CT Green News

Auggie V's Connecticut Green Blog

"Welcome to the greenest blog in Connecticut. Here you'll read about a person, place or thing that has a connection to green building and green business. Every now and then I might stray and discuss something outside our 500 mile sustainable region and it might just be about green business or green lifestyles but it will leave you with something to think about and hopefully make your day a little greener."

-Augustus "Auggie" Victorious

2006 Green Blogs Archive

December 2006 - November 2006 - October 2006 - September 2006

August 2006 - July 2006 - June 2006 - May 2006 - April 2006

March 2006 - February 2006 - January 2006

December 29, 2006

Red State or Blue State, Connecticut Was a Green State In 2006
Auggie V’s year-end review of green building and green business in Connecticut.

Much of the headlines that dominated the news this past year were related to the elections. Connecticut was watched by the nation as Senator Lieberman was challenged by Ned Lamont and two key congressional seats were up for grabs. We all know what happened in the end. But what was lost in all the hoopla of the elections was that Connecticut also gained some national attention for being leaders in the new, green economy.

Last week, Tom Friedman in his column in the New York Times, discussed the green economy and 2006 like this, “I think that the most important thing to happen this past year was that living and thinking “green” hit Main Street.” I agree and I’ll add that it’s very close to a tipping point. Connecticut is a driver in this new economy and poised to play a larger role in 2007. Here are some of the significant events that happened in Connecticut in 2006.

January - The UCONN Foundation is, according to an article by Tom Breen of the Journal Inquirer, one of the first organizations of its kind to set up a special fund dedicated to environmentally friendly practices. The progress of the special fund is being watched by other universities across the country as they contemplate similar measures…. St. Paul Travelers, based here in Hartford, announces it will offer a 10 percent discount on car insurance to individuals who own hybrids.

February - Georgetown Land Development in Georgetown (Redding) CT, receives $72 million in tax exemptgreen building bonds for the renovation of the old Gilbert & Bennett Wire Mill project and the Georgetown Special Taxing District which will oversee the redevelopment project. The district is one of the first districts in the country to receive the designation as a qualified green building and sustainable design project by the U. S. Department of Treasury. The announcement gets national exposure.

April - Connecticut College ranks No.1 in the state when it comes to college campus recycling. They beat Wesleyan and Yale in the nationwide competition, RecycleMania 2006. The New London school also finished No. 1 in the New England Small Athletic Conference Schools and No. 5 out of 87 colleges and universities across the country...Rick Fedrizzi, President, CEO and Founding Chairman of The US Green Building Council Speaks at Yale....Speaking at the Connecticut Forum, Thomas Friedman, Author of The World is Flat says, "Green is the New Red, White and Blue."

May - Mortgage Lenders Network, USA (MLN) one of the fastest growing companies in Connecticut, along with the innovative developer Workstage, announced it will build new corporate digs in Wallingford. The 305,000 square-foot national headquarters will incorporate green building techniques and incorporate employee driven concepts and ideas. MLN will later do an national employee attitude poll regarding working in green buildings and the poll makes the front page of USA Today.

August – Two Hartford based United Technologies Divisions, UTC Power, based in South Windsor and UTRC in East Hartford announce the commissioning and start-up of the first geothermal power plant in Alaska. Chena Hot Springs, just outside Fairbanks, is the first geothermal power plant to come on-line in the state. It is also the site of the lowest temperature resource (165 F) ever used for commercial power generation in the world….UCONN men’s football opens season with a green practice field. UCONN announces The Burton Men's Footbal Team Practice Facility is registered LEED Silver by the U.S. Green Building Council. It's the only athletic facility of its kind in the country to be LEED registered.

September - The Greater Hartford Transit District announced it has contracted with UTC Power of South Windsor, Conn., for the company and its partners to provide a 40-foot hybrid electric fuel cell-powered transit bus that will be used in revenue service. It will be the first in New England...Whole Foods Market, the world's leading retailer of natural and organic foods, announces it will use solar power for its distribution center in Cheshire. The 121-kilowatt solar photovoltaic (PV) rooftop system will be provide as much as 10 percent of the electric power that the building uses per year. The solar PV installation is the largest in the State of Connecticut.

October - At Bill Clinton’s Global Initiative held in New York City, Yale University announces that it would team with Ceres and Marsh, Inc. to educate hundreds of independent corporate board members about the potential liabilities and strategic business opportunities that global climate change can create for companies.

