My video

Watch this video and leave your comments below

Solar phone

Solar phone... A very good solution to tackle the present day problem of charging the cellphone.. Cell phones becoming a bare necessity and every one carrying one it has become very common that we forget to charge it.. At times when we travel it is a real big problem. This is a boon for every one.. It is self sustainable.. No energy consuming phone.. Perfectly idela if the price tag comes down.. Its priced a bit high now but soon the prices will come down and hope it creates a new revolution.. Please see the video http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uHR5fr94Xwc

the article at http://www.zeenews.com/znnew/articles.asp?rep=2&aid=375736&ssid=365&sid=ENV

First solar-powered mobile phone

Beijing, June 07: A Chinese company has claimed to have developed the world's first solar-powered mobile phone that uses sun's energy to recharge itself. The company says a scale-like solar panel on the top side of the clamshell-designed phone can also be recharged by light from other sources including candles. It can provide 40 minutes of talk-time after sitting in the Sun for an hour. Hi-tech wealth, a well-known telecommunication products supplier in china, claims its mobile phone is the world's first to use solar power to recharge its battery. The company says it has developed the most advanced solar power technology and owns eight patents and has applied for numerous others. Many companies around the world are working on similar mobile phones but their products are still at the experimental stage, Xinhua news agency quoted a company official as saying. "With more than 400 million mobile phones in the country, china would save a great amount of electricity if all its mobile phones were recharged by light," chairman of Hi-Tech Wealth, Zhang Zhengyu said. He claimed that the lifespan of the battery in the new phone is 2.5 times longer that traditional batteries. The cost of the solar-powered mobile phone was not provided. The company plans to put six of its light energy mobile phones on the market this year, and another 30 next year, the report said. Bureau Report

Proper Sanitation a MUST

Sanitation is one very important aspect that every developing country should take care of, as improper sanitation is one such thing that thing that collapses the economic situation of the country.


Ask me how??
See If there is no proper sanitation then its obvious that the poor people who don't have proper facilities are more vulnerable and if they get diseases frequently then the labor (as many poor people are) would decrease, there will be a demand supply difference of labor and then the daily wages will increase and cost of contracts cant be met and they will be stopped and then banks will have problems as the contractors wont pay back and then governments will have to support banks and so they wont have money to build toilets and maintain proper sanitation. HUFFFFF!!!!
So to avoid this the government should start taking up proper sanitation measures and should ensure every one is healthy. a healthy country is a prospering country..

Big story i guess but its true that if we don't take proper care of sanitation the health of the vulnerable will be affected, so we need to take a lot of care and start building and maintain toilets with proper drainage. As this will cost a lot if the regular ways of toilets are taken we need to look into various designs that are available and build them at a low cost, which can be sustainable. The suggestions of the community members should always be taken when we are planning to take up building toilets as they are the people using them.


I will tell you one more story which really happen some where in a tea plantation hilly area. One day a sanitation engineer went to this village and was seeing the beautiful hill from his room and saw a strange thing that on the two sides of the hill there were people walking with lanterns and asked the hotel management what it was. And the manager told him that they were the labor of that area who come to perform their daily morning activity down near a pond and then go back to the top collecting the tea leaves. The engineer felt very bad that they have to walk all the way and immediately contacted few NGO's to arrange for funds to build toilets and started building them on the hill top. He felt he has done very good thing, probably the best thing in his life. And then they inaugurated it and left to his city. After few years he was so proud of his achievement that he bought all his friends to the place to show them. Then the next day morning again he saw the same thing he saw before that every one was going down with lanterns in hands. he was shocked, in fact depressed and then he was angry. He immediately went to the village people and asked them what there problem was in using the toilet on the hilltop. There answer was simple that previously they used to gossip a lot by walking down with their friends and because of this toilets they are loosing a lot of socializing. Apart from it they had some reason to come down so that they can collect the leaves while going up.. but now they have to go a round for waste and the productivity has decreased, laziness increased. The Engineer was shocked with their reasons.
I would like to highlight on few mistakes that the engineer did

• The engineer should have spoken with the community first on where it will be convenient for them before the construction.
• He should have designed it in such a way that their routine is not disturbed but the process is healthier.
  
