Rik Adamski and Debby Stein DIY/Tactical Urbanism

DIY Urbanism is a movement or concept that is a deliberate phased approach at instigated change. Basically you can have a one man group or a group of 30 people who use tactics that can be viewed as drastic, disruptive and dangerous by some and by others can be viewed as revolutionary, visionary and thought provoking.   In any case it brings focus and attention to the relationships we as people have with our communities or the lack there of.  This movement is a reaction to the slow pace of bureaucracy and cut backs/prioritization of government funds when it come to the improvements of our neighborhoods and communities.

                        

The movement is basically made of people who are trying to connect people to the city showing that it can be a beautiful place to live and enjoy if we reconnect with it again. Projects can range from small neighbor hood beautification projects like Guerrilla gardening, intersection repair and depaving– a Portland-born volunteer project to improve storm water treatment by removing unneeded driveways and concrete ground cover.  To larger more elaborated and planed projects like pavement-to-parks and street yoga.  One of the most popular projects using tactical urbansism was done to an area that you might be very familiar with.  Time Square's outdoor sitting arrangement is a project that was officially adopted by the city of New York.  I myself have spent several minutes just sitting on Broadway Ave taking in the sounds, smells and sights of the Big Apple on a trip to New York city last summer.

As Generation X start to replace some of the older officials in both government and big business I believe that we will start to see more drastic changes in policy and corporate behaviors.  A great example of that change is reflected in the event that happened on November  8, 2008.  Some of Americas finer moments in history have come from civil arrest: The Revolutionary War,  The Civil War, Civil and Women's Rights. Change often comes from upsetting the balance of things.  I think the movement is doing a great job to plant seeds of a better way of life.


If you want to find out more about Tactical Urbanism there book called Tactical Urbanism 2:Short Term Action Long, Term Change


Trinity River Vision

Trinity River Vision Authority is the agency that is set to over see the development of 88 miles of the Trinity River.  Goal is to  strengthen the bond between Fort Worth and the Trinity River which flows through it.  The major focus point is going to be the area called Trinity Uptown.  The thinking of this is to bring a large variety of mixed use building that will have waterways and narrow streets that will channel throughout the new development.  The narrow streets, winding waterways and close proximity of retail to residential units should promote a more pedestrian friendly environment were people are walking, cycling or taking paddle boats or other forms of low emission transportation.

Re-use and reconditioned
The development will re-use some existing items such as the flood water retention pond which is now the home of the new Cowtown Wakepark.  An area that was once a landfill will be modified to accommodation a new sports complex.  As well as building an outdoor amphitheater and fishing lake will be built once a decommissioned water sewage treatment plant has been completely removed.  In all over 72,000 trees will be planted.  Unfortunately, currently, there isn't any set policies in place to ensure that there are affordable housing options that allow for home ownership.  I'm very excited to see how the finished product will look.


Jerry Bubridge

Jerry works for The Cherokee Nation in the division that constructs federal building primarily for the Office of Home Land Security.  When he is looking for a site for a future building he uses a concept that he has coined as 6666.

The first 6 is for the land.  You have to take into consideration other things other then just whats north, south, east and west. You have to consider once under it - the mineral rights, and what on top -  air rights.

The second is the skin of the building it has a foundation system and it has four walls and a roof.

The third 6 are the rooms.  In this case you have to consider where the switches are.  Where the duct work is located with in the grid

The fourth 6 is covers furniture, fixtures and equipment.  All of these things have 6 sides.  You have to take these things into consideration when accounting for sqft.

So when you are planning you have to seat down with the people who you are buy or building a property for.  So you build according to job function not title.

LAB21 is the green building part for forensic labs.  Correctly there aren't any guidelines within LEED that cover laboratories due to the fact that they have certain environment conditions to preform the jobs such as lighting, future material and air quality.

An alternate to becoming a LEED designation professional is a LEED Green Association designation   This usually sufficient enough for non planners.  A down side to the LEED program is that they don't have enough money to continue to monitor and follow up on the properties after they have been giving a LEED designation. Very often companies don't maintain or running property in accordance to the LEED level that they have received.

