Hello from Caroline, a New Contributing Blogger

Hi, all! I’m Caroline, a new contributing blogger at KSDG! I’m from Los Angeles, and am currently studying Architecture at UC Berkeley. When I’m not in the Architecture studio, I’m writing, playing tennis, or attempting some exotic recipe in my friend’s kitchen. I keep an unreasonable number of Moleskine sketchbooks, and love exploring Berkeley and San Francisco for architectural inspiration.

For an “Archie” (lingo for “Architecture student”) like myself, sustainable architecture and design represent incredible, fascinating frontiers. The entire scale of green design – everything from reusable consumer products to plans for greener cities – is something that stimulates and inspires me daily.

It’s an amazing opportunity to be interning with Kevin Stephens Design Group, and to be gaining so much exposure to sustainable development and design. Look forward to articles on green architecture and design as well as on anything and everything else going on at KSDG.

-Caroline

Flushing Away the Environment: How Much Damage Do Toilets Cause?

How much water do we each day day, each year? This graphic gives you the answer, and break it down by specific use (Shower, faucet, toilet, clothes washing, other)

Hello Everyone!

The other day in the KSDG office, we were chatting about water use and how crazy it is that we can use so much water so quickly! Things like toilets, showers, and sinks use way more water than necessary. And there’s not a lot of clean water left on the planet.

After thinking about the thousands of gallons of water we waste each day, I decided to look into researching exactly how much water we really do use during our day-to-day activities. Using the data I found, I made the below graphic to illustrate how dependent on water we are for various daily activities.

Who would think that a simple flush could cause so much water to literally go down the drain? The most astonishing part of this graph is the fact that we use so much water for our toilets!

It’s not something we like to talk about or think about–toilets are a taboo subject, but if we’re going to really make a difference environmentally, we have to be willing to face each piece of the equation in sustainability. When building sustainable homes, KSDG is faced with the challenge of ensuring that every part of the home meets sustainable standards – and green-friendly toilets are definitely something KSDG considers when designing homes. We’re on the lookout for the simplest, most aesthetically pleasing solutions to these issues.

Happy sustainable living!
- Emily

Pardee & KSDG: Teaming up for Sustainability Part 1

Pardee Construction and KSDG are teaming up to work together and achieve 3 goals in sustainability:

1. Highest possible energy efficiency for housing
2. Demonstrate to the local community that sustainable choices can be made based solely on economics
3. Net Zero — for emissions and energy

How? Scott Pardee of Pardee Construction recently presented to Tulsa, Oklahoma’s city planning department just that. In his presentation, Scott highlights some of the choices Pardee Construction and KSDG have been making in order to achieve these goals. Here are the the first 3 of 9 factors Scott highlighted in his presentation:

1. Radiant Barrier - These barriers, made of highly reflective material and installed in attics, re-emit radiant heat rather than absorbing it. As a result, cooling costs are lowered in the summer. An efficient radiant barrier is marked by low emissivity and high reflectivity.

2. Rammed Earth - A building model borrowed from ancient times, rammed earth is a wall construction method that uses the Earth’s raw materials. This method is attractive for sustainability reasons because of the locality of the materials. Since the necessary building elements are often proximal, it takes less energy and resources to get them to the necessary building location. The density, thickness, and thermal conductivity of rammed earth walls also has sustainable benefits and make them a suitable material for passive solar heating.

3. Inter Company Development - This includes community activities like on-site organic gardening and encouraging people to bike or walk to work. A lifestyle of sustainability is a necessary couple to sustainable design!

Renewable Energy Comes of Age, Part 8

Last week, I attended the Clean Economy Summit in Washington DC.  It was full of movers and shakers in the emerging markets of clean and green business.  The following series of posts are from an article by Don Schjeldahl, Vice President of Renewable Energy Strategies.

Continued Growth in Renewable Energy

“Congressional inaction aside, continued growth in renewable energy and related industries in the U.S. is expected but perhaps not as robust as it might be. Helping move the market forward in the leadership vacuum are federal and state regulators who will likely step forward to drive industry supporting initiatives. Guaranteed markets for renewable energy products exist in the 29 states that have adopted mandatory RPS. An additional seven states have RPS goals.

Limits placed on greenhouse gas emissions, such as carbon cap-and-trade legislation, would help renewable energy markets to develop by shifting demand from coal to non-emitting power sources. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has authority, under the Clean Air Act and confirmed by an April 2007 Supreme Court ruling, to regulate greenhouse gas emissions. However it is unlikely that the EPA will issue carbon regulations anytime soon.

Congressional and EPA inaction on carbon doesn’t mean the EPA won’t dramatically impact the future for renewable energy. By mid-2011 the EPA is expected to finalize power plant emission regulations for mercury, SOx (sulfur oxides) and NOx (nitrogen oxides) under the current Clean Air Act. With compliance targeted for 2015, up to 30% of U.S. coal plants could be decommissioned because they use older technology and plant upgrades are not economical. When this happens greenhouse gas emissions will be reduced by default and renewable energy systems become more attractive from both cost and clean air standpoints.”
~
Part 7

Part 9

Renewable Energy Coming of Age, Part 3

Last week, I attended the Clean Economy Summit in Washington DC.  It was full of movers and shakers in the emerging markets of clean and green business.  The following series of posts are from an article by Don Schjeldahl, Vice President of Renewable Energy Strategies.

