Jerry Yudelson Makes Green Building Predictions for 2007

Jerry Yudelson, leading green building consultant, the author of three books on the subject of green buildings, green building marketing and green developments, released 2007 predictions for major developments in the green building industry this coming year.

Yudelson, who chairs the industry's annual conference, Greenbuild, the world's largest green building gathering, said, "As a consultant to this industry, I have a great vantage point to see what's happening and likely to occur in the coming year. I wanted to release these predictions to encourage others to share their expectations for the growth of green buildings."

Here are Yudelson's predictions:

1. The U.S. Green Building Council's (USGBC) new "LEED for Homes" standard will debut with more than 5,000 homes registered in the program within the first six months, representing the commitment of 50 builders at an average of 100 homes.

2. Green homebuilding will soar, due to the pent-up demand by buyers looking to save energy and builders looking for an edge in the marketplace among the so-called "Eco-Elite" buyers. Also, the availability of Federal $2000 per home tax credit for energy-efficient homebuilding through the end of 2009 should provide an incentive.

3. Cumulative LEED certifications under all systems will top 1,000. The advent of USGBC's "portfolio" program for "volume-build" organizations such as banks, national retailers and similar organizations should swell the numbers of LEED-certified buildings quickly.

4. Cumulative LEED project registrations under all systems (excluding single-family homes) will approach 10,000. This will put us well on track to achieve USGBC CEO Rick Fedrizzi's late-2006prediction of 100,000 LEED-registered commercial building projects by the end of 2010.

5. More than 50 additional cities will adopt some form of green building ordinance or mandate, as more cities start to implement their commitment to the "U.S. Mayors' Climate Protection Agreement" and as the political agenda in Washington DC changes, to put more emphasis on energy efficiency and climate change issues.

6. More than 10 additional states will adopt incentive programs or mandates for their own buildings. There are now more than 15 states now with specific green building programs. Because of the Democratic takeover of several governorships and state legislatures, these actions will likely occur in the first half of 2007. Look for additional strong actions in California, Oregon and other states where "pro-green building" governors were returned to office.

7. More than 30 additional LEED Platinum projects will be certified, effectively tripling the number of such landmark buildings. People are beginning to figure out that LEED Platinum is achievable, with a little luck and good planning, as well as some budget tolerance for renewable energy systems.

8. Attendance at Greenbuild 2007 in Los Angeles this fall will top 20,000 for the first time. (As a long-time conference participant, even I was surprised that more than 13,000 paid registrants turned out for Greenbuild 2006 in Denver.) The far greater population in Southern California and the growth of the green building industry in general will play a role in growing the total attendance for Los Angeles this fall more than 50%.

9. LEED will register more than 100 non-US and non-Canadian projects for certification for the first time. We see a general interest in LEED from office developers in China, India and other countries, wanting to appeal to multinational tenants, as well as government programs that want to green their projects in the absence of clear national standards.

10. The number of LEED Accredited Professionals (LEED APs) will grow by 15% or more, to a total exceeding 38,000 by the end of 2007. As a LEED national faculty trainer, I am amazed at how we continue to sell out each workshop, with most attendees wanting to take the LEED AP exam. Considering that there are more than 100,000 real estate agents in the U.S., I see no end to the growth in the number of LEED APs.

About Jerry Yudelson
Jerry Yudelson is a former Board Member of the U.S. Green Building Council, a national nonprofit with more than 7,300 corporate and institutional members. He also serves on the national standards committees for both LEED for New Construction and a companion standard, LEED for Core and Shell development. He has trained nearly 3,000 people in the LEED green building assessment framework since 2001.

About Yudelson Associates
Yudelson Associates, Tucson, AZ, http://www.greenbuildconsult.com, was formed in 2006, with a mission of "growing the business of green building" and facilitating sustainability initiatives in higher education and the corporate world. Yudelson is a leading national authority on green buildings and corporate sustainability, with three books on green marketing and more than three dozen articles to his credit in the past three years. He is the senior editor of the iGreenBuild web site, http://www.igreenbuild.com. In 2004, Yudelson was honored as "Green Building Advocate of the Year" by the Northwest Energy Efficiency Alliance.

U.S. Climate Action Partnership pressures Bush to act on global warming

January 20, 2007 -
The U.S. Climate Action Partnership - unveils its climate change initiative.