December - The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc. (NYSE: HIG), one of the nation’s largest financial services and insurance companies, announced the company plans to build a 450,000-square-foot campus in Windsor, Conn., for its Hartford Life operations. The new facility will house approximately 2,000 Hartford Life employees and incorpore sustainable design features...Clean Energy-Cool Planet based in New Cannen has produced a first-of-its-kind report evaluating companies providing retail carbon offsets to consumers. The Consumers’ Guide to Retail Carbon Offset Providers is designed to help those trying to achieve carbon neutrality choose appropriate offset options. The Report receives national reviews.

Auggie V’s Happy New Year Call Outs: There are many folks who have helped me out this year and I want to thank them. If I forgot anyone, I apologize. Andrea (you’re a saint for putting up with me), my managers at my other job, Dr. Fred at CMSDC, Adam and Claude at 30 Lewis Street, Terri, Bruce, Shea and Burt and everyone else at Hartford Area Habitat for Humanity, Marc and Mary Beth at Oakleaf Waste Management, Brad Pitt, Pamela at Global Green, U.S.A., Gwen at Herbert S. Newman, Rick Fedrizzi, Jennifer Cooper, Prince Charles, Richard at the Stamford Advocate, Wayne at Tychon Energy, Christina at HBJ, Tom at VHB, Sam, Krista at UTC, Dave and Kevin at bkm, Al Gore, Tad at Turner Construction, Tom at IAS, Julia Roberts, Chris Yake, Jared Markham at Weston Solutions, Scott at Chemscope, H. Scott Lee, Chris Cloud, Tom Friedman, Bryan at Clean Energy Fund, Elizabeth at iGreenbuild.com, John, Mike and Heather at CNG/SCG, Willie Nelson, Dan "three down from Middletown" Pickett, Don at Curtis Packaging, Joel Makower ( For keeping it green and giving me great stuff to blog about.), Strum, Jon Bon Jovi, Mike at BL Companies, Tom at Burns and McDonnell, Erika, Kevin and Erik at UTC Power, Maria and Greg at BVH, Pearl Jam, Neil at Carrier and Mike at Community Energy. Thanks and wishing you all continued success in 2007 and same to all my fellow 2006 Time Man of The Year awardees.

December 27, 2006

Auggie V’s Random Green Tidbits

• Carbon offset credits: Natsource LLC in association with DuPont and Blue Source are supporting the Ad Council and Environmental Defense campaign to Fight Global Warming. Each $4 offset credits consumers purchase represent one ton of CO2E reduced as a result of the work of DuPont and Blue Source. All purchasable offset credits have been serialized by Environmental Resources Trust, Inc. after being independently verified.

Source: www.natsource.com

• Green home projects: Home Depot has produced EcoOptions magazine (free) which highlights everything from efficient light bulbs to low VOC paints, energy efficient appliances, natural flooring, programmable thermostats, and FSC wood.

Source: www.treehugger.com/
Click here view EcoOptions

• Oooo, la,la: ForestEthics and Limited Brands, parent company of Victoria's Secret, have announced a new forest protection policy, that includes several landmark environmental measures and ensures that the pulp for the company's catalog paper will not come from endangered forests.

Source: greenbiz.com

• Eco-Hollywood: E! Entertainment Television has announces a major partnership with the Environmental Media Association (EMA). Through PSAs, the collaboration with EMA strives to expand public awareness of environmental issues and to provide simple ways individuals can play a part in improving our environment.

Source: PRNewswire

• Eco-royalty: Prince Charles, is building a five-million-pound (7.5-million-euro, 9.8-million-dollar) environmentally-friendly mansion for his son Prince William, the Daily Mail reported. The 8,500 square-foot (790 square-metre) home on the England-Wales border will feature solar-powered heating, and insulation made of sheep's wool. Reports have William ready to propose to his girlfriend of several years.

Source: yahoo.com news

• Eco-sports: The Australian Football League (AFL) has announced a partnership with Origin Energy to ‘neutralize’ its carbon emissions of about 120,000 tons. This is a three year program to offset the operations of not only AFL’s headquarters but also the pre-season, premiership and finals matches. The goal is to be the first sporting league in Australia to reduce its carbon footprint to zero. They hope to do this by 2009.

Source: http://www.treehugger.com/

Auggie's note: Make sure to check back on Friday, December 29 when I do my year-end review of green building and green business here in Connecticut.

