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

February 28, 2007

Auggie V’s February Green Tidbits

Eco-sports: The NFL planted hundreds of trees and purchased RECs to offset the increase of carbon emissions during Super Bowl week in Miami...The state of Washington will soon have the greenest NASCAR race track in the country. Pending approval, Great Western Sports who is building the track is committed to having all buildings registered LEED.
Source: Reed Construction Ewire/ Green Lodging News

Blowing in the wind: Here in the U.S., wind power generating capacity increased by 27 percent in 2006 and is expected to increase an additional 26 percent in 2007, proving wind is now a mainstream option for new power generation. This is based on a market forecast released by the American Wind Energy Association (AWEA). Texas hosts the world's single largest operating wind farm, the 735-MW Horse Hollow Wind Energy Center, located in Nolan and Taylor counties.
Source: greenbiz.com

Al Gore wins an Oscar: To shine the light on solutions to climate change and lend their star power to the problem of global warming, some of the world’s biggest celebrities arrived at this year’s Academy Awards in ‘green cars’. Celebrities and notable individuals participating this year include: Leonardo DiCaprio, Penelope Cruz, Forest Whittaker, Nicole Kidman, Kirsten Dunst, Ryan Gosling, Gwyneth Paltrow and the Gores. I guess Al is now considered a celebrity since he did win an Oscar.
Source: msn.com

eWasted in Margarita Ville: Hewlett-Packard recycled more than 164 million pounds (74 million kilograms) of hardware and HP print cartridges globally in its 2006 fiscal year -- an increase of 16 percent over the previous year and the equivalent weight of more than 600 jumbo jet airliners.
Source: greenbiz.com

Eco-Rock: Detailing an effort to engage billions of people across the globe, Kevin Wall, former U.S.VP Al Gore, Pharrell Williams, film star Cameron Diaz, and the MSN Network have launched Save Our Selves (SOS) – The Campaign for a Climate in Crisis. SOS is designed to trigger a global movement to combat our climate crisis. It will reach people in every corner of the planet through television, film, radio, the Internet and Live Earth, a 24-hour concert on 7/7/07 across all 7 continents that will bring together more than 100 of the world’s top musical acts.
Source: Indiantelevision.com

February 22, 2007

Thanks, One Last Time To the 2006 CTGreen9

Tuesday evening AuctorVerno and bkm Total Office hosted a reception for the members of the 2006 CTGreen9. If you remember, during the month of December we asked visitors to buildingctgreen.com to nominate people, places or projects in Connecticut that embraced sustainability. The nine stories that were chosen included green buildings, green manufacturing, workforce development, innovation and transportation.

Anyhow, last night we had a little reception at bkm’s office in East Hartford. I love their office because they have a show room with a reception area. The company, which provides interior office solutions, holds receptions from time to time and entertains customers. I want to thank Dave and Kevin of bkm for all your support. The other call out is to everyone who participated in the program. Some of the stories I knew about but some I didn’t and I really enjoyed learning more about what’s happening in Connecticut regarding sustainability.

For the inaugural year, it was pretty cool. When we first decided we wanted to introduce the 2006 CTGreen9 program back in December, we didn’t know what we would get. As it turns out, we gained a little more knowledge, told some stories and had a reason to have a party and beverage. And based on some tracking, we also got some notoriety for Connecticut as a green state. A couple of national green building/green business Web sites picked up our press releases. We’ve decided we'll do it next year and it should be interesting.

If you’d like to view the list of awardees, click here>>

February 19, 2007

Green Chemistry at UConn

There used to be the old BASF commercial that said “We don’t make the helmet --- we make it stronger and safer.” Back then the buying public didn’t care too much about how they did that, just that it made us feel more comfortable. Much of that has changed now and major chemical companies such Cargill, Dow and BASF are looking at better solutions to replace petroleum based polymers that are still used in many consumer products today.

With more research and development, the next generation of plastics will be made with natural materials that are less harmful to the environment. A UConn lab may come up with the answers for such a challenge. At the Storrs campus, a team of professors are working on a new eco-friendly plastic polymer. Their approach is to synthesize new “polylactic” polymers based on lactic acid, a natural substance found in corn and dairy products.

