Mayor Proposes Green Building Standards

On the heels of the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments' call for green building standards throughout the region, Annapolis Mayor Ellen Moyer has introduced a bill that would "require all new construction and major renovations of any buildings greater than 10,000 square feet meet green building standards set by the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design, or LEED, rating system."

The bill would require that new homes, and major home renovations meet at least minimal LEED standards as well.

The public hearing on the bill will take place in January 2008. If passed, Annapolis will join Washington, DC and Montgomery County, MD as local jurisdictions requiring some sort of green building standards.

Maryland Gets First "Green" School

Great Seneca Creek Elementary School, in Germantown (Montgomery County), is the first school in Maryland built to meet the US Green Building Council's LEED standards. In fact, in November, the Montgomery County Council passed legislation that would require all new public buildings be built to green standards. Given rising energy costs and increasing concerns about carbon dioxide emissions, it seems entirely appropriate for Anne Arundel County to adopt similar standards.

Democrats in the legislature are trying to earmark 1% of the $400 million spent annually by the State on school construction for grants to "green" projects. Apparently though, some at the State level, like House Minority leader, Del. Anthony O'Donnell don't get the fact that spending an extra 2% at the time of construction will save that value to taxpayers many times over during the lifespan of these buildings.

With a $1.5 billion backlog in school maintenance locally, there are enormous opportunities to save county residents millions of dollars by stipulating that new construction projects utilize the most energy efficient technologies available.

Among the schools "green" features:

A geothermal heat pump.

Extensive passive solar features.

Dual flush, water conserving toilets. Waterless urinals

Wheat board, rather than wood, book shelves.

Fluorescent lighting.

A light reflecting roof.

Building "Green" in Alexandria

The Post covers one Virginia man's question to build a zero-energy home.

Local Green Building Discussion on WAMU

Listen a radio program on local green building initiatives on today's Kojo Nnamdi Show, 88.5 FM, WAMU.

DC Pushes the Environmental Envelope

Here's something for the next Executive and Council and the next Governor and legislature to consider: The DC City Council is on the verge of passing a bill that would require most large construction in the City to meet strict environmental and energy-conservation standards by 2012.

If passed, DC will be the first large city in the country to require private developers to meet the standards, which have been created by the US Green Building Council. The terms of the bill include:

Within two years, all new District-owned projects, including schools, would have to meet the green standards. (The Washington Nationals' Stadium is already being built to the standards).

In 2009, any building receiving more than 20 percent public financing would have to meet the standards.

By 2012, every new commercial building over 50,000 square feet -- about the size of a medium-size retail store -- would have to meet the guidelines. The rules would also apply to affordable housing.

Not surprisingly, some lobbyists for the building industry are fighting for weaker standards, despite the fact that the US Green Building Council's LEED standards are a nationally accepted benchmark for green design.

Kudos to the District, to outgoing Mayor Anthony Williams, and to the Council (All 13 council members voted for the measure in a preliminary vote this week.) I see no reason that Annapolis, Baltimore, the County, or the State should hesitate in following the District's lead.

Annapolis Project Greens Roof

The new Severn Savings Bank headquarters on Westgate Circle will be the first commercial building in the City of Annapolis with a green roof.

The building joins the Annapolis Police Department and a building at Back Creek Nature Park in capturing and treating stormwater where it falls.

Greening Maryland One Roof at a Time

Monday's Post has a profile on Maryland Green Roof legend
Ed Snodgrass.

Cradle to Cradle

Originally, most manufacturing operations didn't give much consideration to the harmful byproducts of the process through which their products were created, much less the fate of their products once they were done their intended life (as a blender, a car, a house, etc.). With rising awareness of the harm caused by unaccounted for costs in the production of these goods came "life cycle accountability", where manufacturers were forced to look at not only the cost of producing goods, but the costs of dealing with them after their usefulness had passed. This "cradle-to-grave" analysis takes into account the cost of disposing of lead and mercury in old television sets or dealing with vinyl siding once it is removed, and theoretically, should move manufacturers to create products which are less impactful on the environment over their entire lifespan.

Now however, spurred on by architects William McDonough and Michael Braungart, the "cradle-to-cradle" movement is gaining traction. The cradle-to-cradle philosophy is described by its authors as one "in which products and services are designed based on patterns found in nature, eliminating the concept of waste entirely and creating an abundance that is healthy and sustaining." Examples would include:

• Buildings that, like trees, are net energy exporters, produce more energy than they consume, accrue and store solar energy, and purify their own waste water and release it slowly in a purer form.
  
