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Create.
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COTE MISSION STATEMENT
The AIA, Minnesota Chapter, Committee on the Environment (COTE) is committed to educating professionals and the public on sustainable design issues and supporting an agenda of environmental sustainability. Open to non-professionals, we encourage collaboration between various public and private agencies and organizations. COTE focuses on environmental sustainability issues as they relate to the community, buildings and aesthetics. This includes such issues as urban growth, sustainable building design and use, economic considerations, government and legal issues.
Meetings are bi-monthly from 5:30-7:30 pm in the Board Room at AIA MN.
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COTE booth during 2005 Living Green Expo at the MN State Fairgrounds
Tour of the Science House at the Science Museum of Minnesota, July 2005
COTE Booth at the 2005 AIA Minnesota Convention. Maureen Ness and Jeffry Swainhart pictured.
AIA Minnesota Policy Statement on Climate Change
Download a pdf of the Statement (2 pages)
With the help of ME3, COTE recently composed a policy statement regarding the impact that buildings have on climate change due to greenhouse gas emissions. The document was adopted by the AIA MN Board and Government Affairs Committee and will ultimately be presented at the national level. A special thanks to Doug Pierce, J. Drake Hamilton, and Todd Reubold for all of your efforts in organizing such a task.
Events:
Living Green Expo
May 6-7, 2006 10 a.m. - 5 p.m.
Minnesota State Fair Grounds, Grandstand Building
www.livinggreen.org
Living green means making choices in our day-to-day lives that enhance, rather than just reduce, our impact on the environment, and that move us in the direction of a sustainable lifestyle—one that is ecologically sound, economically viable, socially just, and humane. A sustainable lifestyle fits with the cycles of nature, has a sound economic base, and respects human, animal and plant life. Impacts of that lifestyle do not compromise the ability of future generations to lead a healthy, quality life. These practices can save us money and time while improving our health and overall quality of life. The Living Green Expo uses a two-tiered approach to living green: low-impact living and long-term sustainability.
May COTE Meeting
May 16, 2006 5:30-6:30 p.m.
Tour of Flannery Construction Headquarters
1375 St. Anthony Avenue, St. Paul, MN 55104
http://www.flanneryconstruction.com
To incorporate green building technologies into the new Flannery Construction office and warehouse, there was a 6% increase in upfront construction costs. Their building is 37% more energy efficient than traditional commercial architecture. There will be a 7-8 year payback on their investment.
Some of the building technology and materials used on Flannery Construction’s new office are:
- Stormwater management: flow reduction.
- Solar power/renewable energy.
- Promotion of alternative transportation: bike lockers and changing/shower rooms.
- Water efficient landscaping and shade trees.
- Resource Reuse: Douglas fir, toilets, doors for desktops.
- Local/Regional Materials: doors, spancrete, wheatboard.
- Recycled Content: ceiling tiles, insulation coating.
- Rapidly Renewable Resources: wheatboard.
- Low-Emitting Materials: cleaning supplies, paint, glues, caulk.
- 2 week “OFF-GASSING” before moving in for a healthier working environment.
- Daylight and Views for 80-90% of employees.
- High Efficiency Heating and Cooling.
- In-Floor Heating.
- Energy Star White Roof System.
Innovation in Design
- Using Green cleaning products for final clean and ongoing cleaning services.
- Recycling construction materials (less waste during the construction process).
- A 3-year commitment was made with Xcel Energy to support Wind Energy initiatives. Flannery purchase 50,400 kilowatt hours annually—or 50% of our energy—from wind farms in Minnesota.
- Education: they will use this building as an educational tool and offer tours committed to discussing “green” building alternatives.
Jan/Feb COTE Special Green Events
Note: There will not be regular meetings in January & February so that COTE members can participate in the following events.
CALA Greenlight on Sustainable Community Workshop
Date: Jan. 20 5:30 - 7:30 p.m. & Jan. 21 8:00 a.m. - 6:00 p.m.
Location: U of MN Rapson Hall, 89 Church St. SE
RSVP to Greenlight grnlight@umn.edu by January 18
http://www.cala.umn.edu/greenlight/
The University of MN owns UMore (University of MN Opportunity Research Education) a 7500 acre parcel of mainly undeveloped land in Rosemount, MN. It will be developed to answer: what does a sustainable community look/function like? The objective of the workshop is to engage students, faculty, professionals, and any interested individuals to foster creative and intelligent design solutions that can be presented to the University and inform their design and development decisions.
