Water is nearly everywhere around our home, from the credible beauty of the Mountain Glaciers to the tides of the Salish Sea we are surrounded by water. The idea that most people do not like about this region is that there is lots of rain – more water.

Folks even get upset with the huge Evergreen Trees in our area, but when they cut them down they are not very good about thinking of what to do with the 500 gallons of water that tree consumed everyday – where will it go?

We have a nifty computer read out about our solar panels sitting right here beside my desk.  How much energy did we make, carbon saved, and energy consumed and then a nice, neat fun report comes monthly to chart the detail into a readable graph.

A Water Meter is out at the curb of our house and the city employee comes bi- monthly to read our water consumption.  Do you monitor your water consumption?  Do you know how much you use every month?  How much do you use in the kitchen or the bathroom?

I would so like to have a monitor/reader on my computer like the solar panel reader, because going out each day and reading the numbers by lifting the heavy lid is time consuming and hard on my knees.  I think it almost guarantees that most people just trust the city – and apartment dwellers what would they know unless they have separate meters that are accessible and how do they share the grounds use water bill?

Water use needs to be monitored and checked.   Our monthly statement came in the mail and wow, we had used 500 gallons of water more than this same time period last year.  We watered the garden more last year, 3 – 4 were in the house every weekend last year, and we had hotter weather.  This year for the whole month there was only one person here, who takes 3 minute showers, is very conservative on laundry and there was almost no cooking going on, although the same amount of food processing  was happening.   We only watered the yard a couple of days a week, and then only the pots, and several beds – not the grass, the trees or the hedges.

I had the city come out and they said we must have a leak on our side of the street and we should get someone in to see where water was running all the time.  We have not had company and as I said earlier only one person was home for the month.

We spent a great deal of money assisting the city in putting in a new street drain and a large overflow pipe down the bluff.  We have 2 sump pumps in our bedrooms that run a great deal on days of heavy rain and weeks of rain. We put in drains which run the length of our property. We clean the street gutters – of about a 10 block radius of our home, because of all the lost trees.  Now I am going out to write down the numbers by hand every time I use water.

I have also turned off the water to toilets that are not in use unless there is company in the house.  The rains are returning.    I wish we had rainwater tanks to flush the toilets and use for watering and laundry.

We have a drinking water filter to take the city chemicals out of glasses.  Maybe a rain garden is next?

Oh yes, those 500 gallons of extra water usage were during the full rate part of the year.  It cost a lot of pennies, nickels and dimes.   Do you monitor your water usage?  Do you think your meter is reading correctly?  Do you know?

By Patricia

Not only do I get constant remarks about the cost of adding solar panels to the house, or new construction, but most folks never mention the extra work involved in maintaining such a house.  No one ever seems to want to know how much money our solar panels are making besides all the hot water and electricity.

Yes, it is more work to hang the clean clothing out on the line or on drying racks.  Yes, it is an advantage to having me work at home so that I can open blinds, close blinds, open doors, close doors, open windows, and close windows as the day progresses.  I can also clean gutters, lint traps, refrigerators, and bird droppings right away and keep them from disturbing the systems.   Yes, I know that Bill Gates house has computers to run all his systems and an operator to reprogram systems as need be, he also has a swimming pool for his exercise and I get mine by getting up and doing the work.

I also grow and prepare 95% of our food which brings us health and balance and even more exercise.

The big LEED Platinum buildings in our cities all need a new kind of maintainer person on staff.  These new employees need to be computer savvy and be able to reprogram building space for 5 folks or more using that space, to be able to make sure the computer run systems are working at optimum efficiency and to be able to program the changes made evident by the data the building generates.  All these things save tons of energy usage, keep people comfortable, reduce pollution and make money for the building’s owners.

And people are willing to do this work and are excited about doing this work – and are getting trained to do this work – whole companies are being developed.

So how do we convince the “common man or woman” to make these changes to their homes and schools?  Apparently, talking about how much money you make and save still keeps fear levels too high?

It does not seem like it would be as easy as hiring a cleaning person or team to come to your house once a week or month.   We all like the idea of an easy button.

The neighbors down the street have just retro fit an older house adding about a dozen solar panels and a wind ball to their rebuild.   People will start getting used to the visual of that structure now – then they will start asking questions.  Then a few, maybe 20 out of 100, will attempt to make some changes.

People still do not understand how to put out their recycling buckets, yard waste cans and garbage cans correctly and just indicate no care or responsibility for their carts.  Will they be able to make these changes?

I have added to my wish list tanks and secondary plumbing to this old house for flushing toilets, showering, and watering with rainwater and a wind ball for generating power from the wind off the Sound.

I am not worried about how much work it will be – I want to make money and keep the earth clean and provide for the next seven generations.  Big Picture Stuff!

Did you know that there is enough snow pack in the mountains this year that the wind turbines in our state can be shut down and are not needed to produce power for California? – We have abundance this year.  We do not need our coal processing plant at all, and we certainly do not need the pollution and health risks.

All of this effort has been achieved by individuals willing to understand and do the work.

What are you willing to do, what are you willing to change?