The coalition includes the CEOs of industrial comporations including Alcoa (AA), Caterpillar (CAT) DuPont (DD) and General Electric (GE) as well as financial services firm Lehman Brothers (LEH). Other members the coalition are utilities PG&E Corp. (PCG), FPL (FPL) and Duke Energy (DUK), Natural Resources Defense Council, Environmental Defense, World Resources Institute and the Pew Center on Global Climate Change. SOURCE: January 20, 2007 Green Wombat post titled "Wal-Mart Backs Corporate Drive for U.S. Global Warming Legislation" http://blogs.business2.com/greenwombat/2007/01/walmart_backs_c.html


A Call for Action

Their solutions-based report, titled "A Call for Action (PDF- 623 KB), is the result of a year-long collaboration. It lays out a blueprint for a mandatory economy-wide, market-driven approach to climate protection.

Key points include:

We Know Enough to Act on Climate Change

The Challenge is Significant, But the United States Can Grow and Prosper in a Greenhouse Gas Constrained World

We Need a Mandatory, Flexible Climate Program

We believe the US Climate legislation must include the following design principles:

Account for the Global Dimensions of Climate Change

Recognize the Importance of Technology

Be Environmentally Effective

Create Economic Opportunity and Advantage

Be Fair

Encourage Early Action


Their recommendations:

Congress Needs to Enact Legislation as Quickly as Possible

The Environmental Goal
U.S. legislation should be designed to achieve the goal of
limiting global atmospheric GHG concentrations to a level
that minimizes large-scale adverse climate change impacts
to human populations and the natural environment, which
will require global GHG concentrations to be stabilized over
the long-term at a carbon dioxide equivalent level between
450–550 parts per million.

Take a Stepwise, Cost-Effective Approach

Cap and Trade is Essential

Establish Short and Mid-Term GHG Emission Targets

Complementary Policies and Measures Will be Necessary

Scope of Coverage and Point of Regulation of the Cap and Trade Program

The members of the U.S. Climate Action Partnership pledge to work with the President, the Congress, and all other stakeholders to enact an environmentally effective, economically sustainable, and fair climate change program consistent with our principles at the earliest practicable date.

Salesforce.com offsest carbon footprint

Salesforce.com (CRM)is paying cold hard cash to offset the greenhouse gases produced by its corporate operations in 2006. The bill comes to $126,000, or about $6.40 per ton of carbon emitted.

The Web-based software company announced an initiative to neutralize its contribution to global warming by funding alternative energy and forest conservation projects.

Salesforce.com worked with the non-profit Cool Air Cool Planet and Native Energy, a Native American owned renewable energy company, to calculate that the San Francisco tech company's data centers, offices and corporate travel produced about 19,700 tons of carbon last year.

To compensate, the company's Salesforce.com Foundation will help finance wind farm projects in Alaska and South Dakota Salesforce.com will also work with Makiraforest Conservation International to preserve the ecologically endangered Makira rain forest in Madagascar.

Cool Air Cool Planet: http://www.cleanair-coolplanet.org/
Native Energy: http://www.nativeenergy.com/

SOURCE: January 16, 2007 Green Wombat post titled "Salesforce.com Goes Carbon Neutral" http://blogs.business2.com/greenwombat/2007/01/saleforcecom_go.html

2009 California auto emissions labeling mandate

California cars will be required to exhibit greenhouse gas emission labels in 2009.

In February, the California Air Resources Board will hash out the label's details. The 2005 implementation law requires all new California cars and trucks, beginning in 2009 to carry a prominent label listing a Global Warming Index rating.

The label must compare "the emissions of global warming gases from the vehicle with the average projected emissions of global warming gases from all vehicles of the same model year," according to the law. The label must also contrast a car's greenhouse gas emissions with the vehicle that model year that contributes the least to global warming.

SOURCE: January 19, 2007 Green Wombat post titled "California Cars to Get Global Warming Ratings" http://blogs.business2.com/greenwombat/2007/01/global_warming_.html

President directs federal agencies to improve energy efficiency

President Bush issued an Executive Order on January 24, 2007, instituting new guidance for energy efficiency, use of renewable energy and reduction of environmental impact throughout the federal government.

The President's executive order calls upon all federal agencies to "improve energy efficiency and reduce greenhouse gas emissions of the agency, through reduction of energy intensity by (i) 3% annually through the end of fiscal year 2015, or (ii) 30% by the end of fiscal year 2015, relative to the baseline of the agency's energy use in fiscal year 2003" and "ensure that (i) at least half of the statutorily required renewable energy consumed by the agency in a fiscal year comes from new renewable sources, and (ii) to the extent feasible, the agency implements renewable energy generation projects on agency property for agency use."

