We’ve seen eco-minded laundromats before, but when pickup and delivery are included, the greenness can only go so far. Unless, of course, you’re the Laundry Company of Buenos Aires, which uses pedal power to collect and return its deliveries for free.  Clothes washing and a variety of related services are all available from the Laundry Company, which supports a tree-planting program to keep its business carbon-neutral. All customers are given a reusable fabric bag for their clothes, thus eliminating the disposable plastic coverings that normally get used. The Laundry Company also uses low-temperature machines and detergents designed for minimal environmental impact, resulting in energy savings of 40 percent, it says. Best of all, pickup and delivery—available at no extra charge—are made on foot or by means of the company’s bright red tricycles.

Source: Springwise

From the Green Building Council Australia Fact Sheet

Wangaratta High School in north-eastern Victoria was awarded a 4 Star Green Star – Education PILOT rating in August 2009 for Stage One in its three part redevelopment plan, becoming the first Green Star certified school in Australia. Utilising environmentally sustainable design (ESD) principles, the Taylor Oppenheim/Meinhardt Group project team aimed to reduce the new senior school’s negative impact on the environment, while at the same time, providing students and teachers with a healthier, more productive space.  With US studies revealing green schools foster higher reading retention, better test scores and greater staff retention, it is easy to see why educational facilities around Australia are considering greener alternatives.

Ground heat exchange system

During project consultations, Wangaratta High School and the Victorian Department of Education and Early Childhood Development outlined their vision for the new school to be as energy efficient as possible, reducing the electrical power demand on-site as well as the recurrent energy costs accrued by the school. This brief was realised through the implementation of a ground heat exchange (GHE) system which would service the majority of the facility’s heating and cooling needs.  This geothermal technology uses the earth as both a heat source and a heat sink, circulating water in a series of grid loops under the earth’s surface to cool or warm the building above. The system circulates water through a grid of 42 loops extending 100m below, using heat pumps to push the water through hydronic pipes in the building’s floor slab. Because heat energy naturally flows from areas of higher temperature to those of lower temperature, the GHE heating and cooling system is a highly efficient, renewable energy source that maintains a pleasant temperature range of 20-26°C throughout the year, with little need for supplementary heating or cooling.

Associate for the Building Science & technology Group at Meinhardt, Dr Mirek Piechowski says: “By tapping into the renewable energy stored in the ground, the GeoExchange technology offers the most energy efficient heat transfer mechanism for climate control system.  The other significant feature of the GeoExchange technology is the fact that in the heating mode only up to 25 per cent of the heating energy is derived from fossil fuels, i.e. electricity, while the remaining 75 per cent is renewable energy. In contrast, in traditional gas heating systems 100 per cent of heat is derived from burning gas,” he explains.

A feasibility study conducted by the Meinhardt Group predicted the GHE system would save the school around $35,000 in energy bills, as well as a reduce CO2 emissions by 253 tonnes annually. Combined with other energy efficient measures, this system achieves energy savings of up to 75 per cent, compared to conventional buildings of the same size.

ESD initiatives featured in the project:

Water

* Water efficient fixtures and fittings
* Rainwater collection and reuse for toilet and urinal flushing
* Xeriscape (no applied water) garden
* Vegetated area comprises 30 per cent of the site area for Stage 1
* No evaporative cooling systems used. Heat is rejected via the closed loop geo-exchange system

Energy

* Geo-exchange and radiant cooling system
* Natural ventilation
* Solar passive design
* Extensive thermal insulation and double glazing
* Electrical sub-metering provided
* Centralised energy systems through geo-exchange condenser water loop serving multiple buildings

Land Use & Ecology

* Improvement in ecological value of the site
* No topsoil and fill removal from site

Materials

* Maximum points obtained from the flooring calculator

Transport

* Bicycle facilities provided for staff and students

Emissions

* Zero ozone depletion refrigerants used
* No Legionella concerns as geo-exchange system avoided the use of cooling towers or evaporative heat rejection equipment

Innovation

* Innovation point awarded for geo-exchange system in a school application

Read the full-length fact sheet.

From Danish Cargo Ship Fleet Cuts Fuel Use 30% By Going Half Speed, by Brian Merchant

Until two years ago, the Danish shipping conglomerate Maersk had been sending its cargo ships across the seas at full throttle, vying to get supplies to their destination as fast as possible–and every other shipping company was doing the same. It seemed at the time the most efficient way of doing business. But in order to do so, the company was running its ships at far beyond the maximum fuel efficiency levels. So, two years ago, Maersk decided to slow things down. Now, a trip that used to take 3 weeks instead takes a month. But they’re reaping huge savings in fuel use, costs and greenhouse gas reductions–by as much as 30%.

