by Ramon Cardona,

This year the 2017 Cincinnati Auto Expo had a rising number of automobiles with a port to charge batteries from a common electric plug or a specialized 240 volt outlet.

The cars in question have the generic title of electric vehicles or EV’s and all have one goal in mind: to use less gasoline or use zero gasoline.

 BMW i3

by Krista Nutter, LEED AP, MS Arch

Of all the “green” initiatives, issues, or topics that I’ve done presentations on or spoken about, the one that receives more questions regarding its level of impact is light pollution. For the past several years, I have lectured on sustainable construction and techniques to make buildings more kind to the environment and ecosystems in which they reside. Along with the “big three” topics of energy efficiency, water efficiency, and indoor air quality, I also discuss things like material resources, waste management, and rainwater runoff mitigation. However one topic that always raises eyebrows is light pollution.

The Fernald Preserve in Harrison, Ohio is a LEED Platinum project that achieved the Low Light Pollution credit. Notice the inside lights don't project outside the envelope and that the sign lights don't project upward. Photo from Megen Construction Company's site. They were one of the contractors on the project.

(This week's post comes from Krista Nutter, LEED AP, MS Arch is a college design educator and administrator at a CIDA-accredited program, a sustainable building consultant, and designer/owner of an award-winning, Energy-Star 5+, passive solar, solar electric, high-performance green home in Cincinnati, Ohio. Her home was on the USGBC Cincinnati Green Home tour in 2015. Learn more about at the house blog.)

Introduction:   

As an educator of design and architecture, I’m required to look to practicing professionals to get a pulse on industry trends in the design world.  Trade publications, conferences, and conventions are also good sources of information, along with accrediting bodies like the Council for Interior Design Accreditation (CIDA) which provide educators with academic standards extrapolated from industry professionals.  However, sometimes to get a sense of where we can improve in the classroom, it’s best to consult students directly.  On the topic of sustainable or green home design, there appears to be a wide range of exposure to specific green design concepts, but design students as a whole seem to have an overall understanding of the importance of sustainable design in the built environment.  The intent of the interviews was not to collect quantitative data or specific statistics, but rather to get a sense of how a variety of students perceive sustainable design and its importance.  I was more interested in students’ qualitative, narrative answers and the impressions that could be drawn from them.

(This week's post comes from an article in Green Energy Ohio's magazine. You can learn more and read the whole issue here.)

Solarize Cincy is a new program from the Greater Cincinnati Energy Alliance (GCEA) that simplifies the solar electric purchasing process and keeps the cost affordable with group purchasing prices. According to Andy Holzhauser, GCEA President, "the program has ushered in an unprecedented interest in solar in the Southwestern Ohio area."Since January 1st, thirty-five new residential solar electric installation contracts have been signed under the new Solarize Cincy program.

by Randy Gragg OPB | Jan. 14, 2017 9:40 a.m. | Updated: Jan. 14, 2017 6:57 p.m. | Bend, Oregon

Portlanders pride themselves on their cutting-edge green buildings.

In the early 2000s, the U.S. Green Building Council rated several Portland buildings Platinum — the highest level certification in the council’s Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design program, or LEED.

The city scored many “firsts” in the U.S. for Platinum ratings: the first condominium in the Henry in the Pearl; the first historic renovation in the Gerding Theater; and the first med-science facility in OHSU’s Center for Health and Healing, to name just a few.

But there’s a much more stringent rating system known as the Living Building Challenge. It goes way beyond LEED by mandating buildings produce more power than they consume, harvest all their water needs from the rain, process all their waste water on site, and prove that all of the materials used are healthy, among other goals.

Southwest Ohio Regional U.S. Green Building Chapter to Host 13 Green Home Tours

2017 will be another great year of tours promoting sustainable homes so a community of passionate individuals will come together and help each other create green homes and support the Southwestern Ohio Chapter of the U.S. Green Building Council.