our site status: This week we're a little bit behind due to a trip to Miami, which was wonderful. We'll be doing a field trip with our UCLAx class to the LA Steelcase showroom, and a few design friends will be in town for the weekend.
join our site: We just added this feature. Please become a member of our blog so we can begin to build a community around the idea of sustainable age design.
our schedule: We're regularly attending events and conferences around the country, or speaking at them. Here's where we'll be in the next thirty days:
3/11/10: Students will present the second of three profile research presentations. This time about companies and/or people.
3/19/10: Kevin will appear as a guest on the award winning DAMage Report radio show on LA Talk Radio.
3/20/10 @ 11 AM PST: Kevin will again join hosts Rhonda and Johnnie for his monthly appearance on the Good Green Witch show on LA Talk Radio.
4/2/10: Kevin and Aleida will attend the grand opening of L.A.'s Zenergy House.
4/22/10: Kevin will present at the first annual Valley Water Expo on Earth Day.
4/22/10: Kevin will host a panel discussion about sustainable building materials during the second annual BrightTALK Green Building Summit.
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 by aleida, on March 9th, 2010  Image courtesy of Bentley web site For the third session of the day, I planned to attend The Recycling Business: Entrepreneurial Inspiring Models, but, sadly, the co-founders of Ecoist, who were slated as two of the three speakers, were not present, nor was anyone taking their place. So, I instead moved over to Truly High Performing Buildings: Tools and Techniques for Getting It Right, which was presented by Noah Eckhouse, the Vice President of the Building Performance Group for Bentley Systems.
My late arrival prevented me from hearing the set-up and introduction to his session, but I still caught what the presenter called the “canons” for achieving energy efficient, high-performing buildings. They were:
- Thou Shalt Not Believe the Greenwashing
- Thou Shalt Not Avoid Hard Work
- Thou Shalt Not Overlook the Obvious
- Thou Shalt Learn From Others Before You
- Use The Best Tools & Don’t Work Alone
While pretty self-explanatory, Noah still elaborated on them. There are a lot of technologies out there, and even practitioners, who make promises they cannot deliver, or which cannot be attained when their system or service is considered as part of the whole, so he cautioned the audience to do their research and not blindly believe what anyone says. That leads directly into point number two: there are no easy solutions. Do not rely on shortcuts, do not read “top 10” lists of green building advice and believe that you know how to design and actually create green buildings. The most simple formula to keep in mind, he said, is “garbage in = garbage out.” Always keep your brain engaged, and allow yourself to detect obvious missteps. Here he showed images of solar panel arrays installed behind shading elements which prevent most of the available sunlight from reaching those panels. Whoever was leading those projects didn’t stop to consider that trees, for example, are not transparent. So the presenter encouraged us to be wary of what he called “one click solutions.” Solar panels are great, but they will do nothing if improperly used. Thus, they are not a solution unto themselves.
 Image from solarpowerrocks.com And when such mistakes are made, everyone must learn from them. There are already buildings whose design intended them to be high-performing, and they have gotten a lot of hype, but, once constructed, they have fallen far below expectations. We must learn, therefore, that good design does not equal good performance. He advised the audience to beware of LEED tunnel vision, saying that there are at least 50% of certified buildings that are barely at or below the code baseline. Simply designing a building to comply with the certification requirements will not actually get you the desired results.
So how can someone get a high-performing building? Noah advised that all parties involved in the project get together at the very beginning; this is the simplest way to avoid losses. Everyone from conceptual designers, to engineers, to operators should be on-board with the plans. And it is important that the entire team be working with professional grade tools. He mentioned the U.S. Department of Energy’s EnergyPlus, and Bentley’s Tas Simulator V8i as examples of software that can help engineer the performance of a building before an actual structure is touched. EnergyPlus is programmed to model heating, cooling, ventilating, lighting, and other building energy flows. The Tas Simulator can perform external shadows and internal sun paths studies.
As a quick case study, Noah undertook the virtual retrofit of a random building in Massachusetts using the Tas Simulator V8i. Through Google Maps, he picked a 1950s structure in Amherst, and walked us through what changes he could make to it to get better energy efficiency. The results were rather surprising. Through trial and error, he was able to achieve a 25% energy efficiency level, but he did it without too many bells and whistles. Better windows yielded a huge gain, but a central HVAC system did just the opposite, eating up all the gains in efficiency. External window shades turned out to be pretty much useless, while chilled beams got the model closer to the 25% efficiency level.
The benefits of this study were quite evident: you can essentially play with every aspect of a structure, incrementally building up to the best possible model. And if you make mistakes along the way, you are not stuck with them and they don’t cost you any money. It was rather clear that some of the solutions we might consider absolutely necessary for a high-performing building don’t always yield great solutions, so really no single system should be locked in. Energy modeling can show you where to invest your resources for maximum impact.
