Greenversations

By Brett Schwartz

Prior to beginning my internship in EPA’s Office of Sustainable Communities this past summer, my interest in smart growth was focused primarily on urban infill and suburban retrofit projects.  Having lived in or visited places such as Atlantic Station in Atlanta, Washington DC’s Columbia Heights neighborhood, the Rosslyn-Ballston corridor in Arlington, Virginia, and the Roxbury neighborhood in Boston, my view of sustainable community approaches had a predominantly urban flavor.  However, during my time at EPA, I was fortunate to work on a number of projects that introduced me to a variety of smart growth strategies being pursued by small towns and rural communities throughout the country.

Through my research and writing, I have learned about places like Greensburg, Kansas, where residents are rebuilding after a devastating tornado in 2007 that destroyed 95percent of the city.  Following the tornado, the city passed a resolution requiring all new buildings to achieve a LEED Platinum rating, widely recognized as the highest standard for green building.  Today, Greensburg serves as a model for other communities recovering from natural disasters that seek to rebuild in a sustainable way.  I have followed the progress of Howard, South Dakota (pop. 850) which recently opened the first phase of the Maroney Commons, a mixed-use project located on the town’s Main Street.  The development will serve as an education and training space for rural residents to learn about green jobs and technology in the new rural economy.  I learned how providing efficient and reliable public transportation for small communities through innovative projects such as Montana’s Opportunity Link is crucial in connecting rural residents to jobs, health care, and educational opportunities.  These rural communities, and many others throughout the country, have adopted creative strategies to stimulate economic development, improve the environment, and ensure a better quality of life.

While I still consider myself a “city person,” through my internship I developed a newfound respect and interest in smaller towns that have embraced the principles of sustainable design as part of their future.  Smart growth can be applied in any community – urban, suburban, or rural – where residents wish to build safe, welcoming neighborhoods, create a sense of community, and be environmentally and fiscally responsible during these challenging times.

About the Author:  Brett Schwartz was an intern in EPA’s Office of Sustainable Communities and is a third year law student at the University of Baltimore, where he’s focused on land use and community development issues.  He holds degrees from Georgetown University and Trinity College in Dublin, Ireland.

Editor’s Note: The opinions expressed in Greenversations are those of the author. They do not reflect EPA policy, endorsement, or action, and EPA does not verify the accuracy or science of the contents of the blog.

Each week we write about the science behind environmental protection. Previous Science Wednesdays.

By Aaron Ferster

The big yellow school buses have begun rolling into the neighborhood every morning again. The heat waves of the summer have relinquished. And I’ve noticed a leaf or two starting to fade. This can only mean one thing: it’s time for pennant races to get going!

As a former resident of the Bronx—and a life-long Yankee fan—I have spent more Septembers than I care to admit fixated on the epic struggle for baseball’s biggest prize: beating the Red Sox. (Okay, it’s pretty thrilling watching N.Y. win the World Series, too.)

But now that I’ve lived in the DC area as long as I’ve lived in New York, I have to admit that the baseball universe is larger than just two teams. I’ve even started to learn about my adopted hometown’s Washington Nationals.

Although I don’t think I’ll need to worry about choosing between N.Y. and D.C. in the Series anytime soon, I now know one area where the Nationals are already contending: the rain delay.

Earlier this season, a colleague invited me to tag along with a number of other EPA employees for a lunch-hour tour of Nationals Park. The team was eager to tout the numerous environmentally- sustainable, “green architecture” features of their new stadium.

According to their web site, “Nationals Park is the nation’s first major professional stadium to become LEED Silver Certified by the U.S. Green Building Council.” To start, the ballpark is easily accessible to public transportation, and offers bicycles valet parking. A green roof—much like one EPA scientists are studying—sits atop a concession and restroom area.

I was particularly impressed with steps the team has taken to filter ground and stormwater runoff, another area of great interest to EPA researchers. An intricate system separates water used to clean the stadium from rainwater runoff, filtering both before any is released into the sanitary or stormwater drains. The end result is that the entire stadium acts like a giant rain garden (another EPA research subject) that helps protect the nearby Anacostia River. They even take pains to keep discarded peanut shells from entering the wastewater flow!

While the Nationals might not have the line up of the big budget teams up North, they sure do impress with their investment to environmental sustainability. Even this Yankee fan is impressed.

About the author: Aaron Ferster is the managing editor of Science Wednesday, and a frequent contributor.

Editor’s Note: The opinions expressed in Greenversations are those of the author. They do not reflect EPA policy, endorsement, or action, and EPA does not verify the accuracy or science of the contents of the blog.

