Green Urbanism
Green Urbanism
Bike Advocacy in Santa Monica
One of our efforts to reduce climate change is making our streets more green. We have worked on getting attendees to the Oscars in hybrid vehicles with our "Red Carpet, Green Cars" campaign and now we are working with the city of Santa Monica on trying to get a bike sharing program for the city....
Green vision: the search for the ideal eco-city
If we want to be “greener”, we should live in cities.
This statement may seem counterintuitive. But in developed countries, and increasingly in emerging markets, city dwellers are able to be more environmentally friendly than those in the countryside, because of the concentration of people, vital infrastructure and amenities, and the efficiencies that this proximity brings.
Green revolution comes to urban neighborhoods
THE LOS ANGELES TIMES. SPETEMBER 3, 2010. By Tiffany Hsu
Low-income can also be environmentally friendly, with a little help.
Kendrick Harris, a high school dropout who has been homeless and jobless, has had more pressing things to worry about than the environment.
But in the last year the 22-year-old South Los Angeles resident has planted community gardens, cleaned up abandoned industrial sites and learned how to install solar panels.
School board considers solar deal
SANTA MONICA DAILY PRESS. SEPTEMBER 1, 2010. By Nick Taborek
SMMUSD HDQTRS — The rooftops at nine Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District campuses could soon be getting solar panels designed to generate two-thirds of the district's electricity needs, under a deal expected to receive approval from the school board at its meeting tonight.
(Malibu) Council on board for strong green building standards
THE MALIBU TIMES. JULY 14, 2010. By Jonathan Friedman / Associate Editor
The City Council on Monday supported in concept the adoption of strong energy efficiency standards for new developments as part of a Green Building Program. The council also supported city staff's proposal for a pilot program that will fast track a handful of “high-level” green projects through the permit review process.
Walker Wells of Global Green USA told the council increased energy efficiency could be achieved with “no or very little changes to design.”
California Makes Green Housing Affordable
SOLVECLIMATE. MAY 11, 2010. By Leslie Berliant
Sunlight is free, but getting power from solar panels remains far from it. At least for some low-income families in California, it's now affordable for the first time.
LEED-Neighborhood Development: It’s Official (and California Already “LEEDs” the Way)
NRDC.COM. APRIL 29, 2010. By Justin Horner
In twin events today in Washington DC and Chicago, the three partners who created LEED-Neighborhood Development (NRDC, the Congress for the New Urbanism and the US Green Building Council) announced the system’s official launch. Nearly a decade in the making, LEED-ND is the first national standard to attempt to describe and quantify what “green” actually is on the neighborhood scale. We all know green buildings; ND gives us green neighborhoods.
Affordable housing goes green too
THE LOS ANGELES TIMES. APRIL 10, 2010. By Jessica Garrison
Like the Prius and the $5 locally grown heirloom tomato, green building has been a status symbol among the wealthy. Affordable housing, on the other hand, typically has been made as economically as possible — the better to provide homes for as many people as possible. Green touches have long been a luxury. Casa Dominguez is one of a number of new developments signaling a change.
Urban farms herald green city 'revolution'
CNN. APRIL 8, 2010. By Thair Shaikh
London, England (CNN) -- As the world's urban population continues to grow at a rapid rate, communities around the world are increasingly turning to "city agriculture" to produce cheap, locally grown fruit and vegetables.
The News from NYC is Good: Transit Up, Cycling Up, Cars Flat
TREEHUGGER. MARCH 29, 2010. By Michael Graham Richard
Headed the Right Way
The New York City Department of Transportation has released statistics on transportation in the city. The 2009 numbers aren't all in, so the most recent full year is 2008, but the trends are encouraging and it looks like all the improvements the city has made to its infrastructure and the efforts of green urbanism activists are paying off.
Green gadgets help save planet and money
THE TODAY SHOW. MARCH 29, 2010.
Steve Greenberg, author of "Gadget Nation: A Journey through the Eccentric Work of Invention," shows Kathie Gifford and Hoda Kotb an array of eco-friendly products that can ultimately save you cash.
How Green Is My Mansion?
THE NEW YORK TIMES. MARCH 10, 2010. By Fred A. Bernstein
MITCH KAPOR, the software mogul and philanthropist, has given millions of dollars to environmental groups. Now Mr. Kapor wants to build a 10,000-square-foot house, complete with a 10-car garage, in Berkeley, Calif.
When the house won planning approval earlier this year, many neighbors were surprised — not so much by the size of the house, or by its sleek design, but by the fact that, under Berkeley regulations, the house will qualify as “green.” In Berkeley, building proposals are evaluated on a “green point” scale, earning credit for such eco-conscious features as low-flow shower heads and insulation. A house with more than 60 points is labeled green, regardless of its size.
2010 Pre-Oscar Party News Coverage
March 3, 2010. Check out some of the coverage of our 7th Annual Pre-Oscar Party.
Out of the Ruins, A More Sustainable Haiti?
TREEHUGGER. FEBRUARY 7, 2010. By Jesse Fox
With over a million left homeless and its capital city all but destroyed, Haiti is set to become the focus of an enormous rebuilding effort. Internationally, many are calling for a full-fledged "Marshall Plan" to rebuild the country, lasting at least a decade and costing billions of dollars. Moves this weekend to cancel its debts, while funding rebuilding efforts with grants, instead of more loans, are a positive step in this direction.
But what of sustainability? How can the island, which has for so long existed on the edge of disaster, be put back together in a way that is at once socially, environmentally and economically sustainable?
Will Design and Architecture Help Haiti Rise Again?
KCRW. JANUARY 19, 2010. Frances Anderton.
Haiti's catastrophe has killed thousands and destroyed Port-au-Prince, once a jewel in the Caribbean. We look at the architecture past, present and -- possibly -- future in Haiti's heart. Is there a design solution to the desperate need for low-cost housing in overpopulated cities? Can good design trump political mayhem? We hear from experts here and from Haiti: historian Patrick Sylvain, Architecture for Humanity's founder Cameron Sinclair, Global Green's Ted Bardacke, Alejandra Lillo, co-creator of Make It Right, and others.
