Unfortunately, my blogging has come to an end but the rewards were great!
On behalf of my husband Pierre and I, we want to thank our professors, Megan Topham and Michael Wollman for a great experience during our sustainability course. Good luck with the upcoming sustainability classes this year.
We came to an end as we made our way to the last site visit of the class; The Tarrant Regional Water District's Annex building is a LEED-Gold Certified structure. Our tour guide, Laura Blaylock, began the tour with a little information about TRWD. 80% of the water in North Texas is on the southend of the state and they need to bring it uphill from the lakes to the populated areas. This is an area of operations and sustainability that Laura concentrates on. The sources of water are all man-made lakes for the exception of one. Some of the lakes are Cedar Creek Lake, Richland Chambers Lake, Lake Arlington, Eagle Mountain Lake among others. Laura also let us know that water conservation is the biggest return on investment for them, and it is another form of water supply for other uses.
As we continued through the building, the sustainability part of the class began and we were informed that the floors we were standing on were of a cork product and fully harvested. Another area of flooring is made up of uncovered concrete with a beeswax product that seals it and give it a shiny look. The furniture in the welcome areas is all made from recycled products and all paint on the walls contain low volatile organic compounds or VOCs. In addition, all steel that makes up the structure has 40% recycled content and all materials that were used to make the structure of the building such as the steel, stone, etc. were brought from a 500 mile radius. The U.S. Green Building Council - LEED also awarded the building points for having an open concept with no dropped ceilings. The breakroom countertops are also cement with the beeswax seal and the
cabinets are made out of medium dense fiber board or MDF. A white film is inserted between the glass windows of the offices which allows it to serve as their dry-erase boards.
All glass that surrounds the building is Low-E glass and the HVAC is centrally controlled in the Annex. The carpets are from recycled soda pop bottle products and the water fixtures are of course, low-flow. There are solar panels providing 15% to 16% of the total energy and covering about 19,000 square feet of the building. As we made our way into the back of the building, we were impressed with the giant rain barrels or tanks that were bought and made in Austin. When it rains, the water runs down to the roof gutters which then runs to each end and into 2,500 gallon tanks where it is recycled. This water is used for the irrigation system underground which waters the shrubs and trees only. The grass is never watered since they installed drought resistant grass and plants in the those green areas.
Laura continued to educate us by mentioning the numerous conservation projects going on in the lakes. They are always trying to keep the runoffs clean and from being filled with dirt. Lakes are constantly turning water from bottom to the top and at times it carries the dirt up to the top where it is being pumped by TRWD. They also participate with dairy farms and ranchers on cattle management and soil management projects. Laura also expressed her concerns about the amount of water that is wasted in the summers since 60% of treated water is poured out into the lawns. To learn more about TRWD and their great tips on how to conserve water please visit the TRWD Website.
As the day came to an end, my interest and amazement on sustainability grew more with each presentation. I am very grateful to have taken this class because I was never aware of sustainability efforts at my Company other than recycling. I am now more aware of the issues that societies and buildings can have and how simple it is to make to those changes. Sometimes those simple changes can cost you a pretty penny but it can be done one step at a time instead of trying to change every aspect of a building. In the end, the returns are great and it will be a decision that you will never regret.
Jerry Burbridge was our final in-class speaker of the day and of the mini-semester. He is employed with the Cherokee Nation where he is currently the Budget Manager for commercial leasing and ground construction and assigned to the Department of Homeland Security and Customs/Border Protection. Mr. Burbridge spoke to us about teleworking and the great benefits this brings not only to the individual but to the company as well. Teleworking is becoming increasingly popular but it is also becoming a way of life for many individuals and their families. Wouldn't it be great to work 2 or 3 days in the office with the remaining working days at home? Asked Mr. Burbridge. YES! 132 metric tons of CO2 per year are saved by the average full time employee when you add up the average vacation days, sick days and temporary leave. Can you imagine how much more CO2 can be prevented from going into the atmosphere if everyone telecommuted 2 days a week?
