Earth Day

Today is Earth Day, and in Portland this is a very important and meaningful day. As one of North America's leading green cities there is a lot of attention paid to treating our planet with respect and preserving our space for future generations.

At our office we are collecting used computers and electronic devices for ecological recycling. This morning, my wife, Dianne, and I attended a breakfast sponsored by Habitat for Humanity. I learned that their new Restore in Vancouver has recycled enough used building material over the last month to keep 91 tons of material out of the landfill.

Gardening has become popular again as the "bad" economy has provoked many to consider growing their own food.

Portland has a reputation of being weird. I like to think we are quirky and intelligent.

Green Roofs

Our current issue of National Geographic just arrived and in it is a terrific article on green roofs. The article points out that green roofs not only provide for an environmental impact but also spiritual satisfaction. A garden on top of a building in the middle of the city. How relaxing is that?

Cities like Stuttgart, Germany and Basel, Switzerland are leaders in green roof technologies and either subsidize research or require greenery on new flat roofs.

Two US cities were mentioned - Chicago and Portland. A nice recognition of our city and state efforts to become a leader in green building practices.

You can read the article online at the National Geographic web site. Here is the link.

The photo above is of Chicago City Hall. It was taken by Diane Cook and Len Jenshel.

Habitat builds first LEED home in Portland

My wife, Dianne Rodway, serves on the board of our local Habitat For Humanity affiliate and yesterday we attended the dedication of their latest project. This project was special because it involved the design and construction of two LEED Platinum certified homes. These homes are two of just a handful of LEED certified homes in Oregon and the first LEED homes in the "affordable" classification.

Primary sponsors for these homes were Bank of America and Walsh Construction while many others donated time and materials for these special homes.

We are told the energy efficiency of the homes actual exceeds the platinum standard. This project further demonstrates the Portland area's emergence as a leader in green construction and livability.

Earth Hour 2009 - Photo link

The Boston Globe published a very interesting series of photos taken around the world during Earth Hour.

According to the Internet site Boston.com, Earth Hour "started in Sydney, Australia in 2007, and quickly grew into a global observance. More than 1,000 cities in over 80 countries observed Earth Hour 2009 on Saturday March 29th, as homes, office towers and landmarks turned off their lights for an hour starting at 8.30 pm local time to raise awareness about climate change and the threat from rising greenhouse gas emissions. Collected here are a series of before-and-after photographs - which (starting with the second one below) will fade between "on" and "off" when clicked. "

Check out the interesting photos here.

Energy Saving Tips of the Month

The good folks at Earth Advantage came up with the following advice on how we can change the way we use energy with these no-cost and low-cost energy saving tips:

• Caulk small holes and cracks under countertops and around plumbing pipes, exhaust fans, dryer vents, sink and bathtub drains, and fireplaces.
  
• Check your furnace filter monthly and clean or replace dirty filters to help your furnace work at peak efficiency.
  
• Stop air leaks by installing gaskets behind switch plates and outlets on exterior walls.

Visit Energy Trust of Oregon for more energy-saving ideas and to learn about cash incentives available for qualifying home improvements.

Ecoroof

The following is from an eletter I received from Earth Advantage Inc:

Ecoroof - Buzz Word of the Month

An ecoroof, or "green" roof is a vegetated roof system used in place of a conventional roof. Ecoroofs are comprised of several layers including a root barrier, waterproof membrane, drainage, soil system, and plants. Ecoroofs can double or triple the life span of the roof, add insulation to a building, and create additional usable space.

The City of Portland has approved Ecoroof systems as a storm water management technique, and provides incentives to qualify owners.

You can learn more about Ecoroofs at HGTV's web site here.

Recycle TVs and Computer Monitors for free

For Oregon and Washington residents -- and their old TVs, computers and monitors only -- recycling is about to get a lot easier, courtesy of the new E-Cycles program.

Starting Jan. 1, you can drop off TVs, computers (desktops and laptops) and monitors at a network of free recycling sites. The network is the result of legislation in both states that requires manufacturers to pay to recycle their products, if they want to keep selling them here.

From now on, when customers buy TVs or computers in either state, retailers must provide information about how to recycle them.

Search the Oregon E-Cycles database by zip code, city or town to find the nearest collection site, at oregonecycles.org. Or call the Oregon E-Cycles hotline at 1-888-532-9253.

All the rest of the e-waste heap: The only items you can recycle for free through E-Cycles in Oregon and Washington are TVs, computers and monitors. Important: No other computer-related items (keyboards, mice, speakers, printers, scanners) or electronic devices will be accepted for free.

What to do with it?
• Recycling sites that participate in the E-Cycles program may accept other electronic devices, for a fee. Call or consult recyclers' Web sites before you go.

• Metro regional government provides a searchable database of recyclers, for electronics and more. Or call the recycling hotline at 503-234-3000.

