As I looked down, I saw a large river meandering slowly along for miles, passing from one country to another without stopping. I also saw huge forests, extending across several borders. And I watched the extent of one ocean touch the shores of separate continents. Two words leaped to mind as I looked down on all this: commonality and interdependence. We are one world. Astronaut John-David Bartoe, USA (1986)
| So you have worked very hard to specify energy efficient equipment
and nontoxic building products. Now you or the building occupants can live
happily ever after in that new sustainable home or office, right?...Well,
not quite. Building an energy-efficient, non-toxic, environmentally friendly
building is important, but it is not the only component of creating an
ongoing sustainable situation. That sustainable building must be operated
and maintained in a way that doesn't render worthless all the positive
"green" things that have been done during design and construction.
The single most important component of a sustainable building is energy efficiency. The installation of that high efficiency HVAC (Heating, Ventilating & Air Conditioning) system must be followed up with an ongoing program to insure the continued peak performance of the equipment and healthful indoor air quality. Other energy-related building systems (controls, filters, windows, etc.) must be checked periodically, and after building modifications, to verify that they are still performing optimally as intended. These are all good O & M (Operations & Maintenance) practices which should be a part of every building, but they critical to retaining the built-in "greenness" of a sustainable building. Maintaining a sustainable building requires that we address the context (landscape, adjacent offices) and internal functions of the structure. All of the efforts that went into creating that "clean, green" home or office can be nullified by toxic maintenance practices inside or around it. Building-related activities such as pests control, lawn and landscape maintenance, and general cleaning must be considered integral parts of sustainable building.
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This month the SBC will host two green-savvy speakers from the City
of Austin's Green Building Program. Maureen Scanlon, a registered professional
mechanical engineer, has been engaged in promoting integrated design and
incorporating sustainable concepts into the design, construction, and operation
of buildings. She will present for us a checklist of tasks for maintaining
and improving the energy efficiency of the building and its equipment.
Matthew DeWolfe, an architectural intern who has been involved in many
aspects of sustainable design and construction, will describe sustainable
approaches to the various building-related maintenance tasks that have
an impact on energy efficiency and human & environmental health.
Whether you live or work in a green environment or just want to know how to make your less-than-green indoor environments more healthful and energy efficient, this month's presentation promises to offer some excellent guidance. Note: As a follow-up to this program there will be a SBC presentation early this Spring on nontoxic cleaning products and methods for homes and businesses. Resources
"Green Building Program Homebuyer Information Packet" - A compilation of information that will help any homeowner understand and operate their home more safely and effectively. Available from the City of Austin Green Building Program, 499-3541 or 499-3509. Clean & Green by Annie Berthold-Bond - A guide to nontoxic and environmentally safe housekeeping. The Chemical-Free Lawn by Warren Schultz - Techniques for growing lush, hardy grass without pesticides, herbicides & fertilizers. City of Austin IPM homepage - http://www.ci.austin.tx.us/ipm
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| Membership!!!
The members voted unanimously to change the dues for the SBC to: $35 for businesses $25 for persons $10 for students The new dues should be paid on the date on your mailing label. The Austin Environmental Directory SBC add is coming up, if you would like to include your business, you will need to upgrade your membership to that of business. Contact Jim Walker if you have any questions. Directory
I am extending the deadline for the directory information until December 1. I really would like to encourage members, especially business members to submit something. It is a great way to communicate to fellow members what you do. They can not support your business if they do not know who you are or what you do. If you do not submit something we will include your name, address, and phone number in the directory. SASBC
The November 23rd meeting of the San Antonio Sustainable Building Coalition will feature Marybeth Roecker of the Bexar County Master Gardeners on the topic of Xeriscaping. Details of the 1999 Bexar County Xeriscape Contest and Garden Tour will be included in her presentation at the SASBC meeting site. Come to the Conference Room at the San Antonio Whole Foods Market at the Quarry from 7 to 9 PM. For details or directions, call Stephen Colley in San Antonio (210) 654-3344. Due to the holidays, the San Antonio group will not be meeting in December. Straw Bale Workshop
The Home Place will be leading a straw bale workshop near Terlingua TX on Sat and Sun, Dec 5 & 6 1998. There will be no Friday night session as there are no utilities on site. This is a post & beam construction located on 120 undeveloped acres. Limited primitive camping on site. Accommodations for camping and motels are located nearby. There will be a small fee for the event. There will be a limit to the number of participants, so if you would like to have information, please let me know. Contact Jo Wilhelm home_place@juno.com 830/868-7077
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Smart growth conference
If the issues regarding urban sprawl interest you, the Urban Land Institute, in partnership with the Smart Growth Network, and the EPA is sponsoring the 2nd Annual Partners for Smart Growth Conference, December 15-17 in Austin (hooray). Speakers include Al Gore, Governor Whitman (NJ), architect and urban growth expert Peter Calthorpe, AIA, and Ray Suarez of National Public Radio. By the way, Mr. Suarez is author of a book to be published next year titled, "The Old Neighborhood: What We Lost in the Great Suburban Migration." For registration information, call the ULI at 800-321-5011. Report on the Natural Building Colloquium
Approximately 40 invited natural building professionals, including SBC members Ben Obregon, Gayle Borst and Mike Carter, gathered in the tall pines of southern Oregon from October 3 through 9 to discuss the progress and future of natural building in the western part of the US and beyond. Natural Building is special category of Sustainable Building which promotes the use of natural and reclaimed materials in the most unprocessed form possible (straw bale & earth walls, earthen floors, thatch roofs, round wood, etc.). The Colloquium proved to be an excellent forum for exchanging information
with fellow practitioners and educators about natural building-related
topics such as codes, details, education, and the state of the "movement".
It was heartening to learn of the variety and number of building projects
and community/educational efforts that are occurring throughout the country.
The numerous slide presentations included such topics as cob & strawbale
buildings at a Permaculture institute, codes & sustainability, cob
sculpting with US and Mexican children, women-built homes projects, earth
buildings in Yemen, and an intentional community in Moab, Utah. Two work
projects were essentially completed at the host camp: The renovation
of a small historic cabin, using light clay, round wood & earth plaster;
and the building of a cob oven/bench with round wood roof above. For more
information contact Gayle at 512-478-9033 or gayle_borst@greenbuilder.com
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