Environmental groups try to block parts of California's green building code
LOS ANGELES TIMES. JANUARY 11, 2010.
The Sierra Club and Natural Resources Defense Council are among six groups waging a last-minute campaign to derail some of the rules, saying they aren't tough enough.
Environmental groups are mounting a last-ditch effort to derail key elements of the state's first-in-the-nation green building code -- a major initiative of Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's administration.
Global Green USA Finds City Fertile Ground
YOUNGSTOWN BUSINESS JOURNAL. DECEMBER 18, 2009. By Dan O'Brien.
YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio -- The city missed out on the technology revolution during the last decade and it won’t make the same mistake with the “green” revolution, vow U.S. Rep. Tim Ryan, D-17, and Mayor Jay Williams.
Ryan and Williams announced Thursday a partnership with Global Green USA, a nonprofit organization based in Santa Monica, Calif., that pledges to help the city get grants and philanthropic contributions to boost its stature in environmental and neighborhood redevelopment.
Youngstown Partners With "Green" Firm
WYTV 33. DECEMBER 18, 2009.
As world leaders debate on how the U.S. and other nations can reduce pollution, some here in the Valley are hoping a new partnership between Youngstown and a California-based consulting firm will help this area lead the way in ecofriendly development.
Partnership will aid in turning Youngstown green
VINDY.COM. DECEMBER 17, 2009. By David Skolnick
U.S. Rep. Tim Ryan left Wednesday for the international climate- control conference.
YOUNGSTOWN — Global Green USA, an environmental nonprofit organization, is going to work with Youngstown to turn this “Rust Belt” city green.
“Given their solid track record of leadership, practical results, and leveraging resources, we are partnering with Global Green to lead a green economic renaissance and to help create a sustainable future for Youngstown,” said U.S. Rep. Tim Ryan of Niles, D-17th, who represents Youngstown in Congress and was instrumental in bringing the organization to the city.
Al Gore calls for a green building revolution
LOS ANGELES TIMES. NOVEMBER 12, 2009. By Susan Carpenter
Saying he "used to be the next president of the United States" and is now a "recovering politician," Nobel laureate and former Vice President Al Gore spoke Wednesday night at Greenbuild, the world's largest sustainable design conference, calling for a green revolution to solve the country's problems.
California green building code: a small step forward
SUSTAINABLE INDUSTRIES. NOVEMBER 2, 2009. By Nick Zigelbaum
Currently, there is no precedent for a California ‘green’ building standard as compared to a traditional building standard. But the state is on the cusp of adopting a state-wide California Green Building Standards Code (CGBSC), which outline both mandatory and voluntary energy efficiency, water efficiency, resource efficiency and air-quality building standards.
Bill Gives Incentives for Energy Efficiency
KCBS. October 6, 2009
BERKELEY, Calif. (KCBS) -- Backers of Assembly Bill 758 are now waiting for the Governor to attach his signature to it.
The measure, which has passed both the senate and assembly, was co-authored by Assembly Members Karen Bass and Nancy Skinner, who hope it will make existing buildings more energy efficient and less expensive to operate.
Battered by criticism, H. David Nahai resigns from DWP
LA TIMES. OCTOBER 3, 2009.
Utility official joins Bill Clinton's climate initiative, bruised by system failures and union battles.
After nearly two years of fending off criticism from ratepayers and his own employees, H. David Nahai stepped down Friday as head of the nation's largest municipally owned utility, the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power.
ABC Family Show GREEK Joins Forces with Global Green USA
September 11, 2009. ABC Family is partnering with Global Green USA, and other non-profits in an effort get their audience to pledge to get involved and do something. The season-long partnership will tap into ABC Family’s millennial audience and give them fun and easy ways to get involved in their communities.
Architects Return to Class as Green Design Advances
THE NEW YORK TIMES. AUGUST 19, 2009. By Robin Pogrebin
It seems like only yesterday that environmentally conscious building practices began making their way into the architecture profession.
How times have changed.
This year, the American Institute of Architects implemented a policy requiring all members to take four hours of continuing education courses in sustainable design every year.
The requirement, which extends through 2012, represents a response to a rapidly changing field and a recognition that architects must continue to refresh their knowledge of sustainable construction methods and building materials.
California’s Green Building Code Seen as a ‘Good Balance’ for Builders
ECOHOME. AUGUST 17, 2009. By Jennifer Goodman
Standards focus on water conservation, mold prevention, and stormwater measures for new construction.
California’s new Green Building Standards Code, which contains mandatory residential standards starting in 2011, has support from the state’s building industry association and from the USGBC.
The new code, which became effective Aug. 1, calls for a 20% improvement in water use efficiency--as compared to current regulations--in all new residential construction. The standards will be verified by local building permit departments, according to Dave Walls, executive director of the California Building Standards Commission.
Home Depot Foundation, Habitat for Humanity Give Green Building a $30M Boost
REUTERS. AUGUST 4, 2009. By GreenBiz.com
The Home Depot Foundation and Habitat for Humanity International are expanding their Partners in Sustainable Building program to a $30 million five-year effort to construct at least 5,000 homes to meet Energy Star guidelines, or even higher green building standards.
The two nonprofit organizations announced plans today to broaden their green building pilot, which was launched in April 2008, so that the program provides funds, training and support to Habitat affiliates across the U.S. The initiative pairs the philanthropic arm of the leading home improvement retailer in the country with the nonprofit that's dedicated to providing housing to people in need.
A new crop of school gardens
LOS ANGELES TIMES. JULY 29, 2009. By Krista Simmons
Even as state funding wilts, support for school gardens is growing.
A freckle-faced Malloy Sparling wraps her dirt-dusted fingers around a three-pronged cultivator and looks up with a big-toothed smile. "We're making a garden," she says, plucking a weed out of the ground, then wiping her little hands on her tomato red T-shirt.
Sparling and other young volunteers, plus parents and politicians, are taking part in a community work day at Farragut Elementary School in Culver City. But they're not the only ones spending this summer working toward a greener fall semester.
