Public Transit and Green Communities: Eat Your Vegetables!

by Rob Jones on February 8, 2010

Perception is a funny thing.

In some cities, doing without a car and relying on public transit is no big deal. In others, the very idea is entirely alien, even if the option of public transit is presented as a viable, and logical, option.

I don’t want everyone to think that I am down on car ownership. I like cars! They’re convenient when visiting friends and family, or heading to public parks, or taking a cross-country trips to find yourself. They tend to be magnets for household detritus, turning them into giant, mobile closets a lot of the time. I can forgive that. But increasingly in urban and in many suburban contexts, what can be considered to be a convenience for an individual household can also become a detriment to the wider community and beyond.

In reading an article about the expansion of public transit rail lines in the State of Virginia, I was amused by the statement made by House transportation delegate, Joe May:

“Virginia doesn’t have the money and other resources to build more roads. The far greater solution is going to have to be rail and transit, and you might as well get used to it. (read the source article)”

The statement was made at subcommittee meeting attended by officials from the Virginia Department of Transportation and the Virginia Department of Rail and Public Transportation. And it kind of sounds like a parent trying to get their kids to eat their vegetables.

eat-your-vegetablesLuckily, despite the hardships that seem to be implied in the statement, the state is vying for Federal stimulus funding to expand regional transit lines from Richmond into Washington, D.C. This is for the purposes that some of you may have guessed; reduction of energy consumption, and better air quality.

Developing adequate public transit to urban and suburban areas goes hand in hand with green building best practices. Improving quality of life by making our residences and places of employment better is an important mission. And in conjunction with that, finding new sources to bring water, heat, and light into those places is of equal value.

But seeing that The American Lung Association says 30,000 people died in 1998 as a result of car emissions, and that SUV’s release 28-gallons of carbon dioxide into the air for every gallon of gasoline that is used, it seems that less car usage is an imperative and not a option.  Therefore, investment in public transit systems is certainly a sensible solution to meet that imperative .

Overt dependence on a means of transportation that has so many ill-effects historically seems to dictate that (once again) cultural values need to shift as technological solutions are put in place.  Less residential car usage, development of clean energy technologies as they relate to transportation, development of more eco-friendly neighborhoods closer to necessities, and the expansion of public transit is the work that is cut out for our generation, it seems to me.

rail-system

Perhaps the up-front cost is much like eating our vegetables, too. But when the air is cleaner, when the long-term costs of vehicle maintenance and energy bills are lower, and when we are able to see the benefits of green technologies and jobs they can potentially bring, we will no longer see less car use to be a hardship . It will be an element that fits in perfectly with how communities are planned, and the way homes, offices, shopping areas, and other community assets like extensive and accessible public transit are built.

Cheers,

Rob.



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Green Building and Retro-Fitting: Economic Engine to the Future

by Rob Jones on February 1, 2010

In reading Rick Fedrizzi of the Huffington Post today, I am reminded once again of how much sustainable building practices fall in line with good old fashioned common sense.  In this case for today’s post, good old fashioned economic sense for industries, and for policy makers on all levels of government when looking to provide public support to local and national commerce.

At this point in history, everyone who is in the know, and even most who are not, are worried about the state of the economy.  Previously stalwart industries are on shaky ground, and indeed have needed the help of governments just to limp along though the trials of the recession.  It is projected that much like 2009, this coming year will not be so much the rebound year as it will be the lead up to the rebound year.  But, how do we get there?

Morning RoadIn the course of the last year or so, I’ve learned a lot about how green building opens up possibilities for re-training, and for new jobs in retro-fitting and related inspection professions.   In towns hit hardest by flagging industries, is this not a huge opportunity not only to put people currently unemployed on different career paths, but also to revitalize communities and set them on long term paths to a sustainable future?

And what about the relatively short term savings on simple technologies that stand for millions of dollars in energy bills every year.  Mother Nature Network quotes the Greener buildings website which states:

“In the typical commercial building, lighting costs about $1 per square foot, but with recent advancements in lighting technology, it’s now possible to bring that number down by 50 percent. Not a small savings for any business: A typical 200,000 square foot building may offer $100,000 annual savings through re-lighting.” (read full article)

One-hundred thousand dollars in lighting alone, just by replacing the bulbs!  What might a company do with that kind of money?  What if that money was invested in new technologies that would save even more?

