Category: News

10 steps for upgrading a lighting system for energy savings

It’s estimated that hospitals use the most energy on a square-foot basis of any building type and that lighting comprises about 16 percent of the total load. What’s more, it’s likely to be a higher percentage in older facilities.

It’s not unusual for a large health care complex to build portions of its facility decades apart and therefore have different lighting technologies in place for each. For a large health care institution considering an energy retrofit of its lighting systems, a little planning can go a long way toward making the project run smoothly and successfully.

Following the steps

Retrofits can be as simple as a lamp and ballast change-out or they can involve replacing the old lighting system with a completely new one. Determining which job to undertake comes after initial analysis of the age of the system, the lamp and ballast technology in place, the quality of the existing light and the availability of incentive money through energy grants and tax deductions.

In general, the following 10 steps will provide health care facility professionals with the best results:

1. Conduct brainstorming sessions. Prior to beginning work, brainstorming sessions between the hospital stakeholders and a lighting design professional to discuss existing conditions, current technologies and future needs of the facility can begin to establish goals, bring out concerns and construct a reasonable timeline.

2. Establish goals. A summary report of the findings from the brainstorming sessions will establish the goals and expectations of the project and provide a roadmap from which to move forward. This is especially important if the work is to be executed in phases. This should include an executive summary that will highlight the lighting project’s scope, complexity and cost.

Read the remaining steps at HEALT FACILITIES MANAGEMENT

U.S. EPA approves collaborative bi-state plan

SAN FRANCISCO – U.S. Senator Dianne Feinstein today hosted the 15^th Annual Lake Tahoe Summit, at which California Governor Edmund G. Brown, Jr., Nevada Governor Brian Sandoval and U.S. EPA Regional Administrator Jared Blumenfeld signed a roadmap to return the lake to almost 100 feet of clarity within 65 years.

The water clarity of Lake Tahoe declined from a visibility level of 105 feet in 1967 to an all time low of 64 feet in 1997.  Ten years of scientific study ascertained that fine particulate matter is the prime factor in diminished clarity at Lake Tahoe. The Clean Water Act allows states and U.S. EPA to develop a “diet” for impaired waters like Lake Tahoe to help them recover.  This diet is called the Lake Tahoe TMDL (Total Maximum Daily Load).

The TMDL represents a decade of collaborative effort between federal, state and local agencies and public stakeholders to better understand the pollutants and sources affecting the Lake’s clarity and to develop a cost-effective, workable solution for improvement.

“I am pleased that California and Nevada have demonstrated unprecedented levels of collaboration in crafting this agreement,” said Nevada Governor Brian Sandoval. “Years of hard work and scientific study have paid off, paving the way for much-needed future success at Lake Tahoe.”

“Lake Tahoe provides enormous environmental and economic value to California and the nation,” said California Edmund G. Brown, Jr. “These benefits are directly related to the quality and clarity of the Lake. It is incumbent upon all of us to protect and enhance Lake Tahoe’s clarity.  This historic agreement will ensure that future generations can continue to enjoy Lake Tahoe’s beauty and clarity.”

“The Total Maximum Daily Load offers a roadmap to improve Lake Tahoe’s clarity so future generations can enjoy this majestic lake,” said U.S. Senator Dianne Feinstein of California. “More than a decade of research went into this plan and I commend California, Nevada and the Environmental Protection Agency for coming together to implement it.”

“Common-sense regulations regarding water clarity at Lake Tahoe are critical to the health, preservation and restoration of this national treasure,” said U.S. Senator Harry Reid of Nevada.  “They will also ensure that Lake Tahoe remains a valuable economic resource that is helping put Nevadans back to work.”

“I commend Nevada Division of Environmental Protection and the Lahontan Water Quality Control Board for developing a scientific plan to restore the clarity of Lake Tahoe.  The years of hard work and collaboration have paid off,” said U.S. Senator Dean Heller of Nevada.

“Lake Tahoe is one of the largest, deepest, and clearest lakes in the world. Its shimmering blue waters, biologically diverse alpine setting, and remarkable water clarity are legendary,” said Jared Blumenfeld, U.S. EPA’s Regional Administrator for the Pacific Southwest. “By establishing rigorous benchmarks and accountability, this plan ensures that Lake Tahoe’s environment and economy will thrive long into the future.”

The lake contributes significantly to the economies of California, Nevada and the United States. The communities and the economy of the Lake Tahoe Basin depend on the protection and restoration of its stunning beauty and diverse recreational opportunities in the region.

Scientific analysis demonstrates that restoring lake clarity is possible if pollutant load reductions can be achieved in each of the four primary sources of these pollutants: urban stormwater runoff, forest runoff, stream channel erosion and atmospheric deposition.  The TMDL outlines measures to reduce each of these sources, with a focus on the urban stormwater runoff source, as it is both the greatest source and the best opportunity to control the pollutants.  The TMDL calls for advanced and innovative controls to achieve the needed pollution reductions.

“The water quality goals have long been agreed to. The TMDL makes it possible to go forward by knowing how much pollutant loads need to be reduced, where those reductions can be found, and the rate of improvement that will follow,” said Dr. Geoffrey Schladow, Director of the UC Davis Tahoe Environmental Research Center.