Success Stories in Energy Efficiency
NEW YORK TIMES. JULY 29, 2009. By Kate Galbraith
A McKinsey report on energy efficiency in the United States, released today (see related post), cites $1.2 trillion in potential savings by 2020 if the country first invests $520 billion in efficiency improvements such as better insulation for buildings.
The big question is, what policies can help us to get there? The report cites several “success stories.” Potentially, some could serve as models for other programs or policies.
How to be a green school
THE GUARDIAN. JULY 28, 2009. By Zac Goldsmith
Teachers and students want to do good things for the environment, but sometimes they can't see the wood for the trees. Zac Goldsmith sets out five things all schools can do
It's a worrying fact that around 400,000 British children are on behavioural drugs such as Ritalin. Some, no doubt, need the treatment, but the sheer number of children taking these drugs suggests that in our society, childhood itself has come to be seen as a disease.
Children spend an average of 13.9 hours a week in front of their televisions, and six hours in front of their computers. It can't be healthy. According to Unicef, British children are the unhappiest in Europe, despite unprecedented material wealth.
Water-saving fixtures now required in new Los Angeles buildings
LOS ANGELES TIMES. JULY 22, 2009. By David Zahniser
New buildings in Los Angeles will be required to have low-flow faucets, toilets, urinals, shower heads and other plumbing devices under a law passed today by the City Council.
Officials with the Department of Water and Power said the water conservation ordinance, which is part of the city’s Green Building program, would reduce water consumption in new buildings by 20%. The measure would help building owners save money as well, said Council President Eric Garcetti.
School's green roots go deep
CHICAGO TRIBUNE. JULY 22, 2009. By Cara Anthony
Classrooms in Chicago's Tarkington School of Excellence are equipped with natural light sensors, temperature-regulating windows and acoustically sound walls. It's easier for students to learn in a school that focuses on environmental awareness and education, said school officials.
Going to school in a green environment has even helped the students' test scores go up, said principal Vincent Iturralde.
The 15 most sustainable U.S. cities
GRIST. JULY 16, 2009. By Claire Thompson
Seattle is the most sustainable big city in the nation, according to a list compiled by Smarter Cities, an NRDC project that looks at the progress American cities are making toward going green. Not surprisingly, San Francisco and Portland are the runners-up.
Using data from the EPA and the U.S. Census Bureau, as well as some voluntary survey responses from city governments, the project identified the top 15 large, medium, and small cities according to 10 different environmental criteria, from air quality to recycling to transportation.
Reflective roof paint repels the heat
THE LOS ANGELES TIMES. JULY 15, 2009. By Tiffany Hsu
Hyperseal paints can reduce the costs and energy needed for cooling by lowering the amount of heat a building absorbs from the sun. White roofs may be the new green.
On bright days, the rooftop of the Anaheim Hilton is so blindingly white that it looks like a mirror positioned directly at the sun. That dazzling glare might just be the greenest thing to happen to the top of a building since solar panels.
The white coating deflects nearly 85% of the heat that hits it, reducing the surface temperature by as much as 50 degrees. That means less energy is needed to cool the hotel's interior, cutting air-conditioning costs and carbon emissions.
How Green Building Can Save the Housing Industry
THE HUFFINGTON POST. JULY 10, 2009. By John F. Wasik
Green is gold. Why didn't homebuilders get this idea? They could be building new homes again, employing millions, making inner cities and suburbs habitable and bring down the cost of housing for everyone.
Homebuilding needs to join the 21st century and apply the best, efficient technologies to lower costs and reduce energy and resource consumption. But the vast majority of homes have been built using the very best 19th-century, stick-built/balloon frame methods. That's got to change if we want to revive the bedrock of the American Dream.
A Push to Hide Solar Panels in Santa Monica
THE NEW YORK TIMES. GREEN INC. JULY 9, 2009. By Kate Galbraith
Want to put solar panels on a condo in Santa Monica, Calif.? Just keep them out of sight, please.
That’s the sentiment behind a pending city ordinance that would require solar panels to be installed in a way that is “least visible.” (Single-family homes are excepted.)
Aspen Ideas Festival: Arne Duncan, It Is Also About the Building
THE HUFFINGTON POST. JULY 2, 2009. By Cameron Sinclair
At the Aspen Ideas Festival on Wednesday Secretary Arne Duncan was under the spotlight on his plans to revamp the education system in America. With $100B in play, there is a lot of opportunity to encourage and support innovative educational reform and there was no denying his passion and eloquence in speaking about pushing the entire system back to being one of the best in the world.
While a small sliver of the pie I felt the most exciting aspect of this far-reaching plan was the $5B being set up to encourage and reward states that are proactively pushing reform. Additionally while I can write about the many, many positive things said what worried me, as someone involved in improving school environments, was his comment that 'it is not about the building'. Sorry Arne, while I agree it is about the children and while teacher performance is important -- it is ALSO about the building.
Starbucks brews global green-building plan, renovates Seattle shop
GRIST. JUNE 30, 2009. By Sarah van Schagen
Stroll into the newly renovated Starbucks coffeehouse in Seattle’s University Village and the décor may feel more familiar than you’d expect.
The menu boards are made from the chalkboards you may have scribbled on at nearby Garfield High School; the shelving is from old bleachers you may have sat upon; the leather accents near the bar are from your old shoes and car seats; and the ash-wood community table that stretches the length of the store and patio (one-third of it is outside) is salvaged from a tree that fell in Seattle’s Wallingford neighborhood.
Top 10 Green Building Products of 2009 announced
Sustainable Industries. June 24, 2009.
Award-winning business magazine Sustainable Industries today announced the release of its 2009 Top 10 Green Building Products guide, the annual publication profiling industry-leading green building products selected by a panel of expert judges and the Sustainable Industries editorial team. This year’s Top 10 Green Building Products guide received more nominations than anytime over the last 4 years.
Find out the 2009 Top 10 Green Building Product winners here.
