Brad Pitt: Real Time w/Bill Maher

Really good interview on one of my favorite shows. Looks like a great movie too.

An Air Quality Action Day Is Forecast In NY Area

The New York State Department of Transportation has declared that today (Monday, August 17, 2009) is an Air Quality Action Day in the downstate metro area due to forecasted high levels of ground-level ozone pollution in parts of the region (please visit the Clean Air NY Web site for more information http://www.cleanairny.org/LocalAirQuality/Default.aspx).

While today is still a day when people can go about most of their normal activities, such as going to work, driving may be one of the most polluting activities that you do today, and we encourage everyone to leave their cars at home if possible.

Ground-level ozone is a respiratory irritant that can trigger asthma attacks and aggravate emphysema, bronchitis and other respiratory ailments. Children, people with pre-existing respiratory or heart conditions, people doing strenuous outdoor work or exercise and the elderly are particularly vulnerable to the effects of ozone.

Here are several simple steps you can take on Air Quality Action Days to prevent pollution:

Combine errands into a single trip, rather than separate trips. This can help save time and reduce the amount of pollution emitted from your vehicle.

Take the subway, bus or train when possible.

Postpone unnecessary trips. Avoiding motor vehicle trips on Air Quality Action Days will prevent the formation of air pollution.

Refuel your vehicle in the evening when it’s cooler outside.

Avoid letting your vehicle idle, such as at the fast food or bank teller drive-thru.
Postpone using gas-powered gardening equipment such as lawn mowers on Air Quality Action Days. Wait for a day when air quality is better.

Forward this message to your family and friends.

To learn more about improving air quality or if you were forwarded this message and want us to send updates to your own e-mail address, visit CleanAirNY.org or call 1-877-ILUVAIR (1-877-458-8247).

Clean Air NY is sponsored by the New York State Department of Transportation in support of regionwide air-quality efforts.

511NY is New York State's official traffic and travel info source. Whether you drive or take public transit, click here for precisely what you need, or simply dial 511 on your phone.

Staffers See the Need for LEED

by

Bernadette Starzee

Long Island Business News

Published: July 21, 2009

Nine architects and engineers at the Hauppauge office of Stantec recently became LEED accredited professionals. Stantec, which has more than 130 locations in North America, provides consulting services in planning, engineering, architecture, interior design and other disciplines.

According to Joe Lamagese, a senior architect who is one of the nine, getting employees certified fits with the company’s overall philosophy. “One of our company’s goals is to be the North American leader in sustainable design, and with 75 LEED certified projects in North America, we’re getting there,” he said.

More than 100,000 people have become LEED APs since the accreditation program was launched in 2001, said Paul M. Meyer, education chair for the Long Island Chapter of the U.S. Green Building Council, which administers certification for green buildings. Most LEED APs are directly involved in building design and construction.

VHB Inc., an engineering, planning, environmental and transportation firm with an office in Hauppauge, has 77 LEED APs among its 800 employees in 18 offices on the East Coast.

“It’s important for our staff to be familiar with the latest requirements and techniques so that we can contribute more effectively in our interactions with architects, building owners and others,” said Leo Pierre Roy, a principal of the firm. “The LEED program has led to a more integrated design process, in which many different professionals come to the table to determine how to make buildings that are more efficient, that use fewer natural resources and that have a healthful environment.”

E.W. Howell, a general construction and construction management firm with offices in Woodbury and New York, has three LEED APs on staff as well as three LEED certified projects under its belt, including two Brookhaven National Laboratory facilities in Upton.

“Having LEED APs is both a marketing and an operational tool for us,” said Dominic Paparo Jr., vice president of business development. “It’s an important element in our presentations when we’re competing against other firms. A lot of clients want to see LEED AP involvement on jobs.”

This is especially true among government concerns, universities and other institutions, he said. “The number of private companies that request it is in the minority, but it’s moving in that direction,” he said.

“Building codes will eventually be written to encourage sustainable design, and products are becoming more sustainable,” Lamagese said. “If a company doesn’t keep up, it will find itself out of the market.”

LEED APs understand the LEED rating system and how to handle documentation, and they can identify which areas to focus on to ensure that a project will be eligible for certification, Paparo said. The company’s APs are on the operations side of the business, but Paparo said E.W. Howell expects a couple of employees on the estimating side to become accredited by the end of the year. “It’s important, because there are costs involved with LEED,” he said. Besides knowing how to apply the point system, LEED APs bring a certain level of expertise to the table. “Going through the accreditation process opens the door to all the options that are available to improve the sustainability of a building, including all the resources that the USGBC offers,” Lamagese said.

For Ava Amrieh, an electric engineer at Stantec who also became accredited, an important takeaway was learning more efficient ways to accomplish sustainability. “I learned that it doesn’t have to cost that much more to build green if you’re cautious with the design from the beginning,” she said.

Because it is becoming increasingly important to have LEED APs on staff, companies generally pay for their employees to take preparatory courses and the accreditation exam as part of their professional development. However, according to Meyer, some companies only pay for the exam if the employee passes it.

While LEED APs have an advantage over their non-accredited counterparts when seeking a job, they generally do not command a higher salary simply because they have the credential.

