Making Waste from Waste, Packaging it in Waste, and Earning Green Green.

Posted on March 13, 2009 by Michael Delgado

What does this even mean? Good question. Princeton freshman dropout Tom Szaky (CEO Terracycle) makes amazing all-natural fertilizer from worm poop, and packages it in unprocessed used bottles. In addition, the stuff is made in a run-down warehouse using old horse feed-troughs collected from farms. A really cool business model: he doesn’t simply reconceptualize his product, but also every step of production, by using trash as much as possible. This way, he can dramatically cut costs and save valuable material resources. His company also makesÂ reusableÂ grocery and school bags from upcycled plastic grocery bags, other school supplies, eco-friendly cleaners, animal feed, fire starters (eh…) and more.

Video: Forecast Earth: Terracycle (The Weather Channel’s Forcast Earth)

Breaking News – Carnegie Mellon is Still Cool

Posted on February 12, 2009 by Michael Delgado

A class at Carnegie Mellon University has students taking green back to the drawing board – Literally.

Students created posters designed to influence sustainability

“One of several assignments given by Melissa Cicozi in her Design and Social Change class, the project asks students to design a poster showing how an individual can reduce carbon emissions by changing a single behavior.

While some of the students try to get you to make the switch to fluorescent bulbs, others suggest you turn the lights off altogether. A few encourage you to plant a tree and even consider getting on your bike instead of into your car â€” all in the name of saving our planet.

Global warming is so overwhelming,” said Cicozi, winner of this year’s Award for Outstanding Contributions to Academic Advising and Mentoring.Â “I wanted the students to not only grab people’s attention, but to make viewers feel like one person really can make a difference.”

In a second component of the course, the students get together in groups and study the recycling habits of the Carnegie Mellon community. After careful consideration, they design an improved recycling plan – complete with container and label design, a strategic plan for placement of the containers, a plan for “communicating the plan,” and a proposed ad campaign for the nationwide college and university competition known as Recyclemania.

Encouraging a return to nature can be very productive

The course’s final component encourages the students to literally dig deep and reach for any remaining scraps of inventiveness: they have to make something out of trash.Â Their work will be exhibited and sold at Construction Junction, an organization that supports and promotes conservation in Pittsburgh through the reuse of building materials, starting April 28.

“The students are in the middle of the final project right now,” said Cicozi. “I know they are considering everything from tools and accessories to furniture and housewares.Â Any profits will go to Construction Junction, to help them continue their promotion of reusing construction waste and architectural artifacts.”

Cicozi’s Design and Social Change class is just one of more than 100 Carnegie Mellon courses exploring environmental issues through a variety of disciplines. It’s also one of more than 30 courses that integrates environmental awareness as part of the three-year “Greening of Early Undergraduate Education” project, funded by The Henry Luce Foundation.”

Source: CMU Green Practices

I think these advertising campaigns are a great and creative way to get students involved and passionate about the Green Dorm and sustainability in general. Can we host events to promote sustainability like we were beginning to plan last quarter?

MAGIC Materials: Cork Flooring

Posted on February 9, 2009 by adamting

What a cork tree looks like

I was just looking into various flooring options, and Cork Flooring seemed to me to be the best (even over something like Bamboo flooring).Â The following article discusses the pros (of which there are many) and the cons (really just long-distance shipping): Cork Flooring.Â To give a brief summary, cork flooring is much more sustainable than traditional hardwood flooring in that “the material is acquired by stripping most of the outer bark from the cork oak tree. This regular harvesting does the tree no harm, and the bark grows back, to be stripped again every nine years.”Â This is in contrast to the 60+ years required for similar traditional wood floorings.

Some interesting properties of this very practical surface:

Soft like suede, insulating qualities and resiliency of carpet, the easy-to-clean surface of wood or tile
Scraps are collected for reuse, so almost nothing is wasted
The material is waterproof, and the natural waxy substance inherent in cork, called suberin, makes it mold and mildew resistant
If someone in your family suffers from allergies, a cork floor could provide a soft and warm alternative to allergen collecting carpets
Cork is naturally flame-resistant
Acoustically insulating properties keep foot traffic quiet.
Costs as low as $2/sq. ft. (which is cheap, though like woods they do have expensive options)
Can be used in just about any room

All of the aforementioned benefits would seem useful for MAGIC, and the fact they come from Europe, which is really the only negative here, won’t matter if their house is being built over there anyways!Â I think we should look into this material.