The New York Times reports:

In a global culture dominated by speed … the company has seized on a sales pitch that may startle some hard-driving corporate customers: Slow is better.  By halving its top cruising speed over the last two years, Maersk cut fuel consumption on major routes by as much as 30 percent, greatly reducing costs. But the company also achieved an equal cut in the ships’ emissions of greenhouse gases.

Which is pretty phenomenal when you think about it–in the midst of a complex global recession and fast-rising oil prices, a solution as simple as easing up on the accelerator was able to help the company drastically cut costs and stay competitive.  According to the Times, Soren Stig Nielsen, Maersk’s director of environmental sustainability, says that slowing down is “a great opportunity to lower emissions ‘without a quantum leap in innovation’,” and he notes in presentations to clients that “Going at full throttle is economically and ecologically questionable.” And he’s right.

Just by slowing down, Maersk is able to lower the prices they charge in the face of rising oil prices – something full speed competitors simply cannot do. And the reduced greenhouse gas emissions make this one of the simplest ways for companies to green their supply chains and lower their overall carbon footprint. In other words, if a company is willing to wait an extra couple days for raw materials or goods, it can both save money and tout a commitment to the environment. Just by waiting.

Read the full article by Brian Merchant on Treehugger

From Floating Offices For Two:

If stand-alone offices can be set up in people’s gardens, then why not at the local marina? That, in fact, is exactly the concept behind WaterSpace, a Welsh company that offers self-contained floating office units designed to fit into a standard marina berth.  The H2Office is a purpose-built floating office that can comfortably accommodate one or two workers. In addition to a sun deck above, the H2Office comes equipped with a work area featuring wood-like flooring and an L-shaped desk and shelving unit across the beam. A carpeted L-shaped “break-out” area includes a pull-out berth for occasional overnight stays, while an included kitchenette features over and under storage cupboards. Optional extras include teak-effect flooring, kitchen appliances and solar panels.  In addition to the possibilities for telecommuting office workers and waterfront retail or professional space, WaterSpace notes that its floating offices could also offer a way for marina operators to create an income-generating floating business park that makes use even of areas with water too shallow for most boating purposes.

]]> http://www.sustainablecitiesnet.com/2010/02/25/floating-office-dispersed-work-environments/feed/ 0 http://www.sustainablecitiesnet.com/2010/02/17/last-minute-market/ http://www.sustainablecitiesnet.com/2010/02/17/last-minute-market/#comments Tue, 16 Feb 2010 21:45:43 +0000 Kate Archdeacon http://www.sustainablecitiesnet.com/?p=2328 Source: Food Climate Research Network

From the Current Interview on the Food Climate Research Network:

Last Minute Market (LMM) is a project where shops and producers who have unsold food which would otherwise be discarded are linked with people and charities who need food. Originating in Bologna, it is active in more than 40 Italian towns, with 2 new projects under development in Argentina and Brazil.  LMM offers services to enterprises and institutions in order to prevent and reduce waste production at its origin. It also develops innovative services for the recovery and reuse of unsold goods. Since the introduction of the Italian anti–waste law in 2008, non-food items can also be recovered.

LMM has 6 different and interrelated areas of activities:

* Food- unsold food which is still edible
* Harvest- vegetables not harvested which would be rejected by retailers due to cosmetic reasons or weather damage
* Seeds- seeds that do not conform with market standards
* Catering- products not served by public and private catering
* Books- unsold books that would otherwise be destroyed
* Pharmacy- unsold pharmaceuticals which can be used to meet the health needs of socially disadvantaged people

LMM helps:

* companies to manage surpluses in innovative ways, which can reduce waste disposal costs and improve the company’s links with the local community
* public institutions and the community benefit from the reduction in the flow of waste to landfill and improve food availability for the sectors of society that need it
* the third sector reduce operating costs and release resources for other projects

Project history

Last Minute Market Ltd. (LMM) is a spin-off from the University of Bologna and it evolved from a research project initiated by Professor Andrea Segrè – now Dean of the Faculty of Agriculture. The idea for setting up such a project resulted from analyses of the problem of food availability (food security) and its distribution. It has been running since 1998.

Project purpose

In recent years, despite a thriving economy (until recently) and reports of welfare reform success, a growing number of people in developed countries have sought emergency food assistance because households did not have access to enough food to meet their basic needs. For a variety of reasons, the same developed economies produce a growing quantity of food surplus. Such surplus is present everywhere in the food chain, from agricultural production to the retail system and often is still edible.