• And lastly he should have made an attempt to see that the villagers had a sense of ownership of project.

I hope the story has thrown light on some things which we should keep in mind when taking up any project involving the community. And we shouldn't have the feeling that we are doing a favor to anyone, as it would develop sympathy in us and gives a sense of superiority. Believe me when i say that the community knows more than us even if they are illiterate. They are experts in their own region.

Check out www.gramalaya.org for designs on various kinds of toilets and you can see www.ecosanservices.org to know about training programmes that are available. I am attaching few cartoons which i found funny.. and remember a true sanitation engineer is one who says PEE instead of CHEESE when someone is taking a photograph.

RWH (Rain water harvesting)

Harvest the water for a better tomorrow

In today’s world where rich man on one side of the globe has made a easy way of throwing away waste by diluting and mixing it with water and it being wasted for mere washing and cleaning purposes and with no proper drainage system being maintained. One the other side a poor man is striving hard to get a bucket of water for drinking. With bore wells being dug hundreds of feet; water is surely going to become scarce soon. Fortunately water is available now but very soon if proper measures are not taken the ground water is soon going to be vanished. In this situation I would like to highlight few basics on rainwater harvesting. I have collected information from various websites, Please follow the links if you are interested about a individual topic. There are also few videos which u might find interesting as well at the end.

Rain water harvesting is conserving water right where it falls. Rain water harvesting can benefit in following ways.
1) It improves ground water quality & quantity both. There is no other technique available for the same.
2) It prevents saline water intrusion in ground water from sea in coastal area.
3) It increases ground water table & hence decreases pumping costs.
4) Water logging in low lying area can be reduced upto certain extent. Hence, rain water harvesting, water recycling & water treatment are cheapest & easiest technique to overcome water problems.

In ancient days itself, people, especially Indians, know the methods of conservation of rainwater. There are evidences that, even during Harappan period, there was very good system of water management as could be seen in the latest excavation at Dholavira in Kachch. During independence period, the people use to manage water resources considering it as part of the nature which is essential for their survival. This could be seen from the rain water harvesting structures in the low rainfall areas of Rajasthan, harvesting springs in hilly areas and mountainous region and percolation ponds and tanks in southern India.

In South India, the ancient people stored rainwater in public placed separately one for drinking purposes and another for bathing and other domestic purposes. They also formed percolation tanks or ponds, for the purpose of recharging irrigation or domestic wells. They periodically clean the water ways so as to get clean water throughout the year. These are instances in the history that people constructed crude rubble bunds across river courses either for diversion of water or for augmenting the ground water. The various methods of rainwater harvesting are classified below under two category, Traditional and Modern methods.

Traditional Methods

Traditional rainwater harvesting, which is still prevalent in rural areas, was done in surface storage bodies like lakes, ponds, irrigation tanks, temple tanks etc. In urban areas, due to shrinking of open spaces, rainwater will have to necessarily be harvested as ground water, Hence harvesting in such places will depend very much on the nature of the soil viz., clayey, sandy etc. The below listed are the various kinds of traditional rainwater harvesting methods. Click for more detailed info

Kunds of Thar Desert

Kul Irrigation Method

Bamboo Method

Temple Tanks of India

Modern Methods

The Modern methos of rainwater harvesting are categorised under two, they are Artifical Recharging and Rain Water Harvesting. The former is classified into Absorption Pit Method, Absorption Well Method, Well cum Bore Method and Recharge trench cum injection well. The later is categorised into Individual Houses and Grouped Houses which are further classified into Percolation Pit Method, Bore Well with Settlement Tank, Open Well Method with filter bed Sump and Percolation Pit with Bore Method.