Sequestering Carbon in Cement

Posted on February 5, 2009 by ameliaaboff

Moss Landing, where Calera makes cement from smokestack gas

Last week’s post on Permable Pavement reminded me of another sustainable paving material: cement made from carbon dioxide and seawater. This technology has been pioneered by a Northern California company called Calera, situated near the Moss Landing gas-fired power plant. Their process involves capturing the “stack gas” created by the power plant, running it through fresh seawater, and adding the resulting calcium carbonate to a concrete mix for commercial use. Calera claims that they can use up to 90% of Moss Landing’s carbon dioxide emissions for such processes, but it has not yet been fully approved by the construction industry or relevant building authorities, which are generally slow to accept changes.

More research needs to be done on the impacts of seawater intake/outtake and cost-effectiveness of this technique, but it offers a benefit that few other building materials do: it actually sequesters carbon dioxide, not by storing it in leaky underground reservoirs like other CCS techniques suggest, but by creating useful and necessary new materials from it. In all likelihood, CCS-cement won’t be available in time for the Green Dorm, but it’s an interesting technology to be aware of as we move forward, looking for bothÂ sustainable materials and emissions-reduction strategies.

Cement from CO2, Scientific American

Climate Action by Calera, Treehugger

4 More New Green Cities of the World

Posted on January 28, 2009 by Michael Delgado

Victoria, British Columbia (Dockside Green)

Dockside Green is slated to be North America's first carbon-neutral community

“Victoria, British Columbia, plans to be carbon-neutral by 2012. Its Dockside Green pro ject brings that goal closer to realization. The environmentally sustainable plans for Dockside Green combine residential, commercial, light industrial and green space on 15 acres (roughly 0.06 square kilometers) of harbor-front land.

Dockside Green is slated to be North America’s first carbon-neutral community.

How will Dockside Green achieve its goal to be the first carbon-neutral community inÂ North America? Through a combination of green solutions for buildings, transportation, energy and waste treatment.

Let’s begin with buildings: Those of Dockside Green are being constructed with reclaimed wood from forests that were submerged by reservoirs. Energy-efficient appliances and fixtures (such as motion-sensing light switches),Â green roofsÂ (rooftop gardens), andÂ carbon footprintÂ monitors (that allow residents to track their heat, energy and water use over time) are outfitted inside homes.

It’s unlikely you’ll find a car or two parked in driveways, either. Residents of Victoria, and now Dockside Green, take part in a clean-fuel and hybrid car-sharing program (even the cars areÂ Smart). In addition, Dockside Green plans include bike and pedestrian paths, subsidized public transit and a harbor ferry.

Energy and waste treatment will be self-contained within Dockside Green. One hundred percent of waste will be treated on-site, and the treated water will be reused to flush toilets and irrigate gardens. AÂ biomass-gasification plantÂ will turn wood waste into energy for heat and hot water.

This innovative green community is under way currently, with the first of three neighborhoods opening in 2009. Upon completion, the entire community will be home to about 2,500 people.”

Source:Â Colenso, Maria. “5 Green Cities of the Future.” 28 January 2009.Â How Stuff Works.Â 17 October 2008.

Sherford, England

Residents of Sherwood will face strict monitoring to ensure good environmental behaviors. England plans to unveil 10 of these projects by 2020

“Sherford, in south Devon, is the eco-project of Prince Charles. It will be home to 12,000 people and is planned for completion by 2020. Royal advisors consider it Britain’s greenest future community.

The proposed community will take advantage of cutting-edge green building designs and materials but will look like a traditional English town. Buildings will be constructed with sustainable materials gathered mostly from within a 50-mile (80-kilometer) radius of the site; water and sewer waste will be recycled.

