Carbon Footprinting and New Urbanism

Yesterday afternoon a group of like minded people gathered to hear Jennifer Langford, an local architect and the regional representative for the Congress of the New Urbanism speak breifly and lead a discussion about how location matters to sustainability.  It was a discussion sponsored by the Heart of Florida's USGBC LEED for Homes Advocacy Committee.  The discussion started with the obvious -- when you live in a more urban environment, you are closer to basic services, you can connect to existing infrastructure, you are not using up precious greenspace.  We moved on to more specific topics, including energy usage in homes in a more urban environment.  This topic had me wanting to compare neighborhoods. 

If you go to the new Gainesville Green website you can compare your energy usage (if you are a GRU customer) to your neighbors, and you can compare entire neighborhoods.   By looking at this site you can see that in the Haile Village Center, the average carbon footprint, measured in tons of CO2 per month, averages a bit less than one ton for the average house.   In the Haile Village Center, homes are anywhere from a few feet apart to attached.   In a similar neighborhood, Stratford Ridge, in terms of the size of the houses (although the houses are newer and should therefore be more energy efficient), the average home has a carbon footprint of 2.7 tons of CO2 per month -- a significant difference.   The Village Center does have more diversity in terms of house sizes, but the median is similar -- slightly higher in Stratford Ridge, but not higher enough to justify over twice as much carbon footprint in utility use. 

So, why is it different?  The Village Center has older houses, many with single pane windows, less efficient insulation, and some with raised wood floors.    However, they are typically designed in standard block shapes, with architectural interest being supplied by windows with depth and with deep porches.  Windows are plentiful, but are shaded by the porches or by the tall neighborhing houses.  Houses are up off the ground (which provides some privacy in a tight neighborhood) and are almost all two stories with full attics.   The ratio of roof to overall square footage is low.  Much heat gain (and therefore energy usage) in Florida comes from the roof and windows, so if your windows are shaded and your roof is small, there is greater efficiency.  

And it is not all about energy.   Water usage in the Haile Village Center averages around 5000 gallons per household year round.   In Stratford Ridge, water use per house averages 20,000-30,000 gallons per home through out the year, with a peak in June of around 60,000 gallons.  There are no lawns in the Village Center, only shared green space nurtured with reuse water.  Stratford Ridge has abundant lawns and swimming pools. 

The point of this post is not to pick on Stratford Ridge where there are lovely homes, but to point out that there are more environmental costs to building sprawling homes on large lots.   Everyone thinks that New Urbanism contributes to a lower carbon footprint because there is less dependence on the automobile, but really, it is much more than that.   While it is great to be able to walk to stores, restaurants, bars and even to your office, it is also great to not have a lawn to mow and water, to be sheltered by your neighbors, and to have only a fraction of your home bear the full brunt of the Florida sun that we all love so much.   

A Greener Lawn, With No Grass

In 2007 a couple of students from the University of Florida finished up an 18 month project -- a documentary about our obsession with lawns -- with grass, with mowers, with fertilizer and water. Visitors to Brytan, a LEED-ND neighborhood that I have been working with, are often confused by the lack of lawn, and not sure they are ready to give their weekly foray around the yard with a lawn mower. This presentation may help you think differently about what has become an American tradition with questionable value. It is titled "Gimme Green" and you can watch it on the website: http://www.gimmegreen.com/updates/seeGG.htm

Enjoying the Ritual of Spring Cleaning - Without Harmful Chemicals

Spring cleaning is a honored tradition through the ages. When homes were heated with fire, old soot was scrubbed away from interior surfaces. Fresh hay was brought in for mattresses and in colder climates quilts and drapes that would not dry but only freeze in cold winter temperatures could be washed. Some traditions associated with Passover, Lent and other eastern religions require or suggest cleaning house. Today many cleaning experts will tell you that it is better to do a “Fall Cleaning” than a “Spring Cleaning” because our homes don't get that dirty any more and you are prepared for the celebratory fall holidays. However, I like the those first days of spring when the flowers are blooming outside, the air is sweet, the temperature balmy and I can through open the windows with abandon to welcome in the change of season. Windows are a pleasure to wash when the weather is wonderful and you can watch the dogwoods budding. I enjoy washing away the musty smells of winter and replacing them with fresh clean natural smells.

