2014 Massachusetts Sustainable Campuses Conference

by Steve Muzzy

The 3rd Annual Massachusetts Sustainable Campuses Conference was held April 17, 2014 at UMass Lowell. Individuals representing all facets and sectors of the State came together to hear best practices for creating sustainable communities. Most of the presentations focused on how higher education institutions are leading these efforts. I attended "Campus Sustainability Plan Updates" and heard from Bentley University, Framingham State University and UMASS Lowell. All three institutions have signed the American College & University Presidents' Climate Commitment (ACUPCC) - a pledge made by the university President that commits the institution to eliminating its operational GHG emissions, supporting the educational, research, and community engagement efforts that support the goal, and contribute ongoing, annual public reports of progress. Bentley has set a climate neutrality date of 2030, Framingham State is aiming for 2060, and UMASS Lowell has set a date of 2050. Framingham State and UMASS Lowell as State owned buildings, through Executive Order 484 are required to reduce GHG emissions by 25% by 2012, 40% by 2020 and 80% by 2050. The ACUPCC and EO 484 also recommend and require institutions to utilize green building certification. EO 484 requires institutions to build and renovate to a LEED Plus green building standard. All campuses in Massachusetts are well supported in these efforts as the State has implemented terrific programs to advance energy efficiency, increase renewable energy production, and support the development of sustainable communities. 

Planning for, and profiting by, pollution prevention

My last post dealt  briefly with the synergy between LEED and various ISO standards.  I thought that it might be useful if I delved deeper into creating an Environmental Management System (EMS).  An EMS is the central provision of ISO 14001.  It is a system to address environmental matters in a strategic fashion that follows the classic system for continual improvement pioneered by Quality Management Systems.  This is the PDCA or Plan-Do-Check-Act cycle or Deming cycle. 

Why would I do this?

Why should architects and designers be interested in this? Anyone involved the operation of building and the activities that take place within the building should be concerned about its environmental impact and related costs.  Architects, at the design phase, should be cognizant that the structure may benefit from having an EMS in place and this should be part of an integrated design process.  As this is largely a document and data driven endeavor, it is better to secure this vital information as early as possible. This is even more apropos for folks seeking LEED EBOM.  Why wouldn't you consider a building that is built in the best possible manner to also be operated and maintained to a similar high standard,and also, to have same high standards for the functions that occur within the structure. 

There are several convincing  business reasons for creating an EMS, reasons beyond just doing the right thing. These include market demands, regulatory compliance, demonstrating corporate core values, public perception, and of course, marketing.  I find that the  most compelling argument, from an environmentalist perspective and a business perspective is that identifying, controlling, and reducing an environmental footprint reaps financial as well as environmental benefits.  These include reduced costs, reduced overhead, more efficient processes, improved employee performance, reduced risk, and ensuring regulatory compliance. In some cases, regulatory agencies will provide incentives for adopting an EMS such as reduced frequency of inspections, technical assistance, and even modified regulatory requirements.  Also, the emergency preparation element of an EMS helps minimize threats to human and environmental health, as well as, minimize costs associated with mitigation and remediation.  

These benefits are cumulative and directly proportional to pollution prevention milestones. These are outlined in the white paper "Sustainability Nears a Tipping Point" by the MIT Sloan Management Review.  This paper shares that companies that were early adopters of rigorous sustainability programs  have now begun to harvest the benefits as a competitive advantage.  Furthermore many executives who embraced sustainability initiatives now consider the value of their programs not just in terms of corporate goodwill and theoretical costs avoided but as a profit center in and of themselves. One caveat, these benefits  are realized over time. According to the above referenced study, organizations that have less than 2 years of experience with a sustainability program are 50% less likely to report a profit from those activities than those with 12 or more years invested in their sustainability programs. An EMS can benefit any organization that is willing to commit to the process, regardless of size or business.  The range of entities that operate under an EMS include manufactures, office buildings, laboratories, small businesses, golf courses, and, athletic facilities. In short, any business that generates any environmental impact can have an EMS. If that impact represents waste or risk, then there is a compelling business interest. 

Step by Step

Obviously, a detailed procedure for establishing an EMS is beyond the scope of this blog article.  I will attempt to briefly outline the steps below. 

A critical step is creating an Environmental Policy.  This is an over arching statement of the entities intent, aspirations,  values and goals.  At the very least the policy must insure compliance with all local, state, and federal environmental laws. It must detail pollution prevention goals, preferably with quantifiable metrics , and it must detail managements commitment to continual improvement.  This policy needs to public and it must be communicated to the employees.  It is critical that the highest levels of management are invested and involved in this process and that they support this policy.  

