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The Des Moines Register featured an article on Green & Main’s vegetative roof initiative. “The Grass is Always Greener Up on the Roof” briefly discusses the lengthy process and partnership between the Green & Main pilot project and Roof Top Sedums, a Davenport company. Pictures, video and text of the event will be on Green & Main’s website in the coming days.

The National Academies through the National Research Council issued a report on biofuels in “Certain Biofuel Mandates Unlikely to be Met by 2022, Unless New Technologies, Policies Developed.” The report, requested by Congress, adds that reaching the current Renewal Fuel Standard by 2022 may actually “be an ineffective policy for reducing global greenhouse gas emissions. [Achieving] this standard would likely increase federal budget outlays as well as have mixed economic and environmental effects.” Additional information may be found here.

Wallaces Farmer, in “World Food Prize to Mark 25th Anniversary,” notes that the international World Food Prize Symposium will be held this year in Des Moines at the Marriott Downtown Hotel. Attendees will include John Kufuor, former president of Ghana, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, former president of Brazil, Josette Sheeran, Executive Director of the UN World Food Programme and CEOs of ADM, Deere & Co., Dupont, Monsanto, Novozymes and Syngenta.

“Specific topics to be discussed in conversation sessions include the greening of agriculture, the role of the private sector in sustainable agriculture development, empowering youth leaders and entrepreneurs, the potential of women and girls in agriculture, improving efficiencies, the phosphate challenge, and enhancing communication and collaboration across all stakeholders.” Additional information may be found here.

— Jean Danielson is director of operations for Indigo Dawn. She likes to sit in Smokey Row Cafe and drink lots of Sumatra coffee with skim milk.

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ComputerWorld: The Voice of IT Management published the article “Green Storage Solutions for SMBs, Part 1.” The author, Sandra Van Dijk, discusses why the small-to-medium business sector is in a prime place to lead in data storage. “With ever-increasing storage capacity and escalating energy costs,” writes Dijk, “the small to medium business (SMB) sector is looking for solutions to address both the capital and operational costs of storage. “ The solution centers on cutting storage management costs, including energy use costs.

“Part one [of the article] looks at the latest technologies to address this growing problem while Part two compares Green messaging and strategies by the major storage vendors including Dell, EMC, Fujitsu, Hitachi Data Systems, HP, IBM, NetApp and Oracle-Sun.”

The Department of Energy on Wednesday released the first report on its Quadrennial Technology Review. The DOE asserts there are six areas that will modernize and support growth in the United States’ energy portfolio: 1) Deploy Clean Electricity, 2) Modernize the Grid, 3) Increase Building and Industrial Efficiency, 4) Deploy Alternative Hydrocarbon Fuels, 5) Electrify the Vehicle Fleet, and 6) Increase Vehicle Efficiency. As The Energy Collective states, “These are all sound strategies to address the three broad challenges imposed by our current energy systems: energy insecurity, environmental threats, and international competitiveness.”  A video introduction may be found here and the full report may be found here.

Green Building hosts articles this week including “Green Building Insulation,” addressing the appropriate type and amount of insulation and how to conduct a home energy audit. In the same article, there is a section on Federal Tax Credits for insulation. Additionally, “Green Building Windows and Doors” discusses window energy performance and window ratings, and provides an installation guide.

On Thursday, the USDA issued the news release “Forest Service Report Documents Environmental Benefits of Wood as a Green Building Material.” Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack stated that “this study confirms what many environmental scientists have been saying for years. Wood should be a major component of American building and energy design.”

The U.S. Forest Service also supported the increased use of life cycle analysis in building codes and standards and its subsequent combination with new technologies for improved wood use. According to the USDA, “The use of forest products in the United States currently supports more than one million direct jobs, particularly in rural areas, and contributes more than $100 billion to the country’s gross domestic product.” The full text of the news release may be found here.

– Jean Danielson is director of operations for Indigo Dawn. She enjoys watching independent films whose titles are made up of complete phrases.