He goes on to talking about how efficient Telemarketing is.  First off you can state the obvious there is going to be less carbon being produced do to commuting,  a smaller building can be built or bought which reduces the amount of energy needed to heat, cool and light that space.  The financial benefits can be astounding.

Based off of actual numbers from a project he completed for a company the effects reducing 28 work stations, 1 first line manager station and reducing the executive manager's office by 75 sqft has saved 3000 square feet.

construction cost   160,000
future                    155,000
lease cost               75,000
operating cost         30,000
Total                   $420,000


When asked what improvement are needed to the LEED system he mention that it needs to be cheaper offer some benefits to those who chose to meet certain sustainable levels and make them aware of the financial savings of some of the techniques through Life Cycle Costing.


Laura Blaylock, TRWD Annex Building

Tarrant Region Water District  is a non profit organization that supplies water to over 1.7 million people in North Central Texas. Water conservation is the biggest return on any investment with the Water district.  For ever dollar spent on water conservation in collaboration with Dallas Water District they receive $6 back.  TRWD 2009 was the counties first LEED gold building. Among some of the basic changes is the flooring which is made from a rapidly replenishing resource,cork.  The walls and cabinetry are made of low VOC materials.  HVAC and lights operate on a central control system.  In fact with the overcast we were having made it a little cool and dark because the system was on the weekend programing.  As a part of TRWD water conservation they only water the shrubs, which are heat and drought tolerant by soaker hose.  The grass doesn't receive manual watering and is allowed to go dormant during the summer months.  Many of my neighbors allow their lawns to go dormant during the summer too.  I doubt its due to water conservation though.  I  however, water my lawn about three times a week thanks to a water conversation ad featuring a "lawn whisperer".  This ad is part of a collaborated conservation project with TRWD and the Dallas county water district.  I water three times a week instead of the twice a week suggested, because I have 5 trees on my property and they seemed to have first dibs on any water that hits the lawn.  Previously my lawn would get watered every other day sometimes multiple times a day. I believe this was due to ignorance about lawn care. The commercials educated me about good watering techniques.  The water provided for watering the shrubs is rain water runoff from the 19k sqft roof that collected in 3 2500 gallon cisterns that are placed at different locations around the building..  Only 1 inch of rain is needed to fill TRWD's cisterns.  The exterior light fixtures on the building and in the parking lot are hood and pointed downward. to reduce light pollution.  The solar panels provides 50%-70% of the facilities electrical demand. One interest clash between necessity and conservation is in order to get water out of the reservoirs and to the water treatment plant TRWD uses 5k hp engines to pump the water.

Larry Johnson, Jr & Rashad Alston, Miller Coors 

Today's tours and presentations started out at the Coors plant in Ft Worth, Tx.  We were greeted by Larry Johnson, Jr.the Environmental and Sustainability Coordinator and Rashad Alston the Trade Quality Specialist.  Many companies are starting to create departments that focus on sustainable efforts. I would like to believe that its because they want to do their part in order to keep the plant around another few billion years but when its all said and done I'm sure the underlining reasons is money. Big corporate thinking is "If it doesn't make dollars than it doesn't make sense".  In this case if it saves a dollar and make a dollar than it make sense.  Sustainable protocols and materials can save a company thousands even millions dollars over a period of time.

Coors has started a program called FEWER- fuel energy water efficiency reduction program.  The main goal of the program is to reduce its water use by 6% and energy use by 6%. Because of their efforts Coors can proudly call itself 1 in sustainability, surpassing Pepsi Co and Top 5 in energy and water use among beer breweries. From what I can tell there is a competitive drive not only to be number one in market share but to be number one in sustainability. I find that to be pretty amazing.

The process of making beer requires a lot of water so Miller Coors is involve with local farmers and ranchers who are relatively close to various water sources Miller Coors uses, to focus on soil and water conservation.  I like the idea that here is a major company that is willing to offer resources such as money and technology to assist with responsible farming.