Next would be an identification of all environmental "Aspects" and "Impacts". An Aspect is anything that can effect the environment and an Impact is the means and degree of that effect. An Impact may be positive as well as negative.  The list of Aspects and Impacts can be extensive and this is typically drafted by an EMS committee that is composed of relevant decision makers.  Unlike LEED, these Aspects need not be contained within the fence-line or project boundary.  For example, an Aspect may be the companies desire to only conduct business with other companies with an EMS or ISO 14001 compliance.  

Once the list of Aspects and Impacts is created. The next step is to prioritize those elements. Common means of prioritizing include a matrix with frequency of occurrence (high as daily commute to low like an unlikely emergency spill) , level of Impact, cost, benefits, legal risk, and employee and community concerns.  

Along with knowing what the environmental risks are and the potential consequences. The EMS needs to detail the legal and regulatory requirements surrounding those environmental issues. This establishes the baseline actions necessary.  


Once you know what the environmental Aspects/risks of your business are, and the potential Impacts that can result, and the minimum necessary actions - you can develop objectives and targets for all Aspects. Not every Aspect needs to have an objective beyond the minimum legal requirements. Low priority Aspects not addressed can be addressed through  the process of continual improvement at a later date.  The Aspect/Impact need not be mitigated in one fell swoop. It can be addressed incrementally over time. A goal that is unattainable or unrealistic is not valid objective.  Again, upper management needs to be involved from a resource commitment point of view.  Also it is wise to involve those "in the trenches" that will ultimately be responsible for the successful achievement of these objectives.  

Finally a formal program needs to be established and implemented. This sets up a consistent approach to achieve each objective.  This can include guidance, information, and references. It should include timelines, resources, and detail who is accountable and responsible for achieving the objectives and targets.  It should include necessary training to demonstrate competency of those involved in meeting each and every objective.  It should include procedures for communications and document control to insure that critical documents are maintained and updated and that important communications and records are logged.  Techniques, such as operational controls, administrative controls, or engineering controls should be detailed.  These can and should be amended as the program evolves.  Finally, mistakes will happen and therefore an emergency readiness and response plan needs to be formulated for each Aspect. 

Continuous improvement keeps rolling along

At this point the EMS should be developed and implemented. The management will be on board and will be supporting the efforts to meet the defined objectives.  The responsible parties will have been assigned and will be overseeing the ongoing efforts. All necessary personnel have been made aware of their respective roles and have received access to all training needed to insure their competence. 

 The next links in the PDCA cycle is check and act. This involves determining environmental performance, identifying corrective or preventive actions for situations where expected performance was not realized, auditing the systems to insure that all elements are functioning and up to date, and preserving any relevant records.   Management needs to review the effectiveness of the EMS on a periodic basis and needs to update goals, revise Aspects and Impacts, and address shortfalls uncovered by the review/audit.  Thus the cycle starts again.  

You are not alone

The process can can be a difficult and tedious ordeal. It is highly dependent upon investigation and documentation.   However, you are not alone. There are resources available.  Consultants can be hired that can guide you through the process. There are online services that will help draft a customized EMS from a stock template.  For those that wish to wish to do it themselves, the EPA has a wealth of information available. 

The most important thing is that the EMS process forces companies to think critically about their environmental impact.  This self reflection can lead to great rewards for themselves, their shareholders, their neighbors, and the planet.

Kevin Dufour is an Environmental Scientist with Viridis Advisors. He collaborates with Tom Irwin on creating greener greenscapes. The opinions expressed by member bloggers are their own and not necessarily those of the USGBC Massachusetts Chapter.

ISO & LEED: A beautiful couple

One item that synergizes perfectly with LEED is the International Standards Organizations (ISO) environmental standards, yet, I find that many in the building trades have an imperfect or incomplete understanding of these tools.

 
The ISO membership is comprised of 160 national standards institutes and its standards provide practical tools for all three dimensions of sustainable development: economic, environmental, and societal.  These standards provide an internationally developed and recognized framework to ensure quality, ecology, safety, economy, reliability, compatibility, interoperability, conformity, efficiency, and effectiveness.  These traits facilitate trade and shared knowledge based best management practices.

Many of the standards, particularly those in the 14000 family of environmental management standards, harmonize with many aspects of LEED.  While LEED focuses upon the built environment, ISO focuses more on the organizations operations and management, thus it meshes quite nicely with LEED-EBOM.  These standards can build off each other and the strengths of each can complement the other to build a more sustainable whole.  With a small amount of planning and foresight, a company can occupy a LEED certified building and earn ISO certification without duplicating effort.  If they currently hold one certification, the other is more easily attained.
 

Why would an organization seek ISO certification?

Just as there are a myriad of justifications for seeking LEED certification, there are a host of reasons for pursuing ISO certification.  These include improved efficiency and effectiveness, contractual or regulatory compliance, customer or public preference, risk management, sales prospects and market access, cost savings/waste reduction, and finally, environmental stewardship.