“We see this credential as something folks should have as part of their training,” Roy said. “So we don’t offer a salary increase to someone who gets their LEED AP, unlike what we would do if someone earned a Master’s degree or passed the PE [Principals and Practice of Engineering] exam.”

In addition to those professionals who work directly in building design and construction, some in related fields are becoming accredited, as well. According to Meyer, LEED APs include real estate brokers, mortgage brokers, interior designers, attorneys, building managers and moving and storage providers.

“Being a LEED AP gives someone some credibility when dealing with other members of a project,” Meyer said. “For instance, if you have a roof salesperson that says he is offering a green roof, and he’s a LEED AP, you’ll know he knows what he’s talking about.”

John T. Proscia, president of Sutton & Edwards Management, a property management firm in Lake Success, recently received his LEED green associate certification, a new certification level that the GBCI began offering in June.

“With my new, intimate knowledge of the LEED certification process, I have a unique understanding of how to manage a LEED certified building,” said Proscia, who has an accounting background. “For those owners that do not have a green certified building, I can use my LEED knowledge to advise them on how they can make their buildings more efficient and, as a result, lower their operating costs.”

Two Levels, New Specialties
Significant changes to the LEED accreditation process went into effect in June. Those individuals interested in becoming a LEED AP must take two exams instead of one.

Individuals who pass the first test become accredited as a LEED green associate, which demonstrates general knowledge of green building practices.

Qualified GAs can then sit for a second specialty exam that corresponds to one of the LEED rating systems. The specialized exam categories are Building Design & Construction, Interior Design & Construction, Operations & Maintenance, Homes and Neighborhood Development.

“An interior decorator would probably go for the Interior Design & Construction exam,” Meyer said, “while a property manager would probably opt for Operations & Maintenance.”

In late August, the USGBC-Long Island Chapter will begin offering a seven-week course, with a two-hour session each week, to prepare individuals for the green associate exam. Preparatory courses for the specialty exams will follow.

How Long Island Is Setting the Standard for "Going Green"

If you have been watching the news or reading the paper, you're sure to have noticed that the latest trend is "going green." Various industries have been making news by "going green." Computer companies such as Hewlett Packard, car companies like BMW and giants including General Electric have all decided to join the "green" movement. It was only a matter of time before the real-estate industry caught on. But what do all those pictures of flowers, lakes and crystal clear skies mean?

In simple terms, "going green" means reducing the amount of energy and natural resources being consumed. In the real estate industry, the largest expenditure of energy and natural resources is office buildings. According to the U.S. Green Building Council, each day in the United States office buildings account for 42% of total energy consumption, 65% of electricity consumption, 40% of greenhouse gas emissions, 30% of both raw materials waste and landfill waste and 12% of potable water consumption. "The energy you use to light the space that you're in, the computer itself, the heating and cooling systems, all those systems are running," says Bob Rose of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency."

The Environmental Protection Agency estimates that if each building owner took on the challenge to become green, by 2015, Americans would reduce the greenhouse gas emissions by amounts equal to the emissions from 15 million vehicles, while saving $10 billion. These undeniable facts and statistics jumped off the pages and inspired change through action. Some of the largest names in Long Island real estate have taken huge leaps in an effort to be more "green." From developers to landlords, Long Island has put itself on the map when it comes to "going green."

In 2003, Russell Albanese of the Albanese Organization together with Castagna Realty, the owner of Americana Manhasset shopping center, ventured to modernize an existing office building into the first green office building on Long Island. 1001 Franklin Ave. in Garden City set the standard for green buildings and revolutionized the future of Long Island's commercial structures. The building features recycled and natural materials including stone floors and recycled furniture fabric. Rainwater is collected and stored in a 5,000 gallon tank in the basement supplying water to irrigate the landscaping of the building. A state-of-the-art HVAC system reduces power use and features a high-quality filtration system designed to catch dust, pollen and impurities. The paints and adhesives used throughout the building are also environmentally responsible. Even the cleaners used to keep up the building are ammonia free and peroxide-based instead of chlorine
reducing the amount of pollutants being emitted into the air. Every detail of 1001 Franklin Ave. is carefully designed to minimize the building's environmental impact.

Since 2003, many of Long Island's landlords have been making similar upgrades and changes to their buildings' structure and function.

Long Island realizes that it is equally as important to build a green building as it is to operate it responsibly. Strict recycling programs have been implemented in buildings such as 600 Old Country Rd., owned by Vincent and Michael Polimeni. In addition to the new recycling program, new burners have also been installed to alleviate energy use. Improvements to existing structures are the key to ensuring an
environmentally conscious Long Island.

Aside from implementing changes to existing structures and building new office buildings from scratch, Long Island has been flooded with new ideas on how to solve the dilemma of environmental sustainability. Vincent Polimeni has proposed building a tunnel to connect Syosset on Long Island's north shore and Rye in Westchester County. The proposed project will save an estimated 24 million gallons of gas per year and reduce air pollution by 16.7% throughout the entire North Eastern region. Donald Trump has proposed building a green restaurant to replace the recently demolished Boardwalk Restaurant in Jones Beach.

RexCorp's Scott Rechler continues to introduce energy saving technologies in office building construction on Long Island. Rechler is also one of many Long Island developers who contribute to scholarship funds aimed at promoting a new generation of forward thinking Long Islanders.