By Samuel Allen Mortimer

Over the past two years I’ve had the pleasure of working with a talented group of students in the design and construction of a model sustainable home called A New Norris House. The project is an interdisciplinary effort led by The College of Architecture and Design at the University of Tennessee, and takes its roots from the small town of Norris, Tennessee.

Norris was one of the United States’ first full examples of town planning and a key feature of this New Deal era development was the Norris House, an assembly of home designs built as models for modern and efficient living. Seventy-five years later, we are reinterpreting the Norris paradigm and creating a New Norris House—a sustainable home designed for the 21st century.

Not only is the home actually being built—it is being built by students! In the architecture world, this is what is known as design/build—when the same party tackles both design and construction. In the academic realm, this is beneficial for many reasons. Students directly see the principles, materials, and methodologies taught in school. They also gain a quick understanding of costs, scheduling, the implications of change orders, specifications, and building codes. These are invaluable lessons, especially when taught under the protective umbrella of academia.
Partnering with Clayton Homes to build the shell of the home, students have labored tirelessly over the past eight months to reach a point of near completion. Opening date is set for early summer and all parties involved are excited to see the conclusion.

Grants our team won through EPA’s P3 Student Competition for Sustainability were invaluable. The Phase II award provided funding for us to finish conceptualizion and bring our vision to reality. Having the EPA name alongside our project has given us immediate credibility and helped opened doors that may not have been possible otherwise. Beginning this adventure as a student and now seeing it’s completion as researcher and intern with the university has been a formative experience in my life and career. Check out the 2011 P3 projects at EPA’s Earth Day activities, including the National Sustainable Design Expo, this weekend on the National Mall! Click here for details.

About the Author: Samuel Mortimer, one of the original 2008 University of Tennessee P3 team members, is now a research specialist for the university’s College of Architecture and Design.

Editor’s Note: The opinions expressed in Greenversations are those of the author. They do not reflect EPA policy, endorsement, or action, and EPA does not verify the accuracy or science of the contents of the blog.

By John W. Frece

Would you simply like to be able to walk from your home to the store? Or, to the doctor’s office? Is it easy – or difficult — to cross busy streets in your neighborhood? Are there sidewalks where you live? Or, do you have to rely on a car to go anywhere?

A recent report by AARP found that 40% of persons 50 and older say their neighborhoods lack adequate sidewalks. Nearly half — 47% — feel it is unsafe to cross streets near their homes. And about half of those who reported problems in their neighborhoods said if these safety factors were fixed, they would bike, walk or take the bus to meet their needs.

The good news is that many of the obstacles to creating more walkable communities can be fixed.

I have been working for more than a decade on public policy at the state and federal level to help local governments build infrastructure so that our streets, sidewalks, homes and transportation projects do a better job protecting public health and the environment. As Director of EPA’s the Office of Sustainable Communities — part of the President’s Partnership for Sustainable Communities — we have learned that healthy communities do not happen by accident, but are designed intentionally. In partnership with DOT and HUD, our three agencies have adopted a set of principles that specifically support existing communities, in part by providing them with more choices in transportation and housing. Our office offers a wealth of publications to help communities become smarter about how – and where – they build.

A growing number of communities have begun to adopt complete street policies. Transportation planners and engineers employ complete streets policies to ensure that roadways are designed in ways that support all potential users — bicyclists, pedestrians of all ages and abilities, public transportation riders, as well as cars.

That’s because there is a direct correlation between how we design the transportation networks in our communities and public health and safety. This year’s theme for National Public Health week — “Safety is no Accident” – recognizes the importance of designing options into the built environment.

Designing our built environment with a focus on connecting us with the places we frequent – shops, health care, parks, grocers, entertainment — can make it easier for us to make the healthy choice of getting around by foot or bike. And this can make all the difference.

About the author: John W. Frece is the Director of the Office of Sustainable Communities, within the Office of Policy at EPA. The Office of Sustainable Communities represents EPA in its Partnership for Sustainable Communities with the U.S. Department of Transportation and the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.

Historically related, but less well known than the Spring festival of Passover’s retelling of the Exodus, is the Fall festival of Sukkot (pronounced sooKOTE). Eight days long, it traditionally requires “dwelling” in small, crude, temporary huts, with roofs open to the elements and sky. (Because the roof of a sukkah is often made of wooden slats and greenery—for me, ivy and hemlock from my yard–it must have been the original green roof technology without, of course, the stormwater mitigation and energy conservation benefits we value today.) I typed dwelling in quotes because it’s become common, at least among many of my friends, to fulfill our dwelling obligation by having meals in a sukkah but not spending the nights.

There is, for me, an especially important environmental aspect of Sukkot, which is more than a commemoration of the biblical 40 years of wandering through the wilderness; it’s also a celebration of the fall harvest and, so, nature’s bounty, our impact on the environment (and on farm workers), and our sacred obligation (tikkun olam) to help fix what’s ailing the environment.