Some information resources:
American Wind Energy Association
Whidbey Sun and Wind LLC
Home Power
Wind Ball or Energy Ball

Designer Chiyu Chen has created a design involvolving two of my favorite things: renewable energy and bicycles. The Energy Generating Rental Bike System was showcased a while ago over at Inhabitat. I hope you will take a moment to check it out.

Electricity Generating Bicycle

Green Window Reflection

I was so taken in by my one on one discussion about Green Roofs; I just wanted to learn more, so this is a list of my wanderings about to learn more.

An Introduction to Green Roofs with lots of pictures
Write up about designing Green Roofs from Massachusetts
architeck.com
Structural Design of a green roof by Architecture student
Promoting Green Roofs for cities with lots of resource information on site
Wikipedia on Green Roofs

I am wishing there were more incentives offered in the area, because I would like to retrofit a roof –greenly.

I am continuing my study to locate grant money which might enable more possibilities with my city to follow through on this concept.

Would love to hear how you are implementing green practices and designs in your area?

Are you getting incentives and grants to work with?

How are you preparing yourself?

Its time to rethink Nukes

Windmills the new Samurai Sword

Nuclear Power Station Proposals Threaten Wind Farms

AIA Southwest Washington Chapter has a big newsletter and links to the AIA International Convention which was held last week in San Francisco.

AIA.orgM has a place for handouts and information sharing

I have been reading up a storm and hope the keynote speakers will be available for those of us who could not attend the conference.

Always good to renew my thinking and get my energy moving forward.

The Barn Reserve in Leavenworth, WA designed by Bassetti Architects

The Brightwater Environmental Education Center in Woodinville, WA designed by Methun

Building #35, Natural Sciences Building at Puget Sound Community College Olympia, WA designed by Miller Hull

Synergy at Dockside Green * http://www.aiatopten.org/hpb/grid2009.cfm?project_id=1371&section=1
in Victoria, BC designed by Busby Perkins +Will

Joseph Vance Building Renovation in Seattle designed by Zimmer Gunsul Frasca Architects

Klos Building in Billings, Montana designed by High Plains Architects

Olympia Mills in Portland designed by Works Partnership Architecture

San Juan Channel House on San Juan Island designed by Anna Howlin, D+A Studio

The Terry Thomas * in Seattle designed by Weber Thompson

US EPA Region 8 Headquarters in Denver, CO designed by Zimmer Gunsul Frasca Architects

*National AIA What Makes It Green Award Winner

Some criteria for the awards:
Performance of the structure measured
Simple low tech. strategies – keep costs down
Market could with stand the costs – nothing outrageous
Aware of the surroundings – sensitive

Our best wishes to each of the award winners
I found it exciting to look at all the sites and read about the processes and outcomes.
What do you think?

The first thing that they are doing is supporting a new local project called Terra Commons.

Mission:
Terra Commons is a non-profit network. We serve communities by researching, designing, and practicing habitat restoration, sustainable agriculture, and natural building. We believe that our patterns of land use and habitation are directly connected with the health of our biosphere and that of generations to come. Through our connections, we share in the responsibility of positively affecting the balance of economic, social, and ecological systems.

The neighbors have put in a three tiered garden called An Edible Forest Garden

Which involved a card board layer over the grass, layer of compost and a drip irrigation system, finally a layer of wood chips. They have a small yard so there will be 2 trees and lots of bushes, mushrooms, berry plants, tea bushes, strawberries, and a grape and Kiwi Arbor. The ground cover will even be edible with spinach and lettuce included.

Student Interns are doing the installation and getting everything set up. The group has started a BLOG to share their insights and wisdom and show you projects they have completed.

Terra Commons is a way of life.

A road.

Where when we meet someone our heart goes out to them as if they were a brother or sister -
The commons is where our paths intersect and we are one.
Terra is the earth that we walk with,
the soils that make our paths fertile.
Where all people walk equal and strong
Where work is playful and playing can be hard work.
Where the yields are bountiful and every soul is fed
Where there is always a place to rest your head.
Terra Commons belongs to all who are born of this earth – - – and is our choice to walk this path in freedom.

Thought you might like to see some local folks in action making a difference right here.

You can also check out this great City forest project.

What do you think?

Like to hear your comments…

The group was on my Facebook page and already has some 400 plus members or followers on Facebook. The magazine is being designed and written by Norwegian and Swedish Architects. It is very innovative and bold.

Here is a copy of their manifesto:

In opposition to ignorance and superficiality this magazine is conceived in order to search for knowledge and predicaments of our continuously evolving society. It is organized in a fluctuating network of agents reflecting the present globalized state of a dynamic society, economics, politics and culture which are the motivators of architecture. Through a play of thoughts in an open ended forum, predefined “facts” will be unsecured and constantly reinvented. The forum will gather the architect, client, politician and the public, a communion of ideas creating conditions for evolution.

One of the folks I follow on Twitter and Facebook is Cameron Sinclair, ( Featured in the article Design Like You Give a Damn), a person who looks for design innovations for global needs – the International Habitat for Humanity fellow. Mr. Sinclair signed onto follow this group and that caused me to check this out further. I was impressed and liked the energy.
In the groups own words:

CONDITIONS, is a new Scandinavian magazine focusing on the conditions of architecture and Urbanism: Presenting new perspectives, in the way of conceiving and analyzing designs, works and theory for architecture.

