Green Arch Design

  

“Could a microbe from hell help slow the pace of global warming? In the simmering, corrosive muds of Hell’s Gate hot springs of Rotorua, New Zealand, researchers have discovered bacteria that devour methane, a greenhouse gas that environmentalists consider 20 times more harmful that carbon dioxide.

GNS Science, a research organization owned by the New Zealand government, says the tough new bug is the first methane-loving bacterium found to flourish in conditions as hot as 158F, with a chemical ambience similar to stomach acid. This makes it potentially easier to adapt to other hostile environments such as landfills, which leak methane as trash decomposes.

Matthew Stott, a GNS microbiologist, says the bug could also be adapted for use in other methane-venting sites, such as mines. Publishing in Nature, the researchers dubbed their superhardy discovery Methylokorus infernorum, a mix of the Latinized names for methane and the infernal place the bug was found”.

—By Adam Aston

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Methane-eating bacteria could halt warming

New methane-munching bacteria discovered

“Can fixing energy-wasting buildings stave off global instability? Former president Bill Clinton thinks so. In the biggest project his foundation has taken on since securing a supply of cheap generic AIDS drugs for third world countries, Clinton has brokered a $5 billion effort to finance the retrofit of old buildings in 16 cities around the world.

The project, which Clinton announced at a climate conference in Manhattan yesterday, creates a financing and labor pool to replace energy-hogging light fixtures, as well as install better building insulation and more efficient HVAC systems”. – Excerpt from businessweek.com

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Former president Bill Clinton going green 

“The U.S. population has the largest per capita environ-mental imprint in the world, with greater impact on many of the planet’s resources and ecosystems than any other nation on earth. 

With just 5% of the world’s people, we’re responsible for 25% of global CO2 emissions.

Starting here at home, we need to make environmental sustainability a national priority…” - Excerpt from Businessweek.com.

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Footprint

“Critics might argue that many things about the United Nations need rethinking, and that perhaps renovating its headquarters doesn’t have to be top priority. Nonetheless, the Capital Master Plan, a proposal to renovate the international organization’s monolithic Manhattan home that was first introduced in 1996, is now finally moving ahead.

The original headquarters—designed by French architect Charles Le Corbusier, along with a panel of multinational architects including Wallace Harrison of the U.S. and Howard Robertson of Britain—opened in 1952. Built for $65 million, the 39-story building now swarms with the delegates from member states and the 4,000 administrative staffers who work within the iconic Secretariat building.

All of the buildings are active year-round, and while a temporary building will be built to house the General Assembly, ripping down the main Secretariat was never, according to officials, an option”. – Excerpt from businessweek.com 

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U.N.

“Small companies are donating a protion of their sales to environmental groups through 1% For the Planet

Jeff Goldberg was looking for a way to tie his passion for the environment more closely to his work. After spending four years in San Diego’s biotech industry, the avid surfer and outdoorsman found an answer: bamboo. It’s the fastest-growing plant in the world, good for building, and grows naturally without requiring extra water, energy, or fertilizer. Even better, from a business perspective, the market for building with bamboo was almost nonexistent in the U.S., he says, so there was lots of opportunity. And so Cali Bamboo was born to market the plant as a sustainable resource”.  – Excerpt from Businessweek.com.

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Giving

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Cali Bamboo  

             

Make that a Big Mac, fries, and a quart of motor oil, please. If executives at McDonald’s (MCD) and China Petroleum & Chemical Corp. (SNP), better known as Sinopec, get their way, mainland consumers may be able to fill up their cars and their stomachs in the years ahead thanks to a long-term alliance clinched last year to combine fast-food outlets with gas stations.

In mid-January, McDonald’s opened up its first drive-through restaurant at a site owned by Sinopec outside of Beijing as part of the tieup the world’s biggest restaurant operator hopes will power its expansion in China. McDonald’s already has about 785 outlets up and running in China, and plans to have 1,000 restaurants selling its fabled brand of American food by the 2008 Beijing Olympics.  – Excerpt from businessweek.com.

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Asian McDonald’s

5. Upgrade windows

No, we’re not talking about ditching XP for Vista. The cost savings for energy-efficient windows aren’t quite as dramatic as some of the other suggestions here, but Johnston says they will have the most marked affect on residents’ quality of life. Of these, the best improvement are so called low-e coatings, transparent layers of metallic oxides applied to window panes that help maintain the desired room temperature. Available in varieties for different climates, depending on if someone wants to keep the heat in or out, Johnston says they are a “noticeable change aesthetically and in your daily experience of being in your house.”

According to the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy, there are additional ways to improve windows. Panes with multiple glazing insulate markedly better than those with only individual layers. Likewise, having two panes of glass works better than one. And even some folks savvy enough to have two panes of glass won’t know that a wider pocket of air between them is the next smart step.