He continued to explain that his role in this process is to conduct site assessments and come up with a space planning sketch or plan for the work-spaces. He needs to make sure every possible work-space is being utilized efficiently for the specific number of people that are present each day at work while others are teleworking; Standardization of space! Mr. Burbridge, therefore builds Labor employee relations offices, forensic labs, jails among many others. He designed a space planning process with a "six side approach - 6666" where you must think of six sides for the four sixes:
Every piece of land has six sides. You must examine up, the top of the land, down and all four sides by asking yourself what is around me, are there minerals beneath the surface, who or what is next to me to the north, south, east and west?
Next comes the building and you check all six sides. You inspect the roof system, the foundation system and all four walls.
Third, you check all six sides of every room within the building.
The fourth and last six sided approach is for furniture, fixtures and equipment.
For Mr. Burbridge, this approach is essential for his everyday responsibilities and he proceeded to show us that a cost-savings on a 3,000 square footage space was $35 per square foot, $160,000 savings from construction costs and $155,000 savings in furniture costs. A reduction of 3,000 square feet resulted in a cost-savings of $420,000 with these three items alone and everyone had a work-space for everyday they were physically in the office. Impressive! On top of his six side approach, you want to take into account operating costs, lease costs, contruction costs, furniture costs and carbon footprint. If you remember to incorporate all in your analysis, you will be an expert in green building!
Our second tour on January 12th, 2013 after the Trinity River Vision came to a stop at the old Fire Station No.1 in Downtown Fort Worth. We were welcomed by architects Bill Peterson and Geoff Reiner of Jacobs Engineering. As we entered the Fort Worth Museum of Science and History, the presenters assured as that throughout time, no city or society has been able to manage resources responsibly. The energy that is consumed in construction is a substantial amount which brings us to today. Instead of taking up space to build outward, societies are now trying to reduce footprint in a sustainable way and build up, just like old times.
150 years ago, timber, wood and stone were the materials of choice in Fort Worth, TX. The designs when constructing a home, a saloon or any building had to be adjusted for the environment. These buildings did not have a lot of insulation, living areas did not want to be placed in the front of the house where the sun was the strongest, big porches were needed for shade, tall windows for ventilation and also the home was raised off the ground to prevent flooding. However, this was not enough effort to where you could say that the first era of Fort Worth (1860s - 1870s) managed resources responsibly. In the second era of Fort Worth, around 1880s, steel, brick and cast-iron were the material of choice for buildings. The buildings also started to add square footage upward with multiple rooms in each floor. This is where mix-use zoning started taking place and you could have a saloon on the first floor and retrieve to your home in the second and third floors. As the buildings got taller, the city became dense and more populated. Cast iron columns had the advantage of being slender, compared with
masonry columns capable of supporting similar weight. That saved space
in factories and other kinds of buildings, and enabled architects of
theaters and churches to improve sight lines when supporting
balconies. Cast iron also became the standard support structure in the construction of greenhouses but late in the 19th century, modern steel was developed and it proved to be more suitable than cast iron for structural and support purposes.
Mr. Geoff then brought us to the beginning of the 20th century where we were still not remotely close to building sustainable. Air conditioning completely changed the way buildings are made while other buildings had limited work space for people since an atrium would be constructed which can be defined as wasted space. An interesting fact that I didn't know was that in the 1970s, there was a movement towards green buildings but it suffered and collapsed due to the image it portrayed. People didn't think highly or thought quality when having things made out of recycled tires or the look of a solar panel on the roof of your house. People were not attracted nor where they ready for any of these recycling ways or sustainable ideas that we now so much desire in the 21st century.
The Trinity River Vision is a master plan to promote the 88 miles of river, keep it
beautiful, accessible and enjoyable. It was recognized that the river
presented an opportunity to revitalize neighborhoods, bring nature to
people and enhance everyone's life with a beautiful outdoors. The plan
is made up of eight targeted segments along the Trinity River with the
Central City area, Trinity Uptown, being one of the most exciting areas for all the people, employees, engineers and architects taking
part in this vision. It will connect from Downtown to the Stockyards and
the Cultural District and provide flood control and environmental
enhancements and create a “live,
work, play” model that will encourage sustainable city growth. The
Trinity River Vision got many of its ideas from the beautiful areas of
Vancouver, Canada, combining an Eco-friendly system, urban
revitalization and recreation for the river.