Unfortunately, most commercial cleaning products don't provide the fresh clean smells I am looking for. The overwhelming scents of bleach, ammonia, powerful antibacterial agents and chemical scenting agents are harsh to my nose and are not what I want competing with the pleasant spring odors outside. Besides, all of those “Danger” “Warning” and “Caution” labels make me nervous, especially with kids around. This article makes some recommendations for natural cleaning products that are functional and kinder to the environment. Here are some of my favorite natural cleaning agents:

Pretty much all my cleaning products.  And a Kadinsky print.  All, including the Kadinsky print, less than  $10. 

Vinegar: I use vinegar in my kitchen for a counter top spray, to clean the inside of the microwave and top of the stove, and to wipe down the refrigerator and refrigerator gasket. Vinegar prevents mildew when used regularly and has mildly antiseptic qualities. To use, put in a spray bottle and spray liberally. Let it sit a few minutes to soften any hardened items then wipe away. For tough stains (not on stone or other specialty products!) scrub with baking soda first, then spray with vinegar. You get natural “scrubby bubbles” and because these are both safe products, kids sometimes enjoy this cleaning activity. Equal parts of vinegar and baking soda work to keep drains clean (dump in baking soda then add vinegar). Vinegar works as a fabric softener and deodorizer when added (1-2 cups) during the rinse cycle of your washing machine, and has the added bonus of cleaning old soap scum out of your washer. I run vinegar through my coffee maker and through my dishwasher periodically to get eliminate lime deposits. You can buy cheap white vinegar for cleaning, but I don't cook with it.

Baking Soda: I have already mentioned this a as a scrubbing agent – also use to scour pots, scrub tubs (use with vinegar to dissolve hard water deposits and soap scum), and remove odors from upholstery and carpet (sprinkle on, rub in, let sit, vacuum off). Use small containers of baking soda to absorb odors in refrigerators, bathrooms and even your car. You can scent with a few drops of essential oils. After a couple of months replace, and use the old baking soda to clean something.

Lemons: Cut one in half, use for a big glass of lemonade, then dip the cut side into baking soda and scrub the kitchen sink. It smells wonderful and does a fabulous job. When you are finished scrubbing off the stains (you can let it sit for a while for the citric acid to mildly bleach white porcelain), toss the lemon into your garbage disposal to grind away any odors. Rinse away the baking soda residual from your sink and polish with a soft cloth. Warning! Don't use this method on granite or other stone.

Hydrogen peroxide: I use the 3% solution to clean the bathroom and kitchen counters when someone is sick. Also, because I have white grout between the kitchen tiles, I use it (in a spray bottle) to clean the kitchen floor (I spray it down, let it sit, the mop as usual). I soak my kitchen scrub brushes, my toothbrushes, and my cutting boards in hydrogen peroxide periodically to kill germs. Some of the “green” bleaches are actually hydrogen peroxide solutions and I buy these rather than the more expensive drug store bottles for cleaning purposes (but I use the drugstore version for my toothbrushes).

Other cleaning tools: I like cleaning tools that I can clean and reuse versus being thrown away. For windows, pieces of an old sheet will not leave lint when you are polishing. I have two dust mop covers, one to be in the wash and one in use. If you knit or sew, there are patterns to make cotton washable covers for mopping as well as many fun patterns to knit dishcloths. Most cotton mop heads can be removed and tossed in the washer. If you want to purchase reusable cleaning towels, look for microfiber towels in the car care department rather than in the house cleaning department. You can buy a bundle of them at a fraction of the cost!

