Blog #7: Texas Instruments, Environmental Education Center and Trinity River Audubon Center

Texas Instrument’s Sustainability FAB

Texas Instrument’s is a large technologies manufacturer. The company has been in business for around 80 years [1]. Last year they reported $14 billion dollars in revenue, so they are a major part of the technologies industry. They were also the first semiconductor company to earn certification from the U.S. Green Building Council for constructing environmentally responsible manufacturing facilities. I had the pleasure to tour one of these facilities. The Richardson FAB, or RFAB, is a LEED Gold building. The building is around 284,000 square/feet and its construction cost around $330 million dollars. Designing the building was difficult, because they were forced to start from scratch instead of using the designs of their already built facilities. This ended up being the perfect opportunity for them to attempt to create new features that would be better for the environment.

 

Here Are Some of the Amazing Things the Facility has Accomplished

·         Water Efficiency: reduced water usage by 44%, which saves 1,000,000 gallons of water a day

·         Energy and Atmosphere: The Central Utility Plant is not air-conditioned, it uses a passive cooling technique to keep the temperature to around 83 degrees in the summertime

·         Materials and Resources: 89% of the debris from the RFAB’s construction was recycled, diverting 3,890 tons of waste away from the landfill

·         Indoor Environmental Quality: All materials contain low volatile organic compounds (VOCs) to reduce gas emissions and carbon dioxide sensors determine the level in fresh indoor fresh air

Hopefully the tremendous strides that TI has done will become well known and emulated throughout the industry. Sharing the technologies might not be good for business, but it would be great for the environment.

Environmental Education Center

“Live Green in Plano” is their message [2]. The Environmental Education Center in Plano is all about teaching anyone who wants to learn about what they can do to help the environment. As I took my tour I saw something that I thought I would never see; a bunch of older kids gardening. They all had gloves on and were pulling weeds, raking, planting, and composting. It was like they were learning the good old fashion way; by doing. Usually, kids their age always look bored and glues to their preferred handheld devices. But these kids looked proud and looked like they were having fun. It was the first thing I noticed about the center and the most impressive. Unfortunately, we did not get to speak to the kids. The tour was for us to learn about the center’s sustainable features. The building is built to LEED Platinum standards. It was not very big, but it was jammed full of sustainable technology. Almost everything in the center was built with the environment in mind. There were lots of signs around the facility that educated people about the various technologies and how they worked.

Presently, one of the difficulties surrounding sustainable development is the lack of knowledge about what is available. The average person has a lot to learn about it and with more places like this education center this difficulty will soon become a thing of the past.

Trinity River Audubon Center

What was once a landfill full of trash is now a treasure for all to enjoy. That, in a nut shell, is what the Trinity River Audubon Center is [3]. Dating back many years ago, the place was a landfill. Even after it was closed, it was still being filled with loads of waste. In 1997, the landfill’s tires caught on fire and the city let them burn. As can be expected, the citizens were not pleased and filed for a class action lawsuit and won. The court ordered the city to clean the site up. It took around 8 years, but eventually they did. The place was turned into what it is today; a nature center and the largest urban hardwood forest in the U.S. – 6,000 acres. The place has lots of exhibits and prides itself on demonstrating how a municipal liability can be transformed into something that can be enjoyed by everyone.

SOURCES:

[1] http://www.ti.com/corp/docs/csr
[2] http://www.plano.gov/departments/environmental%20services/Pages/default.aspx
[3] http://www.trinityriveraudubon.org/site/PageServer?pagename=Home

PICs:

[a] examiner.com
[b] plano.gov
[c] http://www.trinityriveraudubon.org

Blog #6: Air North Texas and AgriLIFE Extension

Air Quality

The North Central Texas Council of Governments (NCTCOG) is a group of municipalities, which cover a wide area spanning many counties and cities, that work together in order to face problems together. One of these problems is the non-attainment status of their air quality. The main focus of the regulations, that aim to reach attainment, is to decrease the mono-nitrogen oxides (NO) and nitrogen oxides (NO₂) that are mainly caused from the combustion process of car engines. Both of these pollutants are sometimes referred to as NO_x. When NO_x is mixed with volatile organic compounds (VOCs) it makes ozone. Ozone is very harmful and its presence in the air is heavily measured and regulated. The National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS), which is monitored by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), is set at 75 parts per billion for the DFW area [1]. Currently the region is at non-attainment, which means they are not meeting that standard, and are currently registering 90 ppb. Over the years that number has been decreasing, but last year it increased. Since the chemical process of the pollutants releasing into the air require heat, some experts think that it was mainly because of the intense heat that there was an increase. But that assumption has not been proven.

