Storm Water Runoff | The Green Economy Post: Green Careers, Green Business, Sustainability

Green Roofs are Starting To Sprout in American Cities

By Yale Environment 360 on December 12, 2010 3 Comments An American Journey Through a Changing Season, Bruce Stutz, Chasing Spring, Chicago, Chicago Department of Environment, D.C., Eberhardstrasse, eco-roofs, Ed Snodgrass, Emory Knoll Farms, Europe, Green Roof Plants, Green Roof Research Program, green roofs, Green Roofs for Healthy Cities, hermoplastic material, James Farley Post Office, Larry Merritt, Marktstrasse, Michigan State University, Modern Times, Morgan facility, Natural Lives, New York City, Oregon, Portland, storm water runoff, The Green Roof Manual, Tom Liptan, Toronto, Washington, waterproof membrane

Long a proven technology in Europe, green roofs are becoming increasingly common in U.S. cities, with major initiatives in Chicago, Portland, and Washington, D.C. While initially more expensive than standard coverings, green roofs offer some major environmental — and economic — benefits. by Bruce Stutz The low scrubland of densely packed succulents is in full […]

The Green (or Sustainable) Building: Part III – The Importance of Location, Orientation and Landscaping

By Chris de Morsella on May 6, 2009 Comments Off on The Green (or Sustainable) Building: Part III – The Importance of Location, Orientation and Landscaping bicycle friendly, brownfield, construction waste reuse, electric grid, energy efficiency, environmental design, environmental impact, gas utility, green Buildings, green landscaping, greenfield, healthful building, inner city, inner environment, landfill, landscape, local labor, local materials, local regional economy, local sourcing, mass transit, material efficiency, natural lighting, natural materials, natural ventilation, non-toxic materials, pedestrian friendly, rain garden, rain water filtration, recycling, resource-efficient, runoff, sewage utility, storm water runoff, sustainable buildings, swale, transit system, urban environment, Water Efficiency, water pollution, water utility

For new projects where the building site is not already decided, an important green consideration is the selection of a location for the building that fits into the existing urban fabric, especially the existing mass transit network of the city. Prospective sites should also be selected based on how easily they can integrate into the existing electric, gas, water, and sewage utilities. Fitting into a city’s existing infrastructure so that a project has the smallest impact on the existing energy, water, sewage and road systems is the first point at which the green decision making process comes into play. In addition to siting a green building should be oriented and landscaped to make the most of its site ant to integrate into the urban fabric so that it organically fits into it and enhances its surroundings. Orientation and landscaping can have major impacts on a buildings water and energy efficiency as well as on its environmental impact.

Green Buildings the Brick and Mortar of the Green Economy

By Chris de Morsella on March 16, 2009 1 Comment American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, Annual Energy Review 2007 Energy Information Administration, building retrofit, green building, green building certifications, Green Building Rating System, Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design, LEED, LEED rating system, recycled materials, storm water runoff, sustainable building, U.S. Green Building Council, US Department of Energy, US energy consumption

There may never be a better time to begin new building retrofits and investments in energy efficiency than the climate that prevails today. Commercial and residential buildings accounted for 39 percent of the total US energy consumption. Lowering these on-going expenditures can have such an impact on the bottom line for building operators and owners that this may represent one of the safest and most lucrative places to invest in. The green building sector offers many opportunities for retrofitting existing buildings to increase their energy efficiency lower their water usage or storm water runoff and so forth that present a whole slew of skilled labor and small business ideas for enterprising individuals and contractors willing to make the leap as well as largely untapped growth opportunities for larger corporations.