Thank you, Noah, for this lively and informative session!
by kevin, on March 8th, 2010 
Our eighth class was our second field trip, this time to the Santa Monica showroom of Steelcase. My first experience with Steelcase dates back only five years. I was attending the ASID (American Society of Interior Designers) Interiors 05 conference in Nashville TN and Steelcase was offering attendees a special deal on their Think office chair that brought the price down by nearly two thirds. At the time I was vaguely familiar with its environmentally favorable attributes, but the surprising comfort and variety of color options is what really captured my attention. Prior to that I had worked in offices with various Herman Miller chairs, including the Aeron, but was never totally comfortable. Maybe the Think chair was just right for my body size and shape. As part of the special offer available at the conference, I purchased a number of Think chairs for myself and several colleagues. A few years later when moving my office to a new location with additional staff, I turned to the Think chair again to outfit it. Even today, that’s the chair I’m sitting in while writing this post.
So it was quite a thrill to do one of my classes at the Steelcase showroom and have my students experience first hand their great furniture design and also hear from them about how they make material decisions when designing a new line. We started the evening with refreshments donated again by Fresh & Easy Neighborhood Market and general conversation. Then we moved up to the second level where Steelcase has a mock classroom with folding tables and chairs, a rolling podium system perfect for presenting, and an interactive white board. It worked perfectly for our class size. We went over some house cleaning issues and class updates before turning the class over to our hosts Danielle Razo and Diana Weichbrodt, both A+D workplace consultants.
Their showroom and offices are located just off the Third Street Promenade in Santa Monica on four levels of recently redesigned space. The new look is in keeping with the smooth, simple, clean lines of their furniture and the building makes an excellent backdrop. Danielle gave us a comprehensive tour of all four levels and all of their displayed furniture systems. It’s all so beautifully displayed that it makes you want to work in an office, or in their office. We tried out desks, cubicles, couches, lounge chairs, conference rooms, and even a workstation set up as a treadmill for those who like to walk when talking on the phone or other tasks. We saw the largest collection of Cradle to Cradle Certified furniture currently available from a single manufacturer.
After our tour, Danielle and Diana tandem presented a show called The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly of Materials Selection. It’s a course they deliver for architects and designers as part of continuing education efforts. The show focused on six key materials that impact their business – chrome plating, leather tanning, PVC and plasticizers, flame retardants, pesticides and insecticides, and stain resisters. For me, a few of the more memorable parts of the show were issues related to chrome. We tend to take for granted the amount of shiny objects we have in our daily lives. By and large, any metal with a shiny surface has a chrome plating. Although it’s a naturally occurring metal called chromium, direct human exposure can be toxic. In particular, hexavalent chromium is a well known carcinogen and has been used in the tanning of leather and in the creation of dyes and paints. Danielle and Diana showed a number of hidden camera photos taken in offshore chrome plating factories where only the slimmest precautions were being taken to protect workers from exposure to toxic substances. Awareness of the hazards associated with chrome has led Steelcase to move away from plating in favor of polished aluminum instead.
It raises an important question when thinking about how products are made or when considering purchasing decisions – what do you really know about the resources used and processes employed during manufacturing? Companies who don’t question their processes are comfortable with the status quo and are more than likely contributing to environmental problems. Companies such as Steelcase are actively engaged in a discussion with their consumers to inform them about how design and manufacturing decisions are being made.
I know I learned a great deal. And it seems like the students did as well. Thanks to Danielle, Diana, and Steelcase for a great evening.
Click the icon below for more photos taken during our field trip:
by aleida, on March 7th, 2010 
At 11 a.m., we jumped right into the session tracks. I attended Track 3: Experiences and Opportunities From Around the World, where the topic was Carbon Monetization and Worldwide Initiatives. Daniel Smyth, the Director of Carbon Finance at MGM Innova, LLC., was the presenter.
A brief overview of the existing global carbon markets showed that there are essentially three groups: compliance markets; regional; and voluntary. I was astounded by the plethora of acronyms being thrown about, most of which I had to look up when I got back to the office. So, before I get into mentioning any of them, here’s a quick guide:
In the compliance market there are basically two sub-groups: the EU ETS, the largest program in the world, and other non-European programs brought to life by the Kyoto Protocol. Some examples of regional initiatives are the NSW GGAS in Australia, and the RGGI in the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic United States. Within the voluntary field, the CAR and VCS offset certification programs operate in North America and around the world, respectively.
