Willis Tower: 5-Year Green Renovation

Often when we hear “local” we think of small or neighborhood-scale efforts, but there are some large-scale changes going on in downtown Chicago that are pretty incredible. Announced last spring, the Willis [Sears] Tower commenced a 5-year green renovation plan (“Willis” Tower should actually be noted because it is the Willis Group Holdings, Ltd that commenced the green renovation).

Credit to WillisTower.com

Solar panels, wind turbines, and rooftop gardens will be added in addition to updates for every elevator and escalator, reducing their current energy usage by 40%.  Each window will be replaced with thermal prevention windows for better insulation and a new lighting system will sense natural lighting and change artificial lights accordingly.

This $350 million renovation will reduced the structure’s energy consumption by 80% and water usage by 40%, i.e. 24 million gallons of water and 150,000 barrels of oil annually. These changes are estimated to create 3,600 jobs.

It would be nice if there was an update page for the progress but until then we’ll just continue to look at pretty pictures.

Credit to Pondstone Communications Blog

Practical and Ready-to-Use Green Technology

Stuff like wearable, data-logging and other nanotechnology clothing or solar celled balloons seem cool and savvy but are hard to support because of their impracticality (so far) and lack of popularity (again, so far), both qualities which make them hard to find to buy in the first place.  Recently, though, Apartment Therapy Marketplace offers up 10 sources for Green Tech which actually seem practical and if not yet popular, at least easy to find and buy.

10 Sources for Green Tech [below is taken from this Apartment Therapy Marketplace post]

Tech is an area where sustainability remains the exception rather than the rule, but a few companies are working to provide green options for consumers. From air filters to energy-efficient computers to solar-powered chargers, here’s our list of good sources for green tech.

Indoor Air and Water Quality

• Allergy Buyer’s Club: This online store sells a big range of high-efficiency air purifiers, as well as vacuums, allergen-proof bedding, dehumidifiers, humidifiers, and other home health products like full-spectrum lights and water filters.

• Gaiam: This online and catalog retailer is a comprehensive source for “wellness” products: air purifiers, water filters, energy-efficient climate control devices, etc. They carry a range of HEPA air filters, as well as humidifiers, heaters, and fans.

Energy Savers

• iGo: Based out of Scottsdale, AZ, online store iGo sells travel chargers and energy-saving devices that plug into an outlet and automatically power down your electronics when they’re not in use.

• Green Depot: Like HomeDepot, but greener, these stores are a comprehensive resource for hardware, lighting, power strips, chargers, etc. Their energy monitors and smart power strips can help you conserve the amount of juice you’re using for your electronics.

Solar Powered Chargers and Laptop Bags

• Solio Portable Solar Chargers: These smart chargers contain tiny solar cells that convert sunlight into power for your iPhone, BlackBerry, or any of the 3200-plus devices that Solio says their chargers are compatible with.

• The Ultimate Green Store: This store bills itself as a “one stop green shopping destination,” and they have a whole solar section with laptop bags and chargers, as well as a good office supply department with green furniture, recycled paper, and recycling bins.

Recycled and Energy-Efficient Computers

• Verdant Computing: They clearly list the green criteria for each product on their site. For instance, Lenovo’s ThinkVision L1700P monitor is EPEAT Gold and GREENGUARD certified, ENERGY STAR 4.1 compliant, and made from 30 percent post-consumer recycled plastic content.

• RePC: RePC (Recycled Computers and Peripherals) has two locations in the Seattle area and online. They’re a progressive example of a store that revamps, reuses and recycles old gadgets.

Energy-Saving Lighting

• Lampa: Based in Aquebogue, New York, Lampa’s lighting is compatible with compact fluorescent bulbs and they have a product take-back policy for recycling fixtures. Many of their drum shades and lamp bases are crafted from FSC-certified woods and veneers.