December 22, 2006

Happy Green Holidays From Auggie V

Me and my buddies from AuctorVerno want to wish everyone a Happy Holidays. This year has been a blast researching and blogging about everything that’s green not only in Connecticut but all over the globe. I hope that you have learned something and here at buildingctgreen.com and AuctorVerno we hope you grow even more knowledgable in the coming year.

Forget red or blue state, this year Connecticut become more green than ever before. We had buildings and businesses that embraced sustainability and made national news headlines. For example, Mortgage Lenders Network, USA made the USA today regarding its green building campus being built in Wallingford and a survey it did regarding employee attitudes towards working in green buildings. This type of buzz will happen more often for Connecticut companies in 2007.

Next week, I will be blogging about some of the significant green building/green business events that took place in Connecticut in 2006. Yes, it’s the dreaded year-in-review blog. I promise I’ll be brief. And speaking of 2006, don’t forget to consider being nominated or nominating a person place or thing for consideration in the 2006 CTGreen9. For more information, click here>>

December 19, 2006

Hartford Courant Pushes for Green Building Mandate

I have wanted to blog about this for the last week but needed to think about it a little before I made a comment. Last Sunday, Dec. 10, The Hartford Courant ran an editorial that called out to the state legislature to support and pass a proposal being pushed by the Connecticut Green Building Council. The proposed bill will require any new construction and renovation project costing at least $1 million and using at least 25 percent of state money, meet LEED standards. In a state that has many mandates already, is this good public policy?

In two weeks Connecticut’s legislature will convene for 2007 session. There are a ton of issues that the General Assembly will need to address that will impact economic development and job creation. Energy, health care costs, transportation and affordable housing are just a few. Economic development and green buildings is another area that will be addressed. I believe the state legislature should allow the market place to drive the increase in green building development and they should not mandate it regardless of value or if it receives assistance from the state. It is taking place here in Connecticut at a hyper pace. Nurture it, support it but they shouldn't mandate it at any level.

The legislature should also realize that there are more green buildings existing or in the planning stages going on then they might suspect. Why? Because some structures are green but not LEED registered. I know; the state would like to see its money spent wisely. But if it starts here, before you know it, it will be mandated at all levels. Also, a small business cannot afford the additional costs. Also, who is reviewing the standards? Here are a few things the legislature might want to consider.

• Pass legislation that helps fund a study by the Connecticut Green Building Council (CTGBC) that collect building maintenance and operation data from current green buildings in the state. One of the obstacles for green building financing is the assessors’ role in the process. Assessors apply a value to a building for the financial backer. If the assessor is wrong in his valuation, it’s on him. So when it comes to risk, they play it safe and rely on data that is tried and true. The CTGBC could then distribute the collated data to financial managers and assessors.

• Assist state efforts to help building professionals by holding training programs such as Building Operators Certification (BOC) classes and LEED accreditation. These should only be open to small businesses, municipal officials and non-profits.

• Fast track the permit process if a building is at least the equivalent of LEED registered which is 29 points based on the LEED criteria point system.

As I said before, during the last year there has been a lot of green building development taking place in Connecticut. (I will be blogging about that next week when I do my year in review.) Mortgage Lenders Network and most recently The Hartford Financial Services Group will be building large green campuses. And they didn’t need a mandate to tell them they had to do it. They did it for the communities they serve and their workers. They did it to be the good corporate citizens. They also did it to lower costs. Legislators should focus on the real key issues I mentioned before. Those are deal breakers in Connecticut’s ability to be competitive in the global market place.

Auggie V Call Out: Strum and Wendy, thanks for the fun time Saturday night.

December 15, 2006

Don’t Forget About Year End Tax Credit for Green Purchases

A friend of mine from time to time emails me articles regarding all that is green business and green buildings. He has really embraced this stuff and he actually adds value to my research. I joked with him that I might have to start paying him if he keeps it up. He’s my research boy. (I’d use another word here that he’d appreciate but I’d get myself in trouble.) And he sent me an article the other day that was in Kiplinger that had something in it that’s worth mentioning.

With the end of the tax year fast approaching, if you did or are planning on doing any home improvement projects this winter that relate to energy efficiency, remember that you can claim an energy tax credit for 2006 worth 10% of the cost up to $5,000 which would give you a maximum credit of $500. Not a huge sum but it’s better than nothing. And now you can buy more beer in 2007! (Sorry, office party today and I’ve got beverage on the mind.) Anyhow, home improvement projects that qualify for the credit include; installing insulation, energy efficient windows, doors, and more.