Some of the other sustainable practices they do is all of the hot water is a by product of heat transfer that takes place when they run code water over the heat transfer plats use on the massive kennels.  The CO2 produced during the fermentation process is then used in the shipping and bottling process.  The used mash, boiled barley and hops is sold to local ranchers as feed for their live stock.that is made.  Miller Coors is always working with suppliers to come up with better shipping and storage materials for their products.

What's interesting is Miller Coors has these cooperate happy hours where companies get together share ideas a techniques on sustainable practices and discus challenges they might be facing in trying to be more environmentally responsible.

To wrap up the tour we had a chance to sample some of the different products that we saw them making and shipping.  They offer tours to various groups.  I would recommend going on one If your ever in Ft. Worth.



BRIT

The next stop was to BRIT (Botanical Research Institute of Texas).  This building is a LEED Platinum certified building and it is beautiful   The building is on the site of the old Health and Human Services building.  In fact 98% of the previous building was re-used for the construction of the new building or sold.  It cost a lot more to demolish the building this way but when you believe in something sometimes cost does't matter.  There were three sustainable products I found to be very interesting.   The first was the wood planked walls.  This wood is called Sinker Cypress which are Cypress trees that were lost or sunk while be rafted to sawmills.  Some of these trees are believed to have been cut 100 years ago.  There are other "Sinker" type log product depending on the region that the wood comes from.  The only unfortunate thing is that I'm sure there is a limited supply and once the supply is gone its gone.

                    

The other product is the water-less urinal and dual flush toilets.                                                                    

  

There were several other items that help BRIT obtain is LEED Platinum status such as:

• Natural light throughout 75% of the building
• Rapidly renewable resource material - Wool carpet, Linen wallpaper and Bamboo ceilings
• 6k and 55k rain water cisterns that water the landscape
• Two geothermal fields
• Cylinder shaped photovoltaic tubes mounted on 258 solar panels provide 360 degrees of surface area to produce 16% of the BRIT annual electrical needs.  
• Lower emission vehicle parking
• LED and fluorescent lighting
• Living roof
• Recycled content material used for the insulation
• Low-Flow showers for those BRIT employees that ride their bikes to work.
• Recycled sheetrock for ceiling panels
• Recycled tennis shoes and tires are used in the rubber-based flooring.
• Fresh air system
• Sun shading for the eastern, western and southern facing windows.

Passive lighting, Bamboo ceiling, Sinker Cypress wall

In all BRIT cost $48 million dollars of which $44 million was donate by four organizations and the remaining
$4 million came from donations from the public.




Mark Thompson, Green Ox Energy


Green Ox Energy is renewable energy company based out of Dallas.  They focus more on the electrical aspect of renewable energy.   What they do is operate as a consultant on your behalf to get the best prices on renewable energy products directly from the manufacture. Business has been picking up as environmental concerns among residential owners and businesses continue to grow.  Some of those concerns evolve around the massive amounts of water associated with producing electricity.  Based on the mix of fuels and cooling technologies, the average U.S. household indirectly uses 39,829 gallons of water per month as associated with producing electricity is concerned.  Ouch!!! This is in comparison to the direct use of 7,336 gallons of water by that same household.  Natural gas is a good alternative to electricity however the methods used to extract the gas from the Earth has created several concerns.

This leaves us with the most popular methods of renewable energy to chose from.  Wind, geothermal and solar.  Texas is the leading wind producer of electricity however some of the efficiency of wind is lost during the transmission of the electricity produced and the long distance the electricity has to travel from a west Texas windmill farm to a house hold appliance somewhere in east Texas.  Geothermal is used more for heating and cooling purposes but doesn't create electricity.  Geothermal systems can also become very expensive so depending on your average climate and energy used by your HVAC system geothermal might not be the best solution. This leaves solar energy.

The sun is the most abundant and renewable resource we have on earth.  Harnessing the suns energy is accomplished through the use of photovoltiac panels or cylinders.  A few of the obstacles that you will have with solar energy is some neighborhood HOAs don't allow them,  if you live any anything other then a single family resident then it's probably impossible to set up panels or if your roof or grounds have tall obstructions that will block a majority of the sun exposure.

