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July 29, 2005
Organic farming beats conventional farming
Isn't it odd that we call the approach that depends on nutrients provided by nonrenewable petroleum and poisons "conventional"?
I'm not a farmer, and I mostly avoid expressing opinions on subjects that I know little of. So I was pleased to see that an agronomist at Cornell has determined that the organic approach beats the conventional approach for corn and soybeans. See this link: http://www.organicconsumers.org/organic/norm071805.cfm
Posted by aquacura.com at 04:57 PM | Comments (0)
Limits of growth
I've always admired the work and writing of Tom Horton at the Baltimore Sun. He cares deeply about the (declining) health of the Chesapeake Bay, and for decades has refused to give up nagging his fellow Marylanders about the need to make choices. If you want to preserve the Bay, even in its presently degraded condition, you have to face the daily decisions you are making that lead inexorably to the Bay's decline.
Read Horton's article from today's Sun:http://http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/local/bal-md.horton29jul29,1,4946355.column?page=1&coll=bal-pe-maryland
I am probably going to sound hopelessly naive, but I have asked myself the essential question in Horton's article with respect to our economy: "Why does a company have to grow to prosper?" I know the answer -- I'm not actually that naive. A company has to grow to satisfy its investors, who seek higher equity value, as equity value is defined by equity markets.
I'll depart from economics here and return to something I know more about: the impact of our society's growth (as we shareholders in society define growth) on the ecosystems that support us. We are not going to make it as a society if we do not reconsider how we define growth. I am not referring to birth rate or to immigration policies. I'm talking about the footprint that each of us places on the earth. In the U.S. we are looking at limits on growth because of our decisions as to the size of the footprint we aspire to (as well as our decisions to occupy ecosystems that could not accommodate humans without technological interventions -- read "air conditioning")
I do take one exception to Horton. He yields to hyperbole in saying that super ultra-efficient vehicles, like the Prius, would buy us only a few months of relief in our use of petroleum. That assessment is far too pessimistic, but it does have a ring of truth. If we all bought and drove Priuses (Priae?) and we allowed that collective concession to calm us into doing nothing to prepare for the end of petroleum, then we would simply be pushing the crisis out into the future.
Posted by aquacura.com at 10:45 AM | Comments (0)
July 27, 2005
Crushed concrete attribution
In my prior entry on this subject, I neglected to attribute the idea to Bill Wenk of Wenk Associates. http://www.wenkla.com
I met Bill today at a meeting in Pittsburgh, and we talked at greater length about a project in Milwaukee where thousands of cubic yards of concrete waste is being used to create subsurface stormwater retention ponds. The project enjoys a cheap medium and Wisconsin DOT enjoys a disposal cost much lower than they expected to pay.
I hope Bill doesn't mind my suggesting that you contact him for details (like what sort of crushing equipment, what to do about rebars, etc)
His email is bwenk@wenkla.com
Posted by aquacura.com at 10:17 PM | Comments (0)
July 26, 2005
Wind power in China
An article in today's New York Times about China's wind power industry provides some hope that they might be coming to their senses about electric power production. They seemed to be following in the sooty footsteps of the U.S. -- first, pollute the air by burning dirty coal, then do something better. Maybe they will leap directly to renewable power production.
Transmission of wind-generated power from the steppes to the eastern cities is certainly going to result in some inefficiencies, but maybe a wind power industry will be able to produce a smaller windmill that can be sited throughout the country, to achieve a distributed power production network.
Posted by aquacura.com at 02:07 PM | Comments (2)
Central PA MS 150
I rode in my fifth MS 150 over the July 16 - 17 weekend. We did the century loop on Saturday and the 75-mile loop on Sunday. Both rides departed from Gettysburg College. I rode with Team Giant (the grocery store, not the bicycle maker) which appeared to have maybe 20 or 30 riders.
Both days started cool and overcast, and humid. The sun came out each day at about noon, and with the humidity already in the air, it felt as if someone had turned on the oven.
We drank gallons of water -- the ride was well-organized and rider support was superb. In fact, the stops might have been a little too close together (but we felt we had to stop to stock up on liquid).
We were glad to be finished on both days, and glad to have ridden for a good cause.
Posted by aquacura.com at 01:39 PM | Comments (1)
Good site for green homes
I have come across a good site for information on green building practices for homes. Use this link: http://www.homes-across-america.org
Posted by aquacura.com at 01:36 PM | Comments (0)
July 25, 2005
Crushed concrete for stormwater storage
I recently heard of a clever way to combine demolition waste reuse with stormwater management: use crushed concrete to create subsurface storage for stormwater.