As I took about three hours last week to construct and decorate my sukkah—using wood originally cut many years ago and often replaced and reinforced following occasional storms that have blown it down—I thought about the eight days of moments I’d soon enjoy, whether alone or, better, with family and friends, looking through the roof and pondering the cosmos and our earthly place within it. What with the great weather this time of year, and a glass of wine, what could be better—more serene, more contemplative, more appreciative of nature, more challenging, more enjoyable?

How does your religion interacts with your thoughts about the environment and nature?

About the author: Larry Teller joined EPA’s Philadelphia office in its early months and has worked in environmental assessment, state and congressional liaison, enforcement, and communications. His 28 years with the U.S. Air Force, many as a reservist, gave him a different look at government service.

Editor’s Note: The opinions expressed in Greenversations are those of the author. They do not reflect EPA policy, endorsement, or action, and EPA does not verify the accuracy or science of the contents of the blog.

I’ve written a few times over the 18 months about our home renovation and how we went as green as we could afford. The last time, I was sitting in my dining room during our crazy-snowy winter.

Almost six months later, we’ve just gone through one of the worst heat waves I can remember. And that led to a massive thunderstorm cell that did quite a bit of damage to the DC area. It hit us about 3:30 on Sunday. We were sort of on the southern edge of it, but looking to the north was impressive and ominous.

Just before the skies opened, our power went out. Not that big a deal at the time – we just sat on the porch and watched the storm roar along. But when it didn’t come back on, I started worrying about our fridge and our AC. I get hot very easily.

As the hours wore on, though, I was again reminded of the benefits of our approach to insulation. Since we had the walls off while renovating, we blew in foam to air seal the house, then put fiberglass on top. We also put in double-paned windows with special coatings to reduce direct heating from the sun (I really appreciated the info I got on the Energy Star Web site about all of this). Our porch also keeps the sun off the ground floor windows in the front.

The result? The house doesn’t heat up or cool down very quickly. So although we had no AC during high temperatures, we were pretty comfortable inside. As for the fridge, we just kept the door shut (unlike during Hurricane Isabel, when we ran a very long extension cord across the street to our neighbors’ outdoor outlet).

Have you made any green building choices that later made themselves felt?

If you’re thinking about renovating, check out EPA’s info on green building!

About the author: Jeffrey Levy is EPA’s Director of Web Communications.

Each week we write about the science behind environmental protection. Previous Science Wednesdays.

As I walked toward the EPA Booth at the Durham Earth Day Festival, a display to my right caught my eye — something that looked like a roof with a garden growing on top of it. An enthusiastic student from Durham’s Hillside New Tech High School came forward and eagerly began to share the details of their project on “green roof technology.”

I learned that these 9th-11th graders, lead by award-winning teacher Matthew Sears, received an InvenTeam grant funded by the Lemelson-MIT Program.

For their project, the students designed and built a residential green roofing system by creating a lattice structure that can support climbing plants. The light-weight material avoids roof damage while adding an aesthetic, natural look to the home’s roof while reducing heat absorption in the hot N.C. summers.

The InvenTeam met after school during the fall semester to work on their design. They spent the spring building and modifying their prototype and practicing their presentation in preparation for their June trip to MIT to present the project during EurekaFest 2010.

Impressed with the technology and the students’ enthusiasm, my colleagues and I decided to invite the students to our EPA campus to share their innovative spirit, as well as to provide them with the opportunity for a practice panel presentation before their trip to MIT.

In early June, the students gave a seven-minute presentation followed by an in-depth question and answer session about their project. EPA scientists like to ask probing questions! The experience offered a great opportunity for the students to prepare for their trip to MIT and offered our EPA scientists and managers insight into these bright young minds.

Our Director was so excited about the technology that he whisked away three of the students to show them the solar panels on EPA’s roof and to talk about the possibility of demonstrating their green roof technology on our building.

We ended the visit with a tour of our “green” campus, wished the group well, and cheered them on as we virtually followed them on their trip from Durham to Cambridge.

About the Author: Kelly Leovic manages EPA’s Environmental and Community Outreach Program in Research Triangle Park and was delighted to host these Durham students at EPA. She has worked for the EPA as an environmental engineer since 1987 and has two children in middle school and one in high school.

Inspired by my friend and colleague’s blog post, Snowed Under in our Green House, I decided to focus this blog on the main event of the larger Washington metropolitan area this week—the massive snowstorms and blizzards. Due to the inclement weather, the area was virtually paralyzed for days. Many schools systems, businesses, and government agencies remain closed.