Benefits:

•  25 year supply of renewable energy
• Environmental Benefits
• Fixed cost
• you can set it and forget it

The common conception about renewable  energy is that it cost a lot of money to set up.  Although this can be the case but with solar products there are alternatives that can either save you money or cover the cost entirely. 

      •Capital Purchase

         ROI considerations

         30% Federal Tax Incentive

         Possible Local/State/TDSP Incentives

         Accelerated Depreciation

     •Solar Lease  No Capital cost

         No System ownership

         Actual savings vary

    •Power Purchase Agreements (PPA’s)

        No Capital cost

        Long Term fixed price

Mark mentioned a few ways to make money in the Solar industry:

• You can own a business that designs, install and offers maintenance agreements then sells the agreement then another company who will then maintain the system.
• Own a distributed energy generational company.  These companies may own multiple roof top systems through buying PPA (power purchasing agreements) make money off the difference between what it cost to operate the systems and how much they can sell energy for.
• Solar REITs (real estate investment trusts).  REITs are a form of financial vehicle that traded like stocks. There not currently available but are being considered. 

With the flexibility, reduction of cost and the over all efficiency, solar is an easy choice when decided to go with green energy alternatives.

December 22, 2012 was a day filled with opportunities to learn more about sustainability and how people, organizations and businesses are getting involved locally.  It is the first day of tours and speakers that I will partake in over the next few weeks.  During this time my goal is to understand how we as individual people and organization impact our neighborhood, city, state, nation and ultimately the world.  Being that sustainability has so many closely related definitions and how people, business and organization interpret what it is to them, that it makes me into a skeptic believer.  However, becoming a new farther for the second time makes me route for the possible.  Just like any other loving parent I want to live my life in a way that my generation can grow and develop in a way that will not jeopardize the ability of my great grandchildren’s grandchildren to do the same.  Which I believe is at the core of any definition or interpretation of sustainability.

Amari Roskelly, Jacobs Engineering

The first speaker of the day was a fellow UTA REAE/Sustainability alumnus Amari Roskelly of Jacobs Engineering.  Amari is the Sustainability Coordinator for the Department of Defense division at Jacobs Engineering.  Jacobs is one of the largest engineering firms in the world and offer services in the areas of scientific and specialty consulting, engineering, construction, operations and maintenance.  Jacob’s has lead the charge with building and upgrading U.S. government buildings to a sustainable quality.   

   

    

                                      
                              

The Army, Navy and Air Force are the branches of the military that they work for the most.  A majority of Jacobs’ oversight in the sustainable aspect of construction projects are associated with hangers, air traffic control towers and barracks.

There are many different facets involved in sustainability such as the basic needs for water, food, shelter, clothing and social interaction. By the very nature of the Jacob’ functionality Jacobs is best suit to tackle the challenges of providing sustainable shelter.  Some of the main areas of focus when planning construction for shelter is energy efficiency, water efficiency, material’s chemical content, connection to others within the building, connection to other shelters in the community through re-adaptive architecture .

The way Jacobs does this is by applying sustainable standards established by a rating system called LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design).  The federal government requires all federal building projects to be at least silver rated according to LEED standards.  LEED is the only rating system the government allows Jacobs to use for its projects.   In an effort to control cost the government will make some of its projects LEED certifiable.  This means that all procedures and standards of LEED have been taken in completing a project however the project is never official submitted for LEED approval which means it can’t be recognized as “LEED certified”.  Either the way I can appreciate the fact the the federal government is trying to lead by example.  

Rating System Categories                                                                     Certification Levels

§Sustainable Sites                                                                       §Certified – 40 to 49

§Water Efficiency                                                                         §Silver – 50 to 59

§Energy and Atmosphere                                                             §Gold – 60 to 79

§Materials and Resources                                                                               §Platinum – 80 to 110

§Indoor Environmental Quality

One of the current projects that Jacobs is working on for the government is a Net Zero project at Fort Carson Army Base.  Net Zero is when a building leaves zero carbon footprints.  This is done by the base producing its own energy, collecting precipitation and reusing grey water as well as re-purposing waste into renewable energy.