Those programs provide emissions allowances or offsets to their participating members. EU ETS issues EUAs; CAR supplies CRTs; VCS provides VCUs; the United Nations is in charge of all Kyoto Protocol-based credits, and oversees the distribution of CERs and ERUs.
While this entire field is generally referred to as the “carbon markets,” they don’t necessarily focus on only carbon emissions. The EU ETS currently does regulate only CO2 emissions, but there are proposed changes that seek to include other greenhouse gases. Daniel gave a brief overview of chemical compounds with significantly greater global warming potential (GWP) when compared to CO2. They were: methane (CH4), nitrous oxide (N2O), perfluorocarbons (PFC), hydrofluorocarbons (HFC), and sulfur hexaflouride (SF6).
The table below shows ten of the most powerful compounds in terms of GWP. CO2 is listed for GWP comparison purposes.
Source: IPCC Fourth Assessment Report, Chapter 2 – Changes in Atmospheric Constituents and in Radiative Forcing, pages 212-213, table 2.14.
While the majority of us has probably never heard of most of these other compounds, they are very common in our industrial complex. For example, HFCs, of which there are well over twenty that are tracked and measured, are used as refrigerants – they abound in supermarkets everywhere! (Walmart has calculated that fully 10% of its total corporate carbon footprint is due solely to refrigerant leaks in their stores.) PFCs are used in the production of aluminum, and sulfur hexaflouride is a common component of LCD manufacturing. And while SF6 is not emitted nearly as much as CO2, the release of a single SF6 molecule is equivalent to the release of 22,800 CO2 molecules in terms of its contribution to the greenhouse effect.
Emissions reductions are being pursued through various CDMs, with projects related to industrial gases, renewables, and methane and cement largely dominating the field with a combined 81% majority. Forestry, transportation, and demand-side energy efficiency projects are expected to make up a meager 1.7% of the total through the year 2012. Not surprisingly, the following were identified as potential new sources of emissions reductions in the context of a cap and trade market:
- avoided deforestation in tropical countries;
- sustainable agriculture;
- sectoral initiatives in large developing countries;
- more emissions reduction programs targeted at households and buildings.
The presenter acknowledged that, as currently structured, the offset market created by the Kyoto Protocol heavily favors the most industrialized developing nations, and singled out Brazil, South Korea, India, and China as the countries that have most benefited from that set-up. While the future of cap and trade in the United States is still uncertain, he believes that Congress will have to move on something. It may not be what was originally proposed, but government officials will have to reach a compromise because the issue is at a point where it can no longer be put off for future consideration. As the largest emitters, the U.S. and China do have to be part of the solution if the world as a whole is to make any progress on the issue.
The overall carbon market is currently valued at $125 billion, and it continues to grow. Hopefully a general overview of new developments will be scheduled for next year’s conference as well.
Daniel has been kind enough to share the slideshow of his presentation with us. If you would like to download it, please click here.
Thank you, Daniel, for this informative session!
by aleida, on March 6th, 2010 
Friday’s opening session, titled Successful Entrepreneurial Approaches to the Current Green Economy was a pretty fun way to start the morning. It was a panel discussion moderated by Lilian T. Chiu, CEO of Morgan Environments and current President of the Society for Marketing Professional Services South Florida; the three panelists were Greg Horn, a partner in World of Green, Marty Metro, co-founder and CEO of UsedCardboardBoxes.com, and Eric Corey Freed, Principal of organicARCHITECT. All four individuals possess very animated, strong personalities with very definitive points of view. They were not afraid to speak openly.
Whether it was the panelists’ openness and honesty, or Lillian’s efforts to get them to engage directly with the audience, or the make-up of the audience itself, this session was extremely participatory. From the very beginning, audience members started asking questions, making comments, adding to what the speakers were saying, and even challenging what the speakers said. And this appeared to set the tone for the rest of the sessions that day; in every one of them we witnessed audiences who were engaging the speakers even before they started their presentations.
This first morning session provided some very lively interactions; here is a list of some of the take-aways:
- Watch out for externalities to be priced. All those things that nature gives us for free, and all the negative impacts of our current industrial age business model, the cost of which are never factored into how much we pay for goods and services, will soon be given an economic value. Businesses should start to consider how that will impact their operations and pricing structures.
- Don’t wait for the government to do anything. It is almost inconceivable that the government will be the one to price those externalities, considering how difficult it’s been for it to implement baseline regulations. Metro put it simply: “Screw regulation.” The general feeling was that the business world is far more advanced than the government, so businesses should not wait for government support nor funding to help with any sustainable pursuits. Metro questioned whether any program that relied on government funding could be considered sustainable, because there would then be little guarantee of the program surviving if government suddenly withdrew that economic support.