The order also calls for agencies to reduce fleet fuel consumption by 2% annually through fiscal year 2015, increase use of non-petroleum fuels by 10% annually and use plug-in hybrid vehicles when they are commercially available and reasonably priced, as well as consider the highest energy efficiency and environmental standards when purchasing new electronics.

California's Colloquium on Water - Spring 2007

Spring 2007 Schedule


All lectures will be held at :
Goldman School of Public Policy, Room 250
2607 Hearst Ave. at LeRoy
5:15-5:30 Meet the speaker
5:30-7:30 Lecture, including q & a


California's Colloquium on Water
http://www.lib.berkeley.edu/WRCA/ccow.html

Water is the lifeblood of California. Without it, the landscape we know today would not exist. Throughout California’s history, water has been a source of food, commerce, energy, and recreation. It makes possible the bountiful Central Valley farms and the vibrant coastal cities. It has inspired countless poets and painters. Californians have simultaneously fought over water, marveled at its beauty, and - through impressive feats of engineering - moved it hundreds of miles.

SPEAKING CALENDAR

February 13 -- Steve Ritchie
Executive Project Manager, South Bay Salt Pond Restoration Project
"The South Bay Salt Pond Restoration Project: The Wild Heart of Silicon Valley"

Abstract: In 2003, the State of California and the U.S. government, with substantial support from private foundations, purchased 15,100 acres of salt production ponds adjoining South San Francisco Bay from Cargill Corporation. These ponds represent an incredible opportunity for shoreline habitat restoration and public access in the San Francisco Bay Area. This is the largest habitat restoration project in the Western U.S. (http://www.southbayrestoration.org/) and it must be accomplished without increasing flood risk to Silicon Valley while providing for public access. The restoration process is expected to take decades to complete. This presentation will describe the initial management of the ponds as they are taken out of salt production and the five-year planning process for their ultimate restoration. Adaptive management will be integral to the restoration process. Particular opportunities and challenges (both scientific and institutional) of the planning process will be described as the Project moves toward changing the South San Francisco Bay landscape.

March 13 -- B. Lynn Ingram
Professor of Earth and Planetary Sciences and Geography, University of California, Berkeley
"Late Pleistocene to Holocene Evolution of the San Francisco Bay"

Abstract: The San Francisco Bay and Delta are considered the heart of California's water system. A huge region of California (about 40%) is drained by rivers that eventually reach the San Francisco Bay. San Francisco Bay is California's largest estuary, and is a vital part of its economy, culture, and landscape. The Bay's inland Delta provides fresh water to two-thirds of the population of California, some twenty three million people. Sediments deposited beneath the Bay, within surrounding marshlands, and within the Bay's watershed contain a rich history of how this estuarine system evolved over the past million years, including major changes in climate. These sediments demonstrate that the Bay has only existed sporadically - during warmer interglacial periods, and became a river valley during the ice ages. While the earliest inhabitants of California adapted to a varying water supply, archaeological and geological evidence suggests that climate extremes - both wetter and drier - have occurred throughout the past 10,000 years.

April 10 -- Ellen Hanak
Research Fellow, Public Policy Institute of California
"Envisioning Futures for the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta"

Abstract: The Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta is the hub of California’s water supply system, home to a unique and threatened ecosystem and to a vibrant recreational and agricultural economy. Recent research has exposed serious problems in the Delta, including precipitous declines in some fish species and increasing threats to the stability of the levee system. In this lecture, Ellen Hanak will present the results of a recent study she co-authored that explores alternatives for resolving these problems, ranging from fortifying the levee system, to building various forms of a peripheral canal, to reducing water exports to Southern California and converting parts of the Delta to habitats more suitable for desirable species.

May 1 -- Pat Mulroy
General Manager, Southern Nevada Water Authority
"Overcoming the Traditions That Divide Us - Tomorrow's Reliable Water Supply Dependent Upon Partnerships"

California Wind Energy Companies

American Wind Energy Association

Major CA Wind Energy Resource Areas

San Gorgonio Pass (615.89 MW installed)
Tehachapi (608.72 installed)
Altamont Pass (548.32 installed)
Solano County (240.78 installed)
Pacheco Pass (16 installed)

State Summary:
California was the first U.S. state in which large wind farms were developed, beginning in the early 1980's.

