What’s REALLY Going On With Humans & Climate Change?

The built environment is the largest contributor to CO2 and other greenhouse gases from human sources. As such, the built environment offers the most logical opportunity in terms of reducing human-induced greenhouse gas emissions. Greenhouse gases, such as CO2, are forcing factors in the climate of the planet and so large changes in the concentrations of these gases can lead to changes in the planet's climate zones and weather patterns. The latest scientific studies reveal that greenhouse gases in the Earth's atmosphere are increasing at a dramatic rate relative to baseline conditions and that the added greenhouse gases from human energy-generating sources may be the smoking gun.

However, linking this dramatic increase in greenhouse gases to observed changes in the climate of the Earth has been a much more difficult concept to prove conclusively. And between Al Gore's controversial movie, "An Inconvenient Truth" and scandals like 'Climate-gate', the public confusion over the issue is at an all time high. It doesn't help that the American political divide treats the issue with one extreme view or the other; ‘the sky is falling’ vs. ‘it’s no big deal’.

To better understand this issue from an apolitical point of view, C. R. Taylor Green Consulting offers a brief (3 hrs) overview course on the topic of human-induced climate change (i.e. global warming) including an understanding of the magnitude of the risks and of what actions can serve the issue most sufficiently. This overview course can be designed for young adults (high school/college) as well as seasoned professionals. From this course you will learn:

-what we know about global climate science
-to what degree greenhouse gases contribute to climate forcing
-to what degree human activities contribute to the observed increase in global greenhouse gas concentrations
-about the unresolved 'question marks' in climate science
-why thermometer readings are a misleading metric for global climate change
-why 'Global Warming' is a misnomer which causes public confusion
-why computer models provide limited information about the future
-about the common misleading 'facts' told by both political ends of the spectrum
-about real solutions that can reduce human contributions to greenhouse gas emissions
-that there is an issue here but that the sky is not falling

C. R. Taylor Green Consulting has the proper education and experience with global climate science to ensure that you leave this course with a better understanding of the real issues behind human-induced climate change.

Contact C. R. Taylor Green Consulting to schedule this educational course and/or to inquire about pricing.

Greenhouse Gas Emissions Inventory and Reporting

From http://www.sbcouncil.org/Projects/greencommunities

In cooperation with Sierra Business Council, Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E) is collaborating with Local Governments for Sustainability - ICLEI to train Local Governments in Sierra Nevada region (within PG&E service areas) on how to complete a greenhouse gas emissions inventory.

Project Overview

Through the Green Communities Program, Sierra Business Council will assist local governments in the Sierra Nevada in meeting statewide goals for reducing greenhouse gas emissions. Growing awareness of the impacts of global warming on California communities along with state mandates has led to the need for climate action planning. Green Communities is a three phase program approved by the California Public Utilities Commission and administered by Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E) using rate payer funds. The first phase of the program is to inventory greenhouse gas emissions from local government operations; the second phase is to conduct community wide greenhouse gas emissions inventories; and the third phase is to develop Climate Action Plans. The first phase will be launched during the fall of 2010.

A greenhouse gas emissions inventory is an important first step in a jurisdiction’s climate protection initiative. Quantifying emissions establishes a baseline against which to measure future progress and develops an understanding of the scale of emissions from the various sources within government operations. Local governments can dramatically reduce the emissions from their government operations by such measures as increasing energy efficiency in facilities and vehicle fleets, utilizing renewable energy sources, reducing waste, and conserving water. The co-benefits of these measures may include lower energy bills, improved air quality and more efficient government operations. And, equally if not more important, is that completing the greenhouse emissions inventory demonstrates to state agencies that the jurisdiction is moving forward on state goals.

Through this program, SBC will work closely with Sierra Nevada local governments to provide professional training to their staff and to assist them in preparing greenhouse gas emissions inventories for municipal facilities and operations, enlisting university or community interns to accomplish the bulk of the work. The program will use the “Local Government Operations Protocol,” the greenhouse gas emissions accounting tool which has been adopted by the California Air Resources Board. The goal of the document is to provide local governments with a technically sound and consistent quantification methodology to develop greenhouse emission inventories, establish a baseline, and track progress over time. The protocol includes calculation methodologies for sources under operational control of local governments, including buildings and other facilities, streetlights and traffic signals, water delivery facilities, airport facilities, vehicle fleet, transit fleet, power generation facilities, solid waste facilities, wastewater facilities and other process and fugitive emissions.

