GreenBuildIndiana

Walkable and Bikable Places are More Highly Valued

Image: NRDC.org

A new study by the Brookings Institution found that real estate values increase in areas where there are sidewalks, paths, and bike lanes.  Whether this is the result of baby boomers moving in town where they can remain close to grown children while enjoying urban amenities, or suburban residents demanding less dependance on cars, it is a good omen. 

The LEED rating system rewards points for walkable proximity to stores, schools, churches, retail locations, etc. It's nice to see this starting to pay off in higher values in the following cities:

• Capital Hlll (Seattle, WA) vs Redmond (suburb): 50% higher real estate values
• Short North (Columbus, OH) vs Worthington (suburb): 30% higher
• Highlands (Denver) vs. Highlands Ranch (suburb): 67% higher

This is not only confined to city centers. "Demand for walkable urban space extends beyond city centers to suburbs; in metropolitan Washington, more than half of the walkable places are in the suburbs, like Reston Town Center, 22 miles from downtown Washington; Ballston, in Arlington County; and Silver Spring, in suburban Maryland. Residents can easily get to grocery stores, cafes, libraries and work by rail transit, biking and walking." (New York Times)

 

Green Homes' Market Share Growing Steadily

People want high indoor air quality and lower energy bills. (No-brainer?)

"The share of green homes in the total construction market was 17% in 2011, representing $17 billion in investment, and is  expected to rise to 29%-38% by 2016, potentially a $87-114 billion opportunity. The figures are based on the five-year forecast for overall residential construction." Sustainable Business

Visionaries Develop Vertical Farms in Response to Declining Agricultural Land

 

 Architects and other visionaries are responding to the growing need for food, by proposing vertical farms in urban settings. Why vertical farms? 

Because "An estimated 109 hectares of new land (about 20% more land than is represented by the country of Brazil) will be needed to grow enough food to feed them, if traditional farming practices continue as they are practiced today. At present, throughout the world, over 80% of the land that is suitable for raising crops is in use." (sources: FAO and NASA)

From The Vertical Farm, by Dickson Despommier  Watch an interview with the author. 

 

Bloomington, Indiana Opens an LED Source Branch

In Bloomington, Indiana, Hugh Kremer has opened a franchise of LEDSource, a company supplying highly energy-efficient LED lighting to commercial enterprises. It is located at 406 S. Walnut St. in Bloomington. He plans to open stores in an additional four Indiana locations within the next five years.

We say: Go Hugh!

See the Visions Salon Case Study. Visions Salon is saving over $3,000 after switching to LED lighting. That's a lot of money for a small business to save in one year.

 

 

http://www.ledsource.com/news/led-source-debuts-in-indiana

1,500 Year-Old Method of Air-Conditioning Cools Modern Building in India

 

This building in the sweltering town of Jaipur, India remains 20 degrees cooler than the outside through the use of evaporative cooling. A pool of water at the base of the building serves as its 'air conditioner.' And that's cool. Read the whole story and view the gallery at CNN.

 

‘Zero-Energy’ Construction Crosses the Ocean - NYTimes.com

Passive, or zero-energy, houses are making their way to the United States from Europe and several are being built in New York.

Now one of the most exacting standards, called “passive house,” is making its way to the United States from Europe. Passive, or “zero energy,” houses maintain a comfortable interior climate without active heating and cooling systems, according to the Passivhaus Institut, which administers the standard. That is achieved through a system of interior and exterior air exchange, an airtight building envelope and energy-saving appliances, among other things.

Any additional energy needs can be generated by renewable sources. The institute says a passive house uses less than a quarter of the energy of a traditionally powered home.

via www.nytimes.com

Our windows look like this. I have also heard our type of house called a 'furnace free' house.

SolarCity revives military homes solar project | Reuters

The military likes the security and savings that solar energy provides. The installer likes the efficiencies provided from having all its customers clustered together in one place. 

From Reuters: "The project, named 'SolarStrong,' aims to put about 300 megawatts of solar generation on 120,000 military housing units over five years.

"That figure was scaled back from the 160,000 installations originally targeted under the project that had received initial approvals for a $275 million loan guarantee from the U.S. Department of Energy."

(Reuters) - Solar power developer SolarCity and Bank of America Merrill Lynch will go ahead with a plan to build more than $1 billion in new solar projects on military housing, despite their failure to win a U.S. loan guarantee.

via www.reuters.com

 

Affordable Green Home is Named 'House of the Year'

This 1600-sq. ft. house, priced at $220,000, has been built by the Builders Association of Eastern Connecticut, to showcase both ultimate greenness and affordability. 

Builders are finding that they need to do a lot of ecucation regarding the benefits of green features. (New York Times.)

 

Green Restoration of an Entire Tuscan Town Pays Off

Val d'Orcia, in the heart of Tuscany, is attracting new interest from businesses that honor its past.

It went into decline with the coming of the Industrial Revolution, but now it is being brought back to life, its ancient houses converted into environmentally conscious villas for vacation rentals by Michael L. Cioffi, a business lawyer from Ohio who is of Italian descent.

More than a catchy tourist trap, Mr. Cioffi said in an interview, the project, The Villas at Monteverdi, is a fully sustainable development bringing customers to local businesses and a renewed social life to the region.

via www.nytimes.com

Ray Anderson, Green Building Pioneer, Dead at 77

Ray Anderson was a pioneer in the business sustainability movement. His company, Interface, Inc., made carpeting and upholstery without harmful formaldehyde and developed innovative ways to recycle old carpet. These methods have inspired other businesses.

"They also helped his company’s bottom line. 'What started out as the right thing to do quickly became the smart thing,' he told a business group in Toronto in 2005. 'Cost savings from eliminating waste alone have been $262 million.'

In his speeches, Mr. Anderson credited that book, 'The Ecology of Commerce” by Paul Hawken, with changing his perspective. He described reading it as a “spear in the chest experience.' " The New York Times

Thanks for your contributions, Ray.