March 2008 Archives
Sustainable communities are sometimes billed as "smart communities" and they face the new reality that the majority of people now live in urban areas. That is a change as recent as 2006! Along with that change, the US is now a consumer-based economy, with 70% of the economy dependent on consumers. That affects our balance of living spaces to work spaces. Sustainable community design is thriving as urban in-fill reclaims used spaces and upgrades crumbling buildings. Green building is part of this shift, but social concerns are also part of making communities more livable.
One example of the new vision of sustainable community development is VMWP, a San Francisco, CA based architecture and community design firm.
The driving mission behind Van Meter Williams Pollack LLP (VMWP) is community development. Their goal is to enhance the physical nature and identity of buildings, neighborhoods and cities, mending communities and creating memorable places in an environmentally responsible way. They achieve this by focusing their architecture and urban design practice on affordable housing, urban design, town planning and mixed-use development.
This sustainability-focused design firm chooses to serve clients who have a similar focus. They are committed to going the extra mile to create quality, both in the creative designs they put forth, and in the quality of service they offer to like-minded organizations and individuals.
One VMWP project that exemplifies their services is the California Avenue Overlay District. You can download a PDF presentation with details about this development to savor the sustainable details for balancing resident concerns with community density challenges.
Involving the nearby residents in the design criteria phase of community development leads to a better end result that maintains livability standards, property values and neighborly feelings. The concerns identified in the California Avenue project are somewhat typical of resident concerns whenever a large development is inserted into a community.
Resident Concerns
Residents are concerned that high density development adjacent to their property will decrease their property values and lower their standard of living.
Transitions to existing low density neighborhoods cause political tension. Regulating transitional zones to higher densities can ease community concerns
Large site developments often cause community stress. (No one wants a large development in their
backyard) Requiring multiple housing types for large sites creates the sense of finer grain development and provides opportunities for transitional densities.
Regulation of building façade elements creates a positive public realm and pedestrian experience.
Early identification of design criteria that are sorted and shaped to meet the local situation are part of the architect and developer's job before design of buildings and landscapes begins:
Context Based Design Criteria
1. Pedestrian and Bicycle Environment - promote walkability and connectivity.
2. Street Building Facades - promote a strong relationship with sidewalk and street.
3. Massing and Articulation - minimize massing and provide articulation.
4. Low-Density Residential Transitions - respect scale and privacy of adjacent properties.
5. Project Open Space - provide usable open space.
6. Parking Design - design parking subordinate to the character of building.
7. Large (multi-acre) Sites - building patterns consistent with surrounding neighborhood.
8. Sustainability - sustainability and green building design should be incorporated
Site-Specific Design Guidelines for this project included…
• Maintain View Corridors
• Restrict Mass along Tracks with daylight plane
• Require Landscaping
• Limit length of mass along tracks
VMWP includes some general development guidelines in their downloadable presentation to help other communities start the sustainable community process.
Making Zoning and Design Guidelines work for your community:
- Develop Regulations which support your Community’s greater Comprehensive Plan Policies.
- Work closely with your community to educate as well as demonstrate the positive aspects of TOD and higher densities.
- Promote Design Guidelines which support quality development and insure appropriate context based design responses.
- Develop Regulations which are clear for the Development Community and provide for feasible developments.
- Create a Review Process which is clear concise and does not require to great up-front cost to development while allowing appropriate community review.
VMWP Partners
Tim Van Meter, Architect | Partner
Mr. Van Meter’s experience has ranged widely from buildings, to landscape designs, to urban designs for districts and neighborhoods. As a partner in Van Meter Williams Pollack, Tim has focused on mixed use developments, urban infill projects and affordable housing.Rick Williams, Architect | Partner
Mr. Williams’ work has been on the forefront of mixed use pedestrian and transit-oriented planning and urban design. The scale of projects range from residential developments, mixed-use neighborhoods and urban infill to community plans and new town proposals.Fred Pollack, Architect | Partner
As a partner in Van Meter Williams Pollack, Mr. Pollack has focused on affordable housing, and mixed-use developments. Fred has been the Partner in Charge of VMWP’s larger projects, guiding the projects from design through construction and post occupancy.CONTACT info:
“This isn’t a popular subject,” explains Martin Wolff, Welthungerhilfe’s Programme Manager for Uganda, Rwanda and Burundi, “but installing latrines and raising hygiene awareness are essential if people’s health is to improve in developing countries.”Hygiene includes restrooms, washing hands, bathing, menstrual hygiene, sick care, changing diapers, nose blowing, indigestion problems...and the list goes on.