With thousands of commercial properties on Long Island, the opportunities to build green are limitless. Revolutionary thinkers and ideas are the key to promoting a healthy and sustainable environment. Long Island's future depends on innovative thinkers. Judging by the recent surge of environmental initiatives, commercial real estate on Long Island is sure to flourish in a responsible way.

Really Cool New TV Channel: Planet Green TV

Ever since Advanced Restoration Corp. sent me to the Green Risk Professional Course a few weeks ago, I have been fascinated by the Green Building Movement. It is going to be the future and I have been trying to learn and educate myself as much as I can. Because now that I am a certified Green Risk Professional, that qualifies me to apply to get my LEED Green Associate certification by the United States Green Building Council. Which I am in the process of right now. That is the only LEED certification I am qualified for because to be a LEED AP or even a LEED Builder I have to have some experience working on a LEED green project. As of now I have none. Eventually I will get another certification but I hope to use the LEED Green Associate designation to open the door for me in this new industry. An industry I think all insurance agents, insurance adjusters, and insurance companies should learn more about.

What I wanted to share with everyone was that I found a new channel dedicated to the green movement, Planet Green TV. Now when I say new, I mean new to me. It might have been up for awhile, I have never noticed it before or noticed it but didn't pay it much attention. There are some very interesting shows on there that highlight all the different aspects of the green movement. Here are the links to the shows I have programmed into my DVR:

• Greenovate: Saving over 40% on energy bills while also increasing property value by 25% sounds impossible, but Greenovate shows viewers just how to make this lofty dream a reality in their own households.
• G Word: Being green is no longer just for granola-loving hippies. It's a lifestyle, an attitude, a state-of-mind, and it's shaking up the pop-culture landscape. Forget what you think you know about what being green means and get ready for G Word...
• Renovation Nation: T he green home building movement is unfolding in real time on each hour-long, information-packed episode of Renovation Nation, which answers the burning questions that every homeowner in America has about going green.
• Total Wrecklamation: Wrecklamation follows one determined demolition auctioneer, Jodi Murphy, as she tracks down a treasure trove of Chicago homes doomed for the wrecking ball that are full of recyclable materials she auctions off for deeply discounted prices. Viewers are exposed to the entire demolition auction experience, starting with the house scouting process, where Jodi culls through hundreds of homes to find the rare few that are full of premium content.
• Wa$ted!: This eye-opening half-hour reality series makes shrinking your ecological footprint appealing and virtually effortless. What's an ecological footprint? It's a way of describing the scope of the damage that each household does to the planet. (I have applied to have the Wa$ted show come out and shoot at Advanced Restoration Corp.)
• World's Greenest Homes: Be prepared to be taken deep inside the most stunning eco-friendly dwellings on the planet while watching World's Greenest Homes. Design expert Emmanuel Belliveau guides this whirlwind global tour of breathtaking green and glam residences.

Cablevision offers Planet Green on channel 172, as well as Planet Green HD on 846 as part of its HD service.
Verizon Fios offers Planet Green on channel 168, as well as Planet Green HD on 668 as part of its HD service.
DIRECTV offers Planet Green on channel 286, as well as Planet Green HD (coming soon) as part of its HD service.
DISH Network offers Planet Green on channel 194, as well as Planet Green HD (coming soon) as part of its HD service.
Hope you guys enjoy them and get as much out of them as I have.

"Don't take any s*** from anybody," Billy Joel

Short-Term Green Tips For Home

Here is some short-term quick and easy steps to help you get started on the road to green in your home


Tip 1:"Green" your laundry.
Detergents, fabric softeners and bleaches can be toxic to your family and to the environment. Some surfactants and fragrances in laundry detergents contain hormone-disrupting chemicals that can't always be removed by wastewater treatment plants and end up harming local wildlife. Chlorine bleach is not only poisonous for humans, but can create dangerous byproducts, such as dioxin, when flushed down the drain. Get your clothes clean without all of the pollution by switching to eco-friendlier cleaners. The companies Ecover, Sun & Earth, Seventh Generation and OxyPrime make less-toxic alternatives to traditional laundry detergents. Try nonchlorine bleach such as OxyBoost or Ecover's hydrogen peroxide-based option.

$ Factor: The eco-friendlier detergents and bleaches cost no more than standard products.



Tip 2:A little warmer, a little cooler.
About 47 percent of the average household's annual energy bills stem from heating and cooling. Every degree you raise your thermostat in the summer will reduce air conditioning bills by about 2 percent. Lowering the temperature by one degree in winter will save you 3 percent on heating bills. Regular maintenance and a tune up every two or three years will keep your heating, ventilation and air conditioning, or HVAC, system operating efficiently, saving energy and money. A programmable thermostat -- excellent for a family that spends a good part of the day at work or school -- will shave 10 percent off your bill.

$ Factor: Adjusting your thermostat is free, easy and can yield big savings. A programmable thermostat starts about $30 and produces an annual savings of about $100.



Tip 3:Switch to cold water.
Almost 90 percent of the energy used to wash clothes is used to heat the water, according to the U.S. Department of Energy. Save money and energy. Wash your clothes in warm or cold water, instead of hot, using a detergent formulated for cold-water use.