It should be noted that while the ISO develops the International Standards, it is not a certification body.  Certification is performed by third party auditors. These “certification bodies” review the written documentation and audit the facility.  The documentation can include employee standards, training records, approved standard operating procedures, plans for non conforming events, quality verification, calibrations and test methods, document control procedures, and audits.  The purpose of this documentation is to ensure that the desired procedures are followed in a proscribed manner and that the PDCA, or Plan–Do-Check-Act, cycle is driving continual improvement.

ISO 14001 standard is unique in that one can opt for the traditional third party audit and certification or one can independently self-certify. The ability to self certify opens the standard up to many smaller organizations that may be daunted by the costs of a third party audit. 

ISO 14001 – Environmental Management Systems.

This standard is the bedrock of the entire environmental series. It establishes the requirements for an Environmental Management System (EMS).  An EMS is a standardized plan that defines the environmental impacts of an organizations activity and seeks to minimize those impacts that are within its control.  The system that quantifies and then minimizes these impacts follows the Plan-Do-Check-Act cycle.  In short this involves deciding upon a plan of action, implementing the plan, checking that the plan in effect and correcting any shortfalls, and finally, reviewing the results and improving the system.  Determining the impacts and designing the plans can be a daunting task; however, the ISO has many published documents to assist in the task.

If a company is certified to ISO 9001 standards, it is much easier to obtain ISO 14001.  ISO 9001 establishes Quality Management Systems.   A company that has a Quality Management System in place will have much of the framework required for an EMS. For instance, the will have records on raw materials and products used, a system for dealing with problems or incidents, internal and external audit procedures, and employee and management training.

Other standards within (and without) the 14000 family that can help

Many other standards within the ISO 14000 family of standards can be integrated into an EMS and can assist in the development of a comprehensive Environmental Management System.

ISO14004 provides additional guidance and useful explanations.  ISO 14031 helps an organization evaluate its environmental performance and can assist with selection of suitable performance indicators.  This is useful for accurate and truthful reporting on environmental performance.  ISO 14020 addresses a range of environmental labels and declarations, including eco-labels, self declared claims, seals of approval, and quantified environmental information about products and services.   ISO 14040 provide guidelines on the principles and conduct of Life Cycle Assessment of products and services.  ISO 14064 provides a set transparent and verifiable requirements for Greenhouse Gas accounting and verification.  ISO 14063 can assist with environmental communication to outside parties. 

Several standards are still in development. These include standards for eco-efficiency assessment (ISO 14045), material flow cost accounting (ISO 14051), Carbon footprints (ISO 14067 & 14069), Phased EMS implementation (ISO 14005), and, quantitative environmental information (ISO 14033).

There are several standards outside of the “environmental” 14000 series that can help. The 19011 is the auditing standard and it is useful for both Quality and Environmental audits.  ISO 50001 is the Energy Management System standard. While an Environmental Management System will contain sections that address energy usage, an Energy Management System under ISO 50001 requires energy performance monitoring and actual energy performance improvements.  It is akin to ongoing building commissioning but for all the processes that occur within an organization.

Data driven standards for continual improvement.

The interactions between these two great consensus driven international standards, LEED and ISO, can ensure the long term sustainability of an enterprise. A LEED certified building, especially if it then earns LEED-EBOM, will position the physical plant for an ongoing benefit. EBOM will ensure that the gains realized by the integrated design and thoughtful planning are not squandered and that the improvements are maintained. ISO standards can help the activities that occur within those buildings meet their environmental goals.  Building Designers and Facilities Mangers can work shoulder to shoulder to ensure not only a sustainable building at occupancy but throughout its life and throughout the course of the activities the building supports.  These distinct environmental benefits will yield tangible economic benefits and sustain the triple bottom line. 

Kevin Dufour is an Environmental Scientist with Viridis Advisors. He collaborates with Tom Irwin on creating greener greenscapes. The opinions expressed by member bloggers are their own and not necessarily those of the USGBC Massachusetts Chapter.

How does water quality on Cape Cod relate to LEED?

-Paul Brown

Why is water quality particularly important on Cape Cod?  Because groundwater is the only source of fresh water on the Cape; and most areas of the Cape have no municipal sewage treatment or sewers. Most homes and many commercial properties treat their waste in on-site septic systems. If these systems are improperly designed, or poorly maintained, or otherwise performing badly, they risk  pumping high levels of nitrates into the groundwater, and even possibly other more dangerous bacterial contaminants.

The groundwater aquifer on Cape Cod is recharged solely by rainwater. It feeds the many freshwater ponds on the cape, and ultimately flows to the sea. Nitrates can feed algae blooms in the water, which can consume the oxygen in the water, negatively impacting marine life.

What steps can individuals take to protect water quality on the Cape?