What would happen if solar energy were used on the building roofs.  This technology potentially makes up approximately one-quarter of the capacity needed from traditional lighting and heating systems.   Solar energy can save up to 25% in lighting requirements, %50 in heating, and up to 60% in providing hot water.  How many millions would be saved as a result, and how many more research, inspection, and manufacturing jobs would be created just by investing in solar energy?

Cities, states, provinces, countries continuing to make tax credits for low-energy usage a permanent incentive, using them to reward developers for retro-fitting and for new residential and commercial building projects are the future.  And governments in partnership with utilities companies are another piece to the puzzle, both in the implementation of new technologies to improve insulation to existing buildings (for instance), and in fostering new job sectors in local areas.

Fedrizzi’s numbers as quoted in the Huffington post article are significant:

Green construction spending currently supports more than 2 million American jobs and generates more than $100 billion in gross domestic product and wages. The economic impact of the total green construction market from 2000 to 2008, the study found, contributed $178 billion to U.S. gross domestic product; created or saved 2.4 million direct, indirect and induced jobs; and generated $123 billion in wages.

So green jobs to depressed areas where much of the inspection and retrofitting is most needed seems to be entirely viable.  This is not just about the U.S, which is Fedrizzi’s main focus.   Investing in trades and the programs to educate new entrants, and looking seriously at the building materials and supply chain technology, with partnerships between governments and with private companies being at the forefront, seem to be pretty clear courses of action on an international scale too.

I believe that capturing the zeitgeist for this new decade will be about recognizing how traditional systems have fallen down, and where the path to addressing economic and environmental crises lies in this new paradigm.  The hopeful part is that the solution to a flagging economy and a steadily degrading environment seem to be bound together.  Solve one, and the other is also potentially solved as well, or at least points us in a direction that turns the tide in our favor.

Cheers!

Rob.

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Green Building: Eco-Districts Need Eco-People

by Rob Jones on January 26, 2010

There is a ton of news out there, seeming to be coming in by the minute, about specific buildings gaining LEED status.  Some of these buildings are quite high profile, which means that as a culture, we’ve got shining examples of what is possible when thinking about commercial scale buildings that are considered to be energy efficient. These examples are therefore indications of what green technology can potentially deliver across the board in terms of cost savings as well as a cleaner, and more stable global environment.

girl-in-meadowBut, as many of you can tell, I’ve been thinking a lot about green building on a neighbourhood scale, too.  That is, what if an entire residential development, or even a whole district of developments, were designed to be inexpensive to build (and more easily purchased), and entirely sustained by localized power grids based on clean energy?  Among many things, the idea of an eco-district trend in green building for the oncoming decade is certainly encouraging in these lean economic times.

And this is certainly no theoretical notion, as eco-districts as a distinct possibility on a wider cultural scale can be seen in isolated developments in Europe, and at least one in North America.  A recent Eco-development in Boulder Colorado employs geothermal heat, passive design,  solar energy by means of photovoltiac tiles, and a more streamlined and efficient use of all building materials that makes more with less.

“The future is here. It’s just not evenly distributed,” said science fiction author William Gibson.  Eco-districts are not the norm - yet.  But, the economic possibilities are compelling.  The development in Boulder is not only is energy efficient, the more efficient use of building materials drives down the cost of building each unit.   This means accessible, affordable houses for more people who  can’t presently afford to buy a traditional home, and soon won’t be able to afford to heat one either, given the shelf life of fossil fuel-based energy.

But, who are these people who live in these eco-districts currently?  Are they highly-enlightened eco-champions on an evolutionary scale that is higher than us mere, car loving, energy burning, meat-eating mortals?  I think they are simply people who understand the value of what they’ve invested in, to wit: their local, and self-sustaining, and more self-contained community.  That idea, in principle, is not too far afield from how most people measure quality of life.

solar-energy-homeFrom this, I remain hopeful that doing without extra square footage, or without as many trips in the car, won’t be considered a loss as our century progresses.  In reading a bit about ecopsychology, it seems to me that we need to engage with the outdoors to a greater extent than we do anyway, as a species.  And I don’t mean more fishing trips, and skiing trips, and other events that take place in nature but largely remain outside of our daily routines.  I’m thinking of accessible restaurants, shops, parks, schools,  all sustainably integrated with shared green space, and all within walking and/or biking distance  that we will actually walk and bike to.