$ Factor: Turning the dial from hot to warm will cut your energy use by 50 percent per load, and save you up to $63 a year, according to the Alliance to Save Energy.



Tip 4:Line dry -- like grandma used to do.
Dry your clothes on a laundry line rather than throwing them in the dryer. Clothes dyers are the third-largest energy users in the home, behind the refrigerator and washing machine, costing more than $100 a year to operate, according to Project Laundry List.

$ Factor: Drying your clothes on the line can save you as much as $10 a month, said Brad Stroh, co-founder of Bills.com. Laundry lines vary in cost, from about $5 for a simple rope line to $500 or more for deluxe models.



Tip 5:Stop the junk mail.
Each year, 100 million trees are cut down and turned into junk mail, with Americans receiving a total of 400 million tons of it every year. Earthworks Group, an environmental consulting firm, said cutting out junk mail is one of the most effective things people can do to reduce pollution. There are several ways to stop the flow of junk to your house.

$ Factor: For a $15 one-time fee, Green Dimes will send you a junk-mail opt-out kit that will remove your name from mailing lists for junk mail and catalogs. They then monitor the lists to make sure your names stay off of them, potentially reducing your junk mail by 90 percent. Green Dimes also plants 10 trees for each kit sold. Or, you can contact the Direct Marketing Association, and pay a $1 fee to be removed from some mailing lists.



Tip 6: Switch to Compact Fluorescent Lights (CFL).
Compact fluorescent bulbs use 75 percent less energy than incandescent bulbs and last up to 10 times longer. They're more expensive than traditional light bulbs, but it only takes about 3 months to make up for the higher sticker price in energy savings.

$ Factor: You will save $85 over the life of the bulb for each 60-watt light bulb you replace with a 15-watt CFL. You'll also save 543 kWh of electricity and reduce your CO2 emissions by 833 pounds.


Tip 7: Kill 'vampire' electricity.
Many appliances use electricity even when they're turned off. It's called a phantom load, or vampire electricity, and as much as 75 percent of the electricity used by home electronics and small appliances is used while they're turned off. The Ohio Consumers Council estimates that it costs consumers $40 to $100 a year.

$ Factor: The simple solution is to unplug small appliances and electronics when you aren't using them. Or, plug them into a power strip and turn the power strip off when you aren't using those items. Power strips cost $10 to $20 each, and can save you up to $100 a year, depending on how many electronics you have. Simply unplugging one television, computer monitor and fax machine when you aren't using it will save you about $6 a month, Stroh said.



Tip 8: Set up a compost bin.
Composting is a relatively easy and inexpensive way to reduce the amount of garbage your household produces. Through composting, yard waste such as leaves, grass clippings and food wastes such as vegetable scraps can be turned into a nutrient-rich soil amendment that reduces the need for commercial chemical fertilizers in home gardens.

$ Factor: Compost bins vary in cost, from a few dollars for a simple, homemade bin up to several hundred dollars for a ready-made system. Composting at home can make a significant dent in household waste. The Environmental Protection Agency, or EPA, estimates that about 25 percent of the 245 million tons of garbage going into U.S. landfills come from yard clippings and food.



Tip 9: Run full dishwasher loads.
You'll save up to 20 gallons of water per load, or 7,300 gallons a year. That's as much water as the average person drinks in a lifetime.


$ Factor: You can save even more money by running your dishwasher during off-peak hours, usually from 9 p.m. to 7 a.m. Many utility companies offer off-peak energy rates. And don't pre-rinse if your dishwasher can handle it.



Tip 10: Don't preheat.
Don't bother if you are broiling, roasting or baking a dish that will cook for an hour or more. Don't preheat for more than 10 minutes for breads and cakes. And when roasting meats or baking casseroles, turn off the oven 10 minutes to 15 minutes before cooking time runs out; food will continue to cook without using the extra electricity.

$ Factor: By reducing the time your oven is on by one hour per year, you'll save an average of 2 kWh of energy. If 30 percent of U.S. households did this, 60 million kWh of energy could be saved.



Tip 11:Watch that pot.
Use the right-size pot on your burners.

$ Factor: You could save about $36 annually for an electric range or $18 for gas.



Tip 12:Filter your water.
Buy a water filter for your kitchen faucet and put to good use yet another way to do away with those plastic water bottles that are clogging landfills and burning up energy in recycling plants. About 1.5 million tons of plastic are used on the bottling of 89 billion liters of drinking water each year.

$ Factor: You can buy a water filter for as little as $29, or about a month's worth of bottled water.



Tip 13: Don't run while you brush.
Turn off the tap while you brush your teeth. You'll conserve up to five gallons of water per day -- which could add up to 1.5 billion gallons that could be saved across the country each day -- more than enough for all of New York City.

$ Factor: You could save time and money on water, up to 1,825 gallons of water per person each year. This much water would fill your bathtub more than 35 times. A family of four could save almost 7,500 gallons a year.



Tip 14: No hint of lint.
Clean your dryer lint screen with every use and don't overload the dryer.

$ Factor: You'll save up to 5 percent on your electricity bill -- which could mean an energy-equivalent savings of 350 million gallons of gasoline per year if everyone did this. Also, run your dryer during off-peak hours. Check with your utility company to see if they offer discounted rates during off-peak hours and verify when those hours are. Better yet, use a clothesline.