Homeowners are obligated to comply with system inspection requirements upon transfer of ownership of the property. In addition, homeowners should be careful to use and maintain the system correctly. Minimizing the volume of water put into the system, using environmentally friendly cleaning agents, and never disposing of oil-based products into the septic system, are all basic. Designers should ensure that systems are properly designed for the specific soil and groundwater conditions on-site, without cutting any corners. 

How does LEED interact with the need to protect Water Quality on the Cape?

Basic LEED principals, overlapping between various credit categories and specific credits, emphasize the need to reduce levels of potable water consumption as much as possible, to prevent excessive surface run-off, to encourage proper aquifer recharge, and to prevent contaminants from leaching into groundwater.  Specifically, Credit WE 2, Innovative Wastewater Technologies, Option 2, rewards treating 50% or more of wastewater on-site to tertiary standards, with onsite infiltration or re-use.

(Excerpted from the USGBC MA August 2013 Newsletter)

Sources:

http://www.sustaincapecod.org/indicators/WaterQuality

http://www.msue.msu.edu/objects/content_revision/download.cfm/revision_id.499684/workspace_id.-4/01500606.html/  (Michigan State University Extension Service)

LEED 2009 for New Construction and Major Renovations Rating System USGBC Member Approved November 2008 (Updated April 2013)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sewage_treatment

Members: We're looking for projects for our upcoming Massachusetts LEED Project Showcase!

The Massachusetts LEED Project Showcase 2013 is coming!

When: Thursday, October 17, 2013; 6:00 - 8:00PM

Where: Google's LEED Gold space at 3 Cambridge Center in Kendall Sq.  

What to expect: Short presentations, networking, learning, light appetizers and beverages.

Cost: $25 USGBC MA members, $40 for non-members, sponsorship opportunities available

Here is our invitation letter to our members (you too could become a member!) - and please take a look at the links to see the event page and consider registering a project for the Showcase!

Dear Colleagues in Green Building,

Thank you also for being a dedicated Member of the USGBC MA Chapter. As I went through this list, I am amazed at all the great LEED projects I can connect to a name. I want more of these projects to be better known.

Your work has helped move the Commonwealth to the forefront of sustainable planning, design, construction and operation of buildings and communities. We want to celebrate your efforts, and those of your teams, by having your LEED certified projects showcased at an exciting event to be hosted at Google’s facility in Cambridge on Oct. 17th, 2013.

The USGBC MA Chapter is hosting this inaugural LEED Project Showcase as a way of gathering our community of practitioners, raising the profile of our LEED buildings, and sharing information about innovative practices in design and construction.

I hope you will consider joining us. There are many ways to participate. We are seeking basic information about each of your projects so we can highlight these stories on our website and create opportunities for team building among the many disciplines involved in projects. We want the story of these projects whether located in Massachusetts or designed/created by you or your firm outside of the state. There are also several sponsorship opportunities to allow for better exposure, including event boards and tie-ins with our media partner, the New England Real Estate Journal. We are also seeking sponsors that want to present information about their projects live at the event. If you would like to sponsor multiple projects that you've been involved in, please let me know.

We anticipate an enjoyable and informative gathering and hope that you and members of your project team will submit your projects' narratives and attend the event.

I'm hoping this may be a way to connect with more of the people who have supported our mission to make every building a green building, through your daily work. 

Thank you for your efforts in promoting the design, construction, and operation of sustainable buildings and communities in Massachusetts! I look forward to hearing from you.

Grey Lee

LEED v4 is approved!

by Grey Lee

Photo credit: USGBC.org

Members of the USGBC accepted the next version of our flagship building rating system, LEEDv4, with 86% voting in favor. The new system will be officially launched at Greenbuild 2013 in Philadelphia. Changes to the GA/AP exam, documentation materials, and LEED Online will occur over the coming months with much timed to coordinate with Greenbuild. Our LEED Study Group program will continue to focus on fundamentals of green building and the LEED system, with information relating to v4 as that becomes available from USGBC National.  

With the approval of the new version, USGBC is soliciting entries of new projects to use the new system in a beta test of LEEDv4. If you register your project in the new system, you will benefit from hands-on support from USGBC and if your project attains Platinum, the fees could be waived.

Individuals from over 1200 USGBC Member firms joined the "consensus body" to be eligible to vote, and only 10% voted against LEEDv4 (with 4% abstentions). The USGBC benefited from gleaning comments from many voters and will be using those critical observations to improve the system as it is fine-tuned into implementation. LEEDv4 will help take the LEED brand global, simplify some aspects of project documentation, and enable the system to evaluate building design paths and products more quantitatively.

The current system of LEED, v2009, will be available for teams to register projects  with until the end of May, 2015. After 6/1/15, LEEDv4 will be the only system you can register projects with. 

If you are interested in reading more about the concerns of some of the naysayers, BuildingGreen posted a great article looking at the issue here.

We are looking forward to celebrating the first LEEDv4 registrant in Massachusetts - let us know if you are involved in a prospect!