• 1000Bulbs.com: This online store sell a wide range of dimmable CFLs, LEDs, and rope lights. They also list color temperature and lumen output for each of their bulbs, so you can get a good idea of how much light the bulb will put off, and how warm or cool it will be.

Photo: Solio Portable Charger by Flickr member cogdogblog used under Creative Commons license

LEED and Passive Houses around Chicago

It may seem far-fetched for us renters to consider life that doesn’t include some serious winter bills from People’s Gas but there quite a bit of good architecture that is based around LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design), an internationally recognized green building certificate system.

The LEED for Homes Illinois website, run by the Alliance for Environmental Sustainability, outlines the many benefits, financially and environmentally, of living in a LEED-certified home. These benefits seemed slightly vague in the explanatory video, dedicated to describing how LEED homes maintain energy efficiency, water efficiency, high indoor air-quality, etc. through:

• Integrated design
• Durability strategies, avoid common costly repairs
• Location + linkages [public transit instead of car etc.] / urban setting
• Keeping away from parkland/wetland/ endangered species
• Sustainable site promotes native landscaping, reduce impact of home
• Water efficiency, high efficiency toilets, washer machines, etc. / use of rain water etc.
• Energy and atmosphere, use of renewable energy , more comfortable lower utility bills, reduce green house gas output
• Materials and resources low or zero VOC paint less chemicals in air, recycling as much as possible
• Proper venting
• Awareness and education, home owner’s manual or maintenance, operation of home

All of these things sound well and good but what it was the project page and links that best conveyed the message of LEED home benefits. Take the Yannell Residence for example, with 88% expected energy savings and 88% construction waste diverted from landfill.

Credit to LEED for Homes Illinois

The “butterfly” roof not only hides the 48 solar thermal and solar PV panels but also collects rainwater and it is a net-zero house, which means the home produces at least as much energy as it uses over a year. Much of the house was constructed with recyclables (ex. pressed wheat and recycled plastic fencing) and fully utilizes its southern access through its design. At 4,200 square feet, this is a one of the larger posted on the site.

This blog covers a more urban –based LEED house located in Logan Square.

Credit to GreenLogan.blogspot.com

Passive Houses seem have to have taken the backburner in popularity but just by hopping around local home development progress blogs it seems as though Passive Houses are relevant and possibly growing in popularity.  This blog outlines the building of a furnace-free house in Oak Park.

Credit to Four Thick Walls blog

This is the embodiment of the passive house, originally practiced in Germany but quite popular all over Europe now. The house will survive the Midwest winters through intensely tight thermal envelope created by modern materials and rigorous design standards. Warmth is generated and maintained from appliances, lights, electrical devices, body heat, and sunlight. Architect Tom Bassett-Dilley provides a Passive house prototype on his personal blog, while also helping build the above discussed passive house and other energy efficient homes that can be found on his site.

The differences between LEED and Passive Houses are explained in detail here by Monique Lee Hawthorne, LEED accredited professional.  Basically where LEED houses are certified and then gain points for any extra green features, Passive Houses are or just aren’t Passive. Passive houses “green” features aren’t as obvious or flashy as LEED houses but ultimately As Hawthorne articulates, Passive houses are climate and location specific and primarily focused on energy efficiency which can be well-demonstrated with a $5 electricity bill for January…

“LEED buildings are found to use 25-30 percent less energy than non-LEED buildings. Passive House buildings can slash the heating energy consumption of buildings by up to 90 percent, and overall energy consumption by 60 to 70 percent.

LEED does not require any minimum air changes per hour, even though building leakage contributes greatly to energy loss. Passive House requires less than or equal to 0.6 ACH at 50 Pascal pressure, which is 10 times tighter than Energy Star.

All in all, the Passive House standard takes a big bite from a building’s impact on the environment.
LEED and Passive House do not preclude each other-a building can obtain LEED certification and also meet the Passive House standard. Some have said LEED is ahead simply because it has been around longer.”