LMM is a project designed to address waste in its many aspects and at the same time to help people in need. This can yield environmental, climate and societal benefits.

The supply of unsold edible foods is provided by processing industries, food shops, retail stores and the like. For these organisations, the surplus foods and other products represent a cost, as they need to be transported and disposed of in landfill. Demand for these products comes from a number of charity associations or non profit organizations.

Linking surplus (supply) and deficit (demand) could counterbalance this “imbalanced” food market and this is exactly what LMM does.

The challenges

The main challenges for LMM were at the beginning of the project, as there was a general lack of trust in the likely success and effectiveness of the project. The widespread opinion was that if no similar project had been established before, it was probably for good reasons, such as the market structure and supermarket policies.

Another challenge LMM faced was the need to prove to the Local Health Authority that the food recovered was still good, healthy and edible, intact in all its nutritious components and therefore good to be consumed without health-related risks. Currently, the Local Health Authority is one of the main LMM supporters.

Outcomes of the Project

In 2008 from supermarkets alone, nearly 170 tonnes of good edible food has been recuperated through LMM, with a value of €646,000.

Quantitative and qualitative data analysis has shown that LMM brings about environmental, economic and social benefits. Professor Segrè reports that, if LMM Food were to be adopted nationwide in Italy by supermarkets, small shops and cash and carry shops, €928,157,600 would be the monetary value of recuperated products. Furthermore, these products could provide 3 meals a day to 636,000 people – in total 580,402,025 meals a year.

It is also important to underline that – by not sending these products to the landfill – 291,393 tonnes of CO2 emissions could be spared. This has been calculated through a methodology developed by the Department of Agricultural Economics and Engineering of the Faculty of Agriculture (Bologna) consisting of a time correlation tracer method based on a Fourier Transform Infrared Analyzer absorption spectroscopy which measures gas levels.

In the case of pharmacies, medicines could be recuperated for a value of €597,504,600. LMM is a win-win project, with benefits for the different stakeholders as well as for the environment.

Plans for the future of the project

In the future, LMM would like to promote a comprehensive strategy, aiming at further developing its 6 different and interrelated areas of activities (food, harvest, seeds, catering, book, pharmacy) and covering the whole of Italy.

LMM will also continue to work in order to promote the passing of anti-waste laws in Italy and in establishing fruitful collaborations on a national and international scale with research institutions and organizations working on waste management and reduction.

In Argentina LMM has recently launched a project on social corporate responsibility and in Brazil LMM is about to start a pilot LMM project in the San Paulo area.

Collaboration and partnerships

The project works in collaboration with large-scale Retail Facilities (Carrefour, Coopadriatica, Despar, E.Leclerc-Conad among others), Public Institutions and Municipalities, Local Health Offices, Universities (University of Sao Paulo and, University of Buenos Aires), Markets, Foundations, Pharmacies, University canteens and hospitals in Verona.

LMM is interested in establishing collaborations with research institutions and organizations dealing with food waste and eventually in starting LMM projects in other European countries.

The big questions

Climate change is currently the most burning issue the whole world has to face. Food production and food waste in particular are closely connected with pollution and climate change.

Food waste makes a major contribution to methane gas production. Food waste could be fed to animals or it can be biodegraded by composting or anaerobic digestion and reused to enrich soil. Dumping food waste into landfill causes environmental damage. It causes odour as it decomposes, attracts flies and vermin, and has the potential to add Biological Oxygen Demand (BOD) to the water that leaches from the landfill site.

For further information see the Last Minute Market website.

Contact Details

Professor Andrea Segrè, founder of LMM

Dean of the Faculty of Agriculture of the University of Bologna

From “Building a Farm Where a Freeway Used to Be“, by Matthew Roth

A few weeks ago in San Francisco, a number of urban farmers opened a gate in a chain-link fence at Laguna Street, between Oak and Fell Streets, and entered an overgrown lot that has been unused for nearly two decades. The farmers brought with them steaming piles of mulch, which they cast over the edge of the ramps formerly used by cars to enter and exit the elevated Central Freeway spur above Octavia Street, arranging the soil in rows for planting vegetables and filler crops.  Since the Loma Prieta earthquake made the Central Freeway unsafe for travel, leading to its eventual removal and the re-design of Octavia Boulevard, those ramps have been one of the more poignant reminders of a distant vision of San Francisco, with freeways crisscrossing the urban environment, whisking motorists above the unfortunate city dwellers below.