Jacobs doesn't just build sustainable projects but are also practicing being a good neighbor to the environment with its facilities and community participation efforts.  Jacobs Engineering is a good example of how major corporations are becoming contributors to the cause.  Located on Jacobs sustainability web page you can see the previous years activities and benchmarks of the sustainability division by accessing the Sustainability reports at http://www.jacobs.com/about.aspx?id=614



Maria Redburn, Bedford Library

Then we took a drive over to the Bedford Public Library were I was amazed at what a small city in the DFW metroplex had the will to do.  Maria is the head librarian at the Bedford Public Library.  In an effort to cut cost in order to keep the library open and get a bigger library for the community Maria took on the daunting task of learning about the green industry and implementing energy saving products into the construction plans for the state of the art library.

Facing a fiscally conservative board, she won the vote 5 to 4 to build the new library with the sustainable products.  Apparently the four that voted against the library weren’t aware of how a building with the right sustainable products and energy efficient controls in place can save more money then it cost to get the products.

Maria struggle with learning the green and construction industry should be a testament to use all on what persistence, dedication and passion can accomplish.  Green products have a reputation of being extremely expensive.  Just like any construction material there are materials that can be very costly, but with the advancements in technology and increase popularity many products have reduced in price or offer less expensive alternatives.  For those with the extra cash or skill sent.  The current federal administration and many electric companies have established many grants t and programs hat can help to absorb a lot or all the cost of certain types energy efficient products and projects.  Marie hired a grant writer which cost several thousand dollars.  However the return on that investment was tremendous in the tone of over $2 million dollars of grant moneys obtain.  

Some of the key highlights with there benefits:

• Converted an old Food Lion grocery store

• Reflective light roof
•  Cheaper then a traditional roof
• Re-Purposed the pebble roof material to help with ground erosion in one of the local parks.
• Solar panels  

824 solar panels that create 251kw of power 

• Geothermal wells on average is 50% more efficient

Drilling for Geothermal well locations with old  Food  Lions building in the background

• Added insulation to ceiling and walls
• LED ballast lighting runs on only 16 amps of energy. Which is equivalent to a hairdryer.
• motion sensors
• Lots of natural light in the young adult section and throughout library to reduce the need for lights.

Although the library has more than doubled in size with 3 times the computers, the new library's energy bills are only $400-$700 more a month. Maria has put on display how these environmentally friendly changes tangibly look by installing station that shows the real time energy consumption of the  library.  What good is a cause if know one knows what you have done.  Hopefully this will inspire others to make changes to the way consume energy. In the first year the library saved  $19k in energy cost.  With  the saving they bought much needed equipment. 

Hidell Associates Architects did a fabulous job with this building.  It shows that you can have a building that can be beautiful and good for the environment at the same time.

                                                                  

                    

Don Ferrier, Ferrier Custome Homes

The third speaker was Don Ferrier.  He specializes in building that are designed to be sustainable.  He presentation hit home(literally) because that what he focusing is on residential housing.  Mr. Ferrier mention that at one point majority of his clientele was be Baby Boomers but he has since started to trend to a younger group around the age of 35-42 .  Many of the houses that are built or remodeled fall on the lower end of the Home Energy Rating System (HERS).  In fact this is achieved without the inclusion of photovoltaic cells (solar panels), wind or hydro power systems.  So adding these things could possibly bring the house's rating down to NetZero.  Ferrier Custom Homes in 2010 became the first to build a LEED Platinum home.


Don provided some info that I found myself talking to my wife about since we will be getting back into the housing market.  Being that most houses aren't built with sustainable energy concepts in mind we will probably end up having to build our home.  A person would be hard press to find a home constructed and designed with true energy efficiency in mind. Outside of double pane windows and an A/C with a minimum Seasonal Energy Efficiency Ratio (SEER) of 12 this would be about the jest of what you would find out there.

From Don's presentation these will be some of the things that I will educate my wife on so that we can make the best decision when look at new housing choices:

• Budget

                     Outside of education this is a leading reason why homes aren't eco friendly

• HERS or LEED rating you want to accomplish 
• Builder with a good energy team and resources
• Building's air/water tightens

                    Primary point of intrusion are the windows and doors

• A/C

                     No less then 14 SEER

• Energy generating source

                     Solar, wind, thermal and Hydro

•  Natural lighting

                    Window placement and shading - have to be mind full of sun's angel during the 

                    different seasons.