The NCTCOG has created a team that is looking solely at reaching attainment, Air North Texas. This team has created many programs to focus on reducing the biggest facilitator of the creation of ozone, on-road traffic (49% of NO_x ). They have many programs that plan on reducing the number of vehicles on the road.

Programs to Decrease Ozone

1.      Regional Smoking Vehicle Program: informs vehicle owners their vehicle may be creating excessive smoke and emitting pollutants

2.      Clean Air Action Day: On July 7^th from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. try to not drive and see if any of the other options that are available may turn out to be something that can be done on a more regular basis.

3.      Advocating Car/Van Pooling: less vehicles driving means less emissions

These programs are amazing, but even if they reach out to every person there will still be much that we need to do. Being a leading force to improve air quality, Air North Texas has some tips on how everyone can make a difference with just a few healthy habits:

 

1.      Observe the Speed Limit

2.      Walk/Bike

3.      Bring Lunch to Avoid Leaving for Break

4.      Avoid Idling

5.      Optimum Tire Pressure

6.      Educate Others About Air Quality

Agriculture

Steve A. Chaney from the Texas A & M AgriLIFE Extension service spoke about what it means to have a sustainable yard. There is a large portion of our world sectioned off for people to care for and if they do that in an unsustainable way there will be consequences. The DFW area went through a rough drought this summer and it is projected to continue for a few more years. Since the DFW area is living very close to its limits, when considering the city’s ability to provide water for its citizens, water conservation should be motivation enough for land owners to take heed to the expert’s call for more action.

Ignorance is no excuse. The extension service provides a website [2] with all the information anyone would need to know about planting. Even if a person didn’t want to use the internet there is a number that is provided that they can call to get their answers about sustainable yard-care. Just to get EVERYONE started on creating a more sustainable yard here are the denominations that are recommended.

·         1/3 Turf

·         1/3 Planting Beds

·         1/3 Permeable Hardscape

Maintaining a sustainable yard is cheaper and better for the environment. DFW denizens need more yard “stewards” to take control over their land and make it more sustainable so the DFW area can conserve water more effectively. With a few more years of drought there may not be a choice of whether or not a yard needs to be sustainable. It might become mandated, so the transition may be easier if done earlier rather than later.

SOURCES:

[1] http://www.nctcog.org/trans/air/
[2] http://aggie-horticulture.tamu.edu/earthkind/selector/

PICs:

[a] http://www.nctcog.org/trans/air/smoking/index.asp
[b] superstock.com
[c] buyhelmet.onsugar.com
[d] greenrightnow.com
[e] parehe.com

Blog #5 Recycling Revolution

The Recycling Revolution in Dallas

Recycling Revolution is a local recycling service provider. They operate out of Dallas, but they serve the entire DFW area. They charge a fee to make sure their client’s waste is treated sustainably. Using their two trucks, Recycling Revolution will travel to their client’s location and transport every part of reusable/recyclable waste back to their warehouse. After retrieving the materials, they find a responsible vendor to treat/recycle them. Even though they are in the recycling business, they do not commoditize the materials. This profit model creates a unique opportunity for them to focus on the service side of recycling so they can be a major contributor in recycling materials that would not be financially sound when focusing solely on quantity. Glass is a prime example of this opportunity. When exclusively focused on financial gain from quantity, glass does not make sense to recycle. But because of Recycling Revolution’s service focus, they recycle the most glass in the DFW area. A majority of their clientele is small local businesses, mainly restaurants, wanting to do the right thing.

Another advantage that they have over their competition is they offer composting. Their biggest seller to the restaurant business is their ability to offer composting as an alternative for food waste. They have been in business for around 4 years and have around 10 employees with various professional back grounds. Moving to a larger warehouse facility recently opened them up for growth. With a recent community focused facility opening up in the DFW area, they now are considering catering to communities more and having a smaller drop-off type complex.

Recycle Recycle Recycle

Recycling Revolution is committed to fostering the recycling attitude in their community. Every employee there is very educated about the recycling process and want to spread their passion. Recycling would be much easier if there were more facilities like Recycling Revolution. Experts in recycling are needed because of the vast amount of ignorance on the subject, present blogger not excluded. Caring for waste responsibly is necessary to become a sustainable community and the first step is making the knowledge wider spread.