There have been many events to try to entice and bring people to the river. Panther Island Pavilion is a part of the river next to the Tarrant County Community College/Radioshack Campus in downtown Fort Worth hosting fun Thursday nights for all young adults, college students and families called Rockin' the River. For concerts, a stage is set up and the bands perform live on the Trinity River while you enjoy a cold one on your floating device. Festivals and other events are also brought to Funkytown and white beach sand has been added to make the entrance to the river more accessible and attractive to all visitors. Panther Island Pavilion is located in Trinity Uptown, the future home to the
vibrant urban waterfront north of downtown that will be
the largest mixed-use development in Fort Worth. In addition, a one-of-a-kind urban drive-in movie theater located in the heart of Trinity Uptown will be Coyote Drive-In which will be up and running in the Spring of 2013. With the continued construction of these visions in the area, the public will get a better idea of what the future looks like for this neighborhood. Watch the following 30 second video to see the progress of the movie screens. Pretty cool!
With the recent growth, Fort Worth has gone out to seek smarter solutions to handle major population increases. Smart sustainability practices will be integrated into the design and
construction of the new park facilities, flood gates, lakes, dams, roads,
bridges, storm water management facilities, public plazas and other
infrastructures. Land use will be regulated through mixed-use zoning. Re-use of materials for construction of public infrastructure. Low-maintenance greenscapes containing plants native to this region will be utilized. An innovative storm water management system will manage storm-water
runoff through a series of canals replacing conventional underground
conveyance systems. These are only a few of the many other green and sustainable efforts that the TRV is planning. With such a great, fresh, and beautiful upcoming area to live, dine, shop, and play, Fort Worth will become one of the best places to live in Texas.
One of the most interesting and different presentations I have ever encountered was during our January 12th class as we welcomed our first two speakers of the day, Rik Adamski and Debra Stein. The topic of this morning would be DIY Urbanism.What is DYI Urbanism? As described by Mr. Adamski, it is a phased approach to instigate change in any city along with citizen-generated alterations of the built environment. In other words, individuals or small groups of people work together to make an improvement or to communicate a message, typically at the scale of the urban block or building and create their own positive urban interventions. The intro picture above is part of the Urban Art Program initiative in New York City. The art will help foster more vibrant and attractive streets and offer the public new ways to experience the City's streetscapes.
Since the federal, state and local governments are tight on budgets and do not have the time and people to invest in DIY Urbanism, active city council members, volunteers, architects, engineers, city artists, small and local business owners take on the responsibility to initiate change. For example, Parking Day is an event where spaces normally reserved for cars are transformed for the day allowing residents to socialize in re-envisioned public spaces and encouraged to use sustainable construction materials. The goal is to make a more lively, active and community-oriented place to live and work. After a few hours, the spaces revert back to meter parking. PARK(ing) Day Dallas promotes the use of temporary green space as a form of community activism. Another form of DIY Urbanism is DIY Crossing which is just a way of reinventing, modernize and make the streets looks more playful than your ordinary pedestrian crossing. The Intersection Repair is a city led conversion of an urban street intersection into a public square/space. The community works together to make the place beautiful and a place where people can go and have fun and feel welcomed. Mr. Adamski mentioned many examples of DIY Urbanism and even though some of these might seem like you are vandalizing the place, you are not! There are a spectrum of tactics on how to get involved and do your own DIY space.