Wind Energy Potential:
Average Power Output (MW): 6,770
Annual kWh: 59 B
Rank in US: 17th**
Project Name: Owner: Power Purchaser
Altamont Pass
GE Energy: PG&E
SeaWest: PG&E
International Wind Companies: PG&E
FPL Energy: PG&E
Pacific Winds: PG&E
Babcock & Brown: PG&E

San Gorgonio Pass
FPL Energy: So Cal Edison
SeaWest: So Cal Edison
GE Energy: So Cal Edison
San Gorgonio Farms: So Cal Edison
Dutch Pacific, LLC: So Cal Edison
Nichimen America: So Cal Edison
K/S Whitewater: So Cal Edison
PacificCorp: SCE-Green Mt. Energy
PGE-NEG: PG&E
GE Energy: Electricity Marketers
Shell Wind Energy: Dept of Watr Resources
Whitewater Energy Corp/San Gorgonio farms
San Diego Gas & Electric: SDG&E

Solano County
SMUD: Sac Mun Utility District
PPM Energy: PG&E, Modesto Irrigation District, City of Palo Alto Utilities

Tehachapi
Zond Systems (GE Energy): So Cal Edison
Victory Gardens: GE Energy: So Cal Edison
Sky River: GE Energy: So Cal Edison
Oak Creek Energy Systems: So Cal Edison
AB Energy: So Cal Edison
Calwind Resources: So Cal Edison
Coram Energy Group: So Cal Edison
Mogul Energy: So Cal Edison
Tomen: So Cal Edison
Windridge: So Cal Edison
Cannon: So Cal Edison
Ridgetop energy: So Cal Edison
Windland, Inc: So Cal Edison
Oak Creek Energy: So Cal Edison
Pacific Crest: FPL Energy: So Cal Edison
Caithness: So Cal Edison
Enron Wind Corp.: So Cal Edison
Coram energy: So Cal Edison

Other
U.S. Navy: U.S. Navy
Wind Turbine Company (Los Angeles): So Cal Edison
Palmdale Water District: Palmdale Water District
Babcock & Brown: San Diego Gas & Electric
Victorville Prison: Victorville Prison

Planned Projects
Tenderland Power/CHI Enel
Altamont Power, LLC (Altamont Pass)
Pacific Renewable: PG&E (Lompoc)
Zikha/LA Dept of PW (Mojave)
Western Wind (Tehachapi)
Seawest Windpower (San Gorgonio)
Coram energy (Tehachapi)

California is Second in Wind Power

Jan. 24, 2007 - 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, according to a market forecast released today by the American Wind Energy Association (AWEA).

"iPods, flat screen televisions and other highly sought technologies are creating a demand for electricity that is beginning to eclipse our current supply. Wind is a proven, cost-effective source of energy that also alleviates global warming and enhances our nation's energy security," said AWEA Executive Director Randall Swisher.

The U.S. wind energy industry installed 2,454 megawatts (MW) of new generating capacity in 2006, an investment of approximately $4 billion, billing wind as one of the largest sources of new power generation in the country -- second only to natural gas -- for the second year in a row. New wind farms boosted cumulative U.S. installed wind energy capacity by 27 percent to 11,603 MW, well above the 10,000-MW milestone reached in August 2006. One megawatt of wind power produces enough electricity to serve 250 to 300 homes on average each day.

Wind energy facilities currently installed in the U.S. will produce an estimated 31 billion kilowatt-hours annually or enough electricity to serve 2.9 million American homes. This 100 percent clean source of electricity will displace approximately 23 million tons of carbon dioxide -- the leading greenhouse gas -- each year, which would otherwise be emitted by traditional energy sources such as coal, natural gas, oil and other sources.

Wind power has also attracted the support of state and federal government legislatures. The U.S. Congress recently extended the federal production tax credit (PTC) through December 2008 to further expand the number of wind farms throughout the U.S. Based on the success of the PTC to date, AWEA is calling for extending the provision an additional five years.

• Texas accounted for nearly a third of the new wind power installed in 2006, taking over the lead from California in cumulative installed capacity. Texas hosts the world's single largest operating wind farm, the 735-MW Horse Hollow Wind Energy Center, located in Nolan and Taylor counties.
  
• Much of the new wind equipment in 2006 was produced in new manufacturing facilities in Iowa, Minnesota, and Pennsylvania. Additional announcements are expected in 2007. Investment in manufacturing capability signals confidence in the market and lays the groundwork for expanded growth capability.
  
• New utility-scale turbines were installed in a total of 20 states across the country, from Maine to New Mexico to Alaska.
  
• The top five states in new installations were Texas (774 MW), Washington (428 MW), California (212 MW), New York (185 MW) and Minnesota (150 MW).
  

AWEA gathers the data for its analysis each January by contacting wind farm developers and turbine manufacturers around the country.