Also, if you have or are planning on buying a hybrid car, there is a tax credit that ranges from $250-$2,600. However for some popular Toyota and Lexus hybrid models, that range is from $1,100 to $1,575 because both manufacturers have used up their initial 60,000 vehicle allotment.

Call out to Three Down from Middletown, I owe you a beer. Darn, there I go again with beer…

Source: kiplinger.com

Auggie V’s Notes: Remember, if you have a Connecticut green story to tell, nominations are now being accepted for inclusion in the 2006 CTGreen9. The deadline for submission is December 31, 2006.

And speaking of hybrids, my friend is still looking for a new owner for her Prius and a good man. To find out more, click here. I'm telling you, trust Auggie V on this one, she would be a fine catch for the right dude.

December 13, 2006

Ride Sharing Becoming a Popular Option in Congested Fairfield County

I have long admired those that take the train, a bus or carpool to work. When I first started working after college, I rode the bus. It wasn’t the best and you were beholden to a schedule. The saving grace was that two friends of mine from school took the bus so it made it bearable. It’s not very green of me but I am one of those people that can’t give up that morning and evening commute in my own car. If we had a train in my town, I’d use it. But we don’t. Fairfield County does and recent data shows that more people are van pooling or ride sharing in Fairfield County and for the first time ever, less people are buying monthly train passes.

In a recent article in the Stamford Advocate, MetroPool, a van pooling and ride sharing arm of the Connecticut DOT that operates in Fairfield County, has released its most recent statistics for its service area and has found that more and more people are car pooling and van pooling. MetroPool charges $137 a month and you save money while taking cars off the road. The one set back is that you have to keep to a schedule.

The other interesting point is that fewer MetroNorth commuters are buying monthly passes and that more rail commuters are buying ten day and single day passes. Experts believe that this is due to people finding friends and co-workers to share rides with. You can also use this cool tool called NuRide which allows you to join a carpool club and find rides in no time. So if you have a regular carpool or take the train and find you’ll be working different hours from time to time, you might try NuRide to find a commuter with a similar schedule.

Fairfield County based companies are adding to this increase by encouraging employees to carpool or take mass transit. Companies are promoting carpooling, telecommuting and use of mass transit by offering employees incentives and helping to pay part of the cost. "Commuting can now be as flexible as you want it to be," said Ed Houghton, director of workforce effectiveness for Pitney Bowes and a MetroPool board member. "The increase of 10-trip tickets and programs like NuRide make commuting more flexible, convenient and affordable."

Source: Stamford Advocate

Auggie’s Note: Remember, if you have a Connecticut green story to tell, nominations are now being accepted for inclusion in the 2006 CTGreen9. The deadline for submission is December 31, 2006.

December 11, 2006

Valuating Green Not Easy

I recently read an article that discussed the valuation process of green buildings. The article sited many green builders from the Portland Oregon area that expressed a concern that investors, appraisers and lending institutions are not really stepping up to the plate when is comes to pegging the value of green building. Much of this is due, the articles states, to lack of green building data.

Kennedy Smith, the author of The Trouble Valuating Green, sites is that appraisers are not risk takers and tend to keep to traditional data as they like tried and tested building standards that have solid track records. If the appraiser is wrong with the value, it’s his ass. Not good. The article also discusses that the banks like the green stuff but that’s about it. "In general (lenders) don't care whether it's green, blue or white," said Dave Williams, president of ShoreBank Pacific, a Washington-based commercial bank geared toward sustainable development. "They're just looking at it as a project. They'll say they're interested in green, but they're not doing anything special about the fact that it's green. For appraisers, taking green features into account when valuating a building is a gamble.”

For now, appraisers are the focus of Theddi Wright Chappell a Portland Developer. The article reports that Chappell will be working with the U.S. Green Building Council to develop hard data for the appraisers to valuate green buildings. "Appraisals are typically done using historical information," she said. "In actuality, you really need to look at what the present is and what the trends of the future are. The challenge is that (green building) is gaining momentum at such a rapid pace that the amount of hard data or factual information isn't sufficient to really demonstrate significant trends. In other words, there simply haven't been enough studies on green buildings.”