A Green Building That Helps Make Everything Greener

In the interests of full disclosure, I submitted this building for the recent Green Building of the Year Award. My connection to this building is not as a member of the project team but as one who gets to work in this building on a daily basis. I lived through the considerable challenges that the builders, architects, and occupants faced. It was observing this project that helped crystallized my long running passion for green building.  

Imagine being tasked with turning an asbestos laden, archaic, 1950's era building that sits on a Brownfields site that used to house open tanks of raw sewerage into a state of the art laboratory for the advancement of environmental science. Now, imagine being told that it's a state building, obviously budget will be a major concern. Finally, you are told that all of the functions at this lab are critical to the Commonwealth and all activities must continue without impact and all workers must remain on site and their extremely delicate equipment must remain operational throughout. 

That was the challenge. One of the difficulties was that the old portion of the building was completely renovated except for one tiny 12x12 portion. This room was an environmentally controlled chamber that had to maintain humidity and temperature within extremely tight ranges.  Inside, it housed a robot that was capable of measuring the weight of a fingerprint. It was used to measure airborne particles that are so small that over 700 of them would fit in the diameter of a human hair. When inhaled, these particles directly contribute to hospital admissions for cardiac and respiratory distress. The state monitors the levels of this pollutant and thus the importance of this small space. This chamber stayed operational and free of contamination, not missing a single sample, while the building was literally gutted and rebuilt around it. Not only did the building meet the challenge but it achieved LEED Platinum certification.

The Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection William X. Wall Experiment Station, located in Lawrence Massachusetts, has been transformed into a state of the art green building. Worldwide there are 52,152 LEED certified projects, but only 1,029 (or 1.97%) are certified at the Platinum level. Of those achieving Platinum certification, only 29 in the world are LEED Platinum Laboratories. Of those, the vast majority are New Construction. The William X Wall Experiment Station not only achieved LEED Platinum certification as part of a renovation to an existing building, it did so when the existing building was designated as a Brownfields site.

The old facility was constructed in 1954 and was inadequate to handle the complex testing protocols required by today's environmental science. The WXW Experiment Station houses 52 FTE's and is the state's principle drinking water laboratory. The facility also annually performs over 15,000 lab analysis of contaminates in air, water, waste water, soil, hazardous wastes, fish, environmental evidence, and other environmental samples. The state's ambient air monitoring efforts are housed in the facility as well as the Massachusetts Occupational Safety laboratories. The building contains state of the art laboratory facilities that include clean rooms, DNA testing laboratories, inorganic chemistry laboratories, organic chemistry laboratories, toxicology laboratories, a microbiology lab, air monitoring laboratories, 2.5 micron respirable particulate gravimetric chamber, and laboratory support facilities such as building wide scientific gasses storage, hazardous waste rooms, dedicated wash rooms, high efficiency fume hoods, dedicated sample prep rooms, mechanical workshops, laboratory equipment rooms, and quality assurance lab space.

The project added 13,000 square feet of laboratory space and a major renovation of the 22,000 square foot existing lab. During the entire construction period the laboratory had to continue to operate a full capacity. During this time, all samples were analyzed and all quality assurance benchmarks had to be met. Technical systems audits, conducted by the EPA, insured that data quality objectives were achieved. The project was a 4 year, 2 phase project. All laboratory operations had to be moved multiple times and personnel had to be housed on site in construction trailers.

MassDEP, Massachusetts Division of Capital Asset Management (DCAM) and the design firm of Perkins + Will and RDK Engineers planned the project. O'Connor Constructors, Inc. was the project's construction manager.

As a top notch laboratory, the building required some unusual features. It needed Reverse Osmosis Deionized Water available in every laboratory. The labs had to be plumbed for ultra high purity laboratory grade gasses. Any source of potential contamination had to be eliminated. The entire building needed the ability to change its air within minutes. Data handling infrastructure had to be robust in order to handle the massive amounts of data that the instruments would generate. Safety features such as positive pressure labs, eyewash stations, decon showers, and emergency communications had to be incorporated throughout the work spaces. The building needed back up power and other systems to remain functional in the event of a disaster. And, the building needs to be secure and capable in the event that it is ever called upon to analyze biological threats. 

The green upgrades include: a 52.5 kW solar photo-voltaic system for on-site renewable energy production; use of the existing site as a Brownfield redevelopment; maximizing open space; rain gardens and storm water detention basins to protect the adjacent Merrimack River; water efficient landscaping; high performance roof; green roofed areas; rain water harvesting for reuse in toilets and cooling tower; water efficient plumbing (40% savings); optimized energy performance (greater than 21% over baseline, 5 LEED points); day lighting of 75% of the space; plug in charging for 2 electric vehicles; bicycle storage room and shower facilities; lighting controls; ventilation air monitoring; low emitting, regional, and recycled materials; and many other strategies. A measurement and verification plan, as well as enhanced commissioning has been incorporated to insure that the building continues to meet its certification.