Matt Petersen Nominee for First Annual Hanley Award
EcoHome Magazine Announces Nominees for The First Annual Hanley Award for Vision and Leadership in Sustainable Housing
Washington, D.C. (PRWEB) June 17, 2009 -- Hanley Wood Business Media and its EcoHome magazine, in partnership with The Hanley Foundation, announce the official nominees for The 2009 Hanley Award for Vision and Leadership in Sustainable Housing. The award honors individuals who have made extraordinary, lasting, and far-reaching contributions to the advancement of sustainable housing in the United States. The award winner will receive $50,000--the largest award in the industry recognizing contributions to environmental building.
City works on green building ordinance
THE MALIBU TIMES. JUNE 10, 2009. By Olivia Damavandi
Lower permit fees could be used as an incentive to get developers/homeowners to build environmentally friendly.
Pressured by impending deadlines for compliance with state-mandated sustainable development standards, the Malibu City Council and Planning Commission held a joint meeting at City Hall last week where staff was directed to continue drafting a citywide sustainable development ordinance.
The budding sustainable development ordinance would consist of mandatory standards for approval of new construction and major remodel projects. It would also require larger projects to be certified by Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design, or LEED, a green building rating system that verifies the sustainable qualities of different building types.
Los Angeles Wears Green
LA OPINION. JUNE 5, 2009. By Jorge Morales Almada
(Translated from the original Spanish) Los Angeles is considered one of the more "green" cities in the country for its efforts to protect the environment. However, it is also one of the most polluted cities in the world. According to Global Green USA, it still has a long way to go.
On the occasion of World Environment Day, celebrated today, environmental groups called on people to think about the damage done to the planet and called on governments to take measures to combat climate change.
What is a City of the Future?
CLIMATEPROGRESS.ORG. JUNE 2, 2009. By Bill Becker
The choice should be simple. A city official’s first responsibility is to ensure the health and safety of the people in his or her community. Insofar as stimulus funds are available to repair failing bridges, dams, roads and vital infrastructure, that’s where they should be invested.
But as more funds are available -– for example, the $100 billion earmarked in the stimulus package for energy grants to states and localities, or the $6.3 billion targeted for clean energy grants, or the $17 billion for transit or part of the $40 billion for roads, bridges and other infrastructure — a high priority should be to begin putting each city on the road to the future.
Global Green's Millennium Awards: From The Green Carpet
CAUSECAST. MAY 31, 2009. BY MELISSA JUN ROWLEY
I’ve stood along a number of red carpets in the past. But few have been as vibrant and positively charged as the green carpet I covered at the 13th Annual Global Green Millennium Awards in Santa Monica, CA on Saturday, May 30th. The stars and supporters who turned out to honor this year’s Global Green award recipients shared their views on preserving the environment, the need for green education and sustainable buildings, and their call to bring social change into the spotlight.
I don’t know if it was the coolness of the ocean air, that I was first in line to speak with all the gorgeous attendees, or that every celebrity and honoree I spoke to was knowledgeable about the latest green technology and eager to learn more, but a calm and reassuring synergy wafted through the wind, as my flip cam and I zeroed in on the delightful display of humanity that stood before me. Events like this generally rake in a good share of eye candy for onlookers, but at this particular benefit the passion for the cause and the integrity of the guests was more than commensurate with their fashionable flair.
Many of them had a great deal to say about the focus of the night, which was making schools green. Adrian Grenier and Rosario Dawson discussed the importance of rehabilitating educational facilities and keeping our children healthy.
“We need to start changing the way we live fundamentally,” said Grenier. We can start with the school, start with the kids.”
House Approves 'Green Schools' Bill
NPR.ORG. May 14, 2009. By Associated Press
The House on Thursday passed a multiyear school construction bill with the ambitious goals of producing hundreds of thousands of jobs, reducing energy consumption and creating healthier, cleaner environments for the nation's schoolchildren.
Opponents, almost all Republicans, objected to the cost associated with the 21st Century Green High-Performing Public School Facilities Act. The cost would be $6.4 billion in the first year with similar outlays approved over the next five years.
It passed 275-155, and now goes to the Senate, which did not act after the House passed similar legislation last year.
The situation has changed this year. While then-President George W. Bush threatened to veto the measure, objecting to a costly new school construction program, President Obama made school improvement projects an element of his economic stimulus initiative.
"It will give much needed money to our schools struggling with huge budget deficits and deteriorating facilities while encouraging energy efficency and creating jobs for Americans that cannot be shipped overseas," said Rep. Ben Chandler, a Kentucky Democrat who was a sponsor of the legislation.
The bill would provide states with money to make grants and low interest loans so school districts could build, modernize and repair facilities to make them healthier, safer and more energy-efficient. The funds would be allotted under a formula based on a district's share of students from low-income families, but the bill guarantees that every district that receives federal money for low-income students will get at least $5,000.
Supporters spoke of the difficulties of trying to learn in buildings with poor lighting, bad air quality, leaking roofs and ill-functioning furnaces. "Thirty-two million children in our country attend schools which are reportedly having environmental problems with their facilities that affect students' health and their learning," said Rep. Paul Tonko, a Democrat from New York.
A majority of the funds — rising to 100 percent by 2015 — would have to be used for projects that meet green standards for construction materials and energy sources. Those include the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Green Building Rating System and Energy Star.
The measure also approves a separate $600 million over six years for public schools in Mississippi, Louisiana and Alabama damaged by hurricanes Katrina and Rita in 2005.
In German Suburb, Life Goes On Without Cars
NEW YORK TIMES. MAY 12, 2009. By Elisabeth Rosenthal
VAUBAN, Germany — Residents of this upscale community are suburban pioneers, going where few soccer moms or commuting executives have ever gone before: they have given up their cars.
Street parking, driveways and home garages are generally forbidden in this experimental new district on the outskirts of Freiburg, near the French and Swiss borders. Vauban’s streets are completely “car-free” — except the main thoroughfare, where the tram to downtown Freiburg runs, and a few streets on one edge of the community. Car ownership is allowed, but there are only two places to park — large garages at the edge of the development, where a car-owner buys a space, for $40,000, along with a home.
As a result, 70 percent of Vauban’s families do not own cars, and 57 percent sold a car to move here. “When I had a car I was always tense. I’m much happier this way,” said Heidrun Walter, a media trainer and mother of two, as she walked verdant streets where the swish of bicycles and the chatter of wandering children drown out the occasional distant motor.