Modern stormwater management practices, particularly retention of runoff from small storms, often entails subsurface storage beds. These beds are often built on drainable soils, to allow retained rainfall to infiltrate rather than to run off the site. Standard practices are to use gravel, perforated pipe, or formed plastic storage units.
Crushed concrete could also be used, allowing you to deal with a waste product and to save the cost of gravel (or at least the cost difference between gravel and the cost of crushing the concrete) I expect you could also realize somewhat higher void space in a bed of crushed concrete, compared to gravel. Higher void space would decrease the storage volume required to hold a particular amount of rainfall.
Does anyone out there have experience with this approach?
Posted by aquacura.com at 08:40 PM | Comments (0)
July 21, 2005
"We do the water first"
"We do the water first." That is how the renowned German stormwater designer, Herbert Dreiseitl summarizes his approach to stormwater management. Speaking at the 12th conference of the Congress for the New Urbanism in Chicago in June 2004, Mr. Dreiseitl illustrated his unique blend of art and engineering in settings both urban and suburban. His experience in complying with long-standing European requirements that runoff be reduced or eliminated provided a useful confirmation to his American audience that it is not only possible to preserve pre-development hydrology, but that compliance can be interesting and beautiful.
EPA’s Phase II program is being implemented by the states to cover sites as small as one acre, requiring that post-development runoff be controlled for most of the rain storms that occur in an average year. This change of emphasis – from controlling peak flow rate to controlling runoff volume – is probably the most significant change in water management requirements for land developments in the past thirty years. Gradually, as the states develop their programs, local governments will have to incorporate the new stormwater management requirements into their development rules. During this transition period, which will probably last for a year or more, site designers will have to meet both the evolving state requirements and the existing local regulations, resolving the inevitable conflicts by thoughtful application of hydrologic principles.
Stormwater management concepts should be sketched out at the earliest stage of site planning to allow the natural site hydrologic features to function as much as possible on the developed project. This approach is a significant change from thirty years of civil / site design practice, which dealt with getting the water off the site with inlets and pipes.
To see some of the imaginative projects designed by Atelier Dreiseitl, visit http://www.dreiseitl.com
Posted by aquacura.com at 07:57 PM | Comments (0)
Troeg's Pale Ale
As a Harrisburg area resident, I have checked out the Appalachian Brewery beers, and identified my favorite (Purist Pale Ale). But for some reason I had ignored the other Harrisburg brewer -- Troegs.
Last weekend I rode the MS 150 from Gettysburg (more on that when I open the bicycling category) on Saturday and Sunday. After Saturday's ride, Troegs hosted a rehydration event, where they served their pale ale and one of their other brews.
And a fine pale ale it was. Nice and crisp -- a pale ale that you could drink to satisfy a thirst. I recommend it to anybody in the distribution area.
To check out the Troegs offerings -- and what the hell -- the Appalachian offerings, too, here are links.
Posted by aquacura.com at 12:34 PM | Comments (0)
Give the devil its due
Although I am no fan of WalMart, I am willing to concede that if they begin to green up their retail stores, it could serve as an important positive example to other big boxers.
See below:
"We see it as a next step in evaluating the impact we leave on the environment as we look toward smart growth and sustainability in the building of our new stores," said Mike Duke, executive vice president and chief executive officer of Wal-Mart Stores - USA. "This store will contain many of the best resource conservation and sustainable design technologies currently available to minimize the use of energy and natural resources."
The McKinney store will experiment with materials, technology, and processes, which include:
* Reducing the amounts of energy and natural resources required to
operate and maintain the stores
* Reducing the amount of raw materials needed to construct the facility.
* Substituting, when appropriate the amount of renewable materials used
to construct and maintain the facility.
"We want to make the best use of renewable and alternate sources like wind and solar energy to generate electricity to supplement the power needs of the store," said Don Moseley, PE, Wal-Mart's experimental projects manager. "The store at McKinney will draw its energy first from on-site resources and systems, and then from conventional utility sources as a secondary service. For example, the waste cooking oil which had been used to fry chicken will be recycled by mixing it with used automotive oil from the Tire and Lube Express to serve as fuel to heat the building."
Biodiesel!! Mixed with waste oil!! That's pretty impressive.