Tip 15: From warm to cold.
Set warm wash and cold rinse cycles and save 90 percent of the energy used when using hot water only. And run your washer during off-peak hours.

$ Factor: Together, all U.S. households could save the energy equivalent of 100 thousand barrels of oil a day by switching from hot-hot to warm-cold cycles. Check with your utility company to see if they offer any discounted rates during off-peak hours.




Tip 16:Use low-flow water devices.
Wherever you use water, there's a low-flow device to fit it -- from hose nozzles, to showerheads, to faucet aerators. Handy products, such as the WaterMiser Waterbroom, use water and air pressure to remove dirt from outdoor surfaces, reducing water use by up to 60 percent. Low-flow nozzles save about 5 gallons a minute for a standard garden hose, and a low-flow showerhead uses as little as 2.5 gallons of water or less each minute and would save 25 gallons of water per 10-minute shower. Toilets made after 1996 use no more than 1.6 gallons per flush, while earlier versions can use from 3.5 to 7 gallons.

$ Factor: Low-flow hose nozzles cost less than $20; showerheads cost about $12 at home-improvement stores. Low-flow items can save you about 750 gallons of water each month per person in showers alone. They also cut your hot-water heating bills by up to 50 percent. New toilets -- from as little as $100 -- can reduce water use by up to 73 percent per flush. An even cheaper tactic: Put a water displacement bag -- about $2 -- or even a 2-liter plastic bottle filled with water in the tank away from the mechanism and you'll save almost a gallon of water per flush. Faucet aerators cost about $2 each and can cut water use from as much as 2.75 gallons per minute to as little as half a gallon a minute. Households using low-flow aerators save an average of 1,700 gallons of water each year.



Tip 17: Watch the Watts.
Gadgets such as the Kill-A-Watt and the Watt Minder help you find the biggest energy users in your home. Plug an appliance into one of these devices and it will tell you how much energy it uses per hour, month, or year, and how much it's costing you.

$ Factor: Wattage meters cost about $20 to $30. If you are interested in the bigger picture, rather than monitoring one device at a time, the Power Cost Monitor tracks, in real-time, the electricity use in your entire house and shows how much it is costing you. The monitor costs about $130 and attaches to your electric meter.



Tip 18:Make your own cleaners.
Household chemicals, including some cleaners, contain volatile organic chemicals, which contribute to indoor air pollution and may cause disease. A cost-effective way to make your home greener is to make your own household cleaners. Many homemade cleaners use non-toxic ingredients and clean just as well as commercial cleaners.

$ Factor: Making your own cleaner costs about 10 percent of the price a bottle of commercial cleaner, according to Karen Logan, author of "Clean House, Clean Planet." She says a bottle of her all-purpose cleaner costs 23 cents to make, versus a price tag of $2.69 for the off-the-shelf equivalent. If making your own cleaners isn't an option, look for cleaners carrying the Green Seal. Green Seal is a nonprofit organization that certifies products based on their environmental impact, biodegradability and other factors.



Tip 19:Reuse your water.
Water is a precious commodity, and too much of it goes down the drain. Install a rain barrel that attaches to your downspouts and collect rainwater off your roof. Rainwater is relatively free of contaminants and can be used instead of tap water for all kinds of outdoor uses: watering gardens and lawns, cleaning sidewalks and washing the car. Add to the benefit by reusing your gray water -- the waste water from doing dishes, laundry and showering. It's fine for watering plants.

$ Factor: Rain barrels cost $100 to $300 and collect from 50 to 100 gallons of water each. Savings on your water bill will likely be nominal. Recycling gray water can be as simple as reusing the water last night's pasta dinner boiled in to water your plants. More sophisticated systems, such as the Aqus from WaterSaver Technologies, disinfects, stores then and reuses the water from your bathroom sink to flush the toilet. It costs about $200 and reduces wastewater by up to 5,000 gallons per year in a typical household.



Tip 20:Zap your meals.
Microwaves are between 3.5 and 4.8 times more energy efficient than traditional electric ovens. Cooking and reheating with a microwave is faster and more efficient than the stovetop or oven.

$ Factor: Cooking with microwaves can reduce up to 70 percent of energy use for cooking. What's more, using microwaves extends the life of your oven significantly. And one more thing: Cleaning a microwave oven is a snap and saves even more of the cash you would spend on energy with a self-cleaning oven or on toxic-chemical oven cleaners.



Tip 21:Get picky on phosphates.
Pick laundry detergents without phosphates, which deplete the oxygen in water and as a result kill aquatic life. And while you're at it, buy only powdered detergent in cardboard packaging as opposed to a liquid in plastic packaging. The liquid contains water, which you already have, so it takes more fuel to ship that heavier container of detergent and water, not to mention the energy and petroleum used to manufacture the plastic container. The cardboard container also requires energy and resources to produce, but many are now made from post-consumer recycled paper and the trees they originate from are a renewable resource.

$ Factor: The cost-per-load comes out pretty much the same for powder and liquid, so going with the non-phosphate powders give you the chance to help the planet without any real cost to you.