Vauban, completed in 2006, is an example of a growing trend in Europe, the United States and elsewhere to separate suburban life from auto use, as a component of a movement called “smart planning.”
Automobiles are the linchpin of suburbs, where middle-class families from Chicago to Shanghai tend to make their homes. And that, experts say, is a huge impediment to current efforts to drastically reduce greenhouse gas emissions from tailpipes, and thus to reduce global warming. Passenger cars are responsible for 12 percent of greenhouse gas emissions in Europe — a proportion that is growing, according to the European Environment Agency — and up to 50 percent in some car-intensive areas in the United States.
While there have been efforts in the past two decades to make cities denser, and better for walking, planners are now taking the concept to the suburbs and focusing specifically on environmental benefits like reducing emissions. Vauban, home to 5,500 residents within a rectangular square mile, may be the most advanced experiment in low-car suburban life. But its basic precepts are being adopted around the world in attempts to make suburbs more compact and more accessible to public transportation, with less space for parking. In this new approach, stores are placed a walk away, on a main street, rather than in malls along some distant highway.
“All of our development since World War II has been centered on the car, and that will have to change,” said David Goldberg, an official of Transportation for America, a fast-growing coalition of hundreds of groups in the United States — including environmental groups, mayors’ offices and the American Association of Retired People — who are promoting new communities that are less dependent on cars. Mr. Goldberg added: “How much you drive is as important as whether you have a hybrid.”
CHFA Tops in Green QAPs
AFFORDABLE HOUSING FINANCE. April/May 2009
THE CONNECTICUT HOUSING FINANCE AUTHORITY (CHFA) has the greenest low-income housing tax credit (LIHTC) program in the country, according to an analysis by Global Green USA.
Connecticut’s qualified allocation plan (QAP) and corresponding Design and Construction Standards earned 48 points out of a possible 55.
Global Green, a nonprofit environmental organization, studied each state’s 2008 QAP for the inclusion of green building strategies in four categories—smart growth, energy effi ciency, resource conservation, and health protection.
CHFA earned high marks for incorporating its Green Design and Construction Standards as part of a design review process, reported Global Green. Those guidelines represent a consensus standard of national and regional building codes, design practices, and construction methods and materials.
Overall, the 2008 QAPs, which spell out the states’ rules and scoring system for developers to receive LIHTCs, show an increased emphasis on green building. Forty-four states improved their scores in the recent analysis. The average score increased from 17 to 25. The recent QAPs were most successful in scoring points in the smart growth category followed by the energy-efficiency category. The greatest increase in points was seen in resource conservation.
Georgia, New Jersey, Massachusetts, California, Maine, Vermont, Pennsylvania, Montana, and North Dakota round out the Top 10 list of greenest QAPs.
This Old Wasteful House
THE NEW YORK TIMES. APRIL 5, 2009. By Richard Moe
NEVER before has America had so many compelling reasons to preserve the homes in its older residential neighborhoods. We need to reduce energy consumption and carbon emissions. We want to create jobs, and revitalize the neighborhoods where millions of Americans live. All of this could be accomplished by making older homes more energy-efficient.
Let’s begin with energy consumption and emissions. Forty-three percent of America’s carbon emissions come from heating, cooling, lighting and operating our buildings. Older homes are particularly wasteful: Homes built in 1939 or before use around 50 percent more energy per square foot than those constructed in 2000. But with significant improvements and retrofits, these structures could perform on a par with newer homes.
So how does a homeowner go green? The first step is an energy audit by a local utility. These audits can be obtained in many communities at little or no cost. They help identify the sources of heat loss, allowing homeowners to make informed decisions about how to reduce energy use in the most cost-effective way.
Homeowners are likely to discover that much of the energy loss comes down to a lack of insulation in attics and basements. Sealing other air leaks also helps. This can be done by installing dryer vent seals that open only when the dryer is in use, as well as fireplace draft stoppers and attic door covers.
Experience has shown that virtually any older or historic house can become more energy-efficient without losing its character. Restoring the original features of older houses — like porches, awnings and shutters — can maximize shade and insulation. Older wooden windows perform very well when properly weatherized — this includes caulking, insulation and weather stripping — and assisted by the addition of a good storm window. Weatherizing leaky windows in most cases is much cheaper than installing replacements.
Jake Gyllenhaal & Global Green Launch "National Green Schools" Initiative
TREEHUGGER.COM. March 26, 2009. By Collin Dunn
The good folks at Global Green USA have teamed up with Jake Gyllenhaal to launch the “National Green Schools” initiative with a Green Service Day at Manual Arts High School in Los Angeles, helping students to clean up the school’s edible garden. The “National Green Schools” initiative is aimed at raising general awareness of the benefits of green schools and the critical need for building and modernizing all schools with healthy, high performance green classrooms.
Green schools make a huge difference
For the last five years, with the support of the Annenberg Foundation, Global Green has partnered with the LA Unified School District to insure that every new school in Los Angeles is built to a high performance green standard -- we saw evidence of this last year. This has resulted in 34 new schools under construction that will benefit more than 40,000 students and teachers, save 21,695,238 gallons of water, 164,357,593 KwH of electricity and reduce CO2 emissions by more than 94,000 tons every year -- the equivalant of planting 282,000 trees or eliminating more than 15,000 cars from the road every year.
Jake Gyllenhaal Serves Up Global Green
JUSTJARED.COM. March 26, 2009.
Jake Gyllenhaal lends a helping hand in building a garden during Green Service Day at Manual Arts High School in Los Angeles last month.
He joined Global Green USA President Matt Petersen for the launch of the National Green Schools Initiative.
The 28-year-old actor spoke about his experience, saying, “What I learned is that something like this is possible. There are so many things that I’ve thought of [including making] gardens like this. I had always thought this is possible on a mass scale. This is possible within a massive city like Los Angeles!”
Fixed Income Investments Support Green Building
SocialFunds.com. March 19, 2009. By Robert Kropp
The New Mexico Mortgage Finance Authority and Community Capital Management describe how fixed income investment help fund successful rehabilitation of buildings based on green building principles.
