New York released new guidelines to encourage the use of energy-efficient design when building and renovating schools.
The state will pay out more than $1.7 billion in building aid in 2007. Building aid can be used to help fund the construction and renovation of “green” schools. And, depending on the wealth of the district, the state may reimburse up to 98 percent of those costs.
The voluntary guidelines, known as the Collaborative for High Performance Schools (NY-CHPS), were created through a joint effort between the New York State Education Department and the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority. NY-CHPS will help schools develop and maintain learning environments that contribute to improved academic achievement while reducing operating costs and protecting and conserving our natural resources.
“We know that green buildings use less energy, require less material costs, use less natural resources and emit less pollution ? including greenhouse gases,” said Department of Environmental Conservation Commissioner Pete Grannis. “Initiatives such as these encourage schools across the state to move toward green buildings, helping to create smarter, cleaner, healthier communities and a stronger environment.”
Schools built according to the NY-CHPS guidelines are durable, easy to maintain, healthy, energy-efficient and comfortable. These improvements contribute to a better learning environment that has been shown to contribute to reduced absenteeism and better teacher and staff retention.
Some have argued that building energy efficient schools is too costly. But recent studies show that those arguments no longer hold up. The Massachusetts Technology Collaborative, for example, studied 30 high performance schools nationwide and showed that although additional upfront costs ranged between 1.5 percent and 2.5 percent more than conventional schools, these green schools provided significant long-term financial benefits, saving the district many times that amount over the long term. Savings can accrue from reduced energy use, reduced water and sewer use, reduced equipment maintenance and replacement costs, reduced site maintenance, reduced liability costs, and even reduced costs due to lower teacher absenteeism.
The hot topic nowadays around the globe is “scarcity of power”. As a country moves towards the peak of development, so is the demand of power. Reports show that there are many homes using electricity more than that used by a small industry! It is because, in the modern, digital lifestyle, each and every appliance like television, computers etc demands huge amount of electricity. However we live in a modern world and hence the usage of these power hungry appliances are inevitable.
The fact is that every positive improvement in the society will have a negative impact on natural resources. But in case of power, there are many alternate sources available in nature. Solar energy is a very good substitute for conventional power generation. The reason being, solar energy is clean, has no pollution effects and doesn’t use any fossil fuels. The most interesting aspect being solar energy can be generated in home.
How about having your own power station on your roof? It is quite simple and beneficial by using solar power. To start with, solar water heaters can be used in homes instead of old conventional methods, thereby reducing your utility bills and also conserving natural resources like fossil fuels. The solar panels called the photovoltaic cells which can be conveniently placed on the roofs of homes converts sunlight directly into electricity. This electricity obtained by the conversion of sunlight meets all the home’s electricity needs. “Hence it acts as your own power station. “Cool power from hot sun”.
A lot of people have tried the usage of solar power at home and found it beneficial and safe. The hot fact is that more than 10,000 homes in United States completely use solar energy to power up their homes. The ill fact is that enough sunlight falls on the Earth’s surface every hour to meet the globe’s energy demand for an entire year, but the same is not utilized and is wasted.
Still not convinced about the positive effects of solar power in home? By replacing conventional electric water heaters with solar water heaters, one can cut water bills up to 50 percent. And the important fact is, the price of photovoltaic cells, according to the department of energy has fallen by 200 percent in last 30 years. Don’t worry if your solar power unit generates more power than need for you. There are many utility power grids ready to buy the clean power for a higher price.
The bottom-line is, by installing a solar power generating unit in home, the home owner will never have to pay an electricity bill; instead he can become the supplier of clean electricity to the country and “save the Earth from energy crisis”
Everyone is talking about buying “green” or practicing the mantra, “recycle, reuse, and reduce”. Different organizations all over the country started to put all these sayings into practice by creating salvage and surplus building supply centers. Typically, builders order fifteen percent more supplies for their jobs in case some glitch shows up in the building process. Instead of throwing away good lumber, excess flooring, or kitchen cabinets, a builder or homeowner can bring them to their local salvage center. Homeowner can even dispose of their older materials when remodeling. Remember someone’s trash is someone else’s treasurer.
I decided to visit Build It Green!, a salvage and surplus building supply center in Queens, New York (“BIG!”). Since I am always looking for reusable materials for my home, I thought this would be a good road trip. I met with Justin Green, the programming director to survey the salvage center. (It’s just coincidence that the center shares the same name as Justin) Justin told me that BIG! was formed when the Durst organization wanted to environmentally dispose of its excess building materials when they built One Bryant Park and its 125 West 31st Street condo development. New York City disposes of approximately 13,500 tons per day of non-fill and demolition materials. BIG! has been in existence for two year and in that time period, this small 17,500 square foot facility with 2 full and 2 part-time employees and trusty mouse catching Jack Russell terrier have sold an estimated 400 tons of building material. As Justin stated, “It is equivalent to taking 150 automobiles off the road.” Pretty impressive.
At the facility, there were yards of doors, Prego flooring, sinks, Jacuzzis, and enough kitchen cabinets that could fill up a couple of kitchens. In addition, there was recessed lighting, lumber, plywood, MDF, and two stand-up piano needing homes. In addition, BIG! has the most beautiful ornate fireplace mantel with attached mirror for sale for $4000. It is obvious it is worth so much more. When I arrived even more kitchen cabinets were being delivered.
BIG!’s most impressive donation came from a family that bought a 2 family townhouse fully renovated. This family decided to turn the two- family townhouse into a one family home. So, they donated all of the duplicate building materials to BIG!, which included a magnificent German made stainless steel kitchen retailing for $70,000. It is sitting at BIG! still in its original wrapping.
Built it Green sells their products at approximately fifty percent below retail. Their goal is to lessening your carbon footprint on the Earth by reusing something that has already been made. I love a bargain so this store is right up my alley.
I asked Justin what were his favorite materials that he received and he told me it was the lumber. He believes that reusing materials that have already been manufactured is the ultimate “green” since no additional resources have to be expended (such as cutting down trees) to create this material.
BIG!, like every not for profit, has its own wish list. They could use a truck instead of renting one, more full-time staff, and a larger facility so they can take more materials. If you can help in anyway whether to donate or buy, it is one more step towards conserving the Earth’s natural resources and reducing the impact on our landfills.
BIG! is just the tip of the iceberg. All over the country there are salvage and surplus building supply centers just like BIG! Each center is unique in its size and what it has to offer. Construction Junction, a 65,000 square foot center in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania offers a multitude of building materials and salvage items. Their website contains a catchy slogan, “You can reuse, we can help” reminding you of Home Depot’s saying with a recycling twist to it. They provide deconstruction services, offer an old window restoration seminar, and give free building materials away to not for profit organizations including women’s shelters and senior homes. In addition, they provide low income families discounts to buy their building materials.
If you need building supplies, searching for that treasure you have always wanted, or just need a place to donate your unwanted building supplies or materials, contact your local salvage center. Either way, help do your part to “recycle, reuse, and reduce.” Remember, we only have one Earth.