Passive lighting

Winter Solstice shadow

                    Solar tubing

• Insulation and internal wall materials

                   Structural insulated paneling (SIP)                                      

                    Spray Foam

                    Advance framing

• Roofing materials
• Landscaping
• Ceiling to roof distance(vaulted ceiling)            

               Typically this is the reason why vaulted ceilings have gotten such a bad wrap. 

               The gap between the ceiling and roof is so small that only a thin piece of foam is used.

I believe that if I to some extent, can apply all of these methods with my next housing venture  I should be able to noticeably increase my energy efficiency and would have made a honest effort at sustainable living.  At least as far as shelter is concerned.  

Allen Smith, Southeast FW Inc.

Southeast  FW Inc. and its Director Allen Smith stopped in to talk about its roll it plays in severing the under developed Southeastern sector of Ft. Worth.  Southeast FW Inc. is a non profit neighborhood and community development group that is a key player in bring which I'm sure will be the largest employer of local residents and only grocer of fresh fruit, vegetables and meats;Wal-Mart.  Phase 1 of the Renaissance Square will be the development area that will house Wal-Mart, Dots, Ross and Rue21 just to name a few of the national retailers who have already signed their leases.  Renaissance Square will be an injection of hope and economic stimulation that I'm sure this area hasn't seen in quite some time.  If ever.

Through sponsors and government grants SEFW Inc has revitalize several homes and has built several others in the Terrell Heights area. 

This program is a great example of how sustainability encompasses societal equities as well.  For most people when sustainability is mentioned the last thing they would think of is social and economical deprivation.  However, this is one of the three key areas that a sustainable planner needs to take into consideration.

Hopefully the representatives that have been voted into position will continue to be steadfast in their efforts in finding additional opportunities to bring positive exposure to the area and also put the sales tax dollars back to work in the communities in the most efficient manner possible.

Andre McEwing, TCC

The final presenter of the day was also a fellow UTA alumni Andre McEwing a Supplier Diversity Manager -Purchasing at Tarrant County College.  He talked to us about connecting what we are learning to the real world and connecting all of the dots in between.  One of my concerns during the process of selecting a masters program was how it align with my career goals?  Would the program selected not only reflect my passions but allow me the opportunity to get a good return on my investment.  Considering my background in the mortgage industry it would seem that my choice to seek a Master of Real Estate would have been an easy choice but it wasn't because my number one concern was would my degree continue to be relevant.   Then when I chose to add the Sustainability option to my degree the uncertainty of something so specialize and for the most part minuscule among coffee table discussions, became an even greater concern. However at the end of the day I chose sustainability not for the money but because I hope I can make a difference.

With the help of cheaper products and free money to assist with purchase of sustainability materials there is a slow increase in sustainable popularity.  Sustainability is starting to show up more in post secondary education, corporate America and Wall Street as well.  In June of this year Tarrant County College will be breaking ground on a $35 million LEED Platinum building where courses in sustainability and other subjects will be taught.  In 2009 there where 26 Green Building and Sustainable Development Investment Funds.  In 2011 there where over 300 holdings on the Dow Jones Sustainability World Index.  Warren Buffet companies have spent almost $5 billion, that's right, that's BILLION, in the last year buying solar companies and projects.  So there has to be something to all of this activity.  I would have to assume that TCC and Mr. Buffett performed due diligence to the utmost their abilities before investing the amount of resources they did.

Topaz solar farm

According to the U.S. Conference of Mayors at least 75% of cities are changing building codes and/or ordinances to encourage green or sustainable buildings.  This is a good sign.  Local government plays a major part in what happens local because the decisions made at this level are felt a little more.

Waste Management

BigBelly Solar compactors and SmartBelly trash bins are trash recepticals that are self-powered by solar energy and software-controled.   The idea of both systems is waste management, carbon monoxide and fuel dependency reduction.  Just like traditional garbage bins BigBelly and SmartBelly can be placed anywhere because they are wire free.  With the use of an A/C adapter they can even be used indoors.  With CLEAN ™ (Collection Logistics Efficiency and Notification) web-based management platform that can be accessed through any computer with Internet connection, the bins can be monitored for servicing and maintenance.