Achieving the load reductions outlined in the TMDL will be challenging. California’s Lahontan Regional Water Quality Control Board and the Nevada Division of Environmental Protection are working closely with local jurisdictions including the counties, departments of transportation, the City of South Lake Tahoe, and other stakeholders to reduce the amount of fine sediment and nutrients entering the lake. The two state agencies are also collaborating with the Tahoe Regional Planning Agency to ensure that the Regional Plan, which will soon be updated, supports the local government actions needed to implement the TMDL.

“The Basin’s private stakeholders welcome the opportunity to help implement science-based strategies to protect and restore Lake Tahoe’s famed water clarity. Since much of the pollutants of concern are the result of a 50 to 60-year-old built environment, one opportunity for meaningful load reduction is to rebuild many of these older structures incorporating state-of-the art green technologies,” said Lewis Feldman, a local land-use attorney for businesses throughout the Lake Tahoe Basin.

For more information about Clean Water Act TMDLs, please visit:  http://water.epa.gov/lawsregs/lawsguidance/cwa/tmdl/

For more information about California’s TMDL for Lake Tahoe, please visit:

http://www.waterboards.ca.gov/lahontan/water_issues/programs/tmdl/lake_tahoe/index.shtml

For more information about Nevada’s TMDL for Lake Tahoe, please visit:

http://www.epa.gov/region9/water/tmdl/nevada.html and http://ndep.nv.gov/bwqp/tahoe.htm

Brent Haddad studies water in a place where water is often in short supply: California.

Haddad is a professor of environmental studies at the University of California, Santa Cruz. About 14 years ago, he became very interested in the issue of water reuse.

At the time, a number of California’s local water agencies were proposing a different approach to the state’s perennial water problems. They wanted to build plants that would clean local waste water — a.k.a. sewage water — and after that cleaning, make it available as drinking water. But, says Haddad, these proposals were consistently shot down by an unwilling public.

From the perspective of the water engineers Haddad was talking with, this kind of reuse was a no-brainer. The benefits were clear and the science suggested that the water would be safe. Clean Water Action, an environmental activist group, also supports reuse for drinking water, though it thinks there should be national regulatory standards.

But according to Haddad, no matter what the scientists or environmental organizations said, the public saw it differently: They thought that directly reusing former sewage water was just plain gross.

Which is why Haddad turned to a nonprofit called The WateReuse Foundation for funding for a study. He wanted to figure out more about the public’s response to reused water, and for that he needed additional people. This was a job, Haddad concluded, for psychologists.

Psychological Contagion

Carol Nemeroff is one of the psychologists whom Haddad recruited to help him with his research. She works at the University of Southern Maine and studies psychological contagion. The term refers to the habit we all have of thinking — consciously or not — that once something has had contact with another thing, their parts are in some way joined.

Contagion thinking isn’t always negative. Often, we think that it is some essence of goodness that has somehow been transmitted to an object — think of a holy relic or a piece of family jewelry.

And according to Nemeroff, there are very good reasons why people think like this. As a basic rule of thumb for making decisions, when we’re uncertain about realities in the world, contagion thinking has probably served us well. “If it’s icky, don’t touch it,” says Nemeroff.

The researchers led by Haddad wanted to figure out more about how our beliefs about contagion in water work. And so they recruited more than 2,000 people and gave them a series of detailed questionnaires that sought to break down exactly what you would have to do to waste water to make it acceptable to the public to drink. The conclusion?

“It is quite difficult to get the cognitive sewage out of the water, even after the real sewage is gone,” Nemeroff says.

Around 60 percent of people are unwilling to drink water that has had direct contact with sewage, according to their research.

Read the complete article at NPR:

President Obama today announced that the U.S. Departments of Agriculture, Energy, and Navy will invest up to $510 million during the next three years in partnership with the private sector to produce advanced drop-in aviation and marine biofuels to power military and commercial transportation. The initiative responds to a directive from President Obama issued in March as part of his Blueprint for A Secure Energy Future, the administration’s framework for reducing dependence on foreign oil. The biofuels initiative is being steered by the White House Biofuels Interagency Work Group and Rural Council, both of which are enabling greater cross-agency collaboration to strengthen rural America.

“Biofuels are an important part of reducing America’s dependence on foreign oil and creating jobs here at home,” said President Obama. “But supporting biofuels cannot be the role of government alone. That’s why we’re partnering with the private sector to speed development of next-generation biofuels that will help us continue to take steps towards energy independence and strengthen communities across our country.”

Full story

By: Marc Karell, Owner, Climate Change & Environmental Services

Monitoring and Evaluation

Some companies are hesitant about becoming “green,” concerned about the costs or considering it an exotic, non-business issue. They think of this as actions to “save the Earth,” which is not their responsibility. However, sustainability is now recognized as a valid business concern. Savvy companies which have comprehensively addressed the issue have gained core business benefits. This article presents 9 purely business reasons (with real life examples) to develop a robust “green” program.