One of the researchers is Robert Weiss, Board of Trustees Distinguished Professor of Chemical, Materials, and Biomolecular Engineering. Weiss is very positive about the program, but adds, “If I tried to mix nylon into polylactic acid, it’s not going to work,” he said. “But if I add a specific mixing agent, then it will work. That is what the ionic groups of an ionomer do – by adding an elastomeric ionomer to nylon, we can create a super tough nylon.” Or answering the question, “Can I make a plastic using something I can grow?” as Professor Weiss puts it.

Weiss’s team funding comes from the Environmental Protection Agency, the National Science Foundation, and the New England Green Chemistry Consortium, a collaboration of the six land-grant New England universities.

Source: www.advance.uconn.edu/

February 16, 2007

Small and Mid Sized Firms Can Go Green Too

I hear this all the time; isn’t green only for big business? And my answer is always no. More and more, small to mid sized companies are incorporating best green practices into their business model. Many of them have learned by others and in most of those cases, it’s because their customers, large OEMs, not only share knowledge but require green operations and materials in their supply chain. Others just do it because it makes good business sense. And those that don’t take on the triple bottom line…they will be denied entry to growing green economy and will be viewed as non-progressive.

The Conference Board recently did a survey on corporate citizenship and the findings indicate that businesses that have adopted corporate and social responsibility measures when developing growth strategies are more likely to succeed then those that don’t. Any business, small medium or large, should take that as an indication of were the action’s at.

In an executive summary of the report which appeared in the Conference Board’s January edition of Executiveaction, Theresa Sullivan Barger lays out the Seven Steps to Citizenship and Sustainability based on the survey’s findings and interviews. The steps were actually pretty good and can be used by all, so I briefly reviewed them below.

• Executives should start by defining their objectives. Is it just being good or does it have a hook to your business model.
• Leaders should be sure their corporate citizenship and sustainability efforts are integral to their company’s culture and values.
• Research the issue, the audience, the goals, the challenges and the expected snares.
• Accountability. Companies should be open with employees as well as publish their principles and train employees to these commitments and develop citizenship standards through the supply chain.
• Greenwashing. Companies want to make sure they are not perceived as just being good to look good.
• Compile reports and post them on your Web site so the info is there for those who are looking for it.
• Transparency is such that nothing is sacred. Be sure to walk it and talk it.

I thought there was a quote that summed it up best in a related article that appeared this week in USA Today. Christine Arena, a San Francisco business consultant and author of The High-Purpose Company, says more corporations are using corporate social responsibility (CSR) not for feel-good philanthropy or to polish their public image, but as long-term corporate strategy. She refers to them as "the early adopters, the alphas of the modern business world."

If you'd like to make a comment, send an email to adamn@buildingctgreen.com and I'll review it and post it.

February 13, 2007

Print Media Sees Green in Greenbuzz
But are consumers buying?

Two years ago on an ad hoc basis at best, there might be an occasional story in a major publications regarding global warming or sustainability in general. Lately however, the amount of print news related to green buildings and green business is growing and during the last several months there’s been a daily-dose of greenbuzz. Whether it’s Newsweek, Fortune, the NY Times or USA Today, these days the print media loves a good green story. And like any good business, they realize green sells ads. But the big question remains, are consumers buying? Maybe.

In Monday’s Wall Street Journal (WSJ), there was a fourteen page section most of which was designated to stories related to alternative and renewable energy and what types of options are available to the average consumer; and at what cost. WSJ also showed that not only will technology deliver affordable products to the marketplace in the near future, but that there are little things consumers can do now that will save money in the long run. The rest of the section was taken up with huge full page and double page ads from companies who are also leaders in the renewable and alternative energy markets. WJS realizes that if it tells some good green stories, it can sell a lot of green ad space.

Some of the companies with ads include ExxonMobil, Chevron, BP and Connecticut’s own UTC which had the coolest ad. All of these corporations are in the race to develop the next generation of energy products that will make our economy more energy independent and greener. And all of these companies want to reach out to consumers and investors and be seen as part of the solution. Makes good green business sense to me. The end result is a more aware and knowledgeable consumer.

WJS raises the idea that with advancements in technology and the rise in dedicated research dollars and VC funds, consumers will have affordable choices. Right now, it’s close but not quite there. For instance, a solar panel will cost the average family in the Northeast about $35-40,000 after state and federal rebates. What homeowners used to think was a luxury item is roughly the same as buying a decent car or a year and half college tuition. Presently, it’s all a trade off.