Tip 22:Use commercial car washes.
Getting your car washed at a commercial car wash is better for the environment than doing it yourself. C ommercial car washes not only use significantly less water per wash -- up to 100 gallons less -- but they often recycle and reuse the rinse water.

$ Factor: If every American who currently washes a vehicle at home chose instead to go to a professional care wash -- just once -- up to 8.7 billion gallons of water could be saved, and some 12 billion gallons of soapy polluted water could be diverted from the country's rivers, lakes and streams.



Tip 23:Clean air filters.
Check air conditioning filters monthly to either clean or replace them. This will help the unit run more efficiently. Better yet: buy a permanent filter that can be washed and re-used. This will save you money over the long run and keep all those disposable filters out of landfills. If your unit is outdoors, check to make sure the coils are not obstructed by debris, plants or shrubs.

$ Factor: Clogged filters can make electric bills skyrocket and eventually cause extensive, expensive damage to your air handler.

LEED for Homes Point Categories

The LEED for Homes voluntary rating system awards certification based on point totals in eight categories. (Download the checklist for point requirements.) The categories and requirements are developed through a rigorous consensus-based process, including a period of USGBC member balloting.

Innovation & Design Process
Location & Linkages
Sustainable Sites
Water Efficiency
Energy & Atmosphere
Materials and Resources
Indoor Environmental Quality
Awareness & Education

Innovation & Design Process
Sustainable design strategies and measures are constantly evolving and improving. New technologies are continually introduced to the marketplace, and up-to-date scientific research influences building design strategies. Occasionally, a strategy results in building performance that greatly exceeds that required in an existing LEED credit. Other strategies may not be addressed by any LEED prerequisite or credit but warrant consideration for their sustainability benefits.

Green home-building strategies and techniques are most effectively implemented as part of an integrated design process, with input from individuals involved in each phase of the project. Good design can keep costs down and ensure proper integration of green techniques and achievement of project goals.

One aspect of home design that is often overlooked is the assessment and mitigation of long-term durability risks to the home. Durability failures are a significant cost and cause of stress for both builders and homeowners, but many easy and low-cost strategies are often overlooked because builders do not consider durability in the up-front design.

The Innovation & Design Process (ID) credit category encourages project planning and design to improve the coordination and integration of the various elements in a green home.

Credits can be earned for innovative designs, exemplary performance or regional best-practices that can be shown to produce quantifiable environmental and human health benefits.

The three Innovation & Design Process credits in the LEED for Homes Rating System are:

Integrated Project Planning
Durability Management Process
Innovative or Regional Design.


Location & Linkages
Home-building projects have substantial site-related environmental effects, in terms of both the impact to the site itself and the impacts that stem from the location of the site. The Sustainable Sites credit category focuses on the former; Location & Linkages addresses how builders can choose site locations that promote environmentally responsible land-use patterns and neighborhoods.

Location & Linkages (LL) credits reward builders for selecting home sites that have more sustainable land-use patterns and offer advantages over conventional developments. Land is used more efficiently, reducing the acreage needed for new housing. Fragmentation of farmland and forest and other natural areas is minimized. Well-sited developments need less infrastructure, especially roads and water and sewer lines. And such developments promote a range of sustainable transportation options, including walking, cycling and mass transit, thereby reducing dependence on personal automobiles.

LL credits can be earned in either of two ways:

Pathway 1: LL 1, LEED for Neighborhood Development.
The LEED for Neighborhood Development program certifies “smart-growth” housing development. The pilot phase of this program is expected to conclude in late 2008, after which new projects can register and receive credit for selecting a home site in a certified development.

Pathway 2: LL 2–6.
Projects that either cannot or choose not to participate in the LEED for Neighborhood Development program can earn points in this category by pursuing the following strategies:

LL 2: Site Selection
LL 3: Preferred Locations
LL 4: Infrastructure
LL 5: Community Resources
LL 6: Access to Open Space


Sustainable Sites
Green building goes beyond the built structures because the use of the site and its natural elements can have a significant environmental impact. The Location & Linkages category awards projects for choosing a preferable site; the Sustainable Sites category awards projects for minimizing site impacts.

Early decisions about how to incorporate the home into the site can have significant long-term effects on local and regional ecosystems, as well as demand for water, chemicals and pesticides for site management. Good design decisions can result in attractive, easy-to-maintain landscaping that protects native plant and animal species and contributes to the health of local and regional habitats.

Depending on how a home is integrated into the site, normal rainfall can be a problem, causing soil erosion and run-off of chemicals and pesticides or an opportunity to offset potable water demand and recharge underground aquifers. Surrounding plants can be a burden, requiring regular upkeep, watering and chemicals, or an enhancement that provides shade, aesthetic value, habitat for native species and a mechanism for absorbing carbon and enriching the soil.

Site design should take into consideration the aesthetic and functional preferences of the occupants, but also long-term management needs, preservation principles and potential impacts on local and regional ecosystems.

The six Sustainable Sites (SS) credits in the LEED for Homes Rating System:

Site Stewardship
Landscaping
Local Heat Island Effects
Surface Water Management
Non-toxic Pest Control
Compact Development


Water Efficiency
In the United States, approximately 340 billion gallons of fresh water is withdrawn per day from rivers and reservoirs to support residential, commercial, industrial, agricultural and recreational activities. This accounts for about one-fourth of the nation’s total supply of renewable fresh water. Almost 65 percent of this water is discharged to rivers, streams and other water bodies after use and, in some cases, treatment.

