5 ways to increase area of Manhattan without tearing down old buildings

The Bigger Apple is a wonderful discussion of ways to increase the size of Manhattan Island. The author, the former chief executive of the Battery Park City Authority, gets into details of how to develop these areas.

Very clever and something we could do in every city, even in our suburbs.

Q&A with Eric Corey Freed in the New York Times

I was interviewed in the New York Times to discuss my top things everyone should do to green their home. Rather than talk about adding solar panels, I thought it best to choose things everyone (including renters) can do to save money and our environment at the same time.

Five Beginners’ Steps to a Greener Home:
FULL STORY HERE

www.nytimes.com/2009/03/12/garden/12greenhome.html

Interview on 75 Green Businesses

I was interviewed by Glenn Croston and his 75 Green Businesses blog.

I also got to write a testimonial for the cover. It's a great book. Be sure to check it out.

New study shows Green Building doesn't cost more.

The following is from blog.inhabitconsulting.com/2008/12/new-study-exposes-green-building-costs.html

New Study Exposes Green Building Costs & Benefits

Recently a study was published by
Good Energies
a global energy efficiency and renewable energy investment company, that analyzed nearly 150 green-built buildings in 10 different countries to try to get a handle on the truth about the additional costs and benefits of building green. There were some surprising conclusions.

Among them:

On average, the "public" perceives the additional costs to build green at about 17%.
In reality, the median additional costs for building green proved to be less than 2%.
Over half of the buildings studied had a green building payback period of less than five years from energy and water savings alone (a five year payback is a 20% return on investment.)
Up front infrastructure development costs in "conservation developments" can be reduced by 25%, or approximately $10,000 per home.

NYT: The Greener Side of Recession

In the New York Times is this item as to whether the environment suffers during hard ecomonic times.

An excerpt:

The environment is actually hurt in hard economic times. Companies will reduce their investments into research and development and green programs...

The Greener Side of Recession

NYT: Carbon Offsets

This story on carbon offsets is a great intro into understanding something I find myseterious.

Corporations spent more than $54 million last year on carbon credits toward tree planting, wind farms, solar plants and other projects to balance the emissions created by their work.

But where exactly is that money going?

F.T.C. Asks if Carbon-Offset Money Is Well Spent

The true costs of green building

From our friends at TriplePundit comes this story about the true costs of green building.

Cost the biggest misconception have about green building, and the one I seem to be fighting to change in peoples minds the most. I have said for years now there is no discernable difference in cost. In fact, we only encounter three items with any cost increase:
* solar panels: but have a 5-10 year payback.
* FSC Certified Wood costs 20% more than the bad wood, and with no return on its investment (other than being the right thing to do.
* Graywater systems: water is still so subsidized that the return on investment is LONG, but that will change as the future wars on water begin.

from Triple Pundit:
Well, according to WBSBD those tangible, financial costs may be over-stated by as much as 300%! That should be more than enough to get most construction projects thinking a little harder about engaging in at least some basic green practices.

The full report is available here. The bottom line suggest that the 17% premium originally suggested for "green" projects is really more like 5%.

April column at GreenBuildings.com

My latest column is online at GreenerBuildings.

Q: If I want to get involved in Green Building, where is a good place to start? What business opportunities are there? Where can I do the most good?

A: I cannot tell you how many versions of this question I receive. The popularity of the question indicates a growing desire by people to get involved in something larger than themselves. It is also a sign of real changes being made...

Read the full article here

I get to mention the great work of some friends: Energy Innovations, Sustainable Capital, Valencia Green Financial, Green Key Real Estate and New Resource Bank, among others.

COST BARRIERS: Rent your own solar panels

In our projects, there are now only three items where cost is still a barrier to greening the building:

1. Specifying FSC Certified Wood.
This important Certification (demonstrating wood to be sustainably harvested, still adds a 20% upcharge to the cost of your wood framing. This is a tough sell to most clients, but we try to do it anyway. TIP: save money in one area, say removing the need for air conditioning, and divert that money towards the purchase of FSC Certified Wood instead.

2. Carbon Neutrality.
Innovative Carbon Trading programs now exist for both your car and your home, such as the TerraPass and DriveNeutral. While these are great ways to make yourself Carbon Neutral, they represent a small, but additional, cost that is a tough sell for many.

AND 3. Solar Panels.
While everyone seems to understand the obvious benefits and uses of Solar Panels, the cost can often be prohibitive. Even with the great State Incentives that exist for solar, and an average payback of 5-7 years, the $20,000 average up front cost is too much.

But now, a rental program called REnU is removing this barrier to entry. Delaware-based Citizenre, a renewable energy development group, will rent solar panels to US residents on a per-kilowatt basis on a one, five, or twenty-five year contract. With a tiny $500 deposit, paid back at the end of the contract WITH interest, homeowners can easily and inexpensively make the switch from local utilities to solar power. What’s more, Citizenre acquires all necessary permits for residential installation, making the process simple. I have not tried it yet, but I have already begun the process.