The print media is assisting the growth of the green economy by printing solid information that help educate consumers while at the same time giving a platform for industry leaders to deliver their message that green is good and everybody will soon win. The tipping point will come when all consumers have the choice between a state of the art energy independent product and a used clunker.

If you'd like to make a comment, send an email to adamn@buildingctgreen.com and I'll review it and post it.

February 9, 2007

Welcome to the Future - Green Project in Norwalk Introduces Robo-Valet Parking

Moving people and products in Connecticut is not easy, nor efficient. Our transportation infrastructure both on major highways and in cities and towns is not able to handle the growing number of vehicles that populate our roadways. However, more and more cities and towns are adopting smart development strategies that create pedestrian friendly walk ways and parking solutions that draw people in rather then create obstacles that prohibit entry. While public transportation is not a popular choice, technology and innovation are changing the way we get around.

Products like E-Z Pass and Zipcar have had impacts on the way we travel. Now it’s AutoPark and it’s being introduced in Connecticut as part of a major mixed use redevelopment project in downtown Norwalk. POKO Partners, LLC of Port Chester, NY plans to develop a traditional design neighborhood that is user friendly and very green. The most interesting aspect of the plan is the use of a very green parking technology. When you park your car, you’ll be able to swipe a card and get out and robotics will take your car to a spot under the buildings. All residential and commercial drivers will have their cars out of site. That will allow visitors to take street spots. The technology will also decrease operational costs in the long run.

No valet drivers, cash register operators, security guards, or annoying car dents.
The car is returned in under two minutes, facing in the direction ready for you to drive out.
All this is monitored by a single computer operator using software with built-in fail safes and a regular maintenance
program.
There is no need for extensive ventilation, bright lighting, or plumbing.
Automated parking garages provide lower building costs per parking slot, as it typically requires less building volume and less ground than a conventional parking facility with the same capacity.

The green building aspects of the plan are very impressive too. The developers have committed to using recycled materials and will incorporate a state of the art heating and cooling systems that will employ micro turbines to produce energy. The distributed generation solution will run off the grid in the winter 100% and as much as 40% to 80% in the summer away from the grid. Like I said, welcome to the future.

If you'd like to make a comment, send an email to adamn@buildingctgreen.com and I'll review it and post it.

February 4, 2007

University of Hartford’s Image Gets Greener

Many Connecticut universities have greened their campuses in pursuit of healthier living and learning spaces. Sustainable measures are also good learning tools for students. And while other schools in the state get much of the lime light for their sustainable endeavors, as an alumni of the University of Hartford (UHA), I never see the school get props when it does good. But this past Wednesday for most of the day, the school was very green.

The first green moment came on the morning of January 31 when UHA announced a bank of solar panels in front of Lincoln Theater had been activated the day before. The solar panels are a true sign of the University’s efforts to promote alternative energy sources. The large, futuristic-looking solar tracking array is designed to follow the movement of the sun, so passers-by will notice the array in different positions at different times of the day.

This is the second phase of the University’s experiment with solar energy. Last spring, the University activated three rows of fixed solar panels on the roof of Lincoln Theater. Those panels generate about 17,000 kilowatt-hours per year of electricity for the campus, said Barry Lubin, an adjunct faculty member in the College of Engineering, Technology, and Architecture (CETA) and the person who initiated the solar energy project.

To put it in perspective, the amount of electricity generated by the fixed solar panels on the roof is equivalent to about eight to 10 percent of the power used by Lincoln Theater.

Later in the day, UHA announced a partnership with Zipcar, one of the fastest growing green companies in the country which provides ad-hoc car rental or car-sharing programs for individuals wishing to make transportation more affordable and greener. The discounted program for alumni provides self-service access to fun and practical vehicles by the hour or by the day.

The school wrapped up its green day by hosting a program and reception for the ACE/CT’s Hartford Team which is also a member of the 2006 CTGreen9. If you recall I blogged about this cool story a couple of weeks ago. This ACE/CT team has developed blueprints for a nursery school/kindergarten for a small village in Ghana. The spec has green elements to it and the kids, who presented, really seemed to embrace the project.

UHA is now poised to compete with other college and university campuses when it comes to being green. Now if they could get the men’s basketball team on the right track that would be a good thing. I am hopeful that one day, while I’m alive, the Hawks will go to the NCAA tourney. Note to the men’s team -- the women’s team has already accomplished this goal.

Source: http://www.hartford.edu/

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