Artificial Recharging

Absorption Pit Method

Absorption Well Method

Well cum Bore Method

Recharge trench cum injection well

Rain Water Harvesting in Individual Houses

Percolation Pit Method

Bore Well with Settlement Tank

Open Well Method with filter bed Sump

Percolation Pit with Bore Method

Rain Water Harvesting in Grouped Houses

RWH in Grouped Houses(Flat)

Rural RWH Methods

Rain water harvesting for Rural Areas

A model


For complete information on every detail please check http://www.aboutrainwaterharvesting.com/rwh_methods.htm

Rainwater is particularly useful to supply the large volume of water needed for flushing toilets. Each person on average uses almost 45 litres a day for this purpose. In an average household, this contaminates nearly 66,000 litres of drinking water a year. This is the main use of water in a household, closely followed by bathing and washing which uses 37 litres per person per day.

Rainwater is ideal for use in washing machines; on average people use 20 litres a day for washing clothes. The advantage is that the soft rainwater allows the use of natural soaps and biological washing powders, which are much more gentle on clothes than standard detergents. Not only this, there is less chance of skin irritation caused by detergents, and there is no environmental damage when discharged into the waste water system.

Gardeners through the centuries have recognized the importance of a plentiful supply of water, and that plants prefer natural rainwater instead of heavily treated mains water. A hosepipe uses a minimum of 500 litres an hour - almost as much as an average household uses in a day.

Rainwater can also be used for car washing and other general cleaning tasks around the home.

In commerce and industry

The use of rainwater can really come into its own in business and industry. Not only is water extensively used in a wide range of tasks, but there are often large roof and hard standing areas to catch rainwater. This provides an incentive to invest in rainwater harvesting equipment as business use can offer a relatively short pay-back period.

Rainwater can be used cost-effectively for water-intensive tasks such as dust control, cleaning processes during manufacture, washing vehicles and other specialised cleaning processes such as printed circuit board manufacture, and in agriculture and animal husbandry where farmyards and animal stalls must be regularly hosed down.

In large offices and public buildings, rainwater can be used for flushing toilets and urinals and for cleaning. Facilities managers are increasingly not only insisting these systems are installed on new buildings but looking to retro-fitting the equipment to existing buildings.


http://www.constructionresources.com/products/services/rainwater_overview.asp

Rainwater harvesting is the collection and storage of rain from roofs or from a surface catchment for future use. The water is generally stored in rainwater tanks or directed into mechanisms which recharge groundwater. This is appropriate in many parts of the world, such as western Britain, China, Brazil, Thailand, Sri Lanka, Germany, Australia and India, where there is enough rain for collection and conventional water resources either do not exist or are at risk of being over-used to supply a large population. Rainwater harvesting can provide lifeline water for human consumption, reduce water bills and the need to build reservoirs which may require the use of valuable land.

Traditionally, rainwater harvesting has been practised in arid and semi-arid areas, and has provided drinking water, domestic water, water for livestock, water for small irrigation and a way to replenish ground water levels. This method may have been used extensively by the Indus Valley Civilization.

Currently in China and Brazil, rooftop rainwater harvesting is being practised for use for all the above purposes. Gansu province in China and semi-arid north east Brazil have the largest rooftop rainwater harvesting projects ongoing.

Rainwater harvesting in urban areas can have manifold reasons. To provide supplemental water for the city's requirement, to increase soil moisture levels for urban greenery, to increase the ground water table through artificial recharge, to mitigate urban flooding and to improve the quality of groundwater are some of the reasons why rainwater harvesting can be adopted in cities. In urban areas of the developed world, at a household level, harvested rainwater can be used for flushing toilets and washing laundry. Indeed in hard water areas it is superior to mains water for this. It can also be used for showering or bathing. It may require treatment prior to use for drinking.

http://images.google.co.in/images?q=rain%20water%20harvesting&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&aq=t&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&client=firefox-a&um=1&sa=N&tab=wi

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rainwater_harvesting

http://akash-ganga-rwh.com/RWH/WaterHarvesting.html

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FBUPL7E4G-0

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k_XXak6IQTA

Air car

Finally the car that runs on air is hitting the Indian roads by 2008 by our own TATAs.. This wont be a perfectly environment friendly as electricity is used to compress the air.. but if efforts are made to attain the electricity by alternate sources like wind energy or solar energy which are pollution-less then it will be a perfectly sustainable, no pollution emission car, and could do wonders in future.The good news is the car will be priced around three and a half lakh and gives a mileage of 300kms for a refill of 90Rs.