The Lawrence Experiment Station was founded in 1887 and it was one of the first laboratories in the world dedicated to environmental research. In 2013, the newly renovated laboratory became one of the few LEED Platinum labs in the world and is poised to be on the vanguard of environmental science for years to come.

Kevin Dufour is an Environmental Scientist with Viridis Advisors. He collaborates with Tom Irwin on creating greener greenscapes. The opinions expressed by member bloggers are their own and not necessarily those of the USGBC Massachusetts Chapter.

Green Schools Update (May)

by Steve Muzzy

I've been at the Chapter for nearly three weeks and have been getting up to speed with operations and meeting members of the Chapter network. It is inspiring to learn about all the activities the Chapter is involved in to advance green building. As Grey mentioned last month as the Green Schools Program Manager I will be focusing on the following activities:

• Establishing & Coordinating a Multi-Disciplinary, Massachusetts “Green School Building Coalition”
• Expanding the LEED Education & Practice Program
• Developing & Managing The Green Schools Project Matching Service

I will also be developing a Green Schools webpage on the Chapter website that will include resources to support green building retrofits and construction and highlight completed and current school projects. It will also provide data on the number of LEED projects at K-12 and higher education campuses across the State.

In the meantime, please feel free to contact me with questions or resources to share. Finally, I’d like to pass along some recent reports that may be of interest - highlighting how the education sector is supporting and advancing green building. 

New & Retrofit Green Schools: The Cost Benefits & Influence of a Green School on its Occupants

Published by McGraw-Hill Construction, this report reveals feedback from K-12 and higher education occupants and green school design and construction professionals, resulting in data and intelligence on the green education market and how it will evolve over time.

The Green Schools Investment Guide for Healthy, Efficient & Inspiring Learning Spaces 

From the Center for Green Schools, a free downloadable resource for K-12 schools and communities that demonstrates how schools can implement healthy and resource-efficient building improvements.

State of Our Schools 2013 Report

From the Center for Green Schools and their partners the “State of Our Schools” report estimates that it will take approximately $271 billion to bring public K-12 school buildings up to working order and comply with laws. These preliminary findings are a call for an updated survey on the condition of America’s schools.

(Excerpted from USGBC MA's May 2013 Newsletter)

Welcome Stephen Muzzy to the USGBC MA Chapter as our new "Green Schools Program Manager"

As recently announced at our Earth Day Celebration, our advocacy work for green buildings has recently become amplified. The Chapter thanks the USGBC for supporting the position with a strategic investment grant. Stephen Muzzy will start in early May, focusing on three things:

• Facilitating a Green School Buildings coalition 
• Implementing LEED Study Groups 
• Creating a LEED Project Assistance Matching Service 

Steve comes to the Chapter having served for 5 years as a program manger at Second Nature, a campus sustainability consulting organization. He most recently has managed the American Colleges & Universities Presidents' Climate Challenge program, helping campuses implement carbon mitigation strategies. He brings green campus experience, program design & delivery skills, and an extensive network at higher ed institutions in Massachusetts.

You are welcome to attend a Green Schools Committee meeting on 5/9/13 where we will be welcoming Steve and making introductions. We are looking forward to promoting green buildings on campuses throughout Massachusetts in the coming months and years!

(Excerpted from USGBC MA's April 2013 Newsletter)

Institutionalizing Ignorance

Ignorance: state of being ignorant, lack of knowledge , education, or awareness.

I felt that I needed to get that definition in place right our front, before I start throwing bombs. My first few posts have been on items that have been rather mundane such as, groundskeeping and maintenance plans.  However, over the last couple of weeks several things have come to my attention that both angered me and made my wonder about the long term viability of the sustainability movement.

The children are the future

The first thing that got may attention was a concerted effort to pollute the minds of school children by requiring, under force of law, the teaching of climate denial in schools. Oklahoma, Colorado, and Arizona are all debating bills that refer to global warming as a "theory" that is "controversial" and riddled with scientific weaknesses. This, despite the fact the National Academy of Sciences, as well as major national academies of science around the world and every other authoritative body of scientists active in climate research have stated that the science is unequivocal: the world is warming and its primary cause is human activity.  The veracity of climate change is unshaken despite the fact that this spring has been ice bound and last winter was virtually snow less. These variations are explainable.  The trend line of the data has been verified, despite the claims of climate change deniers.