In its project countries, Welthungerhilfe makes sure that those who benefit from water installations and sanitary facilities are also those who maintain, repair and administer the amenities.
Our mothers probably did a good job on us, telling us to "Clean up after yourself," but modern gated communities and buildings, members-only facilities, vandalism and stranger-danger that come with urban living have made that difficult for individuals, companies and organizations that want to be good neighbors -- but feel the brunt of public behavior abuses and neglect
The shamefully weak presence of the health sector in advocating for improved access to water and sanitation is incomprehensible and completely short-sighted. Children who benefit from the huge international effort and financial and human resources spent on immunisation and bednet distribution still have a strong chance of dying from diarrhoeal illnesses—the second biggest killer of children under 5 years.Hygiene is serious business. As important to sustainable communities as climate change and energy shortages.
RESOURCE: http://sanitationupdates.wordpress.com
In Africa, one of the activities of the QUEST programme (1998-2006) involved research in Kenya, Zimbabwe and Uganda on the links between life skills, sexual maturation and school sanitation. One of aspects looked at was how poor menstrual management negatively affected girls school attendance.Most sanitation programmes are silent about women and adolescent girls’ need to clean and change menstrual towels and menstrual management tends to be ignored in latrine design and construction and excluded from hygiene education packages. Even reproductive health and preventive health programmes in developing countries often do not address this sensitive issue. A recent article in Source Bulletin describes how WaterAid has tackled this issue in Bangladesh.
The Source article gives a link to a report published last year, called “Menstrual hygiene: a neglected condition for the achievement of several Millennium Development Goals”.
SanitationUpdates.wordpress.com
Unfortunately, for roughly half the developing world, safe and reliable water is not accessible. The result is the daily tragedy of waterborne disease, which claims thousands of lives each day.
“Safe water and sanitation are vital to human health and are critical for the stability of nations around the globe,” said AWWA Executive Director Gary Zimmerman. “In North America, clean water is often taken for granted, but World Water Day creates an opportunity to think about the extraordinary value of our precious water supplies and advanced water treatment and delivery systems.
“World Water Day asks us all to become more aware of how our actions affect our water supplies, and encourages the development of a culture which recognizes the life-giving value of water,” Zimmerman added.” AWWA encourages all its members and water customers to support organizations like Water for People, which work to improve water sanitation and prevent the tragedy of waterborne disease across the globe.
More information on World Water Day 2008 can be found at www.worldwaterday.org
The international observance of World Water Day is an initiative that grew out of the 1992 United Nations Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED) in Rio de Janeiro.
More information on Water for People can be found at www.waterforpeople.org
Water For People helps people in developing countries improve their quality of life by supporting the development of locally sustainable drinking water resources, sanitation facilities and health and hygiene education programs.
Our vision is a world where all people have access to safe drinking water and sanitation; a world where no one suffers or dies from a water- or sanitation-related disease.
In his foreword, former AWWA Executive Director Jack Hoffbuhr says, “There really hasn’t been a
thoughtful look at the actual business of water. The commercial side of water is going to play an
increasingly important role in how we ultimately manage water. This book provides the first
comprehensive look at the current status of the water industry, what some future scenarios might be,
and what we need to do to be more effective stewards of our critical water resources.”
With more than 35 full-length articles by a number of leading water industry experts, The Business of
Water addresses investment trends in the water industry, conservation practices, the impacts of climate
change, regulatory trends, strategic planning in the water industry, financing topics, water pricing and
value issues, and many other relevant issues.
This compilation will be an invaluable reference source on the commercial and market aspects of the water industry – for industry managers, companies, investors, or for those simply wanting to better understand the nature and scope of the world water market. The Business of Water is available in AWWA’s online bookstore at www.awwa.org/bookstore, $45 for members, $68 for nonmembers.