I have a idea but don't know how much its viable.. it goes something like this the compressed air which passes through the piston and comes out still has some energy in the form of pressure which could be re utilized if a compressor pump be placed in the car it self and probably use solar energy to run it.. Then it will run as long as possible..

See this video http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dc43-47B7FI
This is about the piston used and complete design..

U can also see the video aired on cnn ibn about the tatas having partnered with them at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J_i3aMz7q1w

There is article in yahoo greens http://green.yahoo.com/index.php?q=node/315 this will give more info

By Bob Ewing

Wed, 30 May 2007, 11:15PM

The world's first commercial compressed air-powered vehicle is rolling towards the production line. The Air car, developed by ex-Formula One engineer Guy Nègre, will be built by India's largest automaker, Tata Motors.

The Air Car uses compressed air to push its engine's pistons. It is anticipated that approximately 6000 Air Cars will be cruising the streets of India by 2008. If the manufacturers have no surprises up their exhaust pipes the car will be practical and reasonably priced. The CityCat model will clock out at 68 mph with a driving range of 125 miles.

Refueling is simple and will only take a few minutes. That is, if you live nearby a gas station with custom air compressor units. The cost of a fill up is approximately $2.00. If a driver doesn't have access to a compressor station, they will be able to plug into the electrical grid and use the car's built-in compressor to refill the tank in about 4 hours.

The compressed air technology is basically just a way of storing electrical energy without the need for costly, heavy, and occasionally toxic batteries. So, in a sense, this is an electric car. It just doesn't have an electric motor.

But don't let anyone tell you this is an "emissions free" vehicle. Sure, the only thing coming out of the tailpipe is air. But, chances are, fossil fuels were burned to create the electricity. In India, that mostly means coal. But the carbon emissions per mile of these things still far outdoes any gasoline car on the market.

Unfortunately, the streets of North America may never see the Air Car, though; it's light-weight, glued-together fiberglass construction might not do so well in our crash tests. However, that does not mean the Air car is confined to the sub-continent. Nègre has signed deals to bring its design to 12 more countries, including Germany, Israel and South Africa.

And this isn't the last we'll hear of the technology. The folks making the Air Car are already working on a hybrid version that would use an on-board, gasoline-powered compressor to refill the air tanks when they run low. Negre says that technology could easily squeeze a cross country trip out of one tank of gasoline.

Oxygen cylinder

THE FUTURE

Ecological foot print

The below topic is a very interesting topic in environment.. Every country has a seperate index.. take the quiz at the end of this and know the average ecological foot print in the country u r present and the excess u r using.. A brief on what ecological foot print is given below

Ecological footprint analysis approximates the human impact upon the environment by calculating the draw upon ecologically productive land and marine area required to sustain a population, manufacture a product, or undertake various activities. This is achieved through a system of accounting similar to life cycle analysis wherein the consumption of energy, biomass (food, fiber), building material, water and other resources are converted into a normalized measure of land area dubbed 'global hectares'.

Per capita EF is a means of determining relative consumption and can be a useful tool to educate people about carrying capacity and over-consumption, with the aim of altering personal behavior. Ecological footprints may be used to argue that many contemporary lifestyles are not sustainable. The average "earthshare" available to each human citizen is approximately 1.9 gha per capita. The US footprint per capita is 9.5, and that of Switzerland is 4 gha, whilst China's is approximately 1.5 gha. The WWF claims that the human footprint has exceeded the biocapacity (the available supply of natural resources) of the planet by 25%.


Ecological footprinting is now widely used around the globe as an indicator of environmental sustainability. It can be used to measure and manage the use of resources throughout the economy. It is commonly used to explore the sustainability of individual lifestyles, goods and services, organizations, industry sectors, neighborhoods, cities, regions and nations

To calculate your EF check out this website

http://www.earthday.net/

Mumbai proves its again

Its good to see community participation in disaster preparedness at times.. As we all know "People's memory is very short" is valid for a small disaster or if it happens to some other community.. I might forget a Tsunami after say 5years but the person who was there when tsunami happen will never forget in his life.. not just the sight of the horrifying waves but also the loss of his dear ones and the shock of seeing so many people lying around distressed.. Similarly the communities in mumbai are gearing up for the monsoons this year. It is a very good sign and i hope every community prepares well and decrease the extent of loss this year.. All de best for the disaster managers..

http://www.gulfnews.com/world/India/10129900.html

Mumbaikars equip themselves to tackle floods this monsoon
ANI

Mumbai: The people of Mumbai are all geared up for the monsoon this year.