Energy Efficiency – A Partner in the Growth of Renewable Energy

“In support of an expanding smart grid and adoption of renewable energy systems are initiatives to design & manufacture efficient buildings and energy consuming devices including household appliances. The American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHREA) develops standards for buildings and mechanical systems. The forthcoming ASHREA 189.1 Standard for the Design of High Performance Green Buildings promotes energy savings in a number of ways including the inter-connectivity of building information systems with power supplies.”
~
Part 2

Part 4

Share comments with President Obama after the State of the Union!

Business: working toward a clean economy, now.

I have exciting news to share.

I have spent the last two days at the Clean Economy Summit in Washington, DC and met amazing and influential people from all corners of the country.

This weekend, I became acquainted with Greg Nelson, Deputy Director of Public Engagement for President Obama.  As we spoke about energy policy and real estate development, Greg was curious to hear what my thoughts would be on the President’s energy policy–to pass on to the President.   And I’d like to hear from you to help formulate what I will share.

Here’s what I’m looking for: watch President Obama’s State of the Union address tonight at 6 pm PST, January 25.  Take notes on what your opinions are regarding the parts of his speech that refer to energy policy and business in clean economy.  Send them to me via email or Facebook.  Greg Nelson will be sending me a text file of the President’s script for me to make notes on and send back to the President.  I look forward to sharing with him my tenets about sustainability, green innovation, and business.

-Kevin

Clean Energy Summit, 2011, Washington DC

I’m excited to let you know I’ll be attending the Clean Energy Summit in Washington DC next week.  I’ll be speaking about the real estate and construction industry.  Buildings are one of the largest users of energy, and optimizing their efficiency will be key to stabilizing and decreasing our energy use in the future.  I’ll be discussing ways we can make buildings more efficient and green while we also keep costs down.

Here is a summary of what the Summit is about:

“On January 24-25, 2011, the Clean Economy Network Education Fund will host its first annual Clean Economy Summit.   The Summit will convene the existing and emerging leadership of the clean economy business community from across technology silos and across the nation.    With stimulus investments coming to a close and the 112th Congress officially beginning, the Summit will take advantage of the political reset to evaluate the landscape.   It will engage delegates to surface and prioritize policy proposals with the greatest potential to unleash economic growth and job creation in the sector, while also helping identify market opportunities existing within the current policy and political constraints.

SUMMIT PARTICIPATION

The Summit is not a conference.  It is an annual invitation only event with no fee to attend that will produce concrete outcomes for the clean economy community. Attendance is limited to those invited leaders from both the business and policy communities that have the capacity to engage and add value to the final outcomes.  Given the significant requirements for attendance and cap at 150 participants, the Summit will be ripe with high-level relationship building opportunities with other senior business and policy leaders.

The creation of a clean economy requires long-term consistent public policy necessary to create market clarity and certainty.  Consistent policy requires consistent engagement by this community in the policy development and political process.   To that end, unlike a conference composed of random individuals with minimal connections and widely varying levels of expertise, the Summit will annually convene those who have made the ongoing commitment to assume leadership roles in building a clean economy.   It will bring together CEN’s executive and corporate members, chapter steering committees, CEOs of affiliated organization, the CEN and CENEF boards of directors, and key legislative and administration staff.”

Progress on New Condos in Cherry Street

Guess what!

We’re working on a three-unit building that is almost done and ready for presale.  Each condo has three bedrooms and three baths, an open atrium in the center that lets in a column of light, and views of the downtown skyline.

Our metal siding and stucco have been completed, and the outside is starting to look like a completed building.  Our exterior at 1432 Trenton is looking beautiful!

We’re just finishing sheetrocking on Unit C, and we’ll begin painting and starting to put the final finishes on Unit C, which should be complete in early February 2011.

We’re just reaching a place where we can customize finishes for a buyer, so if you’re interested in this unit, please let us know and we can make your home exactly the way you want it!

And in green news, we’ve got some updates as well.  We recently bought energy monitoring systems that operate in real time, and shows you how much energy you’re consuming and projects your monthly utility bill.

We have optional photovolatic technology (we can pre-wire your condo for solar panels).  Also, we’ve been using a new HVAC technology that recycles and filters warm air inside the house to conserve energy called a “double flue”.  Finally, we’re using Nivian tankless water heaters that perpetually cycle water through piping, which conserves energy by 50% when heating water.

Contact us for more info or for help with alternative financing options.

Look forward to even more ecologically superb additions in our next project.

open house friday 4-8pm for 814 e. 3rd st.

come see our two condo units for sale this friday from 4-8pm~

814 3rd street consists of a renovated, 2-story brick building with two large 1 bedroom loft condos. each unit has a large master bedroom, spacious modern master bathroom with real stone tile, high ceilings, recessed halogen lighting throughout, laundry room, half bath, prewired with smart wire for premium sound system and computer networks, large living & dining rooms, modern kitchen, custom-made modern cabinetry with hydraulic closing, high-end stainless steel appliances, polished concrete & hardwood floors, entry courtyard, security system, high-end modern plumbing and lighting fixtures, with optional solar power.

the bend is conveniently located minutes from the new BOK coliseum and only 3 blocks from the site of the new baseball stadium. this three block redevelopment project that will include eco-conscious modern housing mixed with eclectic local retail in the shadow of downtown tulsa.

2415 S. St. Louis

sheet rock is in and we are beginning to paint this week. cabinets are being fabricated and the kitchen and bath tile have been installed. the pool renovation has started and the fish pond has been built. projected completion date is may 31, 2009.