Green building initiatives have emerged as significant opportunities for realizing energy efficiencies on a national scale, both in new construction and the rehabilitation of existing buildings. Many federal and state programs now exist for supporting green building initiatives on the neighborhood level. In many cases, funding for these programs is achieved by a combination of government grants and taxable municipal bonds and other instruments that provide fixed rates of returns for investors.
According to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), buildings account for 39% of total energy consumption, 38% of carbon emissions, 30% of raw materials waste in landfills, and 12% of potable water consumption. Adoption of green building practices can improve energy efficiency, reduce energy consumption costs, and provide safe and healthy living environments. Because sprawl development, low-density housing, and commercial uses located in automobile-dependent outlying areas can harm the natural environment in a number of ways, many programs focus on the rehabilitation of urban areas.
In a recent blog entry, Walker Wells, Director of the Green Urbanism Program at Global Green USA, a national environmental non-profit organization, observed, "Green urbanism is the practice of creating communities beneficial to humans and the environment." Strategies utilized in achieving the goals of green urbanism include the application of green building principles at the neighborhood scale, the linking of buildings, infrastructure, and natural systems, and an emphasis on retrofitting existing urban areas.
With the adoption of green building principles as a central platform of President Obama's economic stimulus package, the number of building projects that incorporate environmentally sustainable practices while making sense as financial investments are expected to grow. At a time of historic turmoil in the stock market, the fixed returns offered by municipal bonds and similar financial instruments are likely to gain increased attention from sustainability investors as well.
Matt Petersen talks rebuilding green on Australia's ABC Radio National
ABC NEWS AUSTRALIA. MARCH 10, 2009.
In Australia, almost half of the federal government's upcoming $42 billion economic stimulus package will be spent on schools infrastructure and public housing. To get the deal through the Senate, the government has agreed to make the package more energy efficient.
Australia's ABC Radio National reporter Fran Kelly talked to Matt Petersen, Global Green CEO, about rebuilding green and greening schools in the US - especially in New Orleans.
2009 Pre-Oscar Party News Coverage
VARIOUS MEDIA OUTLETS. Feb. 19, 2009.
Global Green's Annual Pre-Oscar Party, which raised money for our National Green Schools initiative, was a great success! Check out some of the news coverage and pictures from both the green carpet outside, and inside the event.
GREEN SCHOOLS ACTION
Today, millions of children and teachers (20% of all Americans) go to school every day. Many of them go to unhealthy, inefficient schools that waste money, make kids sick and provide poor environments for learning. The state of aging school infrastructure is truly a national travesty. Fortunately, we have already begun to build healthy green schools right here in Los Angeles, throughout California and in cities across the country. But with millions of kids at risk, and the opportunity to dramatically improve learning conditions at schools, we must build green schools NOW.
You can help. Here are a few simple ways you can help create healthy green schools in your community and throughout our country to help protect our most precious natural resource—our children.
Jake Gyllenhaal Helps Mix The Compost With Global Green
ECORAZZI. FEBRUARY, 19 2009.
Yesterday, as a kick-off to their green school initiative, Global Green USA was joined by Jake Gyllenhaal for Green Service Day at Manual Arts High School.
Gyllenhaal and Global Green CEO Matt Petersen inspected a garden, composting effort, and other initiatives taking place at the school. The organization hopes to raise money to help schools around the country become more sustainable and add programs that teach green skills for future jobs.
Jericho Road Staff Members Participate in Green Design Charrette
Jericho News. February, 2009.
Jericho Road staff members, in collaboration with local architects and representatives from green housing expert Global Green USA, participated in the organization’s first green design charrette on February 18th. Walker Wells, editor and co-author of Global Green’s book “Blueprint for Greening Affordable Housing”, facilitated the charrette and led a thorough discussion of green building techniques and materials, and the widespread benefits they provide to communities and homeowners.
Healthier, Wealthier and Wiser: The Case for Creating Green Schools Now
THE HUFFINGTON POST. FEB 5, 2009.
Today, millions of children and teachers go to school every day in unhealthy, inefficient schools that waste money, make kids sick and provide poor environments for learning. The state of aging school infrastructure is truly a national travesty. When I first visited New Orleans shortly after Hurricane Katrina to see how my environmental organization Global Green could help rebuild the city green, I toured a local high school and was overwhelmed to discover such decay and disrepair. I later learned this didn't result from the storm, but from years of neglect. Sadly this is not an isolated school or city.
West Hollywood City Council Commends Environmental Task Force
The West Hollywood City Council continued its support of sustainable initiatives Monday, January 5 through commending participants in the city's Environmental Task Force for developing recommendations on how the the City could advance its sustainability efforts.
Global Green's Green Urbanism team members Walker Wells and Troy Simpson led the 12-month process and drafted the final report that outlines short- and long-term suggestions and methods for measuring success, as identified by the task force.
Celebrities with a Cause: Rebuilding Homes
PointClickHome.com. January 6, 2009. By Jill Connor
In the world of philanthropy, celebrities are truly stars—bringing well-deserved attention to worthy causes. When the cause involves building or remodeling a home for someone in need, celebrities—from actor Brad Pitt to actress Kristin Davis—step in with architects, builders, and designers to make it happen, sometimes wielding hammers themselves.
In addition to nitty-gritty building and renovating work, celebrities also devote time to causes that raise awareness of green living issues involving the home. From actor Edward Norton’s involvement in a program that helps low-income households install solar photovoltaics on their roofs, to an Oscar night party featuring eco-friendly products, many green causes count on celebrity magnetism to spread the word. Read on to get the details on what home-related causes your favorite celebrities support.
Good Housekeeping Green House Dazzles
THEDAILYGREEN.COM. NOV 13, 2008. By Brian Clark Howard
After months of planning, hammering and painting, the Good Housekeeping magazine Green House debuted as the first LEED-certified green private residence in all of New York City. The inspiring, pioneering remodel was undertaken with the expert assistance of Global Green (of Brad Pitt's New Orleans fame) and Connecticut's Steven Winter Associates.
