Pulse Technology: Micro-monitoring Your Energy Use for Conservation

How cool would it be to receive updates on the amount of energy used every time you turn on a light, open a window, or turn on the heat?

Thanks to Pulse, a digital tool developed by Investa Sustainability Institute and Green Buildings Alive, electricity usage per building can be assessed and uploaded directly to the web. Pulse data feeds update every 15 minutes, and create summaries of daily overall consumption.

“What we are doing here might look simple, but the practice draws from nearly a decade of measuring and monitoring what really makes a building greener. We’ve learnt that sustainability in our sector doesn’t have to mean a fancy façade or expensive technology. Real, measurable energy savings are the bedrock of the radical changes on the horizon for cites worldwide,” says Craig Roussac, director of the Investa Sustainability Institute.

Pulse technology aims to influence behavioral change and raise energy awareness among building occupants. Already, large corporate buildings have the ability to compare their energy usage with that of competitors as well as the increased involvement of employers in ensuring a greener work space. Pulse can also uncover and report costly energy anomalies automatically. It doesn’t get much more convenient than checking your automatically reported energy usage online.

-Caroline

“green” vs. “sustainable”… what do they actually mean?

The words “sustainable” and “green” are both buzzwords often used interchangeably. Up until I took an Environmental Studies class last semester, I wasn’t completely clear on the distinctions between them. From a designer’s point of view, however, the distinctions are critical to understand an otherwise hackneyed movement in architecture and design.

First, let’s look at “sustainable.” A sustainable product lowers pressure on the environment by using renewable or sustainably produced materials. A sustainably produced material, in turn,  is one that doesn’t pollute, destroy or erode the environment in which it is gathered or produced, and one that doesn’t permanently reduce the supply.

“Green,” on the other hand, refers to products that function so efficiently and/or strategically as to cause reduced or minimal impact on the environment. Specifically, green design minimizes waste, fuel, and other potentially unnecessary resources that go into construction. Usually, buildings are “green,” but not sustainable. However, there are a few out there that are both. Oberlin College’s Lewis Center, for example, employs its own water treatment system, features scores of solar panels on its roof, and uses geothermal wells to heat and cool the building.

Of course, the term “green” has also come to be known as something too that’s politically liberal, but here at KSDG, we believe that caring about the health of the environment and the people in it shouldn’t be restricted to one political party or another, don’t you?

-Caroline

architects! use the energy star target finder

Here Kevin Stephens Design Group, we’re always searching for new systems to save energy and measure the savings. It’s good for the planet, and good for the pocketbook. We’re a full-service design, construction management, architecture, and sustainability retrofitting firm, so these guides help us do our job better.

One tool we’ve found is Energy Star’s “Target Finder”, a free online tool that enables architects and building owners to set an energy performance target, compare estimated energy consumption to that target, and receive an EPA score and reduction percentage for the estimated whole building energy use.

EPA scores, based on standards of the Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S. Department of Energy, are calculated by considering all energy consumption associated with a given project, from construction to long term maintenance. EPA scores range from 1 – 100, and projects that earn a score of 75 or higher are eligible for Energy Star certification.

In addition to the EPA score, users also receive strategies on how to  achieve  an energy-efficient design as well as an estimate of annual energy use and its associated costs. Target Finder teaches architects to set realistic goals for energy use, and to examine a variety of ways to minimize energy consumption. As a growing number of national and regional initiatives require an EPA score before moving forward on any given project, Target Finder will hopefully make green design the standard in modern architecture.

-Caroline

how to collect rain from an entire city

I’m a member of the Berkeley chapter of Global Architecture Brigades, and for our most recent design competition for a medical center in Honduras, it was my responsibility to research rainwater collection systems for implementation on our building.

In general, rainwater collection systems involve directing rainwater to a filter, and then to a cistern which is usually located underground, and that pumps filtered water throughout the rest of the building. Pretty simple, right? So imagine the possibilities of a city-wide rainwater collection system!

Sabrina Faber, developed just that for Sana’a, Yemen, a city plagued by frequent water shortage, and of which she is a long term resident. Her design, which won the 2011 Phillips Living Cities Award, captures water from the flat roofs that are of the dominant architectural style in Sana’a, and siphons it off to underground tanks. Watch the video to learn more about Faber’s RAIN System.

-Caroline

a vertical forest inside a city of gardens: “bosco verticale”

I’m fascinated by something called the Garden City Movement of the early 20th century, and was intrigued when I heard about this similar sustainable urban restructuring plan in present day by Stefano Boeri. Currently under construction in Milan, “Bosco Verticale” is comprised of two apartment towers with giant cantilevered balconies that accommodate a vertical forest.

The forest includes approximately 900 trees as well as a plenitude of shrubbery and other floral vegetation, and has a flattened footprint of about 10,000 square meters. Each apartment has a balcony enveloped by a lush garden which is irrigated by  filtered grey water produced by the building.

Not only have solar and wind energy systems been built into the structure to increase energetic self-sufficiency, but these forested patios also create microclimates that require less energy to heat and cool. These microclimates are a result of the forest’s humidity and oxygen production, carbon dioxide and dust absorption , and protection from direct sunlight. The biodiversity of the plants within this forest in addition to the attraction of birds and insects hope to create a self-sufficient ecosystem. Bosco Verticale is the first element in Boeri’s urban project BioMilano, a proposal for a green belt around Milan that would restore 60 abandoned farms on the outskirts to community use.