In this, it seems to me that the rise of the eco-district will also mean the rise in more eco-people, not in an elitist or judgmental way.  It seems to me that for these communities to become mainstream, replacing how neighborhoods are planned across the board will take a change in perception about what a neighborhood should be in a green economy and green culture; self-sustaining, highly efficient, smart,  and not reliant on long trips in multiple vehicles to the places we need to, and want to go.

I don’t think this is out of reach, considering the rising prices of gasoline, and fossil fuels in general that feed so much of western culture.   After all, this is not just a question of morality, about preserving our environment for our children, although I think this is certainly a big piece.  Largely, it’s about making being alive, safe, fed, and sheltered into a less expensive and more sustainable prospect for all people.  And I think this comes down to economics as much as it does to morality.  This vision for the future takes ‘eco-people’ too.

Despite these hopeful dreams of the future, one thing remains. That when demand for this kind of sustainable neighborhood is more culturally pervasive, and when the cultural drive to live in  hugely wasteful and needlessly isolated neighborhoods that require multiple vehicle ownership and use to get anywhere meaningful begins to wane,  at least we know that the technology is way ahead of us.

Cheers,

Rob.

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A Royally Green Building?

by Rob Jones on January 20, 2010

For a time, as I will tell anyone who will listen, I lived in England when in my late 20s to early 30s.  It was one of the best times of my life.   There were many cultural adjustments to be made, of course.  But, one of the ones that I didn’t mind making was the presence of grand, and centuries old architecture that I could see up close any time I wanted to.  This was particularly striking while in Central London, where many of the most famous sites in the country are within walking distance of each other.

buckingham-palaceOne such building of course is the Royal residence in the Capitol, the venerable Buckingham Palace.  What a grand building!  And located right at the end of what I can only guess is the straightest road in London - The Mall (pronounced MAL, not “maul”) - and quite a pleasant site to see after a leisurely walk through St. James Park.   The palace was built in 1703 by the Duke of Buckingham and acquired by King George III in 1761.  Since then, it has seen monarchs come and go, and was even bombed no less than seven times during the Blitz in World War II.   It is  an iconic building, a symbol of the British Monarchy.

But, it may be one of the least ‘green’ buildings in London.

This is according to many sources, including publications in mainstream news as well as environmental publications.  The problem is largely about poor insulation and the resulting excessive heat leakage in Buckingham Palace.  Acording to Treehugger 2.2 million pounds sterling is spent annually on utility bills, which is over $4 million dollars, roughly. That’s a pretty hefty burden, not only financially, but on the resources it draws upon.

All of this gets me thinking about history, the preservation of traditions, and the forging of new traditions.  I think that there is often a dichotomy that dictates that old traditions must die to make way for the new. And in some cases, this is true, as attitudes and priorities of a culture begin to change, often in conjunction with the rise of new technologies.  In the case of Buckingham Palace, and with many other buildings like it all over the world, the building symbolize a rich history.  The beauty and cultural importance of it remains undiminished.  But, this building needs to be brought up to speed in order to have a life in a newly imagined future.  This is where old and new meet in order to be as much a part of the future as it is in a glorified past.  This trend is as much a part of history as anything.

Steps are being made to make sure that old traditions of grandiose architecture, and the new traditions of sustainability will meet.   A recent accessment of Buckingham Palace by Atkins engineering and design group consultants Faithful and Gould has shown that an update to the palace’s insulation can improve the heat leakage problem by as much as 90%, at a cost of $320 million.  A good deal of this would be in the replacement of single-glazed windows (760 of them!),  modern heat-recovery systems, and grey and rainwater harvesting systems.

The majesty of the building itself is preserved for all time, potentially extended by the implementation and use of new technologies that make it as ’smart’ as it is beautiful.  And in this new age of sustainability, the possibilities for generations upon generations to reflect on the history for which it stands is wide open in the 21st century and onward.

We are amused.

Cheers!

Rob.

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Green Neighborhoods: Culture Clash?

by Rob Jones on January 11, 2010

In the last year, I’ve gone without a vehicle.  That seems like a pretty simple situation for many who live in areas where public transit is easily accessible, along with grocery stores, parks, and libraries within walking distance.  Luckily, I now live in an area which more easily enables the car-less lifestyle on a number of fronts.

dont-walkBut, my daughter and her mum live in an area of Greater Vancouver where car ownership seems to be assumed, and where public transit is not a first choice for most people living in the area in some cases because it is too far away.  When I go to see them, I am all too aware of a sort of culture clash between my neighborhood and theirs. Public transit is available in some areas, but entirely absent in others.  Bus frequency is lower, and less comprehensive relative to the spread of residential areas.  Direct connections between points A and B are rare. In some regions,  taking the bus requires a lengthy walk beside busy, noisy, and (frankly) smelly roadways.  This being the case, my mind often drifts to the idea of how values take shape in the way that neighborhoods are planned and how we choose to live in our neighborhoods.  What remains is the product of those values.