SOURCES:

[1] http://www.recyclerevolutiondallas.com/

PICs:

[a] thegreenrebel.wordpress.comhegreenrebel.wordpress.com thegreenrebel.wordpress.com thegreenrebel.wordpress.com

[b] kinnelonconserves.net
[c] recyclefordorset.wordpress.com
[d] bradley.chattablogs.com

Blog #4: The BRIT

At the BRIT

The Botanical Research Institute of Texas, or the BRIT, is a Texas based research facility located in Fort Worth. The institute is a non-profit organization with a mission to conserve our natural heritage by researching and educating the public about the plant world [1]. They currently house around 1,000,000 plant species from all over the world and even have some species dating back to the 18th century. Their current research building is a LEED platinum certified building. The project cost around 70 million dollars. Every part of the building was designed with sustainability in mind. For example, they used bamboo for the inside of the roof. Bamboo only takes 6 years to mature into adulthood, so it replenishes rapidly. Another interesting example is they used something that, many years ago, was considered useless; Sinker Cypress. Sinker Cypress is wood that sunk to the bottom of a river and was left to rot. Instead of rotting, the wood was actually preserved underwater and was used as one of the walls in the BRIT. The building was built to the highest standards of sustainability, but what is the most sustainable about the BRIT is the research that takes place there. They research biodiversity. Since their location is in Fort Worth they are currently researching the local biodiversity. Attempting to recreate local prairieland is just one of their xeriscaping projects.

GOALS of the BRIT Campus

1. Reduce Energy: day lighting, photovoltaic panels (circular solar panels [pic]), and low energy fixtures

2. Water Consumption: low-flow and retention pond (designed to eliminate use of potable water)

3. Enhance Indoor Environmental Quality: low-VOC materials, certified wood products, wool and linen furnishings

4. Use Recyclable and Renewable Materials: recycled-content roof

This type of exploration into biodiversity will, in my opinion, lead to many advances into how we can coexist with our natural habitat. Sustained living is about living within the earth’s natural cycles. Those cycles are extremely dependent upon location, so knowing more about our local cycles is crucial in our success to become sustainable.

SOURCES:

[1] http://www.brit.org/about/history

PICS:

[a] prweb.com

[b] statesymbolsusa.org

Blog #3: TIF, LEED, Books and Rahr’s

TIF Project and Fort Worth

Jim Johnson, Director of Downtown Development, spoke to the class about the TIF project and some of the difficulties involved in reworking a city to become more sustainable. Some of the topics that came up were public transportation, energy/water/landfill costs, the availability of alternative fuels, parking spaces and prices, traffic, road construction, and many more things that are current opportunities for the city of Fort Worth.

The TIF project was one the major topics. Tax Increment Finance District, or TIF, “helps provide public improvements downtown, in conjunction with private investments” [1]. The program uses the taxes to fund public projects. One of the major projects that are funded is to provide free-parking to attract more people to visit Fort Worth and spend money.

The economic benefits of TIF are definitely present, but are they sustainable? Discussing the difficulty of changing Fort Worth into a more sustainable city is very disheartening. It is something that requires everyone’s involvement. The prices of our resources do not reflect their value and until they do it will be very difficult to convince individuals to treat them as valuable.

Future of LEED

Jackson Murphy presented an analysis of the green building. The analysis was very positive and drew a picture of how rapid the growth and knowledge of “green” buildings are growing. Increases in investments in green building projects are growing. The presentation mainly focused on LEED, because of its popularity, but other certifications were mentioned as well. Something that was interesting was how he explained that LEED certification standards are slowly seeping into regulated building policy. In various municipalities throughout the U.S. buildings that are built to code are already built to LEED certified standards.  Building better new buildings is not only thing that needs to be done; there are 99 times more existing buildings versus the projected amount being built. That means there is a tremendous need to rework these existing buildings so they can enjoy a sustainable life-cycle just like the new buildings. Building sustainable buildings is a great leap in sustainability, but it will not be enough. We need to rework existing buildings if we are to complete our transition.