-Caroline

a greenhouse grows in harlem

The Harlem Edge competition challenged entrants to create a plan for the redevelopment of the Department of Sanitation marine transfer station on the Hudson River at 135th Street in Harlem, New York. The competition states the ideal plan should engage residents with the waterfront, introduce urban agriculture into the community, stimulate economic and educational activity, and be sustainable.

The winning proposal, known as The Greenhouse Transformer and designed by the Boston-based Urban Planning and Architecture firm Praud, integrates all these concepts. The structure features a hydraulic mechanical system that lifts the roof off the base during the summer, and replaces it in the winter to create a giant greenhouse. This greenhouse allows for year-round farming through hydroponics and exterior gardens. The Greenhouse Transformer serves a variety of other purposes besides urban farming, which includes hosting farmer’s markets on the open deck plaza, giving kids hands-on learning opportunities, and accommodating and promoting social events.  The proceeds from the crops grown in the Greenhouse also fund urban agriculture learning programs.

How’s that for sustainability?

-Caroline

KSDG volunteers at the san francisco food bank!

Hello again!

Happy KSDG employees sorting fruit at the San Francisco Food Bank!

Did you know that not only is KSDG an awesome leader in sustainable architecture, investments, and living but also incredibly passionate about helping the community? The most recent example of the company lending a helping hand is a recent trip taken on February 24th to the San Francisco Food Bank. The group spent the day sorting for fruit for different churches, food kitchens, and other groups around the Bay Area.

Volunteering at the Food Bank is a simple way to make an impact on the community. Dedicating just one day to helping sort food is an invaluable contribution. One of SF Food Bank’s mottos is that “hunger shouldn’t be an option.” Every day, the city of San Francisco sees people who skip meals and eat less well because they must save food for other costs. Choices like these hinder the health of the individuals within our community. To solve this problem, the Food Bank collects thousands of pounds of foods, which are shipped to different Food Bank locations where the products and sorted, shelved, and packaged by volunteers. The food is then delivered to over 450 nonprofit locations, serving over 225,000 people a year.

Fruit at the San Francisco Food Bank waiting to be sorted by our KSDG volunteers.

Being a volunteer for the San Francisco Food Bank is an inspiring experience. Helping to sort, shelve, and package healthy food for those in need truly makes an impact. Over 22,000 volunteers contribute thousands of hours to helping the Food Bank each year, which translates to a distribution of 43,5 million pounds of food – equivalent to 93,000 meals a day. If you or your organization are interested in working at the food bank as a group like KSDG, you can visit this website to learn more about the available volunteer schedule.

Happy sustainable living!
- Emily  

KSDG employees sorting away

the new urban garden: hanging IV bags filled with algae?

A man breathes carbon dioxide into the IV bag of a hanging algae plant at the H.O.R.T.U.S. exhibit

Imagine this: You’re strolling around the city, and stumble across an installation of IV bags containing algae hanging from the ceiling. Each bag has a tube, and you see a man go up and breathe into one of these tubes. You’re completely puzzled, right?

Well, this scene may not be so absurd after all – ecoLogicStudio has created what it calls “H.O.R.T.U.S.”  or “Hydro Organisms Responsive to Urban Stimuli.” The algae plants create an urban garden that thrives on human interaction in order to survive. By breathing into the tubes, humans provide the plants with the carbon dioxide they need to grow.

The project also has a “cyber” component, where visitors are encouraged to use their smartphones to scan the algae bags to learn more about the plants. Tweeting about the experiment is also highly encouraged. This integration of social media, technology on the humanand plant side, and urban agriculture makes for an interesting and innovative way to think about gardening!

Happy sustainable living!
- Emily 

electric bike rentals: the new zipcar?

Many people are now familiar with the company Zipcar, which lets members rent cars at low hourly fees. But this

An electric bicycle could be your newest sustainable way of getting around the city of San Francisco.

month, San Francisco will be a starting a similar program, but this time with electric bicycles! $1.5 million has been given to the project by the San Francisco Metropolitan Transportation Agency, and the program will be carried out through the car rental company City CarShare. Look out for 45 rentable electric bikes on the streets of San Francisco and Berkeley in the second half of this year, followed by 45 more by the end of 2013!

Would you choose an electric bike over a car? The program estimates that renting an electric bike will cost 50-70% less than renting a car. Fresh air, exercise, and a cheap bicycle ride that has electric power to help you push up though tough San Francisco hills?

I don’t see why choosing to bike wouldn’t be the best option! Hopefully a rental location will be near the KSDG office so that we can navigate the San Franicsco hills with sustainably-friendly ease, too.

Happy biking & sustainable living!
- Emily 

algae: coming to a garden near you!

An infographic with the facts & figures about the H.O.R.T.U.S. algae garden!

If we look at the earth as a territory devoted to life it would appear as an enclosed space, delimited by the boundaries of living systems [the biosphere]. In other words it would appear as a garden.

Clement, Gilles

If you checked out my last post about the H.O.R.T.U.S. algae garden, you might be wondering just what the scope of this project is! The above infographic gives you an idea of the size of the garden, and what is ultimately produced. To read more about the types of algae, check out the H.O.R.T.U.S. website! Also, check out these infographics that ecoLogicStudio made to explain how the cyber component of H.O.R.T.U.S. works.

Happy sustainable living!
- Emily