- There is no such thing as a “green” expert. “Green” as a category is so immense, and evolving so rapidly, that no single person can know everything there is to know about it. There are many breakdowns, and there certainly are specialists in specific fields related to sustainability, but don’t believe anyone who claims to be a green expert.
- When you do meet an expert in some area of sustainability, don’t be intimidated by them. Everyone right now is part of a developing movement, and there is a lot that we can all learn from each other.
- Everyone benefits when we all share knowledge freely. So within your network, lead by example, and encourage others to share best practices and operations.
- Forget about “going green.” Don’t worry about positioning your services or products as the “green” alternative. There is a lot of greenwashing out there right now, so the best you can do is to focus on providing value. When you provide value, you will also most likely be embracing sustainable practices.
- From an education perspective, the panelists did not feel that a green MBA was actually important. They used themselves as examples of individuals who were simply passionate about sustainability, and who pursued it long before it became trendy, and certainly long before colleges and universities started teaching the value that sustainability holds for the business world.
- If going into business as a “green” service provider, be careful and specific about what you offer and about what benefits clients can derive from hiring you. How do you define, for example, a green realtor or accounting firm? Does it have to do with the clients you represent, or internal business practices? Define it specifically and don’t greenwash, as that is a disservice to the rest of the movement.
Thank you, Lilian, for leading such an energetic opening session!
by aleida, on March 4th, 2010 
When looking at a map, I find it actually shocking to see just how geographically close Florida is to a huge part of Latin America. What to many in Mexico, Central and South America seems like a world away is really just a few hours’ flight over some water. From Los Angeles, it takes us close to six hours by plane to reach Miami; from Caracas, Venezuela, Miami is just three hours and fifteen minutes away. It is not surprising, therefore, to have heard José García-Pineyro, the Executive Director of MiaGreen, state that his goal is for MiaGreen to become the green convention of the Americas.
The 2010 MiaGreen Expo & Conference held last week at the Miami Beach Convention Center was only the second annual event of that name. The inaugural event took place in June of last year. José and his team deserve great credit for pulling off the second event less than a year after the first one, and the change in date was made with long-term growth in mind. The 2011 Conference is already scheduled, and it will continue to be held at around the same date henceforth.
Not having been there for last year’s event, we cannot comment on whether the attendance improved. From several comments that we heard, Friday, February 26 appears to have been the most attended of the two days, and we saw about 150 attendees gathered at the opening session, though I did notice that more kept trickling in throughout the morning. The expo floor, though small compared to the Greenbuild goliath, provided a decent selection of various industries: there were some building materials (our obsession with bamboo appears to continue unabated), several solar panel options (no significant developments in efficiency yet), and many lighting companies, where LED took center stage. One section was so bright, it was actually difficult to get through it. Unfortunately, because of the limited time that we had on the expo floor, we were walking it at a time when several of the exhibitors had already closed up shop, so we didn’t really get to see everything.
One aspect that we definitely noticed and by which we were impressed is that there appeared to be no obvious connection between event sponsors and exhibitors and the educational portion of the conference. While we absolutely understand the need for conferences to seek out sponsorship funds, we are nevertheless annoyed every time there is an “educational” session that turns out to be little more than a product pitch by a sponsor. We encounter this constantly, from local to national events, but MiaGreen appears to have completely avoided any obvious “pay to play” conflicts of interest. Everything was maintained quite educational only.
Due to preparations for Kevin’s own presentation that day, we were able to attend just four sessions, as opposed to the six we had on our tentative list. I will provide reviews of the first three in separate posts. The fourth that we attended closed out the day for us. It was a session titled Capitalist vs. Environmentalist, which I was predisposed to liking, as I am sure the rest of the audience was as well, since it was really a father-son act intended to be cute and funny. Theirs was basically a presentation about how companies can go about designing, implementing, and evaluating their internal sustainability plans. It was a very entry-level look at the topic, where they proposed ways to determine an appropriate time-frame, what tasks to consider, and what strategies to implement so as to accomplish goals and overcome hurdles. They expressed the importance of getting employees, customers, and the community at large involved in some way, and reinforced the point that sustainability is a continually evolving goal, where there is always room for improvement.
I found that to be a rather apt closing note. In general, we really enjoyed our day at the conference and hope that it continues to draw attendees from all over the Americas – already, Spanish could be heard in every room. There is a lot of knowledge that has yet to make it beyond U.S. borders, so if the MiaGreen team focuses on gathering high caliber educational opportunities, the international attendees will undoubtedly be there.
We wish the team the best of luck as they gear up for the 2011 event. The dates have already been set: March 3 & 4, 2011. So… mark your calendars!
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