About Steve Maxwell
Steve Maxwell is the Managing Director of TechKNOWLEDGEy Strategic Group, a management
consultancy and investment banking firm in Boulder, Colorado which serves the water and broader
environmental service industries. He writes and speaks frequently on the water industry topics, and
has advised dozens of water companies on strategy and transactional issues. He is also the regular
“Market Outlook” columnist for the Journal AWWA.
AWWA is the authoritative resource for knowledge, information, and advocacy to improve the quality
and supply of water in North America and beyond. AWWA is the largest organization of water
professionals in the world. AWWA advances public health, safety and welfare by uniting the efforts of
the full spectrum of the entire water community.
http://www.awwa.org
Children will enjoy new water activity book
Water Adventures Around the World: An Activity Book is the colorfully illustrated story of two Pacific Northwest kids who travel the world on a magic postcard to learn about water science and cycles from their nearby Olympic Rain Forest to the North Africa’s Nile River basin. This new children’s book for students in grades 3 to 5 includes 11 activities that aid the educational process.by: Sandy Koerner, Colin Murcray, Gay Porter DeNileon
Illustrated by Lisa Tarr
This colorfully illustrated activity booklet takes young readers along
with Ryan and Kendra, two kids who live in rainy Washington State, as
they use a magic postcard to travel around the world to learn about
water.
Readers visit Olympic Rain Forest in Washington, Alaska’s Glacier Bay, Antarctica, Gobi Desert in Mongolia, Australia’s Great Barrier Reef, Israel’s Dead Sea, River Seine in France, Nile River in North Africa, and Iguazu Falls in Argentina.
In each locale kids learn something new about water: the three forms of water; the water cycle; water pollution and its effect on all life; fog and rainbow formation; fresh and salt water, water conservation; and much more.
Eleven
activities are included: Word Match, Crossword Puzzle, Word Unscramble,
Hidden Pictures, Maze, Color the Earth, Write a Postcard, Draw a
Picture, and others.
Grades 3 – 5.
Edition: 2008 - Softbound - 30 pp.
A leader in membrane research and technology, Andrew Benedek founded ZENON Environmental to develop cost-effective membrane solutions for water treatment, which are being applied to wastewater, reclaimed water, industrial uses, home appliances, and desalination, as well as drinking water.
During a brief period in the petrochemical industry, he came to see the effect of pollution on the environment and decided to specialize in environmental engineering for his post-graduate work.
In 1978, Dr. Benedek coordinated the internationally recognized Wastewater Research Group, an organization known for its excellence in research in the field of water treatment technologies. Recognizing that overuse and contamination seriously threatened the world's water sources, he founded ZENON Environmental Inc., a company dedicated to solving water quality problems, through the use of advanced membrane technologies.
ZENON Environmental Inc. was formed in 1980 on his vision of a world where cost effective membrane technology could ensure humanity's survival, with safe and superior quality water. Under his leadership, ZENON has grown steadily and become a global leader in membrane technology for water and wastewater treatment.
Dr. Benedek was among the first to believe that membrane technology would one day become a practical way to treat water; many did not hold his view. Today, with an ever-increasing array of microbial parasites not treatable by conventional means, increasing numbers of people are convinced that membranes are the critical technology to safeguard the world's water supply. A growing number now subscribe to the belief that cost effective and simple membrane technology is also the key to reusing water, thereby alleviating water shortages.
Noted as a leading authority on global water related issues, he has written over 100 scientific papers on different water and wastewater treatment technologies and lectured extensively as keynote speaker to learned societies around the world.
Benedek serves on several corporate and advisory boards and is a research associate at the Scripps Institute of Oceanography in San Diego.ZENON's "Water for Humanity" employee program, in 2003 donated a drinking water treatment plant to a community in Vietnam that was built by ZENON employees who volunteered their time.
In June of 2006, ZENON became a member of GE Water & Process Technologies to enhance GE’s current water scarcity platform by providing pre-treatment technology for reverse osmosis desalination and water reuse.
www.zenon.com
Receiving the 2007 Stockholm Water Prize, Professor Perry L. McCarty of Stanford University marks a remarkable career. Since beginning his post at Stanford, Professor McCarty’s work has defined the entire field of environmental biotechnology, which is the basis for small-scale and large-scale pollution control and safe drinking water systems.