Perhaps this is a reflection of economic realities too.  My neighborhood has a lot of renters and lower income families.   Car ownership is perhaps not as much of a given, especially when accessible public transit will help close the transportation gap.  But, I think values are what’s really being reflected.   I think that when certain things are important to us, we invest in them even if they aren’t objectively essential.   This is not meant to a judgmental statement applied to current residents in any given area on the issue of car ownership or any other issue.  But, I think it does show that we are the inheritors of certain cultural values that have shaped our expectations for the areas in which we live and the lifestyles that come out of that.

Some of the trends in green building for the upcoming decade are not only about retrofitting individual buildings to increase the ‘green factor’, or about the development of new individual buildings for the same.  The idea of  entirely green neighborhoods or Eco-towns are also being put forward as an upcoming trend.  A big part of this type of planning involves a concurrent development of more extensive and affordable public transit systems, as well as commercial and community spaces that are accessible by foot and by bike.  But, to me, the question of the culture clash remains.

What if there was extensive public transit provided to every corner of an urban area, including in suburbs?  What if schools, stores, libraries, restaurants, performing arts venues, were all within walking distance of all residential blocks?  Would this mean that more families in these areas would think twice about car ownership, or use their current cars less than they do?  I’m not so sure.   A lot of these issues are pretty deep-seated on a cultural level, as well as on an economic one.  And thinking about this leads me back to the underlying point that I’ve noticed since I started writing this blog; that green building, and greener living requires a values shift of some measure, which in turn requires action to reflect those values.

When it comes to how builders, homeowners, city planners, and other influencers who have a say in how neighborhoods should be organized or re-fitted in this next decade, I think a meeting of the minds, and a meeting of the values are definitely the first item on the agenda.  And further, how politicians and industry leaders approach fossil fuel dependence, and how that in turn impacts the average consumer will also have a powerful effect on how our neighborhoods, and by extension our cultural expectations will change in the coming decade too.  Examining and solidifying values are always the first step in any transformative process.

And it’s transformation that is required as we step further into our century.

For more information and resources about green neighborhoods, check out Green Communities Online.

Cheers!

Rob.

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7 Green Building Predictions 2010

by Rob Jones on January 5, 2010

I must be list-crazy.  It may be a new year thing.

But, it struck me that it might be a good idea to scour the interwebs for some encouraging projections in green building, to take a guess at how we’ll move green construction practices and uses of green building materials forward for 2010.  Here are a 7 green building predictions for 2010 that I’ve gathered that I find most encouraging as seen by other bloggers, online magazines, and other online sources.   Take a look!

crystal-ball1. Modular homes move into the mainstream (via earth2tech).  We’ve talked a bit about the advantages, and the stylish nature of modular homes here on this very blog, of course.  Along with the green benefits, 21st Century modular homes make home ownership a more a achievable goal for more people, just because of how inexpensive they are to build and to maintain.

2. ‘Green walls’ (via Good Works Blog).  We’ve seen that green roofs have become more and more prominent in the last year or so.   It seems that the benefits of better air quality and natural insulation may become vertical as well as horizontal in 2010.  And perhaps this is just the beginnings of a trend that is about creativity and lateral thinking in general, with green wall technology as the spearhead.

3. Expanded use of green flooring and other green building materials at the individual consumer level (via Lowesforpros).  Green floors have been in use for many years, including bamboo flooring, and engineered wood floors too.  And in 2010, it looks like a savvy customer base will be clamoring for a floor covering that communicates the values of sustainability.

4. Green Retrofitting (via Environmental News Network).  Not only will new buildings be constructed with sustainable technologies, but existing ones will also fall into more government incentive oriented green refits.  Why not make all buildings green, since green is a money-saver? And green retrofits will be a key means of big developers gaining a competitive advantage in 2010.

5. Green tax credits for consumers drives DIY more green refits (via Mother Nature Network).  Why should developers be the only ones saving money in 2010?