The new Hayes Valley Farm (HVF) inverts the paradigm and reclaims the space for city dwellers, if only temporarily. “We call it ‘freeway to food forest,’” explained Chris Burley, Project Director for HVF and former organizer of My Farm. Burley was joined by nearly fifty volunteers at a HVF work party Sunday. “We’re trying to create a successful, sustainable urban farm in the heart of San Francisco.”

Burley and several other organizers were approached by Mayor Gavin Newsom’s Office of Economic and Workforce Development (MOEWD) last year with the idea to transform the unused lot into a farm. The HVF received a $50,000 grant from MOEWD for the first year of the project, money that comes from the operation of parking facilities along Octavia Boulevard. Burley expected to work the farm for between two and five years, depending on when the economy turns around and the land is developed.

Because the project is temporary, Burley said they are not planning to rip up the existing asphalt, which would cost thousands of dollars. Rather, the farmers will plant up to 150 fruit trees in pots that can be moved to other gardens or planted in back yards. Burley also said that in honor of the old Highway 101, they will be planting 101 beneficial plants among the fruit trees to help with pest control.

“A lot of our energy is being spent in creating things that can travel off-site,” said Burley. “This is more like a springboard for urban agriculture all over the city.”

Burley and other organizers hope to use the temporary farm as an educational resource and are developing a curriculum for schools that are interested in working at the facility. Currently, they are planning to collaborate with John Muir Elementary, the French-American School, and the Hayes Valley Neighborhood Parks Group.

Read the full article by Matthew Roth.

The Lilyfield Housing Redevelopment in Sydney is the first social housing scheme in Australia to be awarded a Green Star certification, and is also the first project of its kind to achieve a Green Star residential rating on the East Coast of Australia.

Representing ‘Australian Excellence’ in environmentally sustainable design, this project by HBO+EMTB for Housing NSW sets a new standard for public housing developments in Australia, and demonstrates that highly sustainable public housing outcomes are both realistic and achievable in terms of building function and use, project demographics and importantly, housing affordability.

ESD initiatives featured in the project:

Indoor Environment Quality
* All 88 apartments are naturally ventilated and there is no air conditioning in the development

Energy

* Roof elements over stair wells have been designed to support and orientate solar hot water and photovoltaic (PV) panels, which provide on-site energy
* All roofs to north facing units are tilted in order to maximise solar access to those units during winter (low sun angle) and to avoid direct excess solar radiation to those units in summer (high solar angle)
* The lighting design has utilised energy efficient bulbs throughout
* A common area interior lighting occupant movement and daylight sensor
* Solid floors exposed to the northern sun for thermal mass
* Low-E glass in all east and west façades

Water

* Water efficient fixtures throughout apartments and common area

Innovation

* Exceeding the benchmarks of TRA-1 by providing significantly less car parking than the minimum – there is no on-site car parking in the development

The new frontier

Upon completion, the Lilyfield Housing Redevelopment will result in a fully integrated residential project consisting of 25 one-bedroom units, 57 two-bedroom units and six three-bedroom units. While the approved design significantly increases the number of units on the site, jumping from the existing 40 to 88 apartments, the development will have minimal impact on the amenity of surrounding properties and will merge with the existing character of the neighbourhood.

The site’s location relative to public transport allowed HBO+EMTB to steer away from typical large-scale basement car-parking for the building. “Because the project has good public transport connections, is close to the inner west light rail and there is abundant on- street parking, a compelling town planning case was put to Council that there was no need for off-street parking, which was accepted,” Thiermann explains. “This has presented a significant cost saving for the project when compared to a typical medium density residential project.”

Let there be night

Efficient outdoor lighting systems offer substantial savings for both energy-use and expenditure costs. Of all the electricity produced in Australia, approximately 2.5 per cent is used for outdoor lighting. However, as most of these lighting systems are poorly-designed, it is estimated 30 per cent of light generated for outdoor use is wasted because it is directed into the night sky. This wasted light totals around 1,000,000,000kWhrs in electricity and costs at least $80,000,000 each year.

To combat this major environmental problem and keep costs down for residents, HBO+EMTB tailored a lighting design that ensures no external luminaire has an upward light output ratio that exceeds 5 per cent. This lighting strategy complies with AS4282 “Control of the Obtrusive Effects of Outdoor Lighting”, and contributes to significant cuts in light pollution emitted within the Project.

Thiermann says of the initiative, “By ensuring that all lighting is directed towards the lighting subject (and not the sky), developers can reduce the impact of light pollution. Furthermore, by keeping lighting to a safe minimum, developers can also reduce the amount of electricity consumed during the development’s lifetime.”