They have arranged disaster management kits to better equip themselves to tackle floods in the city.

With memories still fresh in their minds of the 2005 floods in which more than 1,000 people were killed across Maharashtra, Mumbaikars are bracing themselves for the June-September rains.

Residents of several colonies have taken steps to ensure that they are not caught off guard this year.

In Chembur, residents of Pestorm Sagar, a locality of 120 buildings, have set up a forum to reach help to people immediately in the instance of a flood.

The forum has put together a disaster management kit, which comprises life jackets, lifebuoys, oxygen tanks, fogging machines, stretchers and first aid. There is also a dedicated jeep that will be used for rescue missions.

The forum, which has doctors on panel and people trained in rescue operations and first aid, says it is not entirely dependant on municipal authorities.

In neighbouring Air India Colony, one of the worst hit localities of the 2005 deluge, residents have taken upon themselves to deal with a crisis in the absence of an initiative from the housing society.

Traumatic experience

For the Kawale family, who lives on the ground floor, traumatic memories persist. Unable to move to higher ground, they are leaving nothing to chance, and have packed some of their belongings in case of an emergency.

"We have packed our clothes, certificates, important documents, books of our children and uniform so that in case anything happens we will just pick it up and go to the top," said Veena Kawale.

In July 2005, two days of heavy rain killed hundreds of people and caused widespread damage, closing down the city for a week.

Green Oscars

This article on Ashden awards on green oscars in very interesting.. It shows how poverty elevation can do wonders in rural India apart from giving global recognisation to the organisations working for it.. I believe poverty elevation can make a lot of difference in the quality of life of rural india, apart from decreasing the gender inequality in a long term if the women are encouraged to take up Vermi-composting seriously.. They might make some where around an average of 500 Rs ( i.e 10 to 15$) per month but that really helps them in times of Crisis.. During my internship I have seen that in some house holds in the interior parts of west bengal district women dont have a mere 10Rs (i.e 25 cents) change in their house making them the most vulnerable.. Today where most of the fertilizers are causing more harm then help to the crop and the person eating it.. Using of bio fertilizers definetly increases the quality of crop and if it could be marketed as a non fertilizer product, it can as well be sold at a higher price..


Friday, May 25, 2007 10:06:00 AM

http://www.dnaindia .com/report. asp?NewsID= 1099008
2 Indian projects short-listed for Ashden Awards

PTI

LONDON: A Kerala company involved in tackling the problem of dumped food waste and a Karnataka firm that has provided thousands of rural families dung-based biogas plants are among 10 global projects short-listed for the Ashden Awards for Sustainable Energy, popularly known as the 'Green Oscars'.

Former US Vice President Al Gore will present the awards and more than 200,000 pounds of prize money to the winners at the Royal Geographical Society here on June 21.

"The Ashden Awards are a powerful reminder that well designed and managed local sustainable energy initiatives can tackle climate change while meeting the needs of local communities. Tackling these issues simultaneously, in both rich and poor countries, is critical to addressing the twin planetary challenges of climate change and sustainable development, " Al Gore said.

BIOTECH from Kerala and SKG Sangha from Karnataka will compete with contenders from Bangladesh, China, Ghana, Lao PDR, Nepal, Peru, Philippines and Tanzania for the five awards and the prize money earmarked to help project expansion and replication in other communities both locally and nation wide.

BIOTECH has been selected for tackling the problem of the dumping of food waste in the streets of Kerala through the installation of biogas plants that use the waste to produce gas for cooking and, in some cases, electricity for lighting.

To date BIOTECH has built and installed an impressive 12,000 domestic plants, 160 of which also use human waste from latrines to avoid contamination of ground water, 220 institutional plants and 17 municipal plants that use waste from markets to power generations.