Homes and workplaces alike will put their rooftops to work. The majority of buildings will haveÂ solar powersystems, and vegetation will cover theÂ roofsÂ of commercial buildings. About half of Sherford’s power will be supplied from renewable sources in the community: In addition to solarÂ power, plans call forÂ windÂ turbines.

Lastly, a walkable urban layout will put residences, retail stores and industry in close proximity, reducing the need for cars. In fact, cars will be banned from some areas of the town. Did we mention new homeowners receive a free bicycle?”

Source: Colenso, Maria. “5 Green Cities of the Future.” 28 January 2009.Â How Stuff Works.Â 17 October 2008.

Photo Source:Â Booth, Robert. “Eco Town Dwellers may be Monitored for Green Habits.” 28 January 2009.Â The Guardian.Â 26 September 2008

Dongtan City, China Â Â Â

Dongtan City, China has already begun construction, and will house 5,000 by 2010, 80,000 by 2020, and 500,000 by 2050

“Dongtan will be a city of three villages that meet to form a city centre. The first demonstrator phase of Dongtan aims to be completed by 2010, in time for the World Expo in Shanghai, and will accommodate a population of up to 5,000. Later phases of development will see the city grow to hold a population of around 80,000 by 2020 and up to 500,000 by 2050.

The delicate nature of the Dongtan wetlands adjacent to the site has been one of the driving factors of the city’s design. We plan to protect and enhance the existing wetlands by returning agricultural land to a wetland state creating a ‘buffer-zone’ between the city and the mudflats – at its narrowest point, this ‘buffer-zone’ will be 3.5 kilometres wide.

The project will increase bio-diversity on Chongming Island, and will create a city that runs entirely on renewable energy for its buildings, its infrastructure and its transport needs. Dongtan will recover, recycle and reuse 90% of all waste in the city, with the eventual aim of becoming a zero waste city.

Green Roofs and Wind Energy are two of the Sustainable Features of Dongtan City

Green roofs, wind energy, and ecological wetland management Â are some of the sustainable features of Dongtan City

Dongtan eco-city incorporates many traditional Chinese design features and combines them with a sustainable approach to modern living, but not at the expense of creating a city that isÂ recognizableÂ as a â€˜Chineseâ€™ city.

With the project now entering the implementation phase, SIIC and Arup have been joined by HSBC and Sustainable Development Capital LLP (SDCL) in a long-term strategic partnership to develop the commercial and financing strategy for Dongtan and other eco-cities in China. A key element of this is the Dongtan Institute for Sustainability which will initially be based in Tongji University. We hope the Institute will become one of the worldâ€™s centres of excellence for examining the connection between the environment and economic performance.”

Source: Â “Ultimate Eco City.”Â World Architecture News.Â 9 April 2008.

Further Reading: McGray, Douglas. “Pop-up Cities: China Builds a Bright Green Metropolis.” 28 January 2009. Wired Magazine. 24 April 2007.

Masdar City, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates

“No cars, no waste, no pollution. Doable? Such a city is slated to rise from the oil-rich grounds in Abu

Masdar City plans to be completely carbon neutral and open by 2016

Â Dhabi.Â Masdar, which means “the source” in Arabic, is a $22-b illionundertaking that could be the world’s first carbon-neutral city [source:Â Masdar].

Masdar’s sustainable urban development will take advantage of wind, hydrogen and solar-photovoltaic energy sources. Wastewater will be treated andÂ recycledÂ into irrigation systems.

In addition, Masdar’s transportation goals are ambitious. Fossil-fuel burning cars are banned from the city in lieu of an electric personal light-rail system — small, programmable cars that run only when you need to go somewhere, and a pedestrian-friendly city layout.

Masdar is already under construction and will develop over several phases, with completion expected in 2016 [sourceÂ Inhabitat]. Up to 50,000 people are expected to live in Masdar, and the first residents will likely move in sometime during 2009 [CNET].”

Source:Â Â Colenso, Maria. “5 Green Cities of the Future.” 28 January 2009.Â How Stuff Works.Â 17 October 2008.