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Aerial photo of Florida International University's U.S. Department of Energy Solar Decathlon 2011 entry.

The U.S. Department of Energy Solar Decathlon is an annual event held in Washington, D.C. It is a challenge that pits collegiate teams against one another to design, build and operate solar-powered houses. The winner of the challenge is the team that “best blends affordability, consumer appeal and design excellence with optimal energy production and maximum efficiency.”

The National Rural Electrical Cooperative Association published an article on Tuesday, September 20, 2011, “Consumers Seek Value in Smart Grid.” In an ongoing discussion of smart grid technologies, the GridWeek 2011 conference was held to identify and discuss not only the technologies, but the consumer behaviors that employ the technologies. As Derrill Holly writes, “while modernizing the nation’s energy grid represents opportunities for greater efficiency and diversification of energy resources, more emphasis has to be placed on those who ultimately will shoulder the costs.”

SpaceRef, in an article posted Thursday, September 22, 2011, discusses a partnership between NASA and the DOE that assesses building infrastructures via “smart system” technologies. “NASA Partners with DOE to Construct ‘Greenest’ Federal Building” highlights not only the collaborative process between the two, but the implementation of aerospace technologies to guide, instruct and contribute to the United States’ ongoing efforts in integrating building science and sustainability at all levels of community and government.

– Jean Danielson is director of operations for Indigo Dawn. She likes learning how to take technology vacations from listening to podcasts.

Jean Danielson

The Week in Green is a series that highlights green technology, building science and sustainability in the news.

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SustainableBusiness.com reports that the private sector has invested over $2.4 trillion in green businesses since 2007, according to Ethical Markets Media. The media group also anticipates a continued investment and commitment of nearly $1 trillion annually through 2020.

PilotOnline.com in the September 5, 2011 article “Many of the Military’s ‘Green’ Tools go Unseen,’ the author discusses an intricate HVAC system designed to meet clean technology initiatives. This project is “part of a federal mandate to go green,” according to the article’s author, Scott Harper, “to modernize old military bases with energy-efficient technologies, clean alternatives and eco-friendly buildings and materials.”

An Iowa State University press release reported that the National Science Foundation has awarded a  $20 million, five-year grant to “build Iowa’s research capacity in renewable energy and energy efficiency.”

The majority of the research project will take place at three of Iowa’s Universities: Iowa State University, the University of Iowa and the University of Northern Iowa.

– Jean Danielson is director of operations for Indigo Dawn. She is beginning to forsake her friendships for all things Kindle.

Jean Danielson

Below is a brief roundup of green technology, building science and sustainability news locally grown and wherever green news happens.

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SmartPlanet features an article on Hobbit-inspired structures by Sun Joo Kim. The Hobbit House of Montana is a rentable guest house at $245 a night, located in Trout Creek, Montana. The owner of the property, Steve Michaels, was asked the question, “So, what inspired you to do this?”

The Hobbit House in Montana

His answer: “We were building a small underground guest home for family and friends that would support easy heating in the winter and cooling in the summer. One day the contractor’s son mentioned that it looked like a Hobbit House. From then on, all of our attention and energy has gone into making this a first class Hobbit Abode & Village.”

The house was finished last year and remains a constant 55 degrees year-round.

This week, SmartPlanet also featured an article about the Artists for Humanity EpiCenter building in Boston, Massachusetts, also by Sun Joo Kim. The article provides a play-by-play of how the first LEED accredited building in Boston was built, along with explanatory photos.

Artists for Humanity EpiCenter in Boston, MA

The mission of the EpiCenter is to “bridge economic, racial and social divisions by providing underserved youth with the keys to self-sufficiency through paid employment in the arts.”

Wired Magazine online features an article about electric cars in “Where Will We Plug In?” by Chuck Squatriglia.

For our building science aficionados, GreenBuildingAdvisor.com has an article on “Choosing a High-Performance Wall Assembly” by Scott Gibson. Included in the discussion is how to minimize thermal bridging and specific construction methods to achieve net-zero energy performance.