6. Energy-Efficiency becomes key yardstick (via Virginia Real Estate and Construction Law Blog).  This makes sense, since it’s the most easily measurable, and monetized, criterion in the green building and construction hit parade.  And in 2010, revamped energy codes will reflect this.

7. The Big Convergence! (via Steve Mouzon, Treehugger).   When history is at a turning point,  success comes out of great minds that are able to pull the threads of the times together, and devise a solution to all common challenges.  In our era, the global economic downturn (affectionately known as ‘The Meltdown’), the realization that protracted world-wide fossil fuel dependence is a dead-end street, and global climate change are undeniably connected.  This is the three-headed hydra that can only be overcome by thinking about and managing our resources over the long term, not by thinking about them as mere commodities in the short.  What is needed, as always, is vision.

To me, a big part of transforming industries, and ways of solving problems, is faith that it’s possible to find a clear path, to reach a destination, to achieve a goal.  And some of the best ways of doing that is to examine the paths, the proposed destinations, and the goals along the way as held by others.

I  can already feel that 2010 is imbued with  the spirit of optimism.  It will be an interesting year, with a more informed population who are now more focused on the challenges ahead in this next decade than perhaps we were in the last.

Maybe that’s a new year thing, too.  But, I don’t think so.

Cheers!

Rob.

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10 Green Living New Year’s Resolutions

by Rob Jones on December 28, 2009

Since December commenced, there have been some great ‘How to Have A Green Christmas‘ articles and blog posts out there.  I hope you’ve found them helpful.   At this point of course,  I have been shamefully caught out of time on getting you a  post of my own on this blog before the Christmas season had concluded.

So to make up for it I’ve decided to find a few different ideas out there on the interwebs for you to consider for your New Year’s resolutions this year.  And here they are with a few days to spare before we enter a new year, and a new decade too (the Teens? Is that what we’re going to call them?).

Take a look at this list of 10 green living New Year’s resolutions from 10 New Year’s resolution lists I’ve found, and and decide for yourself

  1. Own less stuff that you don’t need.  Buy less of the same.  (From the Centre For Sustainable Energy in California)
  2. Carpool one day a week. (GCBA Australia)
  3. Use canvas shopping bags and say no to plastic. (California Green Solutions)
  4. Give your HVAC system a tune-up for energy efficiency on a yearly basis. (Green Talk)
  5. Walk and bike to short distance destinations instead of driving. (Zero Footprint Carbon Countdown Blog)new-years-2010
  6. Recycle at home, in your place of business, and get involved in recycling programs in your local community. (Low Impact Living)
  7. Use motion sensors on outdoor lights, so that lights come on only when needed. (The Huffington Post).
  8. Buy local food (The Independent) and/or grow your own (Mother City Living).
  9. Eat less fast food, and reduce the amount  of Styrofoam and plastic packaging in landfill sites (Families Online Magazine).
  10. Don’t lose hope that greener living, encouraging sustainability in your community, and voting for green reforms will affect positive and transformative change. (Greenpeace Canada)

I couldn’t choose just one off of this list of green living New Year’s resolutions from Inhabitat which asks each staff writer to talk about how they’re going to make their respective new year’s more green.  So, choose your favorite and tell me what made you choose it in the comments of this post.

Have a happy new year, everyone!

Cheers,

Rob.

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Video Tour of the ‘Green Life Smart Life” LEED Certified Home

by Rob Jones on December 22, 2009

Thanks to some of our followers on Twitter, I was directed to this video which  showcases a Gold LEED Certified residence.  This example shows how green building and cutting edge technology seem to dovetail.  Take a look.

You can get another first hand impression by reading this article on the Residential Systems Blog.

leed-certificationThe points made about green in the video, and also some of the numbers that comes out of utilizing the technology are truly impressive.  But, in some ways it’s kind of intimidating too.  How does the average person, for instance, trick out their own pads with all of this technology?  It seems, in places,  like kind of an expensive thing to do.

Yet according to the article written by someone who visited the house, the residents Joe Hageman and Kimberly Lancaster Hageman are pretty restrained in terms of their tech set up (maybe barring the server room).  And sure the house employs some pretty major technology to help to keep it sustainable, like a geo-thermal HVAC system.  But, a lot of the places where they earned their points was in the simple solutions;  sourcing furniture which is made locally, choosing energy star appliances, fitting efficiently-insulated windows, and using green-friendly water-based paint.  These aren’t high-tech toys that are out of reach.