Professor Perry L. McCarty likes to think big but look small. He openly confesses an unabashed fascination with the inner workings of septic tanks, and his unbound excitement for getting behind the microscope to search for the next big thing in the sustainable and healthy reuse of water resources.
Biological processes to control and remove environmental contaminants
The author of over 300 publications and textbooks on biological processes that can be utilized to control and remove environmental contaminants, such as nitrogen and hazardous chemicals, McCarty’s research has provided key insights in the movement, fate, and control of groundwater pollutants that have allowed for new opportunities in water reuse and applied advanced wastewater treatment.
His decorated career devoted to engineering solutions to better use and protect people and water resources has been dedicated to showing that we simply can not afford to waste water like we do. Therefore, to change this we must shift the way we view a much needed resource.
So called ‘wastewater’ is not waste at all, it is rather its value to society that is far too often wasted. Reduced pollution of groundwater resources and better utilization of the understanding of scientific and natural processes, to which Professor McCarty’s work has greatly contributed, provides countries the capacity to clean and recycle for reuse invaluable water resources.
Cooperative Living -- Learn from Nature
While in Stockholm to receive the prize Professor McCarty gave sage advice for nations and scientists seeking sustainable solutions in the upcoming generations. Never straying from his passion for the miniature universes and infinite innovations still yet to be discovered in micro organisms, McCarty implored all listening to take lessons from the tiniest of sources for inspiration.
“Now I am not sure that I have made you as excited as I am about
what happens in a septic tank,” he quipped. “But it is the community of
organisms all working together that we need to study and learn more
about. We ourselves obviously have much to learn about living together
cooperatively, perhaps they can help us to learn how to do this much
better than we have. With the coming climate changes we will have to
adapt as well, and I hope we do it successfully. I expect we can if we
all work together as the micro-organisms in a septic tank have learned
to do.”
The 2008 Stockholm Water Prize Laureate is John Anthony Allan, for his pioneering work in how understanding and communication of water issues are linked to agriculture, climate change, economics, and politics.
A professor at King’s College London and the School of Oriental and African Studies, Allan introduced the “virtual water” concept in 1993 to measure how much water is used to grow, package, and produce various commodities.
People do not only consume water when they
drink it or take a shower. In 1993, Professor Allan, 71, strikingly
demonstrated this by introducing the “virtual water” concept, which
measures how water is embedded in the production and trade of food and
consumer products.
- Behind that morning cup of coffee are 140 litres of water used to grow, produce, package and ship the beans. That is roughly the same amount of water used by an average person daily in England for drinking and household needs.
- The ubiquitous hamburger needs an estimated 2,400 litres of water. Per capita, Americans consume around 6,800 litres of virtual water every day, over triple that of a Chinese person.
Virtual water has major impacts on global trade policy and research, especially in water-scarce regions, and has redefined discourse in water policy and management. By explaining how and why nations such as the US, Argentina and Brazil ‘export’ billions of litres of water each year, while others like Japan, Egypt and Italy ‘import’ billions, the virtual water concept has opened the door to more productive water use. National, regional and global water and food security, for example, can be enhanced when water intensive commodities are traded from places where they are economically viable to produce to places where they are not. While studying water scarcity in the Middle East, Professor Allan developed the theory of using virtual water import, via food, as an alternative water “source” to reduce pressure on the scarcely available domestic water resources there and in other water-short regions.
The relationship between the export and import of water-intensive products has “opened the door to more productive water use,” according to the Stockholm International Water Institute, which confers the prize. Thus, Allan proposes, importing food can reduce the pressure on scarce water supplies.About Professor Allan
Promoting Smarter Water Decisions
As
a scientist, educator and advisor, Professor Allan has built essential
knowledge and communication tools for sustainable and efficient water
resource management and policy. His research deploys a wide range of
environmental, economic, social and political theory to give insights
on global water resources and the extent to which they can be made
sufficient to meet the needs of future populations. Because of his
work, policy makers, scientists, water professionals and the general
public have greater awareness of the role of water in the production of
different types of products and its impact on global trade and economy.
Virtual water remains a central and active component of scientific
research and policy formulation, and has empowered individual consumers
to affect water management on a global scale.
