Although it is possible to achieve zero net operational carbon emissions from buildings by 2020, truly carbon neutral buildings, including embodied energy are a significant challenge, unless carbon offsetting is used.

How Buildings Achieve Zero Net Operating Emissions

It is possible now for buildings now to achieve zero net operating emissions. There are already a number of projects worldwide that achieve zero net operating emissions.

New and existing buildings are already taking steps towards becoming carbon neutral now by including a range of initiatives and technologies:

• passive design – by using heavy façade, openable windows for ventilation, and thermal mass insulation it can reduce the heating and cooling load;
• on-site generation of energy from renewable sources – solar heating, photo-voltaics, wind and geothermal;
• change to efficient appliances and light fittings, turning off computers, purchasing green power and improving other behaviours; and
• introducing alternative ways to learn, work and play – hot-desks, working from home, taking lessons outside.
• In terms of existing buildings, project teams optimise, upgrade or remove HVAC systems, cooling towers, and lifts to reduce energy use.

How Buildings Can Go Carbon Neutral, Including Emodied Energy

Embodied energy includes all the energy it takes to produce a building. This can include energy required for producing and transporting building materials, on-site processes for constructing the building, as well as demolition of the building when time comes.

However, there are some things that can be done now.

• re-use and reduce materials;
• re-use and refurbish existing buildings as opposed to constructing new buildings;
• consider the mode, distance and fuel type when transporting materials; and
• begin measuring the embodied energy.

What About Green Star?

Green Star – Office Design and Office As Built v3 awards maximum points within the energy category to projects that achieve zero net operating emissions.

Currently in Green Star – Office Design and Office As Built v3 zero net operating emissions include the operation of HVAC systems, lights, hot water, lifts and other base building energy allowances.

Carbon Neutral is currently not specifically awarded in Green Star.

Next Step

Moving from neutral impact to positive impacts…

The environmental impacts beyond energy must be considered. Environmental impacts from buildings must be negated, buildings should be restorative to our environment.

The green building industry continues to go beyond best practice. Over 75% of the Green Star certified buildings have achieved a 5 Star “Australian Excellence” or 6 Star “World Leadership” Green Star rating.

There are now eight 6 Star Green Star certified buildings, with six of these projects achieving their 6 Star rating in the past six months. These include the first Green Star certified shopping centre, Queensland’s Orion, and convention centre in Melbourne.

Proving the Green Star is penetrating further into the market, the Green Building Council of Australia has released Green Star tools for more sectors – existing buildings, hospitals, schools and universities, as well as for shopping centres.

Green Star rating tools for industrial facilities and public buildings, such as libraries and museums, are due for release in 2008, with the Green Star – Multi Unit Residential rating tool to be launched as a PILOT on 15 April 2008.

Although already considered a world leading rating system, which has been recognised internationally by the adoption of Green Star in New Zealand and South Africa, the Green Building Council of Australia continues to redefine best practice through its Green Star tools.

The new version of the Green Star – Office Design and Office As Built rating tools, the third in four years, incorporates stakeholder feedback and changes within the industry to be more robust, relevant and easier-to-use.

Evidence that Green Star certification is becoming easier, two projects recently achieved their desired rating after only one round of assessment, including the most recent project in Queensland to achieve a Green Star – Office Design v2 rating, 25 Montpelier Road.

According to Green Building Council of Australia CEO, Romilly Madew “by using experienced consultants and developing their own knowledge of Green Star, project teams can achieve their desired rating after only one round, saving both money and time.”

“This is proof that the industry is understanding what it takes to go green, and in doing so is positioning Australia as a world leader in sustainable design” she said.

There are now 49 Green Star certified projects across Australia, with a further 500 commercial office projects registered for certification.

For $A 399, a Todae consultant will come to an office or store and check everything from recycling to heating and cooling systems. The business is then provided with a detailed report that explains how to cut costs and go green. Todae’s service is geared to small to medium businesses looking to save money, be less harmful to the environment and create a “strong environmental brand ethos” amongst customers and staff.