Project Objectives

• Work with Local Governments throughout the Sierra Nevada to proactively meet greenhouse gas emission reduction goals; assisting Local Governments to lead by example
• Provide comprehensive tools and resources for baseline greenhouse gas emission inventories to local governments and community interns in the Sierra Nevada
• Provide local governments with a inventory baseline to be used to monitor and reduce their energy usage and overall greenhouse gas emissions
• Increase capacity within the workforce, preparing community interns with valuable skills and experiences beneficial in the green job sector
• Prepare Local Government staff members for potential state regulations by providing training throughout the entire process, instructions on how to collect and analyze the data, and providing access to ICLEI resources; minimizing staff time and resources in the future
• Develop county- and city-wide greenhouse gas inventory reports, which can eventually be used in the development of comprehensive energy/climate action planning tools
• Reduce greenhouse gas emissions related to energy usage in the Sierra Nevada while promoting sustainable economic development, social fairness, and long term environmental quality
• Implement the vision of the CA Energy Efficiency Strategic Plan in the Sierra Nevada
  

Project Process

Sierra Business Council will select and convene ten local government participants and coordinate training workshops conducted by the organization who worked with the California Air Resources Board to develop the Protocol, Local Governments for Sustainability (ICLEI). Sierra Business Council will recruit and manage the interns, who will participate in the training along with the local government staff. Sierra Business Council will pair the interns with selected local government staff participants, providing additional staffing support needed to conduct data collections, analysis, emissions inventory development and, ultimately, a comprehensive report.

Following completion of the greenhouse gas inventory for local government operations, (although dependant on program funding) the jurisdiction will be eligible to participate in the next phase of the program, the community wide greenhouse gas emissions inventory. The final phase of the Green Communities program will culminate in the development of a Climate Action Plan.

For more information email Program Manager Christina Prestella or call 530-582-4800 - ext.23.

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C. R. Taylor Green Consulting has been chosen as an intern for the above program with the Sierra Business Council & PG&E!

Be sure to check out a list of sustainability services for California local governments through C. R. Taylor Green Consulting. These services will include municipality-wide greenhouse gas emissions inventories according to the above program.

Contact C. R. Taylor Green Consulting today to ensure that your local government is properly addressing greenhouse gas emissions as well as California's new green building code (CALGreen) among other statewide requirements.

General Contractor Documents for LEED Projects

LEED is rapidly becoming the primary commercial green building standard across the US and abroad. In response, state/local governments, land developers, and project owners are requesting LEED certification for many of their commercial building projects. Also, legislation is being passed and ordinances are being issued to mandate LEED for public buildings in many states and cities across the US. It is important for construction professionals to keep up with the training and tools to respond to these requests for LEED certified buildings.

As a busy general contractor, dealing with LEED documentation can sometimes be a daunting task. But the reality is that most of the credits for LEED projects are handled on the design side while there are select credits dealt with during the construction process. Therefore it is important for the general contractor to clearly understand their role on the project and for which credits they are responsible.

The General Contractor LEED Document Packages include everything a general contractor needs to comply with LEED documentation requirements for construction-related credits on non-residential projects. The documents are designed so that the general contractor can easily keep track of sometimes complex information that is necessary for the LEED submittal process. These electronic documents feature built-in programmed calculations which tabulate all of the important data automatically. The excel files also include "Sample & Notes" tabs to help guide you on proper use of the documents. With these packages you can take the burden out of the paperwork and empower yourself to take on LEED projects with confidence.

