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In a less ideal world, the building would still exist.  It would have CFLs, a green air conditioning system, no-formaldehyde wood components, working windows.  Some of the materials would be recycled, but some would not.  The developer might have purchased some carbon offset credits to adjust for this, but probably not.  Still, there would be recycling/composting facilities and solar panels on the roof to offset the impact on the fossil fuel-run energy grid.

In our world, there are still forests which aren’t sustainably run, pH-destroying nitrogenous fertilizers, formaldehyde in our processes, high-VOC stains and paints being used, and buildings which, although there might be a wealth of CFLs and LEDS, aren’t using any solar or wind power, let alone a green garden on the roof.

But that’s why we’ve got green building programs, I hear you say.  Or, do we?  The New York Times is reporting this week that some buildings certified by the USGBC aren’t meeting the program’s standards once certified and in use.  The USGBC doesn’t deny it, either.

The council’s own research suggests that a quarter of the new buildings that have been certified do not save as much energy as their designs predicted and that most do not track energy consumption once in use. And the program has been under attack from architects, engineers and energy experts who argue that because building performance is not tracked, the certification may be falling short in reducing emissions tied to global warming.

Yikes. 

The tack most of us in the green journalism community have taken on the subject is to say that if there weren’t organizations like the USGBC making their certifications desirable for tax credits and energy savings audits, the building community at large might have had less pressure from the green movement as a whole.  Basically, any movement toward sustainability is better than none at all.  Still, it makes this reporter wonder why a developer would bother going through the paperwork, the energy audits, and the bureaucracy of the process to attain LEED certification in the first place if the building’s overall performance wasn’t going to be tracked, monitored and, in some way, monetized.  Theoretically, it’s just as much as savings for them in the long run as it potentially is for the environment.

Let me know what you think! Leave your comments.

“The first bulbs to emerge from this push, Philips Lighting’s Halogena Energy Savers, are expensive compared with older incandescents. They sell for $5 apiece and more, compared with as little as 25 cents for standard bulbs.

But they are also 30 percent more efficient than older bulbs. Philips says that a 70-watt Halogena Energy Saver gives off the same amount of light as a traditional 100-watt bulb and lasts about three times as long, eventually paying for itself.”

Edison would be proud.  Read the full story here.

• So this is a little off the beaten path for us, but I received a product release about some pretty little alternatives to paper towels.  File under: Implementing Green Style!  Who doesn’t like a chance for everything in the kitchen to coordinate?
•  The USGBC gives a big thumbs-up to the House of Reps for passing green incentives legislation.
• Natural Home magazine gives yet another peek into the massive design/build project that is the rebuilding of Greensburg, KS. 

All this, after the jump! (more…)

Miele has announced its new G 2002 series dishwashers, like the one at left, are compliant with the EPA’s shiny new Energy Star requirements which are rolling out in 2011.

 According to the company, “Miele’s previous Normal program used only 6.1 gallons of water per load, making the new series 17% more efficient – saving about a gallon per load. In its Economy cycle, the new Miele series only uses 1.2 gallons (for those who want to save even more water and energy).”

Miele’s been taking further steps to reduce its carbon footprint, and the footprint of its products. Check out the company’s sustainability report here.

Happy World Environment Day!  For the uninitiated, today is the U.N.’s equivalent of Earth Day.  To learn more, check out the WED Web site here.

When you’re there, be sure to check out the Twitter for Trees (@UNEPandyou, for you Twitter twits out there) campaign and updates of David de Rothschild’s amazing Plastiki project.

(More about Plastiki, de Rothschild’s project to bring awareness to the cess pit that is the North Pacific Gyre, a story worthy of coverage in this reporter’s opinion, available here at The New Yorker)

Photo: BuffaloReadings.com, via TreeHugger.

Were you aware that May is remodeling month?

It’s OK if you missed most of it–let’s borrow of a phrase from the Earth Day folks and say “Every month is remodeling month!”  Here’s to the remodelers, who turn the fixer-uppers into the dream homes of tomorrow, who take a coffin-like galley builder’s kitchen and bust out the walls to make it the fabulous open-plan hot spot of the house.