These bills are being advanced under the canard that students need a "balanced" perspective " to develop critical thinking skills they need in order to become intelligent, productive and scientifically informed citizens." (These efforts have been crafted and honed over decades, if you want to learn more, an excellent PBS documentary is here.) This is the latest approach to arguing for an idea you can't possibly support with evidence - the false equivalency.  The powerful interests behind climate denial are well aware that the vast weight of evidence is against them so they propose that , for the sake of balance and fairness, both sides need to be considered equally.  This is bunk.  This is the same argument that was made between creationism and evolution.  One side has the vast weight of the generations greatest subject matter experts all reaching some form of accord, the other has....nothing. The best support that they muster is a selective interpretation of the data.  Sure they can point to a scientist or two - often not even a climate scientist - to support their position.  The tobacco industry would occasionally find a scientist who did not believe that smoking damaged your health, it did not mean that those scientists opinions should receive the same weight as the avalanche of opposing colleagues. 

While these laws seem laughable on their face, this is not something to be trivialized. While the above referenced law is up for debate in 3 states, it has been raised in 10.  The forces that propose these laws are very very well organized and heavily subsidized.  They are also expert at influencing the political process to gain a built in, legislatively mandated, advantage.  Kudo's for them.  If you care about something, you need to fight for it.  I fear that the pro-sustainability constituents may not be up for the fight.  Examples of their efforts include efforts to prevent the disclosure of fracking fluids, efforts to blockade renewable energy, and even developing a "Global Warming Curriculum for K-12 Classrooms." 

Now, we get to the part that worries me.  

Pests, Poison, & People

Managing a landscape with or without pesticides is a difficult decision.  What’s so difficult you may ask? Pesticides are created to kill things. They are an inherently dangerous product. This should be an easy decision.  However, the pests they seek to eliminate also bring a danger. There's a reason one of the Four Riders of the Apocalypse was pestilence.  After immersing myself, at the request of a client, in the study of this subject and trying to separate the science from the emotion, I find that the subject is, as in most things, far more nuanced than I initially believed.

I, like most people, initially approached the subject from the aforementioned position that pesticides, herbicides, and fungicides are designed to kill things and therefore must be bad for the environment and bad for human health. I also assumed that organic products, being ‘natural’ would be better. When you are asked to counsel a client on their landscape management plan, you will probably find that it's not quite so simple.

Compartmentalization and LEED for Homes

LEED for Homes Certification has two paths: Low-rise and Mid-rise. In addition to having some different 'optional point' credits, the two certification paths have some key differences in Prerequisites (the pass/fail items). One of these differences, which I will discuss in this post, is EQp12.1 - Compartmentalization of Units.

Compartmentalization is an air sealing practice that focuses on limiting air movement between dwelling units within a building. Historically, the exterior boundary has been the primary plane for reduction in building air leakage. More recently, air leakage across unit boundaries has been targeted for more than energy savings. Where air can travel, sounds, smells, heat, cold and rodents can, too. The goal of the compartmentalization requirement in LEED for Homes Mid-rise is to reduce movement of all of these things. Many of us have probably experienced an apartment where neighbors share more than just the common stairwell.

Figure 1

Figure 1 demonstrates the intent of compartmentalization. Solid lines in this image represent walls that have been sealed to act as continuous air barriers, dotted lines indicate walls that have not been sealed. The floor plan to the left represents a building in which only the exterior boundary has been sealed, while the floor plan to the right represents a building that has been compartmentalized, or sealed to prevent air movement between units.

Now, you may be thinking, how hard can it be? The entire unit gets gypsum on the walls and the ceiling, the windows and doors are sealed, where can the air come from? Well, let me tell you something: air is sneaky.

It finds its way anywhere that it can - whether through a light fixture, electrical outlet, duct chase or behind baseboard. If you don't seal it, it will come, and meeting the LEED for Homes Mid-rise prerequisite doesn't happen by accident.

Figure 2

Figure 2 is a cross-section of a multifamily building in which we are looking at one unit which is bounded on all sides by other units. The orange dotted line represents the interior gypsum on the walls and ceiling and the floor. The red arrows indicate the paths for air leakage. Air leakage can be found coming through electrical penetrations such as wall outlets and ceiling fixtures. It can also enter the unit through penetrations made by ductwork and unsealed framing in spaces between unit ceilings and subfloors above.

In my experience, residential units that have not had a compartmentalization goal are typically measured at twice or more the allowable leakage level for LEED for Homes Mid-rise. Working with a LEED Green Rater from framing, to insulation, to finish, and focusing on compartmentalization has shown to be an effective way to help projects meet their air leakage requirements.

Project Spotlight: United Teen Equality Center

The United Teen Equality Center in Lowell was founded to serve the young people of Lowell and to provide them with the tools to trade violence and poverty for success. Through a number of programs, including intensive street outreach and gang peacemaking, UTEC helps students resume or continue their education and develop skills through their workforce development programs. UTEC is nationally recognized as a model youth development agency.

Photo Courtesy of UTEC

UTEC also holds the distinction of being one of the oldest LEED certified buildings in the country. UTEC renovated the former St. Paul’s United Methodist Church building, built in 1839, and were certified as LEED Platinum last November. The expansion of the building will allow UTEC to double the number of youths in their Workforce Development and Education programs.