Los Angeles Launches Green Building Program
The Los Angeles green building program went into effect for commercial projects over 50,000 sf November 1. The standards require projects at that threshold to meet the intent of the United States Green Building Council's Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) rating system, at the "Certified" level. The City also offers priority processing to projects on the path to achieving a LEED Silver rating.
Global Green conducted a workshop at the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power for interested stakeholders on compliance features of the program. Global Green will continue to provide guidance to the City as the program moves into implementation.
GREEN TO THE PEOPLE: Low-income housing and sustainable architecture
KCET Online. OCT 2008. By Christopher Hawthorne
For this edition of Web Stories, we decided to turn the spotlight away from glitzy green design and look instead at the intersection of sustainable architecture and affordable housing. That intersection, it turns out, is busier than you might realize, and in the next five to ten years is poised to grow even busier. We developed material in four categories -- Community, Energy, Materials & Reuse, and Urbanism -- to help explore the ways in which architects, planners, public housing advocates and others are bringing authentic and effective green design to the masses.
Global Green Cuts the (Green) Ribbon on Eco-Friendly School
TREEHUGGER, OCT 27, 2008. By Marissa Moss
Global Green, Hollywood's favorite environmental non-profit, is showing they have the substance to back the style: last week, they launched their pilot program to create five green schools serving low income children in the Los Angeles area. Along with Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC), Global Green unveiled two of the finished projects with a ribbon cutting ceremony. Of course, the ribbon was green. Pics of the school after the jump.
LISC, Global Green Move Forward With 'Green' Charter Schools in L.A.
LOS ANGELES, Oct 16, 2008 /PRNewswire-USNewswire via COMTEX/
Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC) has joined forces with Global Green USA on a pilot program to create five "green" charter schools that serve low-income children in the Los Angeles area. Two projects are now complete, with children attending classes, and three others will be considered for the pilot in the coming months.
Smarter Building: Lean and Green
Allianz Knowledge Partnersite. October 5, 2008.
Architect and urban planner Walker Wells talks about why building green is more than just following a checklist.
Are green buildings still affordable only to the rich?
It's true that green is more expensive, but it adds value, and generally things of greater value have a higher price tag, because it reflects the long-term value that you're going to derive from that initial investment. You will spend more money to get a more efficient air conditioner or better windows. However, that initial investment can be too big of a hurdle for many people, which is why we have historically seen the majority of green buildings built by people who are affluent.
Green Affordably
CHICAGO TRIBUNE. Sept 21, 2008. By Chuck Greene.
Owners of existing homes also can improve the energy efficiency of their homes, Miller said, with projects such as window replacements, new appliances and insulation, as well as landscaping to take advantage of sun and shade.
It's worth noting that reduced utility costs increase the amount people can afford for rent or mortgage, said Walker Wells, director of the resource efficiency and sustainable communities program for Global Green USA.
Green Building Resource Center
SANTA MONICA MIRROR. Sept 19, 2008. By Lynne Bronstein
In the midst of Main Street’s “green area,” near the communal garden and several yoga centers, is the Green Building Resource Center (GBRC). Open since April 2004, the Center is a partnership between the City of Santa Monica and Global Green USA, an organization that helps people with the design and construction of green buildings.
Walker Wells blogs on building green
Walker Wells, AICP LEED AP, is Director of the Green Urbanism Program at Global Green and the editor and co-author of Blueprint for Green Affordable Housing. He is blogging about green building for the new two months on the Island Press website.
Vista Dunes housing complex is affordable and 'green'
THE DESERT SUN. Aug 31, 2008. By Maricar Mendoza
Vista Dunes,off Miles Avenue near Adams Street, received the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design for Homes Platinum certification for green building standards in August.
Vista Dunes is the first project in the Coachella Valley to receive the certification, which also made it the nation's largest multi-family affordable housing project to achieve the Platinum level of certification, said Ted Bardacke senior program associate with Global Green USA, an environmental nonprofit organization that helped in the certification process.
It’s Getting Easier to be Green
COMMUNITY INVESTMENTS. Aug 2008. By Naomi Cytron
Cultivating the intersections between community development and environmental sustainability
The construction and operation of the buildings where we live and conduct business consume over 60 percent of the electricity used in the U.S. and account for one-third of total greenhouse gas emissions. Inefficient heating and cooling systems, lighting, and appliances contribute to the carbon footprint of the built environment; an old or poorly maintained refrigerator, for instance, can emit over 1,500 pounds of CO2 annually—the equivalent of about 75 gallons of gasoline. Building construction, renovations and operations also consume vast amounts of raw materials and generate heaps of waste; while some building materials are recycled, millions of tons of wood, concrete, drywall, and asphalt shingles end up in landfills. Conventional building practices may also have negative impacts on our health; materials and finishes are thought to contribute to poor indoor air quality and resulting respiratory illnesses such as asthma. The negative impacts of conventional building practices on human and environmental health require that we rethink where and how to design, construct, operate, and maintain both residential and commercial buildings in more sustainable ways.
City of West Hollywood green building program wins award
The California Chapter of the American Planning Association (APA) has awarded the City of West Hollywood a 2008 "Outstanding Innovation in Green Community Planning" Award for the West Hollywood Green Building Program to be presented at an awards luncheon at the State APA Conference on Tuesday, September 23, 2008 at the Renaissance Hotel in Hollywood. As an APA-State winner, the City has also qualified for submission to the National APA Awards Program.
The American Planning Association is a nonprofit public interest and research organization representing 43,000 practicing planners, officials, and citizens involved with urban and rural planning issues. Sixty-five percent of APA's members work for state and local government agencies.
The West Hollywood Green Building Program was written by Global Green USA. Newsweek wrote an article about the program late last year.
Pioneers in the Green School Revolution
GREEN TECHNOLOGY MAGAZINE. FEB 14, 2008. By Racquel Palmese.
When a school district in California wants to build a green school or implement a green school program, they will often call Global Green USA, an organization, headquartered in Los Angeles, that is uniquely involved in the spiraling green schools movement.