Packages are included for the following LEED rating systems:

LEED for New Construction

LEED for Commercial Interiors

LEED for Core and Shell

LEED for Schools

All packages include the following documents which are tailored to the specific rating system*:

-LEED Rating System Scorecard

-General Contractor Credit Summary

-Construction Waste Management Plan Outline Template

-Construction Waste Management Plan Tracking Log

-Materials & Resources Product Information Sheet

-Materials & Resources Credit Tracking Log

-Construction Indoor Air Quality Management Plan Template

-Copy of SMACNA Indoor Air Quality Guidelines

-Indoor Environmental Quality Emissions Tracking Log*
-Toll Free Hotline - (877) 202-2664

*The LEED for Schools package includes a PDF copy of the "Standard Practice For The Testing Of Volatile Organic Emissions From Various Sources Using Small-Scale Environmental Chambers" in lieu of the Indoor Environmental Quality Emissions Tracking Log that is included for the other packages.


These invaluable comprehensive packages are not available through the USGBC.

Personal Orientation and Instruction
If you need additional assistance on how to properly use the documents you may also schedule either a live orientation or a webinar orientation with C. R. Taylor Green Consulting where you will be guided through the general contractor's role on the LEED project and through proper use of the documents in your package. These orientations generally run 2-3 hours in length and can give you a jump start toward completing your LEED project with greater ease and understanding.

Packages can be purchased below. Contact C. R. Taylor Green Consulting with requests for guided orientations at your office or from your computer. Pricing varies depending on travel.

CALGreen Consulting for Local Governments and for Design and Construction Professionals

Its 2011...is your local enforcement agency or building company ready for CALGreen?

Introduction

The State of California has led the way in terms of environmental regulations. The story is no different when it comes to the consideration of 'green buildings' as the state was one of the first to mandate that all state-owned buildings achieve a LEED Silver rating from the USGBC. But California has not stopped at just mandating green buildings for state-owned projects.

On January 1, 2011, the California Green Building Standards Code (CALGreen) went into effect which mandates minimum green building measures for all residential and nonresidential buildings built in California. Now all building enforcement agencies and builders in the state will need to understand the minimum provisions of this code to implement these measures on their building projects.

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Background

The California Green Building Standards Code, or CALGreen, actually makes up Part 11 of the California Building Standards Code (Title 24). Title 24 consists of 12 parts that stipulate mandatory requirements for California buildings such as electrical, mechanical, plumbing, and energy requirements. Since its implementation in the late 1970's, Title 24 has put California ahead of the nation in terms of building energy efficiency among other characteristics.

In July 2007, the California Building Standards Commission (BSC) started working with the CA Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD) to develop green building standards for both residential (HCD) and commercial (BSC)buildings. Since 2007, several state green building bills passed the legislature only to be vetoed. Then, during the 2008 updates to Title 24, the California Green Building Standards Code was included as Part 11 and was strictly a voluntary program. Finally, in January 2010, Title 24, Part 11 was adjusted to include BOTH voluntary and mandatory measures and it was dubbed, CALGreen.

The implementation of CALGreen is intended to encourage more sustainable and environmentally friendly building practices for the health and safety of our future. The requirements defined in the code place limits on substances that can cause harm to our environment, encourage conservation of our natural resources, and promote the use of efficient materials and equipment.

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Mandatory Measures

CALGreen includes mandatory measures for both residential and nonresidential buildings in California. The residential mandatory measures were created by the CA Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD) while the nonresidential mandatory measures were created in conjunction between the CA Building Standards Commission (BSC), the Division of State Architecture: Structural Safety (DSA-SS), and the Office of Statewide Health Planning and Development (OSHPD). For both the residential and nonresidential mandatory measures there are five (5) main categories which are as follows:

1. Planning and Design 2. Energy Efficiency 3. Water Efficiency and Conservation 4. Material Conservation and Resource Efficiency 5. Environmental Quality

Within each of these five categories exist specific individual measures that must be achieved on building projects in California. The Planning and Design category includes measures such as storm water pollution prevention, surface drainage, bicycle storage, and light pollution reduction. The Energy Efficiency category requires compliance with Title 24, Part 6 (CA Energy Code). The Water Efficiency and Conservation category includes measures for both indoor and outdoor water use such as meters, low-flow fixtures, and reduction of potable water for irrigation. The Material Conservation and Resource Efficiency category includes measures such as construction waste diversion, occupant recycling, and building commissioning. Finally, the Environmental Quality category includes measures such as finish pollutant control, filters, indoor moisture control, and outside air delivery.