SKG Sangha has been selected for radically improving the lives of thousands of rural families in Karnataka by supplying them with both dung based biogas plants for cooking and a specially designed unit that turns the slurry from the biogas plant into high quality fertilizer.

The units supplied by SKG Sangha produce fertilizer simply by combing the slurry with straw and leaves and then adding worms which re-digest the mixture to produce vermin-compost.

This vermin-compost improves the yields of family crops and women can earn as much from selling half the vermin-compost they produce as the household earns from selling the crops they grow.

Since 1993, SKG Sangha has installed over 43,000 biogas plants in Karnataka alone.

Sarah Butler-Sloss, founder and chair of the Ashden Awards said, "All the finalists were selected because they stand out as inspiring examples of how providing local sustainable energy solutions to reduce global carbon emissions can also reap tremendous social and economic rewards for local communities around the world. They deserve to be highlighted and used to inspire others".

The other finalists are: Shidhulal Swanirvar Sangstha (Bangladesh) for building up a fleet of 88 boats that use solar energy to bring education, training and renewable energy supplies to over 400,000 people living in the remote Chalanbeel region of Bangladesh, Beijing Shenzhou Daxu Bio-Energy Technology Company Ltd (China) for developing and marketing an innovative stove design that replaces coal by burning widely available crop waste as well as burning wood much more efficiently, Deng Ltd (Ghana) for developing a viable and sustainable business for the provision of solar-home-systems to rural areas where access to grid supply is limited.

http://www.ashdenaw ards.org/ finalists_ 2007

http://www.ashdenaw ards.org/ media_summary07_ biotech

http://www.ashdenaw ards.org/ media_summary07_ skg

http://www.ashdenaw ards.org/ media_summary07_ deng

http://www.ashdenaw ards.org/ media_summary07_ zara
http://www.ashdenaw ards.org/ media_summary07_ daxu
http://www.ashdenaw ards.org/ media_summary07_ shidhulai

http://www.ashdenaw ards.org/ media_summary07_ sunlabob
http://www.ashdenaw ards.org/ media_summary07_ crt
http://www.ashdenaw ards.org/ media_summary07_ aid

http://www.ashdenaw ards.org/ media_summary07_ practicalaction

My experiences with CEE in the 1st week as an intern in DRM

Disaster Risk management popularly DRM.. I believe U dont get to know the importance of it till u get into it..
I would like to thank Keren of Centre for Environment Education (CEE) for giving me this woderful oppurtunity to know a lot more by sending me to kolkata to a wonderful organisation called prism with whom i am working right now and will be here in kolkata for the next few weeks.

The first week the insight which Ashok jain sir, madhavi madam and rajini madam of CEE gave about sustainable development, Disaster mitigation, management and alot more was amazing, the seminars of Mr. Ashok from Redr, and GREEN and the small interaction with a person from Oxfam was amazing. I dint realise the ideas i had untill i was part of drawing the sustainable pyramid.

Sustainable eveleopment is such a vast topic and giving us a insight of the whole concept with in just one week was amazing.

And the best part is when we all went to sirkali, the field visit amazing, the best thing i have ever done, Mr.Shriji gave a good discrption, where as Mr.Anathan led us in the field, giving us wrong information as it is in case of a disaster so that we confirm it talking to farmers. It was a simulation of a real disaster happening. we had been to go to a sunami hit village where there was no loss of human life. An Agricultural village actually, most of us know only about fisherman families, as the affect of tsunami is visble there but the village which we have been to was indirectly affected, the livelihood has been affected. The fertility of farms was lost, the compensation was being given to the owners and not to the farmer who takes it on lease, after the tsunami even when the daily labour is leaving, the psycological factor plays a important role here. CEE took a step of raising voice and working there by proviing information to the farmers on how to treat the land and by they themselves starting a farm to encourage farmers, CEE also started shaping the canal so that the daily labour start working and farmers stay motivated, a wonderful aproach I say..

K any way then then we ha to prepare a initial relief report an present it along with other group who did a study on a fisheren village.