Green Library

The Bedford Public Library was built with sustainability in mind. Even though it is not certified as such, the building is built to LEED Gold Standards. As a person walks in, they can read all about the building’s sustainable technologies. This building is amazing in its ability to present the merging of profit and planet. Every day the building is in operation it is returning its investment. Some of the green technologies that the library houses are: solar panels, reflective white roof, geothermal heat pump system, water conservation fixtures, natural lighting, high-efficiency lighting, and motion sensors for light switches [2]. I hope that with this library as a model of efficiency more local cities realize that building sustainable public buildings is a way to decrease energy costs. If local municipalities adopt this mindset it will be one step closer to greener communities.

Rahr Brewery

Rahr’s Brewery is a great example of how a local business can focus on serving the local community and do their part for sustainability. They brew and ship locally and are very open to the community about their brewing process. They are also committed to finding uses for their spent grains. Not only do these grain turn into cow feed, but can also be turned into bread [3]. I enjoyed touring the facility and seeing where and how their product was made. It gave me a sense of pride in my community. Local business is very important to sustainability because it reduces the need for mass transportation of products, keeping vehicles off the road. It also encourages local businesses to work with other local businesses.

SOURCES:

[1] http://www.dfwi.org/what-we-do/tif-overview
[2] http://www.bedfordlibrary.org/
[3] http://rahrbrewing.com/community/rahr-recycles.html
PICs:
[a] bwucinski.wordpress.com
[b] http://fresh-interior.com/architecture/future-bioclinical-skyscapers-by-ken-yeang/
[c] clipartpal.com
[d] historicryanplace.org

Blog #2: House Visits

Green Houses

There may be a number of people who have read about sustainability in business and thought to themselves: “If businesses can lower their energy costs, water usage, and overall negative impact to the environment, what can I do to lower mine at home?” There are many different things you can do at home to lower your energy costs and only some of them require construction. We will discuss the major construction changes that a person can do by analyzing a rehab house and a custom built brand new home. For the home owners that are looking for less costly methods, we will go over some non-construction changes that will lessen their negative impact on the environment.

1^st House, Rehabbing Houses (making old houses more sustainable)

The rehab house was originally built in 1938. Much of the house was patched up through the years and understandably it was on its last leg. Then Farrier Builders decided to purchase the house and totally rework the house. Ferrier Builders is a company that is experienced in energy-efficiency and sustainable building practices [1]. Their focus was not only on preserving this wonderful piece of history, but also on rehabbing the house to be “green”. By using their experience they were able to keep the cost down by reusing lots of the house’s original materials. They also installed many green home products; tank-less water heater, mini-split air conditioning units, dual flush toilets, xeriscaping (using local plant in yard to eliminate supplemental water from irrigation), and dual pane windows. All of this may seem to be at a huge cost, but according to the builders that is not the case. They spent about 80,000 dollars on the rehab. If they would have not chosen to build for energy efficiency, they would have only saved 12,000 dollars. They would have also missed out on the 75 dollars a month utilities bill for a 1,638 square/foot house.

2^nd House, Building a house from the ground up to be “green”

The second house was a custom built house. It was built from the ground up with the design focusing on efficiency and sustainability. The style of the house was very modern and added to the house’s aesthetic feel both inside and out. Even though the lighting was low energy, they still presented themselves with a very sleek and artistic look. I felt that the house emanated a certain pride from both the builders and the owners. The roof was TPO and reflective, to reflect heat for lower air-conditioner costs. The toilet and the faucets were built to use very little water. The fireplace was state of the art. It heated the house through circulating the heat with ducts built into the walls and was completely sealed off with glass so there was no need for inside air. The builders responsible for this house's construction were Ferrier Builders. As much as the first house was humble, this one was stylish. As a change agent for sustainability, I would hope that the style and quality of this house is enough to get home owners wanting the same type of care and sustainability focus that this house received. This house's (1,730 square/foot) energy bills are only 65 dollars a month.

DON’T Be an ENERGY HOG

Non-construction things to lower energy costs at home

4 Things You Can Do To Save Energy [2]

1. Turn you refrigerator down: Refrigerators account for about 20% of household electricity usage. Set it close to 37 degrees (freezer close to 3 degrees). And check the seals and gaskets around the doors to make sure they clean and sealed tightly.

2. Do not overheat/overcool rooms: In winter set to 68 degrees (daytime) and 55 degrees (night). In summer keep it at 78 degrees.

3. Weatherize your home or apartment: Use caulk and weather stripping to plug air leaks around doors and windows. Caulking costs less than $1 per window, and weather stripping is under $10 per door. These steps can save up to 1100 pounds of CO2 per year for a typical home. Ask your utility company for a home energy audit to find out where your home is poorly insulated or energy inefficient. This service may be provided free or at low cost. Make sure it includes a check of your furnace and air conditioning.