1.  Making the Monetary Case

Reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions is most commonly achieved by reducing both fossil fuel combustion and electricity usage. Given their high costs (example, >$4/gallon gasoline), such reductions will result in significant cost savings.

But energy savings are especially significant. If an energy audit saves your company $100,000/yr (less than $10,000/month) in expenses, what is the sales equivalent? At 10% profit, sales would need to be increased by $1 million/year to earn your company the same $100,000. Which is easier? The answer differs for each company, but for most increasing sales is more difficult (i.e, ads, salespeople, etc.). Also, energy reductions save perpetually, while increased sales must be repeated every year.

Reducing GHG emissions can also result in sellable carbon credits. The U.S. voluntary market can provide extra revenue if reductions are properly certified.

Finally, there are financial incentives to pay some upfront costs of “greening” efforts and gain tax rebates later.

Example: DuPont has reported investing heavily in energy reduction projects since the 1990’s. DuPont estimates that absolute energy usage declined by 18% since 1990, even though production grew by over 47%. In total, DuPont claims to have avoided over $5 billion in energy costs.

2.  Create New Products and Sell More

Re-branded “green” products can give you a competitive sales edge.  Example: GE’s Ecomagination is an example of re-branding existing products as “green,” leading to doubling of sales in three years.

3.  Meet the Expectations of Customers and Suppliers

More customers care about product “carbon” data. Examples: Walmart requires many suppliers to submit GHG emissions data for eventual posting. According to Automation World, T-Tek Material Handling sells a beverage pelletizer using less energy than its competitors’ brands. Using “green” as its main selling point, sales of the T-Tek pelletizer soared.

4.  Raise Employee Morale:

Read the complete article at Environmental Leader:

Concrete is literally the backbone of our infrastructure, but it often takes a bad rap for the carbon intensity of its key ingredient: cement.

Research just out of MIT’s Concrete Sustainability Hub finds that concrete has some good properties that can be overlooked if assessments of the building material do not truly look at the entire lifecycle.

And beyond that, the studies say, taking a look at how we put concrete to use can make a big difference: For example, using concrete to pave roads and highways can yield greater fuel efficiency for cars than asphalt.

The approach MIT took on lifecycle assessment and benchmarking is as important as the findings that resulted from researchers’ extensive modeling projects on buildings and roads, reports on the research said. MIT released its studies, “Methods, Impacts, and Opportunities in the Concrete Building Life Cycle” and “Methods, Impacts, and Opportunities in the Concrete Pavement Life Cycle” last week.

Read the complete article at GreenBiz Greener Buildings:

Charles Darwin said, “It is not the strongest of the species that survive, nor the most intelligent, but the one most responsive to change.”

In companies, it is common that a major barrier to internal collaboration is that functional areas do not understand their impact on others. Companies bridging that gap – using an embedded sustainability strategy aligned to the core business strategy, and business processes – will have an edge in creating a competitive value chain capable of fulfilling business strategy requirements.

However, before rushing forward, it is vital to understand environmental foot-printing, and the importance of data capture is equal to how that data is used, measured and verified. For example: it needs to show the interdependence of areas within an organization, because what optimization may have taken place in one area could well have created a negative impact in another.

What you don’t measure – you can’t manage. Conversely, what you measure badly you will manage badly.

Read the complete article at Environmental Leader

WASHINGTON — The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is inviting small businesses, governments, and not-for-profit organizations to participate as small entity representatives (SERs) for a small business advocacy review (SBAR) Panel. This panel will focus on the agency’s development of a rule that proposes to regulate the amount of perchlorate, a potentially harmful chemical, in drinking water. Federal law requires agencies to establish an SBAR Panel for rules that may have a significant economic impact on a substantial number of small entities.

Perchlorate is both a naturally occurring and man-made chemical that is used to produce rocket fuel, fireworks, flares and explosives. Perchlorate can also be present in bleach and in some fertilizers.

EPA has determined that perchlorate meets the Safe Drinking Water Act’s three criteria for regulating a contaminant. First, perchlorate may have adverse health effects. Scientific research indicates that perchlorate can disrupt the thyroid’s ability to produce hormones needed for normal growth and development.Second,there is a substantial likelihood that perchlorate occurs frequently at levels of health concern in public water systems–monitoring data show more than four percent of public water systems have detected perchlorate. Finally, there is a meaningful opportunity for health risk reduction for the between 5.2 million and 16.6 million people who may be served drinking water containing perchlorate.

The panel will include federal representatives from the Small Business Administration, the Office of Management and Budget, and EPA. The panel members ask a selected group of SERs to provide advice and recommendations on behalf of their company, community, or organization to inform the panel members about the potential impacts of the proposed rule on small entities.

EPA seeks self-nominations directly from the small organizations that may be subject to the rule requirements. Other representatives, such as trade associations that exclusively or at least primarily represent potentially regulated small entities, may also serve as SERs.

Self-nominations may be submitted through the link below and must be received by August, 26 2011.

Nominate yourself as a SER: http://www.epa.gov/sbrefa/perchlorate.html

More information about perchlorate: http://water.epa.gov/drink/contaminants/unregulated/perchlorate.cfm