Topic: sustainability
TIGER Program Enters 4th Round
President Obama is making good on his State of the Union promise to provide for greater investment in infrastructure. In an announcement by Department of Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood, the TIGER (Transportation Investment Generating Economic Recovery) Discretionary Grant program will enter a fourth round, making another $500 million available for capital investments in surface transportation projects. TIGER 2012, as it is being called, will focus on projects having a significant impact on the nation, metropolitan areas or regions. High-speed rail and intercity passenger rail projects will remain eligible for funding.
Because of high demand, funds will be distributed on a competitive basis. In previous rounds of the TIGER program, the Department of Transportation allocated $2.6 billion toward 172 projects throughout the United States and its territories. This was despite over 3,348 applicants requesting more than $95 billion in funding. The Department of Transportation will evaluate each proposal’s safety, economic competitiveness, livability, environmental sustainability, state of repair and potential for short-term job creation.
Judge Rules Part of AB 32 Unconstitutional
A district court judge in California dealt a major setback to AB 32, California’s landmark global warming law. With the goal of reducing greenhouse gas emissions to 1990 levels by 2020, AB 32 set a Low Carbon Fuel Standard that required the carbon content in gasoline to be reduced by 10% and required that 20% of total gasoline used in the state come from renewable fuels.
The law was one of the first in the country to use a “carbon intensity” analysis to determine the total amount of green house gases emitted during the production and transportation of fuel. By capping the amount of carbon permissible in the fuel, the law would provide marketable credits to producers and distributors who emitted less carbon. Those who could not comply with the standard would face increased fuel costs as they would be forced to buy additional credits.
However, the law, which went into effect this year, may have stalled before even leaving the gates. According to the judge, the new standard unconstitutionally discriminated against out-of-state producers and attempted to regulate activity that occurred outside of state borders. As a result, the law violated the Dormant Commerce Clause of the Constitution.
The lawsuit was brought by various farm groups, ethanol producers, refiners and truckers. The California Air Resources Board has said it would appeal.
Clean Energy Spending to Double by 2020
Global spending on new renewable energy projects has increased dramatically during the last two years. According to a report by Bloomberg New Energy Finance, the annual value of installed renewable energy capacity hit a record $195 billion in 2010. By 2020, experts predict that annual clean energy investments will climb to $395 billion and eventually reach $460 billion in 2030. This translates to a 3% increase in total energy production coming from renewable energy sources.
The forecast also predicts a shift in the location of these investments. While Europe, the United States and Canada will continue to see steady project construction, much of Asia and other developing countries will contribute significantly to the rise in annual investments. India, the Middle East, Africa and Latin America are expected to show increases in spending rates of between 10% and 18%. China is expected to far surpass most countries – in just four years, it is projected to spend almost $50 billion on renewable energy projects.
Driving this investment spike is renewed excitement in many forms of renewable energy. Steep reductions in the cost of solar facilities, which ironically helped lead to the recent bankruptcy of solar power company Solyndra, is expected to spur an investment of $130 billion in solar projects over the next 20 years. Similarly, it is anticipated that emerging markets such as Australia, Turkey, Africa and Latin America will spend many of their energy dollars on onshore and offshore wind facilities.
One Step At a Time: Regional Planning for a Pedestrian Future
In a new move toward creating a more sustainable transportation network throughout Southern California, regional transportation agencies are poised to pass a long-term plan that dramatically increases funding for bicycle and pedestrian infrastructure, moving away from road and highway infrastructure. Southern California Association of Governments (SCAG), the regional planning joint powers authority that covers Los Angeles, Orange, San Bernardino, Riverside, Ventura and Imperial counties, passed a measure that almost triples the regional investment in bicycle and pedestrian projects.
SCAG’s move coupled with that of San Diego Area Governments (SANDAG), which already passed its own regional plan, are evidence of the commitment to California’s greenhouse gas emissions law SB 375, that mandates improvements in air quality with reductions in vehicles miles traveled.