Search for Shelter Design Charrette
Date: Friday, Feb. 3, Saturday, Feb. 4 and Sunday, Feb. 5
Location: Weisman Art Museum (Friday night) and U of MN Rapson Hall, 89 Church St. SE (Saturday and Sunday)
http://www.aia-mn.org/committees/SFS.cfm
The 19th annual Search for Shelter Design Charrette is when architects, designers, interns and students come together to donate inventiveness and creativity toward helping those less fortunate. Last year over 45 volunteer design professionals and students created solutions to housing projects submitted by seven different homeless, housing and neighborhood organizations. COTE Special Green Events are open to participation by all those with an interest in Minnesota’s built environment.
December COTE Meeting Notes
Date: Tuesday, December 20, 2005
Time: 5:30-6:30pm
Location: AIA Minnesota, 275 Market Street, Suite 54, Minneapolis
Topic: Climate Change Roundtable with John Bailey
http://www.ilsr.org/
- Attendees: Maureen Ness, Lauren Huynh, Cindy Ojczyk, Jeffrey Swainhart, Richard Venberg, Rick Carter, Doug Pierce, Oram Miller, John Bailey
- Thanks to John Bailey from the Institute for Local Self-Reliance (ILSR) for attending our meeting and discussing climate change neutral bonding. John is working on an initiative that would require every new development, new or renovated building, and so on that receives a certain level (to be determined) of financial support from city-issued bonds should be global warming neutral. It was suggested that this requirement could be worked into the B3 guidelines for state-bonded buildings in MN.
- Doug provided an update on COTE’s climate change initiatives.
- Richard gave an update on the SE Como solar thermal roof project. http://www.secomo.org/Solarpage.htm
November COTE Meeting Notes
Date: November 15-18, 2005
Location: Minneapolis Convention Center
Topic: AIA Minnesota Convention
- A special thanks to Steve Iaria for coordinating this year’s COTE booth at the Convention. Steve collected a wealth of information from the Friends of COTE for distribution.
- COTE was very excited about this year’s convention focus on sustainable and environmentally-friendly solutions to building design. The ‘green track’ seminars were very well attended. If you have not yet checked your environmental footprint, go to www.myfootprint.org
October COTE Meeting Notes
Date: Tuesday, October 18, 2005
Time: 5:30-6:30pm
Location: AIA Minnesota, 275 Market Street, Suite 54, Minneapolis
Topic: Solar energy
- The presentation by Innovative Power Systems did not happen as scheduled, but COTE members combined their knowledge and discussed solar energy system options.
Bulletins:
Graduate Study in Sustainable Design
The University of Minnesota’s Department of Architecture has begun offering advanced studies in sustainable design
theory and practices as a graduate program, the Master of Science in Architecture - Sustainable Design Track.
Candidates address issues such as energy and resource efficiency, water management, waste reduction, material,
and indoor environmental quality, and other technological innovations. The program’s course structure provides
students, architectural designers and researchers with qualitative and quantitative knowledge, methods, and tools
to integrate sustainable design practice and research in the design professions, government agencies, research
institutions, and corporations. Candidates with varied backgrounds are invited to apply, including practicing design
professionals, M.ARCH graduate students or environmental science professionals in related disciples.
Applications are accepted through June 15 for Fall admissions; materials and information are at:
http://www.cala.umn.edu/architecture/admissions/Admissions.html.
For a downloadable program document:
http://www.cala.umn.edu/architecture/academic_programs/MS/MS.html.
For specific questions please contact: Steve Weeks, Associate Professor, AIA, Director of Graduate Studies, Department
of Architecture, University of Minnesota (612) 624-7866.
Website of the Month: Architecture 2030
http://www.architecture2030.org
Edward Mazria, AIA, has started a website and written an open letter to the architecture, planning, and building
community on our impact on global climate change. Mazria writes, “...We can effect major reductions in the
emissions produced by the manufacture of building products and the construction of buildings and infrastructure
through the specification of innovative, low-embodied energy materials, technologies and processes. Today, we
are called upon to lead in the race against human-induced climate change. As architects, designers and planners
we strive to pursue and reflect humanity’s most noble aspirations. Let us accept this challenge and make this our
professions finest hour.
Climate Change in Minnesota
http://www.moea.state.mn.us/reduce/climatechange.cfm
Has Minnesota’s climate changed over the past 100 years?
- The average temperature in Minnesota has risen almost one degree Fahrenheit over the past century.