The whole excercise made us realise the ground realities, before we started to our placements, It also built a team spirit and confience, I thank the team in sirkali for keepin i mind the minutest detail and making us experience the best thing we could ask for.

TIPS FOR INCREASING ENERGY EFFICIENCY

It proves that there is a benefit to green building, not only to the owner of the home as it translates into savings but also to the environment and the community. Even if you're not living in a house built to Green Builder Initiative standards, there's still plenty you can do to increase the energy efficiency of your home.

• Buy Energysaving products as you replace light bulbs, light fixtures, appliances and air conditioners.

• Change your air filter regularly and install a programmable thermostat.

• Seal air leaks with caulk, spray foam, or weather stripping. This can significantly reduce energy bills. Many air leaks and drafts are easy to find because they are easy to feel -- like those around windows and doors. But holes hidden in attics, basements and crawl spaces are usually bigger problems.

• If needed, add insulation. A quick way to see if you need more insulation is to look across your uncovered attic floor. If your insulation is level with or below the attic floor joists, you probably need to add more insulation. The recommended insulation level for most attics is R-38 (or about 12-15 inches, depending on the insulation type). For climate- and house-specific insulation recommendations go to www.energystar.gov.

• Seal your heating and cooling ducts. Many homeowners choose to work with a professional contractor for duct improvement projects. Some homeowners choose to take on duct sealing as a do-it-yourself project. Start by sealing air leaks using mastic sealant or metal tape and insulating all the ducts that you can access (such as those in attics, crawl spaces, unfinished basements, and garages). Never use duct tape, as it is not long-lasting.

Source: www.energystar.gov

If you're building a new home: Go to the Green Building Initiative at www.thegbi.com and EarthCraft House at www.southface.org for resources and advice about green building.

Green buildings and their Economic Benefits

A green building, also known as a sustainable building, is a structure that is designed, built, renovated, operated, or reused in an ecological and resource-efficient manner. Green buildings are designed to meet certain objectives such as protecting occupant health; improving employee productivity; using energy, water, and other resources more efficiently; and reducing the overall impact to the environment.

A green building may cost more up front, but saves through lower operating costs over the life of the building. The green building approach applies a project life cycle cost analysis for determining the appropriate up-front expenditure.

What Are the Elements of Green Buildings?

Below is a sampling of green building practices.

Siting

• Start by selecting a site well suited to take advantage of mass transit.
• Protect and retain existing landscaping and natural features. Select plants that have low water and pesticide needs, and generate minimum plant trimmings. Use compost and mulches. This will save water and time.
• Recycled content paving materials, furnishings, and mulches help close the recycling loop.

Energy Efficiency

Most buildings can reach energy efficiency levels. The following strategies contribute to this goal.

• Passive design strategies can dramatically affect building energy performance. These measures include building shape and orientation, passive solar design, and the use of natural lighting.
• Develop strategies to provide natural lighting. Studies have shown that it has a positive impact on productivity and well being.
• Install high-efficiency lighting systems with advanced lighting controls. Include motion sensors tied to dimmable lighting controls. Task lighting reduces general overhead light levels.
• Use a properly sized and energy-efficient heat/cooling system in conjunction with a thermally efficient building shell. Maximize light colors for roofing and wall finish materials; install high R-value wall and ceiling insulation; and use minimal glass on east and west exposures.
• Minimize the electric loads from lighting, equipment, and appliances.
• Consider alternative energy sources such as photovoltaics and fuel cells that are now available in new products and applications. Renewable energy sources provide a great symbol of emerging technologies for the future.
• Computer modeling is an extremely useful tool in optimizing design of electrical and mechanical systems and the building shell.

Materials Efficiency

• Select sustainable construction materials and products by evaluating several characteristics such as reused and recycled content, zero or low off gassing of harmful air emissions, zero or low toxicity, sustainably harvested materials, high recyclability, durability, longevity, and local production. Such products promote resource conservation and efficiency. Using recycled-content products also helps develop markets for recycled materials that are being diverted from California's landfills, as mandated by the Integrated Waste Management Act.
• Use dimensional planning and other material efficiency strategies. These strategies reduce the amount of building materials needed and cut construction costs. For example, design rooms on 4-foot multiples to conform to standard-sized wallboard and plywood sheets.
• Reuse and recycle construction and demolition materials. For example, using inert demolition materials as a base course for a parking lot keeps materials out of landfills and costs less.
• Require plans for managing materials through deconstruction, demolition, and construction.
• Design with adequate space to facilitate recycling collection and to incorporate a solid waste management program that prevents waste generation.