• Search by product type at earth911.com/electronics, which culls recycling options from government, nonprofit and retail sources.

• Some manufacturers, including Dell and Apple, will take back computers, keyboards, mice, printers and other equipment at little or no cost. Check the manufacturer's Web site.

• In Multnomah County, you can drop off cell phones, PDAs, MP3 players, chargers and Bluetooth headsets into free recycling bins at 11 libraries and county buildings.

• Call to Protect collects old cell phones and refurbishes them for domestic violence survivors; find local dropoff sites at calltoprotect.org. Many cell phone manufacturers provide prepaid mailing labels on their Web sites to help customers return used devices. Or go to rbrc.org/consumer/index.php for a national network of retailers that accept used cell phones.

An Idea for old Cell Phones

Like many, we have a bunch of old cell phones, PDAs, etc stashed in a drawer in our storage area. Not wanting to just through them away, we've been looking for something constructive to do with them.

Multnomah County has an option that can help keep the electronics' toxic elements out of the landfill, clear some clutter from your home and earn the cash-strapped county a little change.
You can dump your old cell phones, PDAs, MP3 players, chargers and Bluetooth headsets into one of the free recycling bins at 11 locations across the county. Drop boxes are at libraries and other county buildings.

Commissioner Jeff Cogen launched the program in October, but is pushing hard to get the word out to county residents as the gift-giving season approaches.

"Very few cell phones get recycled — Americans have three to five waiting in a drawer waiting for a solution, and we can help them," Cogen says. "This doesn't cost the county anything and addresses the needs out there."

Tossing cell phones in the trash brings environmental consequences, says Kat West, Multnomah County sustainability manager. Recycling or reusing 100 million cell phones could save enough energy to power 370,000 U.S. homes a year, according to the EPA.

Multnomah county will sell the phones to Wireless Alliance, a Colorado-based recycling company that will reuse or recycle them. The county isn't expecting big bucks. But the program costs the county — and you — nothing and could bring in up to $40,000 a year.

From Oregonlive.com --Nikole Hannah-Jones

Pre-cycling, the next evolution in recycling

Lately, several news organizations have come out with articles documenting problems within the recycling industry. The demand for recycled material is shrinking dramatically. This makes sense because as our national economy shrinks, factory production is down and the need for raw material is way down. Recycled “stuff” is raw material for a factory.

Now is the right time to examine the items we recycle and determine if we ever really need to bring it home in the first place. Know as “pre-cycling” it means not creating waste in the first place.

I’m reminded of the recycling laws implanted in Germany. The first step took effect at the end of 1991, requiring manufacturers and distributors to take back the cartons and crates in which they ship their products to retailers. The second step, which became effective in April 1992, requires recycling of product packaging. The law allows customers to leave outer packages, such as the cardboard boxes that their tubes of toothpaste come in, behind at the store. What is interesting here is the requirement for manufacturers to take back the packaging themselves. The result is that product packaging has been reduced at the source as manufacturers began to eliminate it on the front end instead of getting it back on the return end.

Pre-cycling has come of age. Now that the market for recycled material has stalled, we need to stop bringing this stuff home in the first place.

White Stag Block earns ‘Gold’

Venerable Group Inc. has earned “gold” level certification from the U.S. Green Building Council for its multimillion dollar renovation of the White Stag Block in Old Town China Town.

The council awarded the three-building project the second-highest honor in the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Program.

Venerable remodeled the historic buildings for two primary tenants. It is the new Portland home for the University of Oregon’s local architecture and journalism program as well as United Fund Advisors.

The renovations included an extensive rainwater harvesting system that reduces water demand by 86 percent. The project recycled 99 percent of construction waste and included installation of a new climate control system that is 30 percent more efficient than industry standard.

Portland Business Journal

Toyota provides electric shuttle cars

Toyota Motor Sales, U.S.A. Inc. on Wednesday said it will provided four electric vehicles for use in Portland as a shuttle from mass-transit stops.

The automaker, speaking at a Sustainable Mobility Seminar in Portland, said it would put four of its RAV4 electric vehicles into operation in Portland. Portland State University will develop a program to use the vehicles to shuttle people from transit terminals to downtown and suburban locations, Toyota said in a news release.

The news comes as Portland General Electric Co. continues to roll out a series of electric car-charging stations across the metro area where the cars can refuel.

“It’s obvious that the next several years will see a growing number of low-emission and no-emission vehicle options, particularly electric and hybrid vehicles,” George Beard of PSU’s Mark O. Hatfield School of Government, said in the news release. “Our region’s position in renewable energy and its leadership reputation in urban sustainability make this partnership a natural for all involved.”

Toyota also announced a series of other announcements at the event Wednesday, including its plans to display a Camry hybrid powered by compressed natural gas at the Los Angeles Auto Show, and that the company is studying the business case for remanufacturing hybrid vehicle batters in North America as a way of lowering replacement costs.

Portland Business Journal