It’s an excellent concept, and Marquette Turner believes many consumers would also be interested in environmental assessments. Plenty of people would like to diminish their negative impact on the earth, but aren’t sure exactly what to do about it. Or are too lazy or busy or both Having an environmental expert come to the door and give a home a full check-up would definitely help. Besides compiling a checklist of very specific issues to improve, ‘home greeners’ could of course offer to implement the necessary changes, too. So, set it up, brand it well (how about eco badges for homes?), and start knocking on doors. Before you know it, you’ll be running your own franchise.

P.S. Todae also sells a wide variety of eco products for homes and businesses, both through their website and from a recently opened shop in Sydney’s Glebe district.

Website: www.todae.com.au

Rechargeable batteries currently used in conventional solar devices need battery replacement every 2-3 years at best. They also have a narrow working temperature range. The SolarBrick uses a ultracapacitor called the EnergyCache to store its charge. The EnergyCache enables the SolarBrick to be used in any environment without maintenance for more than 10 years and has a wide operating temperature range of -40°~75°C.

During the day, solar energy is converted to electricity through the solar cells and stored in the ultracapacitor. At night, the inviting soft glow from the light emitting diode (LED) is automatically turned on. Full charge takes 1 hour under direct sunlight and 6-8 hours under shade. The light stays “on” for more than 12 hours from a fully charged ultracapacitor.

APPLICATIONS

Public Space: Walkways, driveways, pool-side, decks, landscaping, lawns
Commercial: Plazas, shopping malls, showrooms, shop windows
Traffic: Roadsides, airports, pedestrian crossings, sidewalks, median strips
Architectural: Building entrances, corporate signage

The SolarBrick can also be installed vertically on the sides of buildings or structures.

FEATURES:

• Stays illuminated for more than 12 hours
• Quick recharge. 1 hour charge under sunlight, 6-8 hours under cloud or rain
• No maintenance. No expensive wiring labour required
• Lasts more than 10 years
• Automatic on/off at ambient illuminance levels of 150~300 LuxHot
• Available in 6 attractive colours: amber, blue, green, orange, red and white
• Super-strong polycarbonate housing with high compressive strength
• Tolerates environmental extremes. Works in temperature range of -40° to 75°C
• Waterproof, UV protected and scratch resistant
• Non-contaminating materials

Find out more from www.hotbeam.com

Dr Dave Worsley, a Reader in the Materials Research Centre at the University’s School of Engineering, is investigating ways of painting solar cells onto the flexible steel surfaces commonly used for cladding buildings.

“We have been collaborating with the steel industry for decades,” explains Dr Worsely, “but have tended to focus our attention on improving the long-term durability and corrosion-resistance of the steel. We haven’t really paid much attention to how we can make the outside of the steel capable of doing something other than looking good.

“One of our Engineering Doctorate students was researching how sunlight interacts with paint and degrades it, which led to us developing a new photovoltaic method of capturing solar energy.”

Unlike conventional solar cells, the materials being developed at Swansea are more efficient at capturing low light radiation, meaning that they are better suited to the British climate.

A research grant from the Welsh Assembly Government’s Welsh Energy Research Centre (WERC) enabled Dr Worsley to work with leading metals group Corus to investigate the feasibility of developing an efficient solar cell system that can be applied to steel building products.

The success of the study led to the award of a three-year project worth over £1.5 million by the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC).

Swansea University is now leading a partnership with Bangor University, University of Bath, and the Imperial College London to develop commercially viable photovoltaic materials for use within the steel industry.

Paint is applied to steel when it is passed through rollers during the manufacturing process, and it is hoped that the same approach can be used to build up layers of the solar cell system. The researchers’ aim is to produce cells that can be painted onto a flexible steel surface at a rate of 30-40m2 a minute.

Dr Worsley believes that the potential for the product is immense.