Fostering community

The Lilyfield Housing Redevelopment not only incorporates environmentally sustainable design features to improve the building’s energy and water efficiency, but also includes green initiatives to foster community and healthy living among residents.The building design features a large central courtyard, providing tenants with a secure and private open space for socialising, relaxation and play.

The communal garden facilities within the project will enhance the residents’ sense of community, as well as providing them with the opportunity to grow their own vegetables and produce and to enjoy nature. It is hoped that this type of initiative will be taken up within all multi-unit residential developments thereby reducing the carbon mileage accumulated through the mass transportation of fresh produce.

Source: Green Building Council Australia (GBCA)

From “Forget eco-towns – real green house-building is already happening“, by Eifion Rees, 12th January, 2010:

Cambridge University’s expansion plans could change the face of sustainable building in the UK. In 2012, construction begins on the greenest development of its size and scope in the UK.

As far as trailblazing green building initiatives go, the development known as North West Cambridge (its official name as well as location) looks rather uninspiring at the moment, merely fields bounded by busy roads on the outskirts of an East Anglian university town. There aren’t many clues to suggest that, when construction begins here in 2012, it will change the face of sustainable building in the UK.

But that is what is scheduled to happen here with the creation of what will effectively be a new city quarter. The land is owned by Cambridge University, and the scheme is intended to accommodate the academic institution’s expansion over the next 25 years, when numbers of students and staff are expected to increase by 8,000.  As a result 3,000 new homes will be built on this patch of the greenbelt, together with new faculty and research buildings, and a significant number of community facilities. This week, emulating universities in the US, Cambridge issued bonds for the first time with the aim of raising £400 million towards the cost of the £1 billion project.

From the North West Cambridge website:

The masterplanning proposals for the University of Cambridge’s North West Cambridge site are moving forward. To continue the success of this collaborative process we would like to obtain your views on the emerging masterplan. To this end, we have recently held a Public Exhibition as well as Public Workshops. These exhibitions and workshop form the next stage in the process of preparing the masterplan for the site – and provided an opportunity for stakeholders to contribute and comment on the proposals. The information that was on display includes:

* Introduction to the North West Cambridge project: The University’s need and vision – an introduction to what the project will offer local residents, students, faculty, staff and local businesses. This includes 3,000 new homes, 100,000 m2 of academic and commercial research space, accommodation for 2,000 students and local facilities and green spaces.

* Site: Context The site’s location and landscape features, and various site-specific opportunities that the masterplan should respond to.

The latest versions of the masterplan are available for public download, and are separated into four layers: Indicative Urban Structure, Indicative Landscape & Open Space, Indicative Land Use, and Indicative Access & Movement.

^{Image: guardian.co.uk}

From “Tokyo’s High Tech Bike Parking Revisited” by Sami Grover.

From solar-powered bike parking pods to the Indian-designed vertical bike tree, TreeHugger is not short on neat concepts for better bike storage. But it was Tokyo’s automated bike parking that really got us excited. Now the Guardian has created a short English-language video piece on how the system works.  Essentially, bikes are fitted with a small sensor strip, and as the bike is rolled into the machine—it scans the identity and ensures you have a fully paid membership.

Membership, incidentally, costs the equivalent of about 15USD a month. And just check out the speed at which the bike is returned to the user—almost exactly 30 seconds from arrival at the unit and inputting your membership details, your bike is returned and you can pedal away. Impressive stuff.

Read the full article by Sami Grover.

From “Company to Begin ‘Rental Goat’ Weeding Service“

Mikuni Construction Co. in Kitakyusyu City, southern Japan, announced in August 2009, that it would be launching a new service to rent goats for weeding grass starting in April 2010. This unique weeding method does not require any machinery, and is drawing attention as an environmentally friendly technique.

Having first heard about weeding with goats from his business associate, Katsuhiko Sera, the president of the company, has been investigating the approach for three years in an effort to devise a viable business model. He bought five goats in May 2009, and by tethering the goats with a cable, about 500 square meters of grass can be grazed over the course of a week. A trial “rent-a-goat” began in August 2009, but will be fully launched in March 2010.

Goats eat various types of weed. They eat all aboveground stems and leaves, and prefer to graze on slops, which people often find it difficult to weed. Furthermore, weeded material does not require disposal when using this method and the goat dung produced simply decomposes and is returned to the soil.

In addition to renting goats, the company plans to provide its own weeding service by increasing the number of goats, and to manufacture cheese and other products from goat milk. Mr. Sera hopes that his rental goat service will serve not only as a new tool to maintain urban green spaces, but will also assist the comfort of local residents.

From “Company to Begin ‘Rental Goat’ Weeding Service“