One of the goals of building green in this case was to inspire others to do the same.  And hopefully the simple approaches to the complex problem of energy savings and sustainable buildings will be the inspiration not only to individual families, but to developers and community planners looking to build on a large scale.  The goal here, as I’m sure the residents of this house would agree, is to make this level of low-impact living into the standard for everyone.

To learn more about this project, check out the Green Life Smart Life website.

Cheers,

Rob.

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Green Building Lets the Sun Shine In

by Rob Jones on December 15, 2009

A little while back, we looked at green building potential in Asia as a means of deciding our fate when it comes to global climate change. We’ve also talked about  how often green building and excess can often be seen in the same space, and which pole is the most important to the developers.   This story falls somewhere in between, possibly.

Take a read of this article about the largest solar-powered building in the world, located in Dezhou, Shangdong Province in northwest China.   At 75 000 square feet, the building which is used for a scientific research facility, a conference centre, and a hotel, looks like an enormous sundial.   Given that it is powered by an incredible array of solar panels, I suppose it is.  And rather appropriately, it will be the site of the 4th World Solar City Congress which is scheduled for next year.

Looking at pictures of this building is really impressive, almost overwhelming.  And my first thought, after those first impressions have passed, is how will this technology of scaled into city planning and development  It’s a big part of the equation which to me is the most pertinent.  Huge temples built to honour the gods of the latest, sexiest technology is one thing.  But, if it scales enough to become the norm for everyone, that’s when things begin to change for the better.

And perhaps it does, when you consider that solar energy in this same area of China can be traced to individuals using solar energy to heat their homes, or more specifically their baths.  Because China, and other surrounding nations, are on the rise as growing industrial powers, I find this embrace of sustainable technology to be very encouraging.  And given that great economic blocks are coalescing around new technologies, and the jobs that go with them, the development of clean energy seems to be a potential growth area in determining what the rest of our century will look like, too.

Cheers,

Rob.

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Green Building Goes to the Airport

by Rob Jones on December 8, 2009

It seems to me that airports are thought of mostly as in-between places.  Those who don’t work there go to the airport merely as a means to an end, to get from one city to another, or to meet someone who is.  Time spent there is mostly about waiting, which perhaps makes us forget something important.

Airports are on all of the time.

They have massive, around the clock requirements for light, ventilation, heat, and the power demanded to keep all of the technology moving, from air traffic control instruments to the hand dryers in the restrooms.  Airports are major drawers of power, and on a scale that is pretty large comparative to many other buildings, or series of buildings.

logan-airport

As recent studies on airport energy efficiency have revealed, looking at how airports are managed with respect to power requirements and efficient usage alone is a significant area of interest. But, there are many examples of airports that have become models for green technologies.

An airport that is looking into the implementation of green technology is Witchita Airport, which has begun to consider green building and alternate energy solutions in order to cut energy costs.  Because of the winds in the area, incorporated wind turbines is yet another example of design being true to the natural environment, utilizing a natural occurrence to produce energy.  Both solar panels and wind turbines have been discussed as a means of cutting down on inefficient energy use and the ballooning costs associated with it.

Yet, even outside of the passive design aspect, other airports have embraced green design to create greater energy efficiency and sustainability.  Denver airport is an example, having already implemented solar technology. Logan airport in Boston has been distinguished through the use of green building materials recycled from former buildings on the site, with an agenda of better air quality also in place.

Organizations like the Clean Airport Partnership seek to address the issues of energy efficiency and environmental concerns that are relevant to airports in the United States.   The work that the organization focuses on is documenting areas of improvement to energy efficiency, identifying opportunities of further improvements to lessening carbon footprints of airports, and managing the relationships between implementation and the newest innovations in sustainable technology. The organization has advised airports directly as well as airlines, fuel suppliers, power authorities, and other associated organizations that participate in the daily life of the American airport.

Like many areas in green building, the issues that are faced at the airport are unique, and solutions are continuing to evolve.  Yet, progress is being made that has convinced officials and independent decision-makers to consider green building, sustainable technology, and greater energy efficiency to be both ambitious and attainable at the same time.  And this is not to mention how much will be saved in energy costs to the airports, and (hopefully) to the travelers who use them.

Cheers,

Rob.

Logan Airport image courtesy of Alan Miles

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