“Corus Colours produces around 100 million square metres of steel building cladding a year. If this was treated with the photovoltaic material, and assuming a conservative 5% energy conversion rate, then we could be looking at generating 4,500 gigawatts of electricity through the solar cells annually. That’s the equivalent output of roughly 50 wind farms,” he says.

Dr Worsley will be working closely with Corus to research practical, cost-efficient methods of mounting the system on steel structures, with a view to the eventual commercialisation of the product.

“This project is a superb example of the value of collaboration between universities and industry, and it is definitely important for Wales. We have a genuine opportunity to ensure that Wales remains at the forefront of this technology worldwide, driving the industry and revolutionising our capacity to generate electricity.

“I think it shows great vision from the Welsh Assembly Government that they funded the initial feasibility study. Even if we are only mildly successful with this project, there is no doubt that we will be creating an exciting hi-tech steel product that will preserve the long term future of the Welsh steel industry.”

For more information visit the School of Engineering at Swansea University.

Climate Change Minister Penny Wong said she will release a green paper setting out what a carbon trading system will look like by July 2008, to be followed by draft legislation in December.

That will be followed in 2009 by a round of intensive consultation with business and community groups, Wong says, before the legislation is passed – although it will require independent support in the Senate – in mid-2009, wuth the carbon trading scheme commencing early in 2010.

“The introduction of emissions trading will constitute the most significant economic and structural reform undertaken in Australia since the trade liberalisation of the 1980s,” Wong said.

Our sponsors contribute money to save the Rainforests as you use this application. After expenses we will donate revenue to funding a portfolio of reforestation projects. Thanks for joining us in this mission! We hope you have fun!

The most recent donation was made March 1, 2008 to the Adopt An Acre program of the Nature Conservancy.

The (Lil) Green Patch community, working together, was able to save 8,368,026 Sqft of Rainforest so far! We are very excited about our progress and are confident we can make an even larger impact in the future!

To learn more about this program, please visiting HERE

NSW Premier, Morris Iemma, speaking at the launch accused critics of the event of pedalling ‘utter rubbish’.

‘The critics and sceptics need to get on board,’ he said. ‘It’s utter rubbish to say that symbolism can’t lead to change. Yes it’s about symbolism, but it’s a very powerful one – it’s about saving the planet.’

Mr Iemma announced that all government departments would take part in Earth Hour at 8pm on March 29th, and said he had allocated $100,000 from the state’s Climate Change Fund to support the program.

In 2007, 2.2 million Sydneysiders switched off their lights for an hour, a sight which was broadcast across the world.

In 2008, 24 major capital cities will take part, along with hundreds of other smaller cities.

WWF Australia, which is organising Earth Hour says 75 per cent of the top 100 companies listed on the Australian Stock Exchange, all of the state’s major property companies, 70 per cent of the state’s one, two and three hat restaurants, the top five banks, 85 per cent of the state’s main hotels and the 50 largest local councils in NSW will also take part.

Simon Turner

Now, the US athletic shoe manufacturer seems determined to win over green-minded customers, too. In January, Nike introduced the Air Jordan XX3, which uses eco-friendly materials. Then in February Nike went a step further with Trash Talk. From the sole to the shoelaces, this shoe is produced not only from ‘environmentally preferred’ materials but also recycled waste, with much of the latter coming from Nike’s own production facilities—scraps that would otherwise have been discarded.

Trash Talk is the brainchild of Nike celebrity endorser Steve Nash.The All-Star guard for the NBA’s Phoenix Suns is a committed green-living advocate. And a retail price of USD 100 aptly illustrates how a company can turn garbage to gold. That’s a lesson which should be well taken by beleaguered manufacturers in the US and other developed nations. As these manufacturers look for ways to compete with lower-cost producers in Asia, they might find the secret to reinventing themselves is stacked up in the trash bins of their own factories. Yet another way for brands to rack up those greenie points

Website www.nike.com