The U.S. Green Building Council's Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) rating system is less than a decade old, and Portland is one of only a few cities where green building has become, for many, standard practice. "There are any number of issues where underwriting gets all tangled up with requirements that make this difficult for appraisers to deal with," said Chappell, who is also director of the Green Building Finance Consortium, a group of industry professionals who have set out to create green measurables for appraisers. "What that means is that the appraisal community is going to have to include more information specifically for this type of product to explain both the cost and the benefits to lending institutions."

No one said that green building would be easy. And with all the hype it’s been getting, everyone figures it’s all good. This is the first I’ve heard of this nuance and if it’s happening in a hot bed of green building like Portland then it must be real and happening elsewhere.

Source: www.housingzone.com

Auggie’s Note: Remember, if you have a Connecticut green story to tell, nominations are now being accepted for inclusion in the 2006 CTGreen9. The deadline for submission is December 31, 2006. For more infomation, click here>>

December 6, 2006

Got a Good Green Story? We’re Listening

This past Sunday, I and my buddies from AuctorVerno (AV) were debating how to showcase different green stuff from the past year. Everybody does the Year in Review stuff. AV wanted to be different. Don’t kid yourself, of course we’ll do the Year in Review stuff, but what could AV do to celebrate and recognize the achievements in green building, green business and green communities that made a difference during the past year. So after watching the Sunday afternoon football games and our fantasy team kick butt, and many Yuenglings, the folks at AV decided to ask our visitors to submit theirs’ or others 2006 green story and become one of the 2006 CTGreen9. It’s amazing what a little football and beer can do.

Anyhow, AV is looking for the best nine green stories in Connecticut. The person, place or thing has to have a green happening in Connecticut in 2006. It can be for green buildings, green business or green communities. Anything, that touches on sustainability. Nominations require a 500 word or less essay regarding why the nominee should be included in CTGreen9. There due on December 31 and the nine entries will be picked by a selection committee and announced on January 15.

The CTGreen9 will be highlighted here on buildingctgreen.com. In addition, AuctorVerno will donate carbon climate certificates on behalf of the CTGreen9. Members will also win free admission for 2007 in ClubGreen, an on-line community of companies that support, supply and service the growing buy-green market place. Finally, the first 10 nominators will receive the coveted buildingctgreen.com coffee mug.

For more information on the CTGreen9 and the nomination process, click here.

Auggie’s Note: My friend still hasn’t found a new owner for her Toyota Prius (pictured below) nor has she found a date. Auggie thinks she’d be a pretty fine catch. Time is running out. The car you knuckleheads. If your interested read the previous post below.

December 1, 2006

Prius Looking For a Good Home, Owner Looking for a Good Man

A friend of mine asked if I’d help her find a good home for her 2004 Toyota Prius. She didn’t ask me to try and get her a date however; I’m doing that on my own. It’s not that she doesn’t like it, the car you knuckleheads; she’s actually buying a new one. Let’s just say she has a good gig. Because she’s in the air more than she is on the ground and doesn’t have the time to show it and too busy to meet dudes, she needs some green marketing and sales help. Auggie V (Errand Boy to some of you) to the rescue.

About the car. Pictured above, it’s a 2004 - sea foam blue. Not to be confused with rip-tide blue. Low miles (23,400 miles) and fully loaded with all options - 5 CD changer and JVC audio system, navigation package with GPS, bluetooth enabled (so you can talk on your cell phone hands-free through the audio system) with tan interior. Besides being sustainable my friend is also very efficient and as you can see, loves technology. It gets great gas mileage (45-50 MPG) with very low emissions. For those of you that don’t understand the Prius, the car's unique drive system transfers power from gas engine to electric engine automatically to optimize gas mileage. She’s been its only owner, garage kept and all maintenance done on time. The asking price for this great modern day piece of machinery is $23,000.

About the owner. She’s hard working and embraces sustainability like only one other person I know. She’s somewhat punctual so you can bet that all the maintenance check ups were done on time. She’s stable and a very charming person. I’ve visited her house several times and have always found it to be well kept so you can be reassured that the car is clean. She’s also a pretty good cook, and doesn’t smoke so the car still smells fresh. Another plus is that she drinks Yuengling beer. How cool is she?

If you’re interested in seeing the car, please send an email. If your interested in a date with my friend, send me an email with a picture (JPG,GIF) and say why you're deserving. Only submissions with pictures will be accepted.

2006 Green Blogs Archive

December 2006 - November 2006 - October 2006 - September 2006

August 2006 - July 2006 - June 2006 - May 2006 - April 2006

March 2006 - February 2006 - January 2006