BigBelly Solar is a trash compactor that is ran by solar panels that make up the top of the trash compactor.  The placement of the panels on top of the compactor is two fold.  The first reason the panels are on top is the most obvious, it's the best location to obtain the most solar exposure through out the day.  The second is the eye level panel becomes a reminder to those who pass by bin or use it, that their community is thinking about the environment and practicing green waste management efforts. As waste collects inside a BigBelly solar compactor, an internal sensor determines when the bin is filling and triggers a compaction cycle. The software service also takes the sensor info and communicates with the CLEAN management platform, giving collection personnel real-time data on which bin needs to be emptied.   The compacting feature which allows it to hold 5 times more garbage, makes the BigBelly a fantastic choice for high traffic areas.





The SmartBelly is self-powered by solar energy as well but doesn't have the compactor feature.  It does have  the internal sensor to track and provide real-time info on the fullness status to limit unnecessary collections and to be proactive on overflow issues before they become a problem.  This type of bin would be a good choice for low traffic areas.

I couldn't find any information on if the bins have ability to operate in low light or if they had the capability to store energy.

Some accessories for the big and smartbelly are:

Messaging Panels

Messaging panels are frames to protect and display posters or advertisements on the sides of the BigBelly and SmartBelly components. This could help to offset the cost.

Wraps and Decals

BigBelly and SmartBelly components can be wrapped on all sides just like a bus or automobile.

Animal Resistant Latch 

Help prevent bears and other large scavenging animals from getting into the trash (ADA compliant).  This would be good for parks and recreation facilities.

Stub out plate

For extinguishing cigarettes.

The environmental benefits of the trash compactors almost seem to be a by product of what I would have to believe would be the company's primary goal, reduced operating cost and improved manpower efficiency.   Because the bins can hold 5 times more garbage, this will reduce the amount of trips that have to be made in gas guzzling automobiles. It also reduces the maintenance on these vehicles due to excessive use. With the CLEAN management platform it eliminates unproductive site visits due to half filled trash bins or coming to late and trash is now overflowing onto the ground which requires additional site time to clean up the mess.  The personnel can work on other projects between site visit because they will know when they are needed.  Hopefully this doesn't eliminate jobs but would rather allow government, businesses and educational institutions to use the existing man power more efficiently.

However, it looks like when people are giving the option to recycle their garbage using these devices,they will.  It appear to attract people I believe out of curiosity and appeal.

In Halifax, Novi Scotia they did a case study using four bins that would collect drink containers, paper, organics and garbage and the numbers speak for themselves.   The recycling rates on the boardwalk was at 95 percent for beverage containers and 83 percent for paper but only at 49 percent for organics.

A case study in Philadelphia showed the financial impact that thinking green could have  to the city's bottom line by using the BigBelly and SmartBelly.  The city will realize nearly $13 million
in savings over a 10 year period.

Even here locally in DFW we are getting in on the next big thing in sustainable waste management.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K4EBGr1yaWY

Sustainable Transportation is Electrifying

If you are anything like me you would love to swap out you gas guzzling car and switch it out for an electric car. However it is hard for me to give up style and the level of convenience that gas cars offer by not needing to charge after extensive use.  Over the past couple of years have started to make more appealing electric cars and it appears as if they are in the process of eliminating the need to plug in to charge as well.  This technology wouldn't only be for cars but it will be used in trucks, light rails and buses as well.

Bombardier is an international transportation company that specializes in manufacturing trains, planes and transportation technology. Bombardier's PRIMOVE technology will use a principle of  inductive power transfer eliminating the need for plugs, wires and overhead cables.  Simply stated its power produced by high frequency currents that create a magnetic field that in turn makes voltage. In fact, If you have owned an electric toothbrush or a cell phone that sits on a charging plate than you have used inductive power transfer technology.  Actually this isn't the first attempt at this type of technology in a vehicle but what makes this ground breaking is the way its is being used and the variety of application is what makes it ground breaking.