Additionally, water is withdrawn from underground aquifers. In some parts of the United States, water levels in these aquifers have dropped more than 100 feet since the 1940s.

On an annual basis, the water deficit in the United States is currently estimated at about 3,700 billion gallons. In other words, Americans extract 3,700 billion gallons per year more than they return to the natural water system to recharge aquifers and other water sources.

Water for domestic use may be delivered from a public supplier or be self-supplied isby a well. Self-supplied domestic withdrawals are an estimated 3,590 million gallons per day.

The Energy Policy Act of 1992 mandated the use of water-conserving plumbing fixtures and fittings to reduce water use in residential, commercial and institutional buildings. Water efficiency measures in new homes can easily reduce water usage by 30% or more. In a typical home, savings of 30,000 gallons of water a year can be achieved very cost-effectively. This results in average annual water utility savings of about $100 per year.

As communities grow, increased demand for water leads to additional maintenance and higher costs for municipal supply and treatment facilities. New homes that use water efficiently have lower water use fees and reduced sewage volumes. Many water conservation strategies involve either no additional cost or rapid paybacks; biological wastewater treatment, rainwater harvesting and gray water plumbing systems, on the other hand, often involve more substantial investment.

The Water Efficiency (WE) category in the LEED for Homes Rating System has three kinds of credits:

Water Reuse
Irrigation Systems
Indoor Water Use

Energy & Atmosphere
Data from the home-building industry indicate that close to 1.5 million new homes are built each year, and that the average size of new homes has doubled in the past 50 years. As a result, total U.S. fossil energy use in homes has been steadily increasing. The average American consumes five times more energy than the average global citizen, 10 times more than the average Chinese person, and nearly 20 times more than the average Indian.

Conventional fossil-based generation of electricity releases carbon dioxide, which contributes to global climate change. Coal-fired electric utilities emit almost one-third of the country’s anthropogenic nitrogen oxides, the precursor of smog, and two-thirds the sulfur dioxide, which causes acid rain. They also emit more fine particulate material than any other activity in the United States. Because the human body is incapable of clearing fine particles from the lungs, these emissions are contributing factors in tens of thousands of cancer and respiratory illness-related deaths annually. Natural gas, nuclear fission and hydroelectric generators all have adverse environmental impacts as well. Natural gas is a major source of nitrogen oxides and greenhouse gas emissions. Nuclear power increases the potential for catastrophic accidents and raises significant waste transportation and disposal issues. Hydroelectric generating plants disrupt natural water flows, resulting in disturbance of habitat and depletion of fish populations.
Buildings consume approximately 37% of the energy and 68% of the electricity produced in the United States annually, according to the U.S. Department of Energy. In 2006, total emissions from residential buildings were responsible for 1.2 billion metric tons of carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions, or 20% of the U.S. total.

Scientists predict that left unchecked, emissions of CO2 and other greenhouse gases from human activities will raise global temperatures by 2.5ºF to 10ºF over the 21st century. The effects will be profound and may include rising sea levels, more frequent floods and droughts and increased spread of infectious diseases. To address the threat of climate change, greenhouse gas emissions must be slowed, stopped and reversed. Meeting the challenge will require dramatic advances in technologies and a shift in how the world economy generates and uses energy.

Absent significant improvements in environmental performance, the residential building sector will be a major contributor of global CO2 emissions. Homes have a lifespan of 50 to 100 years, during which they continually consume energy and produce CO2 emissions. Further, the U.S. population and economy are projected to grow significantly over the coming decades, increasing the need for new homes. To meet this demand, approximately 12 million new homes are projected to be constructed by 2015.

Building green homes is one of the best strategies for meeting the challenge of climate change because the technology to make substantial reductions in energy and CO2 emissions already exists. The average certified LEED home uses 30% to 40% less electricity and saves more than 100 metric tons of CO2 emissions over its lifetime. Modest investments in energy-saving and other climate-friendly technologies can yield homes and communities that are healthier, more comfortable, more durable, energy efficient and environmentally responsible places to live.


Materials & Resources
The choice of building materials is important for sustainable homebuilding because of the extensive network of extraction, processing and transportation they require. Activities to produce building materials may pollute the air and water, destroy natural habitats and deplete natural resources. Construction and demolition wastes constitute about 40% of the total solid waste stream in the United States. Good design decisions, particularly in the framing of homes, can significantly reduce demand for framing materials, as well as the associated waste and embedded energy. Without even changing the home design, a project can save framing materials and reduce site waste by planning appropriately and communicating the design to the framing team through detailed framing documents and/or scopes of work.

Sources should be evaluated when materials are selected for a project. Reclaimed (i.e., salvaged post-consumer) materials can be substituted for new materials, saving costs and reducing resource use. Recycled-content materials reuse waste products that would otherwise be deposited in landfills. Use of local materials supports the local economy and reduces the harmful impacts of long-distance transport. Use of third-party-certified wood promotes good stewardship of forests and related ecosystems. Use of low-emitting materials will improve the indoor air quality in the home and reduce demand for materials with added volatile, toxic compounds.An increasing number of public and private waste management operations have reduced construction debris volumes by recycling these materials. Recovery activities typically begin at the job site, with separation into multiple bins or disposal areas. In some areas, regional recycling facilities accept commingled waste and separate the recyclable materials from those that must go to the landfill. These facilities can achieve waste diversion rates of 80% or greater.

