but we can work through both policy and education to make sure that our community grows consistent with its cultural values and ecological needs. I truly believe that we can grow in a way that is, in and of itself, an art form that serves both the environment and humanity. What is sustainable development? What is sustainable building? These are questions that have no simple answer or simple solution but they are full of possibilities and full of choices to do things better. We can build houses for people to live in that will not be torn down in 50 years. We can build houses that use such little energy that we won’t have to build any new power plants. We can build houses with materials that support local business and economy. Likewise we can also build houses that don’t pollute the natural beauty that has beckoned us here in the first place. My hope, and reason for getting into building in the first place, is that by spending time in healthy places that are more connected to their surroundings then, people too will become more connected and sensitive to the world around them. My hope is that this blog will be a place to learn more about green building and the development of our community at large. So let me know how I am doing.

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