While we were snowed in at home, the power went off intermittently. One day we were without power for a span of 15 hours! During that long stretch without electricity, we had no heat and, of course, no functioning appliances. Our only lifeline to the outside world was a battery-operated radio. I must note that thanks to the green repairs we made to our home last year, the temperature in the house stayed relatively stable even without heat during that blackout. While it did cool down after 12 hours without power, it was nothing that an extra layer of clothing couldn’t handle.

While we were snowed in, I realized how dependent we have become on electricity for home entertainment. We take for granted the fact that we cannot use our television sets, computers, the Internet, electronic toys, rechargeable batteries, wireless technology without electricity. As a family we rediscovered some traditional forms of entertainment like board games to pass the time. My youngest even read several books on her own initiative. Not a bad lesson during the blizzard of 2010.

Nonetheless, I would like to leave you with some advice for future snow and ice storms. Try to have the necessary supplies well in advance so you don’t have to venture out unnecessarily during inclement weather. Use generators and other combustion appliances wisely. Stay safe.

Hi everyone. If you’re looking for the question of the week, it’ll be back next Monday. Our offices are closed Monday and Tuesday because of record-breaking snow, so our team wasn’t able to post it. And we’re expecting another several inches Tuesday night into Wednesday.

I’m sitting here in my dining room trying to get at least a little work done, though.  Looking around my house, I remember all the green building decisions we made when we renovated last year.  Right from the beginning, we did our best to reduce, reuse, and recycle (thanks for your good comments on that post!). Some of these choices might save us money over time, but our main motivation was that green building and home location is just the way it should be done:

• zero-VOC paint and low-VOC caulks and adhesives
• a high-efficiency Energy Star furnace (and air conditioning, for when summer returns), plus an Energy Star dishwasher to replace the original that died a month after moving in.  We kept the other appliances, and will replace them with Energy Star units as they stop working.
• Energy Star double-paned windows and doors
• light-colored roof shingles to reflect the hot summer sun
• compact fluorescent light bulbs (other than on my youngest child’s night table because she keeps breaking them)
• bamboo floors where the old floors couldn’t be saved, and refinished hardwood and parquet that could (like the appliances, why throw out stuff that works?)
• kitchen countertops made of recycled glass and bamboo
• Watersense water-efficient sinks, toilets, and showerheads
• blown foam insulation that’s keeping us nice and toasty.

We also put the old kitchen cabinets in our laundry room and basement, and donated a lot of extra materials and fixtures to a local organization that sells them again.

The house’s location is also pretty green, since I can easily walk or bike to the subway.  Our kids ride the bus and walk to school, and we’re a 10-minute walk to the library and a small commercial district with several restaurants, a drug store, and our favorite: a local ice cream shop.

Of course, sometimes it’s hard to find a home near public transit, and not every building option is available or affordable.  For example, while wood and other materials were greener, they were too expensive compared with vinyl windows.  But we did as much as we could.

We’re happy with our choices, but we enjoy discussing them, too.  What’s your favorite green feature of your home?

About the author: Jeffrey Levy is EPA’s Director of Web Communications.

While this photo may appear to be that of a lush meadow in the foreground of a big city, it is actually a vegetated rooftop on a 9-story building in downtown Denver. When EPA Region 8’s office moved to a new “green” office building in Lower Downtown Denver, I did not know what to expect. I had never worked in a green building before. I really did not think it would be that different from a regular building. Was I wrong… Not only was the building very beautiful, it was the most comfortable building I have ever been in. From the lighting to the indoor air quality, I knew we were in a top quality and healthy working environment.

Our building is environmentally friendly and provides daily opportunities for us to practice stewardship. Some features of our building that help us decrease our impact include:

• Extensive use of daylight to reduce need for artificial light
• A vegetated green roof to control storm water and decrease urban heat island effect
• Waterless urinals and low-flow plumbing fixtures to decrease water use
• High recycled content materials throughout the building
• Proximity to public transit

However, it is not enough to simply build a green building; a big part of the equation is how the building is operated and the behavior of the occupants. Region 8’s Environmental Management System helps us improve our performance by quantifying and managing the impacts of our operations (e.g., electricity and water use, waste generation and transportation) and taking actions to reduce those impacts.

The green design, construction, operation and maintenance of 1595 Wynkoop, combined with close attention to our collective actions, help EPA in our efforts to practice what we preach.

Working in a green building is the only way to work in my mind. I have more energy throughout the day which I attribute to the environmentally healthy aspects of our building. I have the pleasure of knowing my work day has also been less of an impact to the environment. You can find out more, hear an audio tour and see lots of pictures of our green building at: http://www.epa.gov/region8/building/index.html

About the author: Wendy Dew has been with EPA for 11 years and is the Environmental Education and Outreach Coordinator for Region 8.