Building a Green Garden Office

Not too sure how many people living in the various urban neighborhoods and surburbs of Chicago actually have the option of building a green garden office, i.e. would’ve-been-shed, but it still seems dream-worthy [and blog-worthy]. Let’s think of it as inspiration for us lessluckies and useful information for those actually building, renovating that bungalow, or inheriting plots of empty land. Treehugger reviews tips from Lynn Fotheringham (British garden office builder InsideOutBuildings) in Shedworking. Lynn offers 7 suggestions, many of which revolve around buying locally.

1. PVC windows may save energy but the manufacturing of UPVC utilizes immense amounts of energy. Instead try buying from a local joinery and check for the wood coming from renewable forests.

2. Wood cladding and flooring is often assumed to be eco-friendly and simplistic, but many cladding and flooring products are pressure treated and imported, both processes which unnecessarily exalt energy. Again Lynn suggests buying locally, from well-managed [local] forests, untreated wood.

3. Using lots of insulation is always better, with a minimum of 4inches preferably. Sheepswool or Rockwool from firms with good environmental policy in their factories are always good options but it is always important to check the manufacturing process before choosing your insulation material. Also, Lloyd Alter from Treehugger reviews in more depth here .

4. Green and living roofs are obviously eco-friendly but at least 24 inches of soil is needed to have a practical level of insulation for intensive living roofs. Such insulation is reduced when the soil is dry, and in the warmer seasons irrigation and weeding is necessary. Many different layers of plastic for waterproofing and containing the soil are also needed. As explained by Johncoupe in a comment of the article there is another type of living roofs called extensive green roof, where only about 4 inches are necessary where “plants such as sedum, semper-vivum and other succulent, drought resistant plants. These types of plants are used to harsh dry and exposed habitats and so thrive in a thin layer of growing medium. There is no problem with irrigation as the plants are drought resistant and the habitat is too harsh for common weeds to establish. The roof members do need to be a bit stronger than normal to cope with the extra load and an extra root barrier and filter membrane are required. The roof does not provide the same insulation as the sheeps wool or rockwool but does go some way to reducing cooling requirements in summer and heating in winter even if it is only by adding a bit of thermal mass. The wildlife benefits are that you would have a new habitat in the garden and sedum in particular is very effective at attracting butterflies and bees. The roof garden in effect replaces the area taken up by the shed. On a large scale green roofs also have the benefit of reducing urban runoff and the load imposed by sudden thunder storms on the drainage systems, but that really applies to developments a lot larger than the average shed! See more at www.livingroofs.org
I would recommend the extensive green roof to shed builders.” Thanks John!

5. Wind Turbines- unless you are already living in a rural area with strong winds, wind turbines are relatively pointless and would be wasteful (and costly). Try sticking with low energy light bulbs that don’t lave equipment on standby and help insulate your home.

6. Recyclable materials are great but if they are going to fall apart on you in a few years they are also, like solo wind turbines, pointless. Build for life, not short-term, but it is always worthwhile to reuse and repurpose other things that might be used IN your well-built structure.

7. For paints and wood stains try to avoid Solvents and white spirit, turpentine, terpenes, ethereal oils, and acrylics. Good ingredients are water, binders, non-toxic pigments, mineral fillers, and waxes.

LEED Ginger Bread Home

(Click to see bigger version) GingerBread House, originally uploaded by jon.peck.

We found this picture on Flickr and thought it was quite fitting for the holidays. This ginger bread house features some green home features. You can see to the upper left the electric solar panels and green roof. As you travel to the outside of the home you will see the LEED plaque on the on the exterior wall. On the right you will see the residential wind turbines powering the building. Of course the project has a carpool lane and parking for electric cars. You can view the orginal photo on Flickr.

The building sports eco-friendly features galore: high-efficiency plumbing fixtures, solar panels, a wind turbine, a “carbon negative” annual energy profile and a yard filled with native and endangered plants … and more.

And the best part: It’s entirely edible. In fact, surplus building materials doubled as snacks for the architects. Via Cornell.

Via Prefab