Ted Bardacke, Senior Program Associate with Global Green USA, spoke with Green Technology Magazine about the organization’s work with California’s green schools.
Building a new home while dreaming in green
SACRAMENTO BEE. January 14, 2008. By Ngoc Nguyen
Annica Hagadorn is carefully building what will become more than just a rural dream home, nestled among pine trees near Grass Valley.
Instead of granite countertops or hardwood floors, she's installing more Earth-friendly cork flooring. She'll have solar panels on the roof to generate all of the electricity she'll need – which won't be too much, she hopes, given the energy-efficient appliances and a thick layer of insulation around her water heater.
Small City, Big Impact: How West Hollywood is casting itself as a green leader
NEWSWEEK. Oct 18, 2007. By Andrew Murr.
Being green means different things in different parts of the country. In St. Louis, Seattle and other places, eco-friendly construction standards apply only to city-owned or city-funded buildings. In Boston and a few other cities, green construction codes also apply to major commercial or residential developments.
So which American city thinks it can lay claim to the most comprehensive green building standards? Look west to tiny city of West Hollywood, Calif., a 1.9-square-mile patch of Los Angeles with 37,000 people, making it the city with the highest population density west of the Mississippi. Starting October 1, every private and public development must meet the city's ambitious new green building requirements. The policy includes new construction, rehabs and additions. The only exemptions: duplexes and single-family homes. Requiring so many of the city's real estate projects to meet green building standards puts West Hollywood in the forefront of the move to thrust eco-friendly design closer to the mainstream of architecture and planning.
Energy-efficient affordable housing
THE SAN DIEGO UNION-TRIBUNE. June 2, 2007.
In Solara, Poway has built an environmentally pioneering low-income apartment complex that basically powers itself.
Those involved with developing Solara say they wanted to achieve the important balance of providing solidly built low-cost housing to help their tenants, while at the same time making that housing ecologically friendly.
The Softest Sell
THE LOS ANGELES TIMES. SEPT 25, 2005. By Emily Young
When it comes to designing an earth-friendly house, most people want to do the right thing. But the minute the process requires more time, more labor or more money, the impulse to do good quickly wanes. That's where Global Green USA's Green Building Resource Center comes in. A joint venture of the environmental organization and the city of Santa Monica, the center wants to pave the way to a healthier planet, not with good intentions but by putting sound ideas into action.
Go Vertical, Young Green
LA WEEKLY. April 28, 2008. By Judith Lewis
With each passing hour in the United States, 365 acres of open space — wilderness, countryside, farmland and native habitat — disappear under the foundations of brand-new houses. ...Unlike so many other ecological nightmares these days, however, this one has a solution: apartment life. Where once the nature-lover’s imperative was to carve out a space in the wilderness and get off the grid, many now realize that polluting the air on long commutes and paving over open space so you can live on it is fast becoming unhip: The Natural Resources Defense Council and the Sierra Club now hand out pamphlets and fliers on "smart-growth" and "transit-oriented" housing; New York City is heralded as a haven of greenness.
ECO-FRIENDLY BUILDINGS
NEWSHOUR. APRIL 15, 2005
Jeffrey Kaye of KCET-Los Angeles reports on efforts to build environment-friendly buildings.
JEFFREY KAYE: Think about what harms the environment and the culprits that most likely come to mind are factories, power plants and cars, all belching pollutants. What probably isn't thought of as an environmental menace are America's more than 80 million commercial and residential buildings.
But whether they're soaring skyscrapers or suburban tract homes, buildings have a huge effect on the environment, say scientists, from the consumption of energy and the wasteful use of raw materials to the production of greenhouse gases.
ROB WATSON: Well, I believe that buildings are the worst thing that people do to the environment.
JEFFREY KAYE: Rob Watson is a senior scientist with the environmental group NRDC, The Natural Resources Defense Council.
A natural, inside and out
THE LOS ANGELES TIMES. JAN 6, 2009. By Steven Barrie-Anthony
"Feel my windows," Al Rosen tells you. Feel his windows?
But you do, and the floor-to-ceiling glass enclosing Rosen's den and living room is cool to the touch, despite the blazing weather outside. This is triple-glazed glass filled with argon gas, and it lets in sunlight (which saves electricity and lightbulbs) and insulates against heat in the summer and cold in the winter.
Back to Basics for College Buildings
LOS ANGELES TIMES. MARCH 6, 2002. By Stuart Silverstein
Policy: L.A. district's 'green' construction plan includes windows that open and trees that offer cooling shade.
What will new college buildings look like in the technology-mad early 21st century?
Maybe not as space-agey as you think. As envisioned by the leaders of the Los Angeles Community College District, cutting-edge and environmentally friendly campus architecture will embody about as much old-fashioned practicality as high-tech gadgetry.
WHAT YOU CAN DO TO HELP GREEN YOUR LOCAL SCHOOL
UPDATE THE LIGHTS
Swap out old, inefficient incandescent light bulbs with compact fluorescent light bulbs (CFLs). Compact fluorescent lamps (CFLs) last up to 10 times longer than standard incandescent light bulbs, saving you time buying and replacing bulbs, and an average of $30 or more in energy costs over the life of each bulb. Every CFL can prevent more than 450 pounds of greenhouse gas emissions. Every bit helps to reduce the risks of global climate change. Many local utility companies have free or reduced-cost exchange programs.
PLANT AN ORGANIC EDIBLE GARDEN
Organize school garden projects that engage students, teach about nutrition, and produce some food for their consumption (like they have at the White House). Create a school-wide composting program of cafeteria and food scraps. Composting provides a way not only of reducing the amount of waste that needs to be disposed of, but also of converting it into a product that is useful for gardening, landscaping, or house plants. Through basic and worm composting programs, students can learn about ecology, biology, and waste reduction.
REDUCE, REUSE, RECYCLE
Create a school recycling program. Recycle everything that cannot be reused; and encourage the purchase of items that can be recycled. A successful and meaningful recycling program must involve the whole campus -- there is no teaching tool like the daily, hands-on practice of recycling everything that cannot be reused. By recycling just one glass bottle, you save enough electricity to power a 100-watt bulb for four hours.