“Beyond the Box” Thinker
Professor Allan has
furthermore developed the idea and terminology of “hydro-hegemony” and
the “problemshed.” This work has led to better understanding of
potential and real conflicts in transboundary regions such as the Nile
Basin, where water resources are shared between countries, while
providing perspective on economic and political processes that can make
food and water security possible for all nations in such water basins.
He remains a leading voice for sustainable water development and expert
advisor on balancing population growth and increasing food demand in
developing countries, institutional reform, valuing water, conflict
resolution, and on the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region.
A Lifetime of Achievement
Professor Allan has
authored or edited seven books and has published over 100 papers in
political science, natural resource management, and interdisciplinary
water journals. He has also educated more than 1100 current or future
water professionals. He has worked for over 35 years with the MENA
region and has advised on joint management of shared water resources on
every basin in the Middle East. He also served as editor for the
scientific journal Water Policy and as a consultant for numerous
governments, the World Bank and the European Union. His keen
perceptions and scientific analysis have inspired new thinking on the
spectrum of water challenges, and is described by many as one of the
most influential thinkers in the global water sector today.
The Stockholm International Water Institute
The Stockholm International Water Institute (SIWI) is a policy institute that seeks sustainable solutions to the world’s escalating water crisis. SIWI manages projects, synthesises research and publishes findings and recommendations on current and future water, environment, governance and human development issues.
SIWI serves as a platform for knowledge sharing and networking
between the scientific, business, policy and civil society communities.
Stockholm International Water Institute
The Stockholm Water Prize is a global award presented annually to an individual, organisation or institution for outstanding water -related activities. First presented in 1991, The Stockholm Water Prize is the world’s most prestigious prize for outstanding achievement in water-related activities. The annual prize, which includes a USD 150,000 award and a crystal sculpture, honours individuals, institutions or organisations whose work contributes broadly to the conservation and protection of water resources and to improved health of the planet’s inhabitants and ecosystems.
U.S. Stockholm Junior Water Prize The Stockholm Junior Water Prize (SJWP) is the most prestigious international youth award for high school water science research. www.wef.org/AboutWater/ForStudents/SJWP/
Book Publishers Bullish on the Economy — As a Subject (LAT)I've been in and around the media since I worked at a radio station in 1969, I believe it was. (I've slept since then and dates are getting fuzzy)... :-) BUT, what I do recall during this time is that the economy has been on a tear. Population has been on a tear. Greed has been on a tear. Wealth has... you get the picture.
As the U.S. economy deteriorates and millions wrestle with questions about their faltering 401(k)s and when — or if — to cash out long-term stock investments, major publishers are scrambling to cash in. They're working feverishly to find the next "big book" that reflects a more sobering view of the economy and offers solutions to help Americans survive the current fiscal woes.
Our American economy has been an unsustainable concept and process...and our main export to nations around the world who wanted "just a piece of that delicious pie".
When you look at nature as a pretty enduring model of growth, you find that invasive species run rampant in growth (look at kudzu or zebra muscles for example) -- until they crash the system! Not just crashing their own species, but the entire habitat and neighboring species. And we have history of empire crashes, as well -- British, Roman, Soviet...
That's a good metaphor for continuous, invasive, economic growth.
What's the solution? My solution, if any publishers are listening...
Bring common sense back. Bring balance back. Harmony. Slow growth. Value. Limit growth, focus on quality and human scale commerce. Local concern. Family concern. Safe neighborhoods and less people in prison. Care for one another rather than see them as victims for blood sucking...uh, I mean consumption.
Book publishers are in an interesting battle for growth. They are suffering the results of invasive growth by a competitive species -- the Internet. Paper is so yesterday -- or last century. It uses trees. It costs fuel and time to ship around. Untenable return policies make book commerce a battle between publishers and retailers....etc, etc, etc. For book publishers to be seeking solutions to lower growth is a matter of self preservation! THEY need a solution.
I wish them the best as they seek the next megastar authors that feed their own visions of high growth and grandeur at the expense of the "native species" who are stamped out by the invasive practices of high growth strategies.