• 4 issues per year
• 750 – 1000 copies per issue
• The magazine will be printed in color. Size is 27 cm (tall) by 20 cm (wide). 100 pages of editorial content.
• Distribution to Scandinavia, to all the major architecture organizations, architecture schools / libraries and architecture bookstores and webstores in Europe.
• Magazine language is English
• Editors: Joana Sá Lima, Tor Inge Hjemdal and Anders Melsom
• Designer: Ole Peder Juve / JUVE DESIGN

I spent a good part of the day investigating their list of blogs:

• Arch Daily
• Sit down man, you’re a bloody tragedy
• A daily dose of architecture
• Anarchitecture

I think you might enjoy wandering around in this space on the web.

Part of my work on this blog involves reading lots of other blogs and newsletters. Today there is really a big hot issue being discussed either directly or indirectly on everything I am reading.

Where are the codes and incentives?

There seems to be two primary drivers of the discussion, and the overall feeling is that people truly wish to use the Stimulus package to make a difference and a future.

First driver is the AT&T grants for fuel/ carbon saving vehicles. This is stirred up by T. Boone Pickens’s ads and advise. AT&T gave $350 million for 8,000 compressed gas vehicles (CNG) and $215 million for 7,000 alternative fuel vehicles. This is not nearly enough carbon savings to make a difference at all and far less of a savings that the hybrids that are already performing on the roads now.

Lou Grinzo at the Energy Collective Newsletter thinks this was a not a very good idea and not a very useful use of grant money.

If you go to the US EPA’s Green Vehicle Guide and look up the greenhouse gas emissions for the Honda Civic you find that the gasoline powered 2009 sedan with an automatic transmission is rated at 6.34 tons/year of greenhouse gases. The 2009 Civic GX, a 100% CNG-fueled version of the nearly ubiquitous sedan, is rated at 5.41 tons/year, a reduction of just under 15%. (The pages I got from my search are here (gasoline) and here (CNG).)

February 26th, Ed Mazria from Architecture 2030 testified before the Senate hearings about the stimulus package and how the funds are being granted – the second big driver. Since the money is going to projects that already have permits and designs completed and these projects have no clearly defined energy savings properties, codes, or incentives we will just be getting the same old same old renditions. Because 40% of the energy use is through our buildings without these codes in place there can be no recovery or diminishing of carbon or energy usage – thus crippling living standards even further and not creating substantially more jobs.
Mazria’s own words:

I have carefully read through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act 2009, specifically to analyze the bill’s requirements on energy efficiency. I find that only in some cases are there requirements, and that the few programs with requirements are somewhat vague. There are no benchmarks or energy reduction targets (which are essential to attaining real and significant reductions) mentioned in the bill.

• That any new and renovated federal buildings receiving stimulus money be required to meet the 2010 energy reduction standard set by the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007. Funding preference will be given to projects that achieve overall energy savings compared to the Commercial Building Energy Consumption Survey 2003 for commercial buildings and Residential Energy Consumption Survey 2005 (RECS) for residential buildings (or other comparable codes, standards or measurement protocols authorized by the Secretary of Energy) of, in the following order of priority—(1) carbon neutral, (2) 85 percent, (3) 70 percent, (4) 55 percent.
• For any new building construction or renovation project grants made with stimulus money by state and local governments, preference shall be given to projects that achieve overall energy savings compared to ASHRAE 90.1-2004 for commercial buildings and IECC 2006 for residential buildings (or other comparable codes, standards or measurement protocols authorized by the Secretary of Energy) of, in the following order of priority—(1) 75 percent to carbon neutral, (2) 50 percent, (3) 30 percent.

Nils at the blog Keeping the Lights On, has just done a superb job of sharing with his readers about passive structures here in the US that have achieved astounding results and then asks the poignant questions of why are we so behind the European housing and building industry in recognizing environmental and energy efficient design? Maybe gas at $6.00 a liter is more incentive to work harder at energy and the reduction of dependence on foreign energy supplies?

Barbara at From Waste To Resource, is determined to teach us all about how to reuse and recycle on a local – individual level. Her clear post talks about tangible ways to change our energy use habits – it is clear and easy to understand information.

Better Bricks Newsletter, is busy working on trainings to assist engineers and architects in accomplishing green design when the codes and incentives are not in place. States do vary on their own codes, requirements, and incentives and that is also a big read these days.

I hope you will pop over to links provided and read what is going on and discover for yourself. Architect2030 has posted the video of the senate hearings, which is interesting but not as easy to find the details as the transcripts of the questions. I didn’t even mention the discussion of Green Roofing!

Do you think much will really happen in energy use reduction without changes in the energy codes and incentives? What do you think will help individuals understand what is at stake and be able to participate in getting on track with green buildings?

Here is a link to the full article: Forests in the sky could be built to clean air of pollution belched out by factories

Do you think it would work?

What do you think would make it better?

What is your favorite ‘vertical garden’ design?