Posted by aquacura.com at 09:06 AM | Comments (3)
July 18, 2005
The two-percent myth
If you are involved in green building, you have undoubtedly heard the two-percent myth: Green buildings cost about 2 percent more to build than a conventional building. This assertion, which makes the rounds even at meetings of true believers (I attended a Pittsburgh GBA meeting earlier this year where I heard it four times from the podium) is simply silly, for a number of reasons.
First, and most important, a thoughtful design and construction team can make a building as green as the budget allows. A well-integrated team can trade costs to achieve significant energy efficiency and to produce a healthful indoor environment while staying within a capital cost budget. You can make a building as green as you choose.
Second, the 2 percent myth is based on old information. As green building practices become more common in the construction industry, hard and soft costs are decreasing. Consider certified wood. Only a couple of years ago, a builder had to work hard to identify a source of structural lumber, and then had to import the lumber from a distance. Distribution is improving, and we may soon see a distribution center in our own region.
Third, how can one discern a 2 percent difference between a building that has been built and one that exists only on paper. If you are comparing green to conventional, you are doing so with estimated costs. The uncertainty in a cost estimate done from a detailed take-off is probably greater than 2 percent (builders, please help me here). The comparison point is probably pretty far back in the design process -- it is highly unlikely that you would do a detailed design of both buildings. So what is the uncertainty in this earlier-stage estimate? Surely more than 2 percent.
If we want to counteract the 2 percent myth, we have to change the frame of the discussion. If we simply argue against the myth, we will actually reinforce it. So I have some alternative frames to propose.
1. You can be as green as your budget will allow.
2. You can probably build LEED Silver without spending more.
3. You can build green to your budget, and then enjoy the energy efficiency benefits for the life of the building.
I welcome your thoughts.
Posted by aquacura.com at 09:57 AM | Comments (2)
July 13, 2005
Chlorinated water and vegetation
I am managing a project for the Paxton Creek Watershed and Education Association that will entail retrofitting bioretention into a pair of stormwater detention ponds at a township-owned recreational facility. One of the ponds receives regular flows of highly chlorinated water (say 3 to 5 ppm chlorine) weekly when the whirlpool bath is emptied. The effect of this water seems to be evidenced by a "shoreline" below which no vegetation survives. The pond is planted in turf grass.
The other pond, which receives roof and parking lot runoff, has fairly healthy turf and a pretty nice stand of emergents in the low area, so the whirlpool discharge would seem to be the culprit.
Here's the question: can someone recommend vegetation that would stand up to the chlorine? We cannot ask the township to modify its practices, so we have to find a way to live with the discharge.
Posted by aquacura.com at 09:46 AM | Comments (4)
July 12, 2005
Why beer?
When I reached legal drinking age in PA way back in the early 70s (and for a few years before that) our choices in beer were pretty grim. The industry was starting to consolidate toward Anhueser-Coors-Millerization. We considered PBR to be a premium brand.
There were some small, local brews that had some character: Duquesne in Pittsburgh; Natty Boh in Baltimore. Others?
Today, we are in beer heaven. Central Pennsylvania, where Aqua Cura has founded it's world headquarters, has many small brewers turning out ranges of excellent brews. Appalachian, Lancaster, Stoudts, and Troegs, to mention a few. Go east to Weyerbacher and Victory and one could spend a long time savoring beers from this corner of PA.
A little farther gets us to Baltimore, where Clipper City turns our beers for their own labels as well as others. And at the pinnacle (this is risky) we have Sierra Nevada -- particularly the annual batch of Celebration Ale.
So let this corner of the Aqua Cura weblog be your place to alert your colleagues to great brews as you find them.
BTW, to answer my initial question, beer is essentially water, right?
Posted by aquacura.com at 05:38 PM | Comments (2)
Gathering place for green building professionals
Since I left big engineering to form tiny Aqua Cura I have met scores of design and construction professionals who are deeply committed to green building practices. Almost all of them work in small firms; many of them own these small firms.
In my other life, I could call on the marketing department to support my business development efforts. Now, I am the marketing department, as well as the doing the work department (to say nothing of the human resources and billing departments).
So to succeed, we become more collaborative. Which is a more enjoyable way to work, anyways. I am going to try to help myself and all other green building professionals who are willing to share information as they build teams to pursue opportunities.
Please, if you want to draw a team together, use this weblog. Post your idea as an entry and see who responds.
Posted by aquacura.com at 05:27 PM | Comments (1)