There are 147 solar panels on the roof of the historic building. The project team also incorporated soy-based insulation in the basement. Other sustainability features include an electric car-charging station, solar chimney, passive cooling system, and natural daylighting.

The building will also have a youth-run café open to the public, serving locally sourced food. The café will also have a Green Resource Center with interactive displays.

Learn more about the United Teen Equality Center and their LEED Platinum Certification.

Free Money For Green Groundskeeping

Its always difficult getting folks to break out of their routine and embrace a better way of doing things.  This is even more true when you propose a more environmentally sound way of doing things.  The innovation may be a bit easier to adopt if it came with such benefits as lower costs, less maintenance, a better user experience, and, demonstrable environmental benefits.

The opportunity is sweetened further if it comes with some free money.

This is exactly the case with switching from gas powered outdoor maintenance equipment to propane power and it can be done now with significant grants to offset the initial costs. These grants are available from  the Propane Education and Research Council. They provide for up to $500 to convert a gas powered commercial mower to propane and up to  a $1,000 rebate for the purchase of new propane powered mower.  More info can be found here. 

Why would somebody want to do this? After all you are just swapping one fossil fuel for another?  That is true, but anyone pursuing LEED-EBOM will be putting together a forward looking landscape maintenance plan. This is also important under a SITES certification.  LEED v4 specifically offers credits for site management plans that adopt gasoline free and low emission landscaping.  Finally it just makes sense from a fiscal and a sustainability perspective.

Reducing costs
All groundskeepers whether on a commercial campus or a public park/school are concerned about ever shrinking budgets.  Converting to propane based equipment can help.  The cost per gallon equivalent is between 30% and 50% less because, unlike gasoline, it is easier to negotiate a contract price for a full year.  Secondly, the maintenance interval for propane equipment is much longer - many people see oil changes move from every 25 hours to every 100 hours. Thirdly, The equipment lifespan is frequently increased.  Commercial mowers typically need to be rebuilt or replaced at about 2,500 hours.  Propane powered equipment can see a 50% improvement due to cleaner oil and pistons.  Finally, the loss of fuel due to theft and spillage is virtually eliminated.

Reducing environmental impact
Spillage of gasoline is an often overlooked environmental problem. The EPA estimates that 17 million gallons of gasoline are spilled annually when fueling landscaping equipment. The lack of spilled fuel is just one of many environmental benefits.  According to the EPA, about 5% of ALL air pollution is generated by lawn care equipment. Propane powered equipment can help with this problem.  Propane yields more than a 25% reduction in green house gasses versus gasoline. It reduces carbon monoxide emissions by  greater 60% and it generates fewer ground level ozone precursors and fine particulates than conventional gasoline powered equipment.  Conversion kits are certified by both the EPA and the very strict California Air Resources Board (CARB).   Most jurisdictions even allow for the use of propane powered equipment during ozone action days when ground level ozone concentrations force the shut down of gasoline powered small engines.

Similar performance to gasoline
A question often asked is, "The benefits are obvious, but how does it perform?".  The market itself is beginning to answer that question. Many major landscaping outfits, particularly in the south and west where they are often subject to ozone action shutdowns, are switching to propane.  They claim that they have the same power with all the benefits. Operators like it because it can be quieter and they are exposed to less fumes.   One issue that I have uncovered is that propane is somewhat less energy dense than gasoline. This results in the range of a tank of propane being equal to about 3/4 of that of a comparable gasoline tank.  The issue of fuel transfer can also be an issue.  Large operators will benefit from an on site tank filling infrastructure, but this is a large upfront expense.  These costs can often be offset by grants and rebates, these are worth pursuing.  Smaller operations can have a  dedicated tank exchange installed, similar to those seen at supermarkets or hardware stores. 

One advantage to investing in a propane filling station is that it allows for the future expansion into vehicles.  I have driven propane and natural gas vehicles and have found them to be identical in performance to gasoline.  Having a fueling station would allow for large vehicles to be converted to  propane.  The lack of a wide array of fueling stations limits a vehicles use, but operating out of a central location, equipped with a fueling station, makes sense.

A reasonable alternative
Of course, electric powered equipment would be the best choice. They could be powered via alternative means and would emit next to nothing in hazardous air pollutants.  There are several viable electric options available for smaller pieces of equipment (blowers, trimmer, saws etc,) but electric still does not have the range or power needed for larger pieces of machinery.  Propane, however, can power smaller engines, such as blowers,  as well as  the larger ones.  One of the best solutions I have seen is a solar array that powers a battery recharging station with interchangeable batteries for the smaller pieces of equipment and propane for the higher power equipment.  This could be a bridge solution that is enhanced by the prospect of free money.

Kevin Dufour is an Environmental Scientist with Viridis Advisors. He collaborates with Tom Irwin  on creating greener greenscapes.