– Jean Danielson is director of operations for Indigo Dawn. She enjoys visiting the Des Moines Art Center regularly, as her favorite Francis Bacon painting resides there.

Jean Danielson

As Kermit the Frog has said, it’s not easy being green.

We at Green & Main are here to make that statement not true. Part of knowing how to make being green easier is to see the vastly different areas that are impacted by sustainable technologies and innovations.

Below is a roundup of green technology, building science and sustainability news locally grown and wherever green news happens.

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Renewable Energy Magazine is an online magazine of nearly ten years that centers on clean energy journalism, predominantly within North America and South America. Toby Price in “Green Light for Hybrid Solar and Geothermal Project” writes of a Nevada-based project being developed by Enel Green Power. This renewable energy plant, located in Churchwater County, combines solar and geothermal power. States Price, “While solar and geothermal energy have been combined in small hybrid residential systems, the Stillwater project is the first of its kind in the US, and will make a significant contribution to achieving Nevada’s goal of generating 20% of its electricity from renewables by 2015.” To read the complete article, click here.

ConstrucTech Magazine on “Educating the Next Generation on Efficiency” writes about the Walking Mountains Science Center in Avon, Colorado. The science center is a non-profit organization that provides environmental science education for schools, day camps and other groups to learn not only about the environment but about green building science. The Center is equipped with meters and energy monitoring devices so that students may have immediate feedback on energy usage. To read the complete article, click here.

GreenBuildingAdvisor.com has a podcast called Green Architects’ Lounge. The current podcast (with transcripts) is an interview with Martin Holladay. Martin talks about his off-the-grid life, how he would build a house for himself and what is on the horizon for green building technology, science and construction.

When asked about a prediction in green construction, Holladay notes, “I think what we really need to do is educate builders and designers about basic air-sealing techniques — getting the basics down, which we’re still not doing. I don’t see any whiz-bang technological inventions ahead, and I’m very bad at predicting trends. I think the only thing that will change people’s attitudes is a doubling or tripling of energy costs, which is quite possible — although I’ve said that for years and have been wrong most of the time. But if and when energy prices take another huge leap, that will change residential construction in America very quickly. But, that’s about all I’ve got for predictions.”

To read the complete article, click here.

– Jean Danielson is director of operations for Indigo Dawn. She looks forward to seeing the Butter Cow deep fried and on a stick at the Iowa State Fair.

Jean Danielson

Report on Green Jobs and the Economy

Our Monday postings include information on the integration of green technology and building science.  The flavor of today’s posting is marinated with green jobs, the economy and how these jobs are developed for the short and long-term.

In the middle of July, the Brookings Institute issued a report on green jobs assessment. Talking about green jobs – whether in construction, agriculture, healthcare industry or forestry – is consistently difficult to define. Given one’s perspective, green jobs could have anything to do with sustainability (including makers of Smart Cars to people who paper-push, then recycle) to task-based jobs that create or manage (manufacturers of solar panels to websites that house online, real-time meetings that dramatically lessen the use of oil and gas for travel).

Additional Questions to Ask

In April, Chaden Halfhill and I went to the Northern Plains and Rocky Mountain Consortium Green Jobs Conference in downtown Des Moines. This was a two-day conference in which labor market specialists, economists and a host of others answered questions that included:

• “What are the new and emerging technologies in green energy?”
• “How many people work in green jobs?”
• “Are green skills different from non-green skills?”
• “What does green mean to economic development?

As there was much to cover, the speakers addressed these topics individually in their totality or through the lens of a profession or region. The methodologies were critical in discussing how the data was obtained, but what was of bottom-line importance included the following: 1) Does the government or the private sector initiate greater, more sustained growth? 2) Is the citizenry provided with enough information about the green technology growth sectors so it knows how to make employment and resources decisions? 3) How can training in green jobs be facilitated more quickly for displaced workers?

The answers were similar to the conclusions in the Brookings Institute report.

