Green Car Tour

Electric cars! I know, I know, you’re thinking about the old slow Prius in traffic this morning or the (shudder) Honda Insight of decades past. But that thinking might just change in the next couple of years.

Check out the Greenbuild 2012 Green Car Tour lineup. Conference attendees will have an opportunity to drive one of 14 new electric vehicles, from the new Volkswagen Bug to the much touted Nissan LEAF to more exotic fair like the Fisker Karma. (I mean, have you seen the Karma? Gorgeous.) 

Honda gets the award for having the most cars in attendance, with six models in play. One of their Civic designs has even moved away from the electric concept, riding instead on natural gas.

The wide selection of models seems to say that, while it has taken a bit, car builders have decided to give green a look. Whether it is a more environmental customer or the President’s new 54mpg standard for cars in the U.S. it is hard to tell. Nevertheless, car makers are giving electric cars a try, even if it is just a toe in the water, it could be your future faster than you think.

The current fuel economy rules for automakers selling cars in the U.S. stands at an average of 27.5mpg. That means all cars across an automaker’s lineup have to average 27.5. So for every truck introduced into the U.S. market that is running at 20mpg, an econo car running at 35mpg must also be introduced.

As the MPG laws creep up on automakers, hybrid vehicles will make a difference. At least if they still want to offer big trucks in their lineup. And while 2025 sounds like The Future, it is only 13 years away.

See the completely awesome Greenbuild lineup here.

Will we see you at the show? Nov. 14-16 in San Francisco!

Read more about the 54.5MPG decision here http://www.cnbc.com/id/48829545/Getting_to_54_MPG_Will_Change_What_We_Drive

Green Cleaning: Cheap and Effective

The Healthy Schools Campaign has released the fourth edition of their Quick and Easy Guide to Green Cleaning in Schools. Anyone who has walked down a corridor that has been freshly wiped down with ammonia can appreciate the effort. Read more about it here: http://bit.ly/RKNtKB

But it got me thinking about what happens when the child comes home. How to keep up the green cleaning?

Below are some cheap and effective cleaning recipes that will minimize the collected spray bottles under your sink but still scrub your bathroom tub sparkling clean:

Surface Cleaner:
White Vinegar. Use it in a spray bottle and you have a powerful cleaning tool that kills bacteria and cuts grease but doesn't hurt you. A mix of 50% vinegar and 50% water will clean kitchen counters, floor tiles and anything else you can think of. Many are turned off by the smell, but it fades in 5 minutes and it absorbs odors while it is doing it. I have found this works great on hard water stains and makes my shower walls shine.

Scrub:
Mix 50% baking soda and 50% Borax. Add a little water until you get a consistency like frosting. Use as a scrub in bathroom or kitchen. Also works on toilets.

Scrub#2:
On less dirty surfaces, you can sprinkle baking soda and spray lightly with vinegar. The reaction forces air into all those nooks and crannies and shoves the grime out. Rinse away with water.

Laundry Detergent:
I didn't think it would work, but it does. Doesn't really bubble, don't worry about that.

1/2 cups Borax (in the laundry detergent aisle)
1/2 cups Washing Soda (Arm N Hammer makes it, check the laundry detergent aisle)
1/3 of a bar Fels Naptha (laundry detergent aisle)
Water
Sturdy 5 Gallon Bucket

Boil 4c water in a large pot on medium at a light boil
Grate the 1/3 bar of soap. Stir into boiling water. Stir briskly until melted. A wisk is nice here.
(watch for boiling over. If it does, turn down heat, stir)
Once soap is melted, add borax and washing soda.
Stir. Stir. Stir. 3 minutes or until everything looks dissolved.
Remove from burner and allow to cool a moment.

Place bucket in sink
Add 6 cups cold water from the tap
Add boiled mixture
Add enough water to fill bucket.
Stir.
Allow mixture to cool overnight outside. Tomorrow it will be ready to use.
Use 1/2 cup per load of laundry. That bucket will last 4+ weeks and

Dish Soap
2 cups laundry detergent mixure above
1/4 cup vinegar (for grease)
Two shakes of essential oil for fragrance.
Combine all. Vinegar might cause a little bubbling, but will subside.

Enjoy!

Do the LEED 2012 Slide

LEED: the green building standard we have all come to know and love. We collect points during the design and build out of the project…the right insulation, the right windows. Then we add up all the values and apply to the US Green Building Council (USGBC) for your building’s certification.

Good system? Bad system? It’s up to you!

The USGBC opened a fifth (!) public comment period from Oct. 2 till Dec. 10 of this year. They want direction, opinions and ideas for the next LEED. During that time you and all your fellow citizens are free to make your voice heard. Chances are they will respond to you personally.

The authors of LEED have always known that it could get better. And with federal government buildings making up a full 7% of LEED certified buildings and 11% of pending approvals, the Feds know LEED pretty well. In fact, government knows LEED pretty well, with local, state and other government buildings making up another 27% of LEED certifications. The GSA likes LEED because it saves on energy costs. The USGBC calls this government leadership at all levels a win for green.

So the LEED 2012 update to the regulations will be super-green, right? Maybe.

While it is great that you have a voice, lobbyists and corporations can also throw their opinions out there. Interested parties currently include – and are not limited to – the American timber producers, PVC pipe makers, plastic insulation makers, vinyl window manufacturers and more. Oh and don’t think those lobbyists haven’t called their representatives in Congress and the House. The great debate has USGBC changing the name from LEED 2012 to LEEDv4, as the original November 2012 go live date has slid back. Perhaps way back.

Have you commented yet? Read up on the areas of change and submit your comments here: https://new.usgbc.org/leed/v4/#comment

Whose voice will be heard? Expect the debate to be loud and long at GreenBuild in San Fran this Fall!

Will you be at GreenBuild? Stop by RedVector’s booth #1733S and pick up your free LEED class! And of course, you know that when the LEED regs do change, RedVector will be the first on the scene with updated classes!

Looking for more details? Stop by the USGBC site or see this site for a great rundown of the LEED Slide.

And the prize goes to…

How is your state for energy efficiency? I’m not talking your state capitol or your area’s DMV. I’m talking about your state. As a whole.

Think about the last building you worked in with the leaky windows. Your spouse’s company with that wheezing HVAC cranked and blowing. What about all those shops you pass by on the way home? The ones with condensation-covered windows from AC turned up too high all summer? And all those residential homes in all those suburban areas with all those old and tired water heaters?

The American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy (ACEEE) took into account all of it when they tallied their energy use and ranked all 50 states. And many states in the union have had their eye on the rankings. It’s a great measuring stick for states that have Green Bills and measures passed in the last few years, including Massachusetts (Green Communities Act of 2008), Oklahoma’s plan to achieve a 20% reduction in energy use, and the widespread adoption of the Energy Efficiency Resource Standard.

This isn’t just some hippie green movement making the rounds. The ACEEE is achieving real and measurable targets in reducing foreign oil dependence, while at the same time creating jobs and promoting economic growth. According to the ACEE, annual savings have topped 18 million megawatt-hours in 2010, a 40% increase from 2009.

So where does your state rank? You know you want to know. Click here:

http://aceee.org/sector/state-policy/scorecard