Water Efficiency

• Design for dual plumbing to use recycled water for toilet flushing or a gray water system that recovers rainwater or other nonpotable water for site irrigation.
• Minimize wastewater by using ultra low-flush toilets, low-flow shower heads, and other water conserving fixtures.
• Use recirculating systems for centralized hot water distribution.
• Install point-of-use hot water heating systems for more distant locations.
• Use a water budget approach that schedules irrigation using the California Irrigation Management Information System data for landscaping.
• Meter the landscape separately from buildings. Use micro-irrigation (which excludes sprinklers and high-pressure sprayers) to supply water in nonturf areas.
• Use state-of-the-art irrigation controllers and self-closing nozzles on hoses.

Occupant Health and Safety

Recent studies reveal that buildings with good overall environmental quality can reduce the rate of respiratory disease, allergy, asthma, sick building symptoms, and enhance worker performance.

Choose construction materials and interior finish products with zero or low emissions to improve indoor air quality. Many building materials and cleaning/maintenance products emit toxic gases, such as volatile organic compounds (VOC) and formaldehyde. These gases can have a detrimental impact on occupants' health and productivity.

Provide adequate ventilation and a high-efficiency, in-duct filtration system. Heating and cooling systems that ensure adequate ventilation and proper filtration can have a dramatic and positive impact on indoor air quality.

Prevent indoor microbial contamination through selection of materials resistant to microbial growth, provide effective drainage from the roof and surrounding landscape, install adequate ventilation in bathrooms, allow proper drainage of air-conditioning coils, and design other building systems to control humidity.

Building Operation and Maintenance

Green building measures cannot achieve their goals unless they work as intended. Building commissioning includes testing and adjusting the mechanical, electrical, and plumbing systems to ensure that all equipment meets design criteria. It also includes instructing the staff on the operation and maintenance of equipment.

Over time, building performance can be assured through measurement, adjustment, and upgrading. Proper maintenance ensures that a building continues to perform as designed and commissioned.

Steps to Ensure Success

• Establish a vision that embraces sustainable principles and an integrated design approach.
• Develop a clear statement of the project's vision, goals, design criteria, and priorities.
• Develop a project budget that covers green building measures. Allocate contingencies for additional research and analysis of specific options. Seek sponsorship or grant opportunities.
• Seek advice of a design professional with green building experience.
• Select a design and construction team that is committed to the project vision. Modify the RFQ/RFP selection process to ensure the contractors have appropriate qualifications to identify, select, and implement an integrated system of green building measures.
• Develop a project schedule that allows for systems testing and commissioning.
• Develop contract plans and specifications to ensure that the building design is at a suitable level of building performance.
• Create effective incentives and oversight.

For More Information

• Check out http://www.greenbusinesscentre.com/ for more information about various courses and techniques.
• U can also visit websites of consultancies like http://www.clancy-global.com/ and www.pbworld.com
• California Integrated Waste Management Board Green Building Web site (this site): www.ciwmb.ca.gov/GreenBuilding/. Includes the manual Designing With Vision: A Technical Manual For Material Choices In Sustainable Construction (Pub. #431-99-009). Hard copies are available from the publications clearinghouse at 1-800-CA-WASTE.
• Sustainable Building Technical Manual, http://www.sustainable.doe.gov/freshstart/articles/ptipub.htm
• A Guide to Irrigation Water Needs of Landscape Plants in California: www.dpla.water.ca.gov/urban/conservation/landscape/wucols/
• Department of Health Services, Indoor Air Quality Web site: www.cal-iaq.org
• U.S. Department of Energy Web site: www.sustainable.doe.gov/buildings/gbintro.shtml
• Environmental Building News: www.buildinggreen.com/
• U.S. Green Building Council Web site: www.usgbc.org