Debra Stein was our second speaker who also talked to us about how to embrace a street or a space and build a better block! She is an individual with so much energy and ready to take on any challenge that comes her way. With her experience and background such as in the visual arts, dance, art gallery owner, city council member, theater, real estate licensee, once upon a time a TV show actress and an employee of Disney she is perfect for any DIY Urbanism movement and is currently tackling a project of her own. She announced that she is taking on the challenge of incorporating DIY Urbanism into Riverside and Race Street (an area in Fort Worth, TX). She realized that this is an urban village with county funds ready to be used. An urban village is an area that has been designated for reinvention and reinvestment. Debra is trying to get people out of their homes and into the streets by bringing in many small/local shoppes, DIY murals, paintings or crossings and mix-use zoning. Anything to make the place feel alive and a space for everyone to enjoy and socialize. She named it, the Riverside Arts District and it has definitely been a community driven district with many stakeholders involved.
I can't help but think how great both Debra Stein and Rik Adamski were for spreading the word and making us all aware about something I had no idea excited or was even a concept. DIY Urbanism is definitely something fun and exciting and worth every minute of someones time to make their area more beautiful, enjoyable and you get to meet people. This is something I would definitely look into for volunteering and would like to look for those areas around my community. There's not a better feeling than knowing you have helped your community thrive and it is more beautiful place because of you.
"You have to stand for something or else you'll fall for everything" quoted Debra Stein
Our last presentation on January 5th, 2013 focused more on the topic of solar panels and the energy efficiency they provide which represent the environmental and economic components of the sustainability sphere. Our lucky speaker was Mark Thompson who is the Director of Sales at Green Ox Energy Solutions which is a full service commercial, residential and utility renewable energy provider. This presentation convinced me even more of the positive effects solar photovoltaic panels have on your electric bill and the amount of savings my family can accumulate. In Texas, most electricity is generated by the burning of coal, nuclear energy or through gas. However, there are many environmental concerns especially with the generation of electricity through coal or nuclear. Greenhouse gases and Global Warming have been the topic of discussion for decades and one that will continue to grow until the use of Coal for energy ceases. Cities and governments are now placing more restrictions on existing and
new and upcoming coal plants and are becoming unpopular to
build. Natural disasters such as the 9.0 magnitude earthquake and 45-foot tsunami caused the catastrophic explosion of the nuclear power plant in Japan. Explosions of nuclear power plants can cause massive radiation effects, toxic chemicals to be spilled on the water and land as well as the immediate killing of workers due to the blast. Nuclear plants are highly disliked and are also becoming too expensive to build. All of this creates rising demand in electricity while having a reduction in supply.
One way to answer to the rising demand is to consider the top three renewable energy sources: Wind, geothermal and solar photovoltaic panels. In fact, Texas is the leading state in wind renewable energy, with wind turbine farms all over North Texas and West Texas.Geothermal energy as I have mentioned in prior posts, is a way of extracting heat from the earth. In Texas, geothermal energy consumption is done with pipes full of liquid (usually water) that run down the earth and bring back up with the warm water for some of your energy consumption. Solar PVs are now being considered to be almost essential for any commercial building and even residential areas.
There are two types of Solar PVs, Ground Mount and Roof Mount systems that are available for residential, commercial and utility scale solar farms. The Solar PV design, whether ground or roof mount, are set up according to the orientation of the sun, availability of area for panels (standard panels are 3 ft by 5 ft), the client's budget and goals for energy efficiency among others. Another interesting fact that Mr. Thompson mentioned is the use of a micro inverter as opposed to a central inverter. A micro inverted is attached to each solar panel and takes the direct current and converts it to alternating current. What this does, it allows to see how much energy production you get per panel as opposed to a whole row of panels or a whole system that uses a central inverter. For this reason, a micro inverted is definitely more beneficial.
Overall, Mr. Thompson gave a very well prepared presentation with very useful information for me to take home and consider. I now know that the life span of a standard panel is about 25 years and produces 240 to 250 watts of electricity per hour of direct sunlight. After 25 years, the panels will still produce electricity but at a much lower rate than the first 25 years. It is safe to say that maybe about 80% of the 240/250 watts of electricity would be produced in the 25th year. When you are ready to get rid of your solar panels, the glass and metal frames of the entire mount can definitely be recycled for reuse or for other industry uses. Judging from the picture above, I am not the biggest fan of the look and design of this particular solar panel for residents. I researched for different designs and color of panels and came across the following video from a company called SUNPOWER. Enjoy!