Weekly Quick Hits
Impact of Fiscal Woes in U.S. Cities – A study on the impact of the recession on local municipalities. (Infrastructurist.com)
Fixed Mortgage Rates at Historic Lows – The average rate on the 30-year fixed mortgage fell to 4%, and the average rate on the 15-year fixed mortgage fell to 3.31%, both historic lows. (The Washington Post)
The Dark Side of the “Green” City – An op-ed about Phoenix, Arizona’s attempt to be the greenest city in the U.S. (San Francisco Chronicle)
Senate Republicans Block Infrastructure Plan – Republicans in the Senate dealt President Obama the third in a string of defeats on his stimulus-style jobs agenda, blocking a $60 billion measure for building and repairing infrastructure such as roads and rail lines. (Associated Press)
@KBHome Receives 2011 LEED for Homes Award
KB Home’s Primera Terra community has received a U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) 2011 LEED for Homes Award in recognition of “demonstrated leadership in the residential building marketplace.” Primera Terra is a 52-condominium community outfitted with energy saving and water conservation features located in Playa Vista, CA, an established pedestrian-friendly master-planned community.
KB Home estimates that the heating and cooling costs of the Primera Terra homes are as little as $57 per month. Efficiency levels were achieved without incorporating a solar power system or other renewable energy resources. Instead, KB focused on optimizing the building envelope and incorporating features like a cool roof to keep homeowners’ monthly operating costs low.
KB Home was also recently recognized by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for its “great strides in increasing water efficiency and awareness of the WaterSense label” with a 2011 WaterSense Partner of the Year award. WaterSense-labeled fixtures are standard features in all new homes built by KB Home.
Using Information Technology to Improve Energy Use and Building Costs
“Energy-Smart Buildings,” a white paper recently published by Microsoft in collaboration with global management, technology and outsourcing consulting company Accenture, and the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, details the results of a pilot program aimed at using technology to improve building energy efficiency.
Researchers at Microsoft’s Redmond, WA corporate campus, where the program was conducted, determined that information technology and software can provide significant improvements in building energy efficiency, and that capital-intensive retrofits are not the sole means to achieve such improvements.
Smart building applications that added analytical software on top of existing building management systems were evaluated for energy savings in three specific ways during the initial phase of the program.
- Enabling the timely detection and diagnosis of faults in building equipment so that problems can be addressed quickly
- Prioritizing the many alarm notifications generated by existing building systems so that engineers can focus on the most critical events
- Systematically tracking building energy consumption and performance over time while changing the behavior of building occupants with visual dashboards and benchmarks
Results of the study indicated that a smart building solution can be established with an upfront investment of less than 10% of annual energy expenditure and an expected payback period of less than two years.
@LiveBearNaked Partners with @TerraCycle to Outsmart Waste
Not sure what to do with that Bear Naked Oats and Honey cereal bag? How about recycling it for a cool Bear Naked T-shirt!
This blog is not about plugging products. But we didn’t want to ignore the recent efforts of some retailers to clean up our environment. Bear Naked and several other retailers have partnered with TerraCycle to recycle previously non-recyclable or hard-to-recycle waste, such as food product containers. TerraCycle has devised a method of turning this waste into an assortment of products, thereby keeping that waste out of our landfills. Click here to see the kinds of products you can recycle.
And use this form if you want that Bear Naked T-shirt.
CALGreen Enhancement Signed by CA Governor Brown
Governor Jerry Brown recently signed a bill intended to strengthen California’s green building standards. Co-authored by Assemblyman Rich Gordon and Senator Ted Lieu, AB 930 requires that at least one member of California’s Building Standards Commission (BSC) be experienced and knowledgeable in sustainable building, design, construction and operation.
“With the implementation of our new green building standards, CALGreen, it is crucial that the Building Standards Commission membership reflects the various constituencies represented in the building codes. Adding this requirement to the Commission’s make-up will improve the integrity of future adherence to CALGreen,” said Assemblyman Gordon following the passing of AB 930.
Jobs the Environmentalist
Photo Credit: Johnathan Mack via ABC News
We all know that Apple, under the leadership of visionary Steve Jobs, spearheaded a technology revolution. From Macs to iPhones to iTunes to iPads, our technological environment will never be the same. But Apple also was a leader in the commitment to reducing our carbon footprint. From its mission statement to its construction methodology, Apple always carefully considered its impact on the environment. Please take a few moments to explore Apple’s environmental track record.