As with every aspect of remodeling, when looking to improve a house’s green credibility an owner can go as far as their heart and wallet can take them. But the odds are that some low-key, low-cost additions can have a beneficial effect on your bills. – Excerpt from businessweek.com

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Windows

4. Watch your water

Homeowners who go through all the trouble of sealing their ducts won’t want to waste water either. And the energy expended in keeping water hot also drains the pocketbook. Anyone can take shorter showers or run the dishwasher less often, but there are also devices that can help. For one thing, inexpensive flow reducers can reduce a faucet or shower head’s output without sacrificing water pressure.

Less known is a device called the Metlund Hot Water D’MAND System put out by Costa Mesa (Calif.)-based Advanced Conservation Technology. The device recirculates water from the hot water pipes to ensure that bathers are never running the faucet waiting for hot water. As with so many tricks in the green arena, the savings are gradual but, Johnston says, real.

Dual flush toilets could also become more common. Available from several manufacturers, they allow users to decide flush intensity depending on their needs. Even with the amount of water expended per flush shrinking in normal toilets, Smith says families will quickly recoup their money with one of these commodes. – Excerpt from businessweek.com

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Watch Your Water

Do a blow test

Knowing how air flows through a space—and where it gets out—is crucial to making sure the least amount of energy is used to heat or cool your home. But how can a homeowner determine that? Air, after all, is invisible and rarely gusts indoors. Nor is insulation a cure-all. Randy Hansell of Portland (Ore.) nonprofit Earth Advantage says: “insulation is good but if air goes through insulation than it’s only a big filter.” One way to gain an understanding of this tricky problem is through a blower door test.

To perform the test, someone mounts a strong fan called a blower door on a frame of an exterior door. When the fan gets turned on it sucks air through the house. When the house is windy, one can walk around with a smoke pencil, a small device that shoots out bursts of visible gas, and by watching where they fly the tester can find elusive holes. The process should cost a couple hundred bucks and once the holes get patched up, could pay for itself. – Excerpt from businessweek.com.

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Blow Test

2. Mind the gaps

David Johnston, a “recovering contractor” and author of Green Remodeling: Changing the World One Room at a Time, says the key to an energy-efficient home is controlling the holes where air and moisture can escape. “There are lots of places where a little caulk and weather-stripping goes a long way,” he says. Additionally, homeowners should check the attic, especially areas near vents and chimneys where heat escapes.

Once the leaks are found, Johnston recommends using blown-in cellulose insulation, often made from recycled newspapers and a fire retardant, instead of the fiberglass variety. In the attic, it’s possible to create an “insulated top hat” for the house. Drew Smith, president of green-building consultancy Two Trails, says that adding insulation to a home’s ductwork is another way to ensure the hot air you’re paying for doesn’t escape.  – Excerpt from businessweek.com.

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Mind the Gaps

Follow the EnergyStar

A joint program of the Environmental Protection Agency and the Energy Dept., EnergyStar is probably the easiest way to pick out energy-saving appliances. According to the program, a family using approved appliances can save up to a third on its energy bill—complemented by a similar reduction in greenhouse gas emissions.

Since the EPA began the program in 1992 with products that included computers and monitors it has expanded to consumer goods ranging from lights to refrigerators. The program aims to endorse products that have equivalent performance to their more wasteful counterparts. EnergyStar-approved products aren’t a bad idea for businesses either. – Excerpt from businessweek.com

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Follow The EnergyStar

“In February, Dole Food began labeling its offerings with ‘farm codes’. The stickers send consumers to doleorganic.com, where typing in the three-digit code identifies the plantiation that grew the banana, along with organic certification details… Organic Valley… has offered a similar feature… since 2004. [See] organicvalley.coop/soy” – Excerpts from the March 19, 2007 UpFront section in BusinessWeek.

“Only time will tell if global warming will be minor or catastrophic; if it can be mitigated or will destroy the planet, to use the phrase. But one thing is certain. Companies shouldn’t wait to find out.” – Excerpt from the February 26, 2007 editorial The Welch Way in BusinessWeek.

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The Global Warming Wager

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The Global Warming Wager – Podcast

Re-Print: Jan 25, 2007 Post -

The above Cover Story by BusinessWeek does the best job of explaining Green Arch Design Group, LLC’s view of business. Green buildings are just the beginning of our efforts.

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Beyond the Green Corporation

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Beyond the Green Corporation – Podcast

Pete Engardio of BusinessWeek writes “Imagine a world in which eco-friendly and socially responsible pracitices actually help a company’s bottom line. It’s closer than you think.” - excerpt from the January 29, 2007 article in BusinessWeek.