Clean Energy Conference 2011 - Designing for Energy Efficiency and the Bottom Line

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David Johnson, West Coast Director, William McDonough + Partners, San Francisco
I had trouble tracking all this.  The room is too bright to see the slides well.  He basically talked about a couple of his projects - a NASA building in Mt. View California and a Bosch building in Holland and in general terms the need to use energy and material sustainably.  Much of this is, it seems, chronicled in a book called Cradle to Cradle.


As affliuence grows, your energy footprint increases.  What energy footprint, what if the world consumed as the people in Alaska.

Book Cradle to Cradle

Biological nutrient vs. Technical nutrients = is it composable, where does it go?  As architect, planner, look at what happens to materials in buildings.  If we start with LEAD checkbooks.  If all were in LEAD platinum, we'd be in trouble.  How can you plan for a platform of continuous quality improvement.
Over time, decreasing use of fossil fuels and increasing renewable resources.
Want to define beneficial outcome, not just reducing the bad.

Efficient building - NASA - keep all the trees.  Locate building to get most efficient environment - optimized for wind and sun, retain existing landscape.  All office is passive ventilation.




[My notes here on Kim Matsoukas, Sustainability Manager at Bentley Prince Street, Industry, California got wiped out.  Sorry.  Her talk was on Energy Efficiency as a Corporate Mission outlined how her company had invested in and saved from energy efficiency in California where energy is also costly.  They aren't worried about greenhouse gas regulations because they have already reduced their footprint.]

[UPDATE 11:30pm:  I found some of my notes from this presentation. 

Kim Matsoukas, Sustainability Manager, Bentley Prince Street, Industry, California.  She's talking about Ray, the founder of Prince Street, as background for her talk.

Our mission is Mission Zero.  Goal since 1994.  Thought we could do it by 2000, Wasn't possible, now by 2020.  We have seven principles:

Eliminate Waste
Benign Emissions
Renewable energy
Closed Loop
Integrated sustainability
Redesigned Commerce

Our approach:

1  Measure energy use and GHGs both facility-wide and by total product footprint (including suppliers)
2.  Look for conservation opportunities
3.  Look for energy efficiency opportunities - change lightbulbs, upgrade equipment to be more efficient
4.  Use renewable energy
5.  Offset unavoidable emissions
6.  Educate our associates, customers, and suppliers - life-cycle principles means it happens before it gets to our doors.

There was a lot more. . . ]






Rob Pratt, Chair and CEO of Greener U, Waltham, MA.

Keys to Using Energy Efficiency as an Economic Stimulus.

What I wanted to do with Greener U was show that Colleges and Universities could reduce energy consumption - you have students pushing, presidents' commitments, etc.  Help colleges implement large scale efficiency programs.  Mechanical equipment side together with people.  It's all about people.  Student engagement.  Colleges are doing phenomenal things.  Reducing carbon footprint by 25% - goals much higher.  Could do the same here.

60-70% cheaper
Creates Homegrown jobs
It's everywhere - all organizations and buildings
National Security - reduce energy use, not sending $ overseas

Building Blocks
Big Energy Savers
 







Cogeneration  - can really get efficiency up - I suspect big opportunity in Alaska.  Also can use multiple fuel sources.  Natural gas, Methane, wood chips, etc.

Paying for Energy Efficiency - can pay with savings  example:  put 1.2 over five years (big university) based on that got $2million in utility incentives.  Instead of using savings, reinvest them.  Then, over 5 years, $3million in Green donations, then take some out of endowment.  You get a $24 million project with no debt except $3million endowments.  Lots of ways to be creative.  In Alaska lots of possibilities.

It just calls for us to do it.

Economic Engine for Alaska, just waiting to be turned on.  Create jobs, catelyze economic development.  Big picture, as Murkowski alluded to, Alaska is rated as 37th in US, up from 41.  Alaska doesn't spend much, 5th from the bottom, on energy savings.  But Housing efficiency program is good.  Creates a lot of jobs and companies.  Lots of opportunities in homes.  A lot can be done in homes.  Heating, insulation, windows, etc.  Then in commercial, industrial, etc. 

Plumbers and electricians do well working on energy efficiency.  You've got housing energy rebate program.  Lots of opportunities at University of Alaska.  Energy program for villages.  A lot can be done on efficient appliances.  Lots going on you an take advantage of. 

They are asking questions now.  One was about how cutting consumption would hurt manufacturers.  That's a basic contradiction in our national economic model - we need to save and we need to spend.  There are those who are developing models for more sustainable capitalism.