A state-by-state listing of existing and proposed wind energy projects is available on AWEA's Web site.

Treehugger video contest: Due Feb 28, 2007

DUE: February 28, 2007, submit a video to us that shows us practical, easy and inspired ways to reduce your carbon emissions.

In partnership with Seventh Generation, Inc., TreeHugger.com is offering you the chance to speak out and inspire your peers to do the same eco-good as you are.

If you win over web viewers and judges, you'll not only get the chance to have your video streamed on weather.com's climate change site, One Degree and other media partners, but if you're a U.S. resident, you'll also be in the running for the prizes below, all designed to reduce your carbon emissions.

West LA job, development and traffic explode

August 27, 2006

Though communities around Southern California struggle with traffic problems, transportation experts and government officials agree that there is nowhere quite like the Westside, where rapid development and a boom in entertainment-related jobs have brought congestion on streets and freeways to new levels.

"Most people in Westwood cope by running errands in the morning," said Laura Lake, a longtime community activist and slow-growth advocate. "In the afternoon, it will take twice as long."

Population on the Westside has jumped 23% since 1990 (compared with a 6% increase for Los Angeles as a whole).

But experts say the biggest culprit in rush-hour traffic snags is a boom in Westside commercial development that has lured and created jobs.

Job growth has transformed the area into the region's premiere commercial hub, second only to downtown Los Angeles in the number of jobs. Each day, workers pour into office buildings lining busy corridors such as Wilshire Boulevard, the burgeoning towers of Century City and the rows of Santa Monica office parks that have become a mecca for media companies such as Yahoo! and MTV.

One problem: Primarily because housing is so expensive, only about 30% of these workers actually live on the Westside, according to a Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority study. That leaves more than 300,000 people a day commuting to the area.

So many workers drive to Santa Monica from other parts of the region that the city's population nearly doubles during the day, to 150,000 from 87,000 at night. Beverly Hills' population more than triples, said David Mieger, director of Westside planning for the MTA.

And further growth is coming. The MTA projects that the Westside's population will jump by an additional 15% and jobs by 23% in the next 15 years.

The Westside building boom is the biggest since the 1980s, with high-rise condos slated for Century City and Beverly Hills and clusters of development planned for Marina del Rey and Playa Vista.

SOURCE: http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-traffic27aug27,0,3789578.story

Small House Society promotes "Smart Sizing"

The Santa Barbara Permaculture Network brings us informtion about the small house movement, as well as related ways to live gently with the land.

"Permaculture is a design system that reconciles human communities with the ecological imperatives of a living planet."---Ben Haggard

PERMACULTURE: the use of ecology as the basis for designing integrated systems of food production, housing, appropriate technology, and community development. Permaculture is built upon an ethic of caring for the earth and interacting with the environment in mutually beneficial ways.

David Holmgren is best known as the co-originator with Bill Mollison of the Permaculture concept put forth in "Permaculture One" in 1978. Since then he has written several more books, including most recently "Permaculture: Principles & Pathways Beyond Sustainability"

The Union of Concerned Scientists ranks housing third among destructive human enterprises, just after transportation and agriculture. But our housing need not be destructive. Again we can chose! We can chose human scale, enhancing our connections with those we love. We can chose eco-scale, reducing our demand for the kind of energy that is disrupting life now and for future generations.

Shay Salomon is a co-founder of the Small House Society, which she helped establish along with Nigel Valdez, Jay Shafer, and Gregory Paul Johnson

The Small House Society is a cooperatively managed and sustained global organization dedicated to the promotion of tiny houses and small housing solutions that are affordable and ecologically responsible.

"Little House on a Small Planet" by Shay Salomon is now available.

Small House Society
c/o Resources for Life
Postal: P.O. Box 2717, Iowa City, IA 52244-2717 USA
E-Mail: shs @ resourcesforlife.com (do not include spaces)
Internet: www.smallhousesociety.org
Phone: 319.621.4911

CALIFORNIA PERMACULTURE GROUPS:


ccpg serves San Luis Obispo to Santa Barbara,
scpg serves Santa Barbara down through Los Angeles, and
sdpg serves greater San Diego area

TO SUBSCRIBE to listserves:

South Coast Permaculture Guild subscription
http://www.arashi.com/mailman/listinfo.cgi/scpg

San Diego Permaculture Guild subsciption
http://www.arashi.com/mailman/listinfo.cgi/sdpg

Central Coast Permaculture Guild subscription
http://www.arashi.com/mailman/listinfo.cgi/ccpg