One of the important pillars identified is for both private and government sectors to work in tandem to stimulate the economy, create jobs and encourage innovation. The Green & Main Pilot Project in Sherman Hill is a prime example of this collaboration, leading to jobs not only created but maintained.  The positive impact of this demonstration building on multiple communities, and the combining of building science and green technologies, is invaluable. It provides tangible examples for home owners, building professionals and small-town community revitalists on forward-looking possibilities.

When you have a chance, check out the report.

– Jean Danielson is director of operations for Indigo Dawn. She is just beginning to read a 900-page novel, The Instructions, and hopes to have it read before the Mayan calendar ends.

Charles Durrett

Charles Durrett, an award-winning architect and leader in the North American cohousing movement, will present an overview of the cohousing concept of building community at 7:00 pm on Thursday, July 14 in Des Moines, IA at the Windsor Heights Community Center. The presentation is open to the public and is located at 6900 School Street, next to Colby Park (69^th Street south of University Avenue). It will be of particular interest to community builders, neighborhood associations, architects, green builders, city planners and community-conscious people who want to create better neighborhoods. This presentation is sponsored by Turtle Farm Cohousing Community, Indigo Dawn, Silent Rivers and RDG Planning & Design.

In addition to gaining general knowledge of cohousing, attendees will learn about a current local initiative to build such a community. Those interested in being part of this initiative, the Turtle Farm Cohousing Community, will be invited to view the property at an upcoming open house.

What is Cohousing?

Cohousing is “intentionally building community.”  Cohousing neighborhoods are composed of privately owned homes clustered around shared open space and common facilities. The common house is the heart of the community, designed for events such as group dinners, children’s play, fireplace gatherings, guest lodging, gardening, and yoga. Cars are kept to the exterior of the site, making the neighborhood pedestrian-friendly and safe for children. The future residents are involved in the design so that it reflects their needs and priorities. Environmental sustainability is a core value in cohousing projects.

What is Turtle Farm Cohousing Community (TFCC)?

Turtle Farm is a 20-acre, privately owned, certified organic fruit and vegetable farm in Granger, Iowa. Owner Angela Tedesco has been operating this farm as Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) for the past 13 years. Others have joined her in forming TFCC, LLC to support this cohousing project.

The Turtle Farm Cohousing Community envisions a new model for urban agriculture that places cohousing on the non-farmed portions of the land. The community owns the farm in common, so that it can continue to exist as a farm to feed the community, or to remain as an income-generating resource, serving residents of central Iowa.

About Charles Durrett

An architect by training, Charles Durret brought the idea of cohousing to the United States about twenty-five years ago from Denmark.  While living there and attending the Royal Academy of Art and Architecture, Durrett and his wife Kathryn McCamant were intrigued by distinctively friendly, inviting, active neighborhoods called “living communities” and began studying them.  McCamant & Durrett Architects have since designed and consulted in 50 cohousing communities.  Now there are 120 cohousing neighborhoods in the US and Canada and almost 100 more in some stage of development.  They are the authors of the recently released bookCreating Cohousing: Building Sustainable Communities (third edition).  Durrett also wrote Senior Cohousing: A Community Approach to Independent Living—The Handbook (now in its second edition). Find out more at www.cohousingco.com.

About Indigo Dawn

Indigo Dawn, LLC is a development company that generates progressive community-wide solutions, promoting and encouraging sustainable lifestyles. Indigo Dawn collaborators include: historic rehabilitation experts, business strategists, sustainability educators, communication specialists and event managers. Our mission: to create sustainable communities and to teach others how. Indigo Dawn – Developing a New Way, 735 19^th Street, Ste 2, Des Moines, IA 50314

About Silent Rivers Design + Build

Silent Rivers, Inc is a design and construction firm that specializes in authentic well-managed residential solutions. Over 18 years strong, Silent Rivers has received national awards for best practices in design, renovation and business stewardship. Building Inspiration – Bringing People Home, offices located at 9205 Swanson Blvd, Clive, IA 50325

RDG Planning & Design.  RDG designs spaces that fit the way people live, work, play and learn. Our core values are building relationships on respect and trust; bringing passion, energy and creativity to every project; leading the way with technology and sustainability; and being actively involved in the communities we serve. We’re architects, landscape architects, engineers, artists and planners with a passion for design and a drive to make a difference.