- Since 1900, precipitation has increased by about 20 percent in parts of Minnesota, especially southern Minnesota.
- If temperature readings and precipitation continue to increase within the next century, Minnesota might soon feel and look more like Missouri.
Six things you can do
- Purchase green power. Minnesota law requires the state's electric utilities to offer customers voluntary options to purchase power generated from renewable sources that emit far fewer greenhouse gases. Contact your electrical provider for details and sign up for their program. For more information visit http://www.me3.org/issues/wind/green.html
- Reduce your energy use for transportation. Buy a fuel efficient or alternative fuel vehicle. Drive less – bus, bike, walk or carpool. If you do drive, don’t idle your vehicle.
- Reduce energy use at home. Turn your thermostat down in the winter, set your air conditioner higher in the summer. Buy energy-efficient bulbs and appliances, look for the ENERGY STAR label. Get a home energy audit.
- Plant trees. Trees capture and hold carbon dioxide, a major greenhouse gas, and provide shade, which can reduce the need for air conditioning.
- Reduce, reuse, recycle. Waste reduction and recycling save energy and resources.
- Educate others. Share the facts on global warming and encourage all to do their part.
Virtual March to Stop Global Warming
http://www.stopglobalwarming.org
As of December 7, 238,496 people have joined the virtual march to stop global warming. This interesting website explains the impacts of climate change; environmental destruction, health risks, and catastrophic weather. Action items for making a difference are listed as well as ‘featured marchers’ including: Al Gore, Arnold Schwarzenegger, John McCain, Robert Kennedy, and Leonardo DiCaprio.
Persistent Biotoxins Policy Paper
Date: TBD
Location: TBD
Mercury is a good example of a Persistent Biotoxin (PBT) that can be found in a number of different building materials. PBT’s can be released into the environment and therefore will not degrade over time. With the help of Dr. Christine Ziebold, COTE will be organizing a policy paper about the harmful effects these substances have on us. If you are interested in being involved in this effort please contact Doug Pierce at douglas.pierce@perkinswill.com.
Hurricane Katrina
Hurricane Katrina may be the largest humanitarian and environmental disaster the U.S. has experienced. There are many ways for you to help.
- Archinect has created this resource to help track news, connect donors, aids, and displaced persons, as well as provide a network for employers and academic institutions to get involved by adopting architects and students displaced in the disaster. http://archinect.com/emergency/
- The architecture firm, Gould Evans, has set up a database to help link A/E/C firms that have resources with the firms in need.
- AIA’s aid site: http://www.aia.org/about_katrina_aid
- Architecture for Humanity’s site: http://www.architectureforhumanity.org
Blogs Worth Checking Out
http://www.activistarchitect.blogspot.com/
Activist Architect was developed by architecture graduate students at CALA, and is a resource for designers who are interested in applying their professional skills and abilities in working for social justice and community activism.
http://www.worldchanging.com
WorldChanging.com works from a simple premise: that the tools, models and ideas for building better futures lie all around us. That plenty of people are working on tools for change, but he fields in which they work remain unconnected. That the motive, means and opportunity for profound positive change are already present. That another world is not just possible, it’s here. WE only need to put the pieces together.
http://alt-e.blogspot.com
Alternative Energy Blog – News, views and strong opinions on alternative energy resources including wind power, solar energy, wave power, geothermal & others renewable energy sources + news on other energy issues.
Microturbine Information
From John Bailey of the Institute for Local Self-Reliance
WhisperTech http://www.whispergen.com/main/acwhispergen/
New Zealand company doing trials in the UK of their 1-kW residential microturbines. They’ve been around for a while and appear to have a pretty decent product and business plan to bring this to full commercialization in the coming years.
Microchap.info http://www.microchap.info/PAPERS.HTM
This site has a pretty nice set of papers that will outline the economics of residential scale cogeneration projects.
Baintree’s Municipal Utility Testing On-Site Energy Systems for Residential Customers – http://www.newrules.org/de/archives/000090.html
This is a recent story form my newsletter Democratic Energy. You’ll find a link to Climate Energy in the story, a company that is working to bring residential congeneration technology to the US.
Renewable Devices – http://www.renewabledevices.com/
This is a Scottish company that has generated a lot of buzz for its 1.5 kW rooftop mounted wind energy system. They say that a typical installation provides about 30 percent of the electricity needs of a typical house, reducing carbon dioxide emissions by around 1.6 tonnes per year. I don’t know much about the economics of the system so you’ll have to contact them if you are interested. |
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