Remodeling can be spun green, too, especially with this year’s tax incentives to encourage folks (your clients) to increase their home’s energy efficiency.  With more people than ever deciding to stay put (leading to the rise of the Staycation and other silly marketing spins on the word “Stay”) , the government’s push for remodeling comes at a very good time.

Steve Gray Renovations, a smart building company based in Indianapolis, has some ideas about how you and your business can capitalize on the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 and market these developments effectively to your benefit. (N.B. — There are some other reasons to visit his site–Steve Gray is a master of promotion and marketing; the company’s Web site alone shows that much off immediately. KBDN covered Gray’s business model in an Industry Profile last year, that you can read here.)  The page is geared toward consumers; his clients know about it from a monthly eNewsletter Gray sends out to direct them to new content on his site.  Check it out here.

HGTV is practically required viewing for us scribes here at KBDN.  Nobody loves a good floorplan like we do.

But apart from its fix-it shows and the remodeling disaster diaries, HGTV has stepped up to the plate for green and really hit it out of the sustainably managed park, so to speak.  From groundbreaking programming to sponsoring an annual Green Home, the network is doing a lot of legwork for the sustainable design cause.

So that’s why I was particularly thrilled to see that the network’s Green Home earn some Brownie points and recognition from the powers-that-be at the Environmental Protection Agency.

The EPA announced this week that the 2009 Green Home in Port St. Lucie, FL  has earned both the Indoor AirPlus and Energy Star labels.  Doesn’t hurt that it’s pretty, either–protects viewers from visual pollution!

For more about the 2009 Green Home including product, process and professionals involved, visit HGTV’s Green Home Web site here.

Read the release after the jump, and let me know what you think of the photos in the comments.

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To wit, the United States Environmental Protection Agency (Don’t get the agency’s e-updates? Sign up here.  Are you on Twitter? They’re at @usepanews) sent out this rather reassuring press release yesterday:

Stimulus Plan Will Create Sustainable Jobs That Will Protect Public Health  

Contact: Enesta Jones, 202-564-7873 / jones.enesta@epa.gov
 

(Washington, D.C. – Feb. 19, 2009) The economic recovery plan signed by President Obama will create 3 to 4 million quality, sustainable jobs with many protecting our country’s public health and our environment.   

   “Through the President’s stimulus package, green initiatives will play a significant role in powering economic recovery,” said EPA Administrator Lisa P. Jackson. “EPA’s portion of the plan will create good, sustainable jobs that help produce cleaner drinking water, purer air, environmentally friendly urban and rural re-development, and reduced greenhouse gases. This is a perfect example of economic growth and environmental protection working hand in hand to the benefit of all Americans.” 

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From the “Community Grumbling” department: Last week, the New York Times’ Green, Inc. blog posted a short item on the ongoing debates of energy efficiency/chilly green alien light CFLs versus energy wasting incandescents which have a better range of color temperatures and wattage versatility. It quoted a number of reader comments from previous posts on the subject.

That sparked another round of comments so, today, the blog featured a Q and A with self-proclaimed “CFL Advocate” Michael Siminovitch, a professor and director of the California Lighting Technology Center at the University of California, Davis. The topic is relevant and timely, as incandescent’s prognosis is terminal.

Consumers, the piece asserts, rarely go to Home Depot thinking about energy efficiency.  Instead, if they’ve got a dimmable fixture in the wall, they’re going to want a bulb which dims.  If you plug a conventional curlicue CFL into a dimmable outlet, it will not light.  A consumer looking for a bulb for a lamp by which they read at night, is not going to want a bulb which emits the same light as their office light fixture does. (See mine below as an example of this)

Check out what Siminovitch says is the delay in bringing better CFLs to a wider market and what we can expect for the future, here.

A quick recap of things to come for the bulb of yesteryear: Brazil and Argentina began to phase them out in 2005, Ireland and Switzerland will follow suit in 2009, the UK in 2011, Canada the following year, and us Yankees will kiss them goodbye between 2012 and 2014.

There’s a bit of innovation under way, though, to extend the incandescent’s lifespan: Two years ago, General Electric announced the company was working on a high efficiency incandescent (HEI) which would be four times as efficient as a current incandescent lamp.

Stay tuned.