4. Make sure you dishwasher is full when it runs and allow the dishes to air dry. Not using the heat drying cycle. This can save 20% of the dishwasher’s energy costs.

Sources:

[1] http://www.ferriercustomhomes.com/home/
[2]http://www.ecomall.com/greenshopping/20things.htm

PICs:
[a] greenhomeguide.com
[b] http://wallpapers.free-review.net/19__Green_House.htm
[c] energyhog.org
[d] kitchenand4th.com
[e] laundry-and-dishwasher-info.com

Blog #1: LEED and DFW Airport

LEED... Should I be interested?:

During a class visit to the DFW Airport, my class had two speakers. The first speaker, Jerry Burbridge, was interested in understanding what our interest level was regarding LEED Certification. He will use this interest to design a future class we will be taking later on this year. The second speaker, Rusty T. Hodapp, is currently V.P. of Energy and Transportation Management. While his focus was the business side of the projects, he still explained how DFW is committed to becoming more sustainable.

LEED and its Importance, Building Life-Cycles:

Well according to the USGBC’s website, LEED is “redefining the way we think about the places where we live, work and learn [1]”. The definition goes on to say that it is a sort of “framework” for green building design and gives the building a score based on this framework.

Redefining buildings in order to make them better for the environment is never a bad thing. I am happy that LEED is gaining popularity in businesses and local governments. On their website, USGBC also points out that LEED is an on-going development. This makes me believe that the framework and the scoring are keeping up to date with the technology. A designer will not be able to create a totally sustainable building without taking into account the local environment. Creating a framework can take away from that aspect of building green, which is the one thing that upsets me about LEED. Some green technology is only good in certain environments. Until LEED has a framework for every type of environment, which will be very difficult, they will be streamlining the green building process. Streamlining is what created this unsustainable mess in the first place.

So the answer to the question of my interest is, yes. I would like to learn more about LEED. Since I am getting a degree in sustainability, I need to be able to know about this certification. What is the “framework”? How local is the scoring process? What is in store for LEED in the future? How could it be improved? What are the effects the certification has had so far? These are the some of the questions I am going to have while I learn about more about LEED. Knowing more about LEED will enable me to become a more effective change agent.

DFW Airlines and Sustainability Practices:

DFW Airport has been involved in sustainability practices for a few years now [3]. They touch nearly every part of sustainability; water preservation, energy, employee health, alternative fuels, waste management, wildlife management. Since their economic and environmental impact is so massive in the DFW area, every part of their sustainability initiatives has a huge impact on the local community as well. DFW’s Environmental Management System: Platform for Sustainability, or EMS, solidifies their commitment to sustainability. It has even won local and national praise. DFW’s EMS touches on every aspect of their business.

Praise for Sustainability at DFW Airport:

Water Preservation: DFW set another environmental standard by becoming the first airport to become a promotional partner in the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) WaterSense Program.

Energy: DFW received the award for National Energy Project of the Year from the Association of Energy Engineers. This award recognizes the successes of DFW’s Continuous Commissions projects for Terminal D and Energy Plaza.

Air Quality: DFW was recognized as an Outstanding Government Organization by the 2010 Clean Air Through Energy Efficiency Conference.

I believe this is vital to encourage a sustainable philosophy in a business. Since the speaker was a business leader within DFW, his focus was the project’s returns. So, not only was it good for sustainability, but also good for business. DFW Airport is a huge resource for big businesses that want information on how sustainability can increase their profit. Reducing energy cost, getting the most out of energy bills, and increasing employee health all sound like solid business investments. In a perfect future, DFW will inspire many more airports to increase their profits, by increasing their efficiency through sustainable projects.

[1] http://www.usgbc.org/DisplayPage.aspx?CMSPageID=1988&gclid=CIe-x-vaxa0CFWRjTAodzkukPg

[2] http://www.usgbc.org/DisplayPage.aspx?CMSPageID=2360

[3] http://www.dfwairport.com/sustainability/index.php

PICs:

[a] blog.livinghomes.net

[b] architectingvalue.com

[c] dfwgca.org

[d] dfwairport.com/sustainability/index.php

[e] sumanthkapoor.blogspot.com

[f]bedford.gov.uk