Photo Source: MasdarUAE.com

Green Cities Close to Home

Posted on January 28, 2009 by Michael Delgado

Treasure Island, CA: Who Knew?

An artists depiction of the planned Treasure Island green development

A Depiction of the Planned Treasure Island Development

Treasure Island, halfway across the Bay Bridge and in the middle of the San Francisco Bay, is an artificial island built in 1939 to house the Golden Gate World Expo, then to be converted into the San Francisco Airport. During World War II, however, it was purchased by the Navy and still bears barracks and other remnants of its militant past. However, in recent years San Francisco City Planners have begun discussing plans to make the island, along with its neighbor Yerba Buena, into a sustainable city. The design calls for many eco-friendly design ideas, including LEED certified buildings, a pedestrian and cyclist-friendly urban center, public recycling and composting programs, wastewater recycling, urban farms, and solar, wind, and tidal powered electricity generation. A large drawback of this development is its seismic location, given it’s man-made history, which presents a large possibility for liquefaction in the event of a major earthquake.

For more information see…

Daily Galaxy: Super-Green Citiy of the Future

How Stuff Works: 5Â Future Green Cities

The Economic Impetus for an Ecologically Friendly Green Dorm

Posted on January 27, 2009 by adamting

Different types of ecosystem services

A fundamental property of any building is that it takes up space, space that at one point was host to a variety of life. From grasses, trees, or running water on the surface, to fauna of all sorts that inhabit the area, to even soil down below, the ecology of any area is a fascinating and complex function of the species that surround it.Â Within these ecosystems, interactions between species provide the world with certain ecosystem services. These services are invaluable to our way of life. Below are two descriptions of commonly known ecosystem services from the Natural Capital Project:

“Carbon Sequestration is the work forests do naturally, taking in carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and holding it captive in all the cells that make up the trunk, branches, leaves, roots, and bark (biomass). Commonly measured in tonnes, the World Bank reported in May 2007 that the value of the global carbon market tripled in size to US $30 billion in 2006.

Clean drinking and irrigation water is a vital benefit granted by healthy streams, watersheds and river basins. The hard work of water filtration is performed by roots, soil and bacteria which pull out nasty toxins, pollutants, and dangerous microbes.”

The economic problem behind the loss of habitat and thus these environmental services is that companies don’t incur charges from nature for the natural capital they consume. Whereas most companies have to invest in capital, there’s clearly a negative externality here for nature as business profits directly from the external benefits.

While our chosen site right now may be a parking lot, a movement to incorporate Green Dorm into its surrounding ecosystem (and possibly help to create one through the landscape of a Green Dorm complex?), could help the building to make a positive impact both ecologically and economically. Green Dorm features like green roofs (or even the placement of large trees) help instill life to the area, rejuvenating valuable environmental services (such as improving air quality) and providing substantial energy gains.

ecosystem_services111

Though designing Green Dorm to be ecologically sustainable may take extra considerations and costs, it is truly necessary we incur them if our intention is to call this a “Green” Dorm.Â Otherwise, it will just be an energy efficient one, and we can only call it EconoDorm.

MATscape

Posted on January 25, 2009 by DaveGeet

Another great concept

“Fab Tree Hab Living Tree House”

Posted on January 25, 2009 by DaveGeet

There are some concepts about this small home we can definitely apply to GIL

Fab Tree Hab Video Tour

Hey everyone,

This is a really interesting concept from MIT that correlates with one of our goals ofÂ utilizingÂ the infrastructure of Green Dorm to have a net positive ecological impact. More to come, but here is the link with a little more detail andÂ documentationÂ on the project. If you go to slide 02, you can see a vertical lattice structure that I am interested in testing (if available) to use for exterior walls.Â

Click Here For More
Â

Koyannisqatsi

Posted on January 22, 2009 by DaveGeet

Koyaanisqatsi

This video really put things in perspective for me. There is no dialogue only music and video clips. It’s an hour and a half, but I promise it’s worth your time. Take it with an open mind.

Stanford Green Idea Lab

Green Idea Blog

Category Archives: Ecological Footprint