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Installers, Special Inspectors, & Verification

Qualifications for equipment installers include several acceptable programs such as HVAC system installer certification as well public utility training, manufacturer-sponsored training, among others.

Enforcing agencies can also require that the building owner employ one or more 'special inspectors' to verify compliance. Qualifications for CALGreen Special Inspectors can vary by enforcing agency and may include green building accreditation, HERS training or other similar programs. Also note that Special Inspectors need to be independent entities with no financial interest in the project.

Verification of compliance with CALGreen includes (but is not limited to) construction documents, plans, specifications, builder or installer certification, inspection reports, or other methods acceptable to the enforcing agency which show substantial conformance. Where specific documentation is necessary to verify compliance, that method of compliance needs to be specified in the appropriate section (or identified in the checklist).

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Compliance Forms

Chapter 8 of the CALGreen Code includes a number of compliance forms and worksheets that are intended to be used during the tracking and verification process. Enforcement agencies can use these forms and worksheets or they can adopt their own for compliance verification. Included are the following:

* Baseline Water Use Calculation Table
* 20% Reduction Water Use Calculation Table
* 30%, 35% or 40% Reduction Water Use Calculation Table
* Construction Waste Management Plan Sample Specifications
* Construction Waste Management Material Worksheet
* Construction Waste Management Acknowledgment

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Voluntary Measures

In addition to the mandatory measures described above, CALGreen also includes a number of voluntary measures for both residential and nonresidential building projects. The voluntary measures are included in the same five (5) basic categories as the mandatory measures but the voluntary measures are much more in depth.

Within the voluntary measures for both residential and nonresidential buildings are two (2) tiers (Tier 1 & Tier 2) of achievement. Each tier stipulates a number of voluntary measure prerequisites as well as electives from each general category which can be adopted by any local jurisdiction to create a green building standard that is more stringent than the CALGreen mandatory measures.

For example, let us assume that a jurisdiction has adopted the Tier 1 CALGreen standards for residential buildings. For simplicity, we will only explore the Energy Efficiency category requirements. Under these assumptions, this jurisdiction would need to mandate that all new residential buildings perform at 15% better than the CA Energy Code (Title 24, Part 6) since this is the Tier 1 prerequisite for the Energy Efficiency category. In addition, Tier 1 for residential buildings requires that four (4) electives are chosen from a list of over twenty (20) voluntary measures in the Energy Efficiency category. If this same jurisdiction were to upgrade to the Tier 2 requirements then all new residential buildings would be required to perform at 30% better than that CA Energy Code and six (6) electives from the list of voluntary measures would have to be selected.

This same concept applies to all of the basic categories, in that, prerequisites would need to be achieved within each category depending on the specified tier. In addition to the prerequisites for each general category, electives would also have to be chosen within each general category. This allows local jurisdictions to create a voluntary green building standard that is unique to that jurisdiction and that can, in some cases, match or eclipse the requirements of existing voluntary green building standards (i.e. LEED and GreenPoint Rated) which require a fee for certification. A Tier 1 or Tier 2 CALGreen voluntary green building standard would not require a certification fee.

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CALGreen Consulting Services

C. R. Taylor Green Consulting understands that this new statewide green building code requires some orientation and understanding to be successfully implemented by California's various local enforcement agencies and by the state's many building professionals.

This is why C. R. Taylor Green Consulting offers several professional services to assist your local enforcement agency or your design/construction firm with gaining a proper understanding of CALGreen and how to ensure a smooth transition into 2011 and beyond. Services include the following (click on the links for more information):

-CALGreen Orientation for Building Officials
-CALGreen Orientation for Builders
-Green Building Code Development
-CALGreen Project Management
-CALGreen Special Inspections


Contact C. R. Taylor Green Consulting to schedule a CALGreen orientation and/or a green building code development session today!

Are you interested in learning more about these valuable CALGreen consulting services but having a difficult time imagining how to actually pay for them?

Contact C. R. Taylor Green Consulting today to set up a FREE, no obligation consultation to discuss a suite of possible Cost Recovery Services that can help reduce hidden costs to your municipality or design/construction firm. Depending on your type of organization, the savings potential from these service can be SUBSTANTIAL! Click here for more details!