• Factory effluent water that is cleaner than the influent.
  
• Products that, when their useful life is over, do not become useless waste, but can be tossed onto the ground to decompose and become food for plants and animals, rebuilding soil; or, alternately, return to industrial cycles to supply high quality raw materials for new products.
  

It's truly a revolutionary, yet decidely common sensical, way of looking at mass production and the way that we interact with the Earth. Recently, in Roanoke, VA, a cradle-to-cradle design competition for innovative home designs was held, and 8 winners were selected. You can read all about their projects here. Perhaps we'll see Koch or Ryan Homes building some of these in Anne Arundel in the next couple of years? Not likely.

Take Out the Paper and the Trash

According to the Baltimore Sun, residents of Anne Arundel County are due for approximately a $110 per year increase in services (i.e., water, sewer, and trash (and recycling)). The increase is required because rates haven't been raised for some time (the trash fees were last raised 9 years ago), which seems reasonable enough. But, perhaps we could use this as an opportunity to reflect on the services that the County provides and how they might be improved.

Some jurisdictions, offer twice weekly recycling, with once a week garbage pick-up to further incentivize residents to recycle . Other areas have a "pay-as-you-throw" garbage system, where those who produce more waste are charged for the additional refuse, encouraging recycling, composting, and generally reducing the amount of material going into the waste stream.

Concerned about your water bill? One easy way to cut down on watering costs during the warmer months is to install rain barrels. Rain barrels help reduce stormwater runoff, and can store up to 55 gallons per barrel for use on your garden, houseplants, or even for washing your car.

Believe it or not, there's even a way to cut down on your sewer costs. Install a composting toilet, like the Chesapeake Bay Foundation has. You'll not only stop flushing potable water down the drain, you'll be dramatically reducing the amount of nitrogen your home is putting into the Bay.

Arresting Runoff

As an article in today's Baltimore Sun mentions, the freshly completed Southern District Police Station incorporates, among its other features a green, living roof. This type of roof most often consists of several inches of soil planted with sedum over a rubber membrane, helps absorb storm water¹, increase energy efficiency², and prolong the life of the subroof³. Several local businesses have added living roofs, including Washington Brick and Terra Cotta, and the City of Annapolis has discussed pursuing living roof projects as well.

Not mentioned in the piece, but also included at the Station are extensive rain garden plantings to help absorb and treat stormwater runoff. The County should be commended for leading the way in taking steps to protect our waterways and the Bay from stormwater runoff, and for using its construction sites as demonstration projects for innovative environmental practices. Let's keep the pressure on them to keep it up.

Bonus: An article on green roofs in Baltimore [pdf]

¹ "a "green" roof can absorb up to 70% of stormwater"
² The green roof system significantly outperformed the reference roof system in spring and summer with regard to energy efficiency.
³ "There are many anticipated pluses to a green roof, .... But if nothing else, it will extend the life of the roof two times."

The New Urbanism

Citizens fighting overdevelopment, poorly conceived development, and environmentally-harmful projects in the Baltimore metropolitan suburbs are often so deeply involved in piecemeal battles against developers or the County government in their own communities that they lack the time or energy to wage battle on fronts outside their immediate vicinity. This can make it difficult not only to build broad coalitions, but also to see the bigger picture of growth and development in the region.

While redevelopment projects in Annapolis begin to gain some traction (e.g., the Johnson Lumber site on West Street) and the Parole redevelopment continues to founder, a truly innovative, and quite courageous effort is taking place in some of Baltimore City's most disadvantaged neighborhoods. Tens of thousands of homes sit vacant in the city, deteriorating, serving as outposts for drug dealers, and blighting the cityscape, yet green space grows more and more scarce in the surrounding counties, and home prices continue to escalate.

Rather than give up on Baltimore, like it seems so many have done, one young man, Adam Meister, and several cohorts have decided to try to reclaim Charm City one block at a time. Spending between $15,000 and $50,000¹ to purchase and renovate formerly vacant homes, these individuals are attempting to re-infuse the city with young (and old) professionals committed to working with neighbors in existing communities to bring Baltimore back to its better days. It's important that we support these projects, both in word, and in deed, and that we make it clear to County government that part of "smart growth" is working with other municipalities in the region to help foster growth where infrastructure and services are already in place.

While we all certainly have our own local initiatives to wage, it's important that we step back from time to time and recognize that one of the most promising ways to halt suburban sprawl lies at the heart of the region. As goes Baltimore, so goes our green space.

¹ The median price of homes in Anne Arundel County was $220,000 in October 2003.