– Tizzy Hyatt is a grant writer and event planner for Indigo Dawn. She does not appreciate long Monday meetings.

Green & Main Sustainable Renovation Workshop

As part of the ongoing Green & Main education efforts, a six-part series on sustainable renovation will begin Friday, February 4^th 2011. The first workshop will present a sustainable building overview while also providing tips on prioritizing a renovation project, assessing existing projects, selecting a contractor and staging for site preparation. The Center on Sustainable Communities (COSC) is providing the educational component for the series.

The series presents the opportunity to learn more about the renovation of the historic H & H Grocery Store in the Sherman Hill neighborhood of Des Moines. This renovation (the Green & Main Pilot Project) is remodeling a mixed-use masonry building – built in 1933 – according to USGBC LEED Platinum certification guidelines. The workshop series will focus on the sustainable aspects of the project such as storm water management, energy efficiency, renewable energy and post-occupancy education.

Friday’s class will take place from 9:00 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. at the Mickle Neighborhood Resource Center located at 1620 Pleasant Street in Des Moines. The cost for the workshop is $20 for COSC members and $35 for non-members. Register online here or contact Carrie Boyle at 515-707-2787 or by email at Carrie@icosc.com.

Upcoming 2011 classes are scheduled for:

·         Friday, March 11^th

·         Friday, May 6^th

·         Friday, June 3^rd

·         Friday, September 9^th

·         Friday, October 7^th

To find other Green & Main education opportunities, please visit our Education & Events section.

– Sara Crouse is a writer and marketing strategist who lives in Des Moines, Iowa.

People who identify themselves as living healthfully and sustainably include not only the areas of green building and energy efficiency, but areas of choice that surround household products, electrical and hybrid vehicles, fair trade purchases, organic and locally owned food sources, medical choices and socially responsible investing.

Here in the Green & Main community, we have frequent discussions regarding choice and action, as it just seems to be in the air that we breathe. In fact, one of my favorite quotes from Chaden Halfhill was made off-the-cuff when we were at a meeting with the Office of Energy Independence in downtown Des Moines last year. As we were discussing the enormity of the project that is before us, its complexities and nuances, Chaden pauses and says, “Design well, live simply. That’s what it comes down to.”

This is a magnificent goal, and to that end I had a discussion recently with Johanna Hoffman, one of the people making this weekend’s Healthy Living Expo happen. Johanna is a very enthusiastic and engaged member of the LOHAS community, though I don’t know if she would identify herself as such. Her approach to the community and world she lives in is closer to the chest, it seems, than a label that one applies to their choices. It, too, is in the air that she breathes.

Johanna tells me, “What people don’t realize is that everything in their life involves health. The mental aspects of what we do in our life impact the physical.” Johanna and others who are putting together the Healthy Living Expo wanted to create an event that encourages the development of community wellness. We will do this, she says, through holding events that educate in fitness, personal care, traditional and alternative health care information, products and services.

The Expo will be at Hy-Vee Hall on Saturday between 10 a.m. and 6 p.m. and will include a New Year’s Resolution Run with all proceeds from the run going to Special Olympics Iowa, a Healthy Living Expo Roller Race Championship presented by the Smart Honda Women’s Race Team, a Winter Farmer’s Market and a Healthy Kid’s Zone. A listing of the many classes and workshops can be found at www.healthylivingexpoia.com with each one lasting about an hour each. See the pdf here >> HLE 2011 Classes & Workshops

Before Johanna needed to leave for her next meeting, she left these words with me: “When you feel you are contributing to the world, your outlook is richer.”

I wholeheartedly agree.

– Jean Danielson is director of operations for Indigo Dawn. She likes watching people being healthy on TV.