Books have been the in-depth watertable for our shared cultural knowledge. A resource we could all tap into for information, wisdom, strategy, history and common understanding. By eschewing the middle of the author's ranks for the lowest and highest common denominators (crass humor to lofty political achievement) ... we have turned the life-supporting heart of book publishing into a cottage industry that is benefiting from self publishing in print and on the Internet. (Yes, that's me, too).
I hope book publishers find the solutions they are looking for -- but I doubt that another high profile author has much understanding of the real problems that need solving to make this a solvent nation, a wise people and a balanced civilization.
But I can hope, can't I?
What do you do when you see the scope of the damage happening around us today? Getting past denial is step one. This short film will help us face reality.
This is a preview from "Call of Life: Facing the Mass Extinction," a feature documentary now in production.
The book Ray Anderson credits with opening his eyes to the free-fall to earth that is better known as "business as usual" is "The Ecology of Commerce" by Paul Hawkins.
He calls for a paradigm shift of how we view business. That we look at how we are plundering our natural resources and natural processes and leaving a mess for our grandchildren. And we need to create a new revolution -- moving beyond the industrial revolution to a new revolution. One that could be called a "productivity revolution" or a "sustainability revolution."
"With a lack of regulations or standards across the industry or even for particular modes, what determines whether a company can legitimately call themselves green? Some have suggested a 20% reduction in the carbon footprint of transport and logistics as the target to aim for, but we have yet to determine how far back or forward the supply chain the footprint is to extend, or even reach consensus over whether CO2 emissions are the measure to isolate.
"Is it wrong to look for the green in going green, or to look only at ventures that have this added benefit in the now and are not a true investment into the future of the planet? I think it's unrealistic to expect that companies will not look for economically sustainable green pursuits, but I agree that R.O.G.I. (return on green investments) is a long term prospect that requires long term commitment if it is to be successful, and legitimately marketable.
Living lightly on the land is an ancient attitude by American Indians and other native tribal leaders. The simple wisdom of that vision still holds. If you start measuring all the impacts, and every increment of change -- you'll get discouraged quickly because of the complexity of the natural systems. Going green is about using less of our precious natural resources such as fresh air, fresh water, native wildlife, and even timber. Use less, use it more wisely, and reuse everything possible. That's a simple, honorable way of doing business. Green isn't about getting a PR story, its about serving your customers with integrity and efficiency for not only you and them -- but for your family, friends, and neighbors, as well. Integrity matters.
The new portal, found at http://www.CoolCalifornia.org , is the only "carbon footprint calculator" that can be used to evaluate both direct and indirect emissions of greenhouse gases related to individual lifestyle choices.
It provides localized emissions estimates for transportation, housing, food, goods and services, as well as resources that can help users make more climate-friendly choices.
The calculator was designed by researchers at the Berkeley Institute of the Environment, in partnership with the California Air Resources Board, the Lawrence Berkeley National Lab, the California Energy Commission, and the independent, nonpartisan organization Next 10.
Researchers expect the tool to play an important role in changing the way Californians think about, monitor and address their personal climate footprints. For more information, contact director of public affairs for the UC Berkeley College of Natural Resources Cyril Manning, (510) 643-1722, cyril@berkeley.edu.
The Rebound Effect isn't theory any longer. People in California are beginning to notice that developers are allowed to build bigger and more projects as conservationists reduce their water usage. Their sacrifice is not being applied to reinforcing the natural systems of the environment -- it is being used to fuel more rapid development of wildland incursions and massive, high-end development that is not sustainable -- or efficient.
SOURCE: The Rebound Effect in California Water
...when I sacrifice and struggle and change my habits and compromise my life to save water, what will happen? The developers and politicians will immediately approve more housing tracts as far as the eye can see.And the numbers are large: the Pacific Institute think tank estimates that if all traditional washing machines in California were replaced with the more efficient models, the savings could amount to 33 billion gallons of water a year.
That's enough water, the report states, to provide for the total household needs of more than 600,000 Californians annually.
SOURCE: Pardon Our Dust
Cities, counties and states must look at how they are penalizing and rewarding conservation behaviors if they want to provide a fair system that truly becomes an environmentally sustainable community. Bias isn't sustainable. We're all in this together and must sacrifice equitably, and benefit equitably. That's the basis of a democracy...and a republic, for that matter. And green is about shared responsibility.