The Materials & Resources (MR) category in the LEED for Homes Rating System has three components:

Material-Efficient Framing
Environmentally Preferable Products
Waste Management



Indoor Environmental Quality
Americans spend on average 90% of their time indoors, where levels of pollutants may run two to five times — and occasionally more than 100 times — higher than outdoors, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Similarly, the World Health Organization reported in its Air Quality Guidelines for Europe that most of an individual's exposure to many air pollutants comes through inhalation of indoor air. Many of the pollutants found indoors can cause health reactions in the estimated 17 million Americans who suffer from asthma and 40 million who have allergies, contributing to millions of days absent from school and work.

Homeowners are just beginning to realize the link between their health and their homes. Hazardous household pollutants may include carbon monoxide, radon, formaldehyde, mold, dirt and dust, pet dander, and residue from tobacco smoke and candles. Many homeowners also store various chemicals inside their homes as well, including pesticides, fertilizers, solvents, grease, oils, degreasers, gasoline, antifreeze, strong detergents, thinners and oil-based paints.
Over the past 20 years, research and experience have improved our understanding of what is involved in attaining high indoor environmental quality and revealed manufacturing and construction practices that can prevent problems from arising. Preventing indoor air quality problems is generally much less expensive than identifying and solving them after they occur. Generally, there are three types of strategies: source removal, source control and dilution.

Source removal is the most practical way to ensure that harmful chemical compounds are not brought into the home. Evaluating the properties of adhesives, paints, carpets, composite wood products and furniture and selecting materials with low levels of potentially irritating off-gassing can reduce occupant exposure. Scheduling deliveries and sequencing construction activities can reduce exposure of materials to moisture and absorption of off-gassed contaminants. (Low-emissions materials are addressed under Materials & Resources.)

Source control strategies focus on capturing pollutants that are known to exist in a home. For example, filtering the supply air stream removes particulates that would otherwise be continuously recirculated through the home. Protection of air-handling systems during construction and a building flushout prior to occupancy further reduce the potential for problems.

Dilution involves the use of fresh outside air to ventilate a home and exhaust pollutants to the outdoors. This may also help control moisture within the home. Most new homes in the United States do not have mechanical fresh-air ventilation systems. The typical air-handling systems in new homes merely recirculate the air within the home, continuously pumping indoor pollutants through the home rather than exhausting them.

Another aspect of indoor air quality is occupant comfort. The proper installation of automatic sensors and controls to maintain proper temperature, humidity and ventilation in occupied spaces helps maintain optimal air quality. Surprisingly, sensors to alert a home’s occupants to deadly carbon monoxide concentrations are frequently not required by current codes but should be included in all new homes. Letting occupants fully and effectively control their thermal environment can reduce hot-cold complaint calls and generally raise satisfaction levels.

The Indoor Environmental Quality (EQ) credit category encourages builders to prevent air pollution and improve air quality and comfort in the homes they build.

Alternative Compliance PathwaysThe two parallel pathways through the 10 EQ credits in the LEED for Homes Rating System are illustrated in Table 1 and summarized below.

Pathway 1: ENERGY STAR with Indoor Air Package

Projects that participate in the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s ENERGY STAR with Indoor Air Package initiative automatically qualify for 13 points. Up to 7 additional points are available if the following credits are also completed:

EQ 4.2: Enhanced Outdoor Air Ventilation
EQ 5.2: Enhanced Local Exhaust
EQ 5.3: Third-Party Testing
EQ 7.2 or 7.3: Better or Best Air Filters
EQ 8.2: Indoor Contaminant Control

Pathway 2: Prescriptive Approach

The following strategies can earn points in this credit category:

EQ 2: Combustion Venting
EQ 3: Moisture Control
EQ 4: Outdoor Air Ventilation
EQ 5: Local Exhaust
EQ 6: Distribution Systems
EQ 7: Air Filtering
EQ 8: Contaminant Control
EQ 9: Radon Protection
EQ 10: Garage Pollutant Protection


Awareness & Education
The LEED for Homes Rating System addresses the design and construction of new green homes — roles that are the responsibility of the home designer and the builder, respectively. But the environmental impact of a home continues throughout its life-cycle, well beyond the initial design and construction decisions. Most new homes are expected to last 50 to 100 years, during which the occupants will consume energy, water and other resources. They therefore play a substantial role in the resource use of a home over its lifetime.

Some homebuyers may know very little about green home construction. They may be unaware of the green features in the home, or they may be unfamiliar with how to use and maintain them. Without adequate training, the full benefits of the LEED measures likely will not be achieved.

This credit category promotes broad awareness among homebuyers and tenants that LEED homes are built differently and need to be operated and maintained accordingly. Because the operations and maintenance tasks in multifamily buildings may be performed by a building manager, this credit also addresses the need for appropriate education of building managers.

The two Awareness & Education (AE) categories in the LEED for Homes Rating System are Education of the Homeowner or Tenant and Education of the Building Manager.