The concept is best displayed below.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=QffOR_iZso0

The way it would work is the prefabricated and tested modules can easily be integrated into any ground surface and the system can be fitted onto any new or existing rail or road.  It has no moving parts and only a small number of components, all of which are buried underground and hidden under the vehicle. With the way the vehicles are retrofitted there is no need for wires or any contact of any type in order for recharging to take place.  This allows recharging to either take place while the car is in motion passing over inductive segments embedded into the road or track or at rest.  For mass transit vehicles high power charging stops are integrated into the route. Thanks to the intelligent vehicle detection capabilities it makes the charging process fully automated, recharging is driver-friendly and hassle-free, requiring no training for use. This makes charging frequent, quick and seamless. 

As of June 2012, Bombardier will cooperate with the city of Braunschweig and the local operator Braunschweiger Verkehrs-AG to turn a sectionof the bus network into an eco-friendly electric route. The project is funded by the German Federal Ministry of Transport, Building and Urban Development. The programme is scheduled to begin immediately with two buses operating with PRIMOVE technology on a 12 km route.

http://primove.bombardier.com/media/news/show/111/#111-first-primove-bus-project-for-commercial-operation-announced

Water for Life

EnviroTowers is a cooling tower water treatment solution.  It consists of thee main components, Electrostatic Device, Separation Filtration and a microbiological treatment program.  For optimum efficiency a web based water management monitor can be added. 

A cooling tower is a device that extracts and disperses heat waste into the air by cooling a stream of water to a lower temperature.  Hot water passes through tube bundles (heat exchangers)  while cooled treated water passes over the hot tube bundles.  As the water passes over the bundles it begins to evaporate leaving behind concentration of dissolved minerals and other solids.  This same water is then recirculated through the cooling system.

Typical ways a cooling tower is used:  A/C, manufacturing and electic power generation.

                            

A recurring issue with cooling tower is scaling and biofilm.  Scaling occurs when the minerals and solids begin to attach to the insides of the heat exchangers and biofilm is basically algae (slime) and it attaches to the heat exchanger as well which can cause corrosion. . Traditionally a lot of chemicals have been used to combat these issues. Once the waters levels of Calcium carbonate become to high the waste water (blow down) is then dumped. 

                                    



HOW IT WORKS

	Electrostatic Device – Patented Technology that pre-emptively precipitates solids and acts to prevent scale in equipment surfaces and control potential corrosion. 4
	Separation/Filtration – Captures and discharges precipitated solids created by the electrostatic device, keeping the water as clean as possible.4
	Microbiological Treatment Program – Supplementary treatment program to control microbiological activity and corrosion in the system.4

technical breakdown of how it works http://www.evandtec.com/images/stories/pdf/envirotower%20whitepaper%20usa%20rev%20jan2011.pdf


ENVIRONMENTAL BENEFITS

Less toxic chemicals to treat the water - As part of the microbiological treatment Iodine and Bromine is added to the water system at less than 1ppm.  This is also good for when waste water is blown down.

Less Water consumption - Less water should be used due to the reduced need to replace blow down water.

Reduced waste water - Because of the of the large amounts of scale has been filtered the number of cycle should go increase resulting in less blown down.

CASE STUDY

 fresh & easy Neighborhood Market  - On average fresh & easy stores use 30% less energy than a typical supermarket.  However the company's refrigeration systems were using roughly 1,561,000 a year.

Implementation of the EnviroTowers solution resulted in cost savings in four areas: water, energy, chemical and maintenance for a total of $100,000 USD annual operational savings and <2 years payback.

12% water savings was achieved through higher “operating cycles of concentration” (4.9 pre-installation to 9.1 on average).  Less blow down.
10% decrease in energy consumption by keeping heat exchange surfaces free from scale and improving heat transfer efficiency
90% reduction in chemical expenditures
87% Reduction in system cleaning and descaling costs

They fresh & easy liked the results so much that they retrofitted all 131 of there stores resulting in an average usage of less than 741,000 gallons per year per store.  fresh and easy expects to reduce water use by 107,420,00!