One of the many benefits of using natural cleaning products is the ability to get your kids involved without them being exposed to chemicals that could be harmful. I have seen three year olds happy for quite a long time with a sponge and a small container of water “helping” scrub the kitchen floor!

When cleaning your house don't forget to recycle unused or unwanted items with local charities or the on-line “Free Cycle” service. Bring in some of those fresh flowers, and breath deeply – because you can!

 My son's sink - not filthy, but pretty dirty!

Thirty seconds of work - damp sponge with baking soda, a spritz of vinegar,
 a quick rinse.  (It's not new, but it's a lot better!)

This blog entry was published in the March/April 2009 Issue of North Central Florida's Natural Awakenings. 

Who Knew An Energy Audit Would Be This Cool?

I am sure this music video by some students at Stanford will go LEED Platinum.  Check it out!

(And contact me if you want an energy audit. I can do all of that cool stuff, even the nifty infrared video.)

Three LEED-H Homes in Alachua County

Three LEED-H homes have been awarded Silver Certification by the USGBC that where designed by Jennifer Langford, Architect, one of the principals of The Sustainable Design Group, LLC. Another home, expected to achieve at Gold or Silver Certification is scheduled for completion within the next month, and we are breaking ground on a fifth home, which will achieve Platinum Certification.

These homes are all located in an Pilot LEED-ND neighborhood, Brytan, which will eventually contain several hundred LEED certified residences and thousands of feet of commercial and retail space.

The green consultant, Mary Alford, P.E. has worked to certify other houses within Florida, and works as an energy and environmental consultant.

Look for virtual tours coming soon.

From the New York Times this morning:

THE CURIOUS COOK

How Much Water Does Pasta Really Need?

By HAROLD McGEE

Published: February 25, 2009

The nation can save the equivalent of half a million gallons of oil a year by cooking pasta with less water and energy.

I have been doing this for years for a number of reasons -- I was in a hurry and did not want to wait on four - six quarts of water to come to a boil, or I in a particularly poor stage in my life, so I was only cooking with a hotplate which never brought anything to a rolling boil.

The Value of Fifteen Minutes

What is fifteen minutes in your car worth every day?

A recent comment to the blog suggested that a neighborhood they were considering in Newberry was a "better deal" and they did not mind the fifteen minute drive.

So, I decided to do a little calculating (being a nerdy engineer, I just have to do that sometimes):

Fifteen minutes a day (each way) is 2.5 hours a week in the car, or assuming that you travel to Gainesville five days a week, 125 hours a year. That is more time than you probably get off work for vacation.

What is the value of your time? Let's assume an extremely modest salary of $20 an hour = $10 per day, $50 a week, and $2600 per year. If you are married and you both go to Gainesville every day in separate cars, that is $5200 per day in lost "time". (By the way, the distance from Maronda Homes in Newberry to Shands Hospital in Gainesville is 16.8 miles with an estimated travel time of 32 minutes according to MapQuest, so these calculations are conservative). We won't take into account the time involved with children, the extra cost of childcare during the commute, or teenagers with cars, but you get the picture.

Now, let's figure the cost of gas, and I won't assume you are driving a big SUV. Let's say you have a have a modest Saturn Vue getting around 20 mpg. We will use a distance of 15 miles, which is assuming you would be working on the west side of town. Each trip to town (just to work!) is a total of 30 miles, or 1.5 gallons of gas assuming there are not too many stoplights. That would be, for one person, 7.5 gallons of gas per week, 390 gallons of gas a year. At a cost of $2 per gallon, that adds up to $900 per year for one person, and $1800 for a couple with separate cars. (Or, if gas goes back up to $4 a gallon, $1800 for one person or $3600 for two people). I would certainly be looking into carpooling!

So, while living "in town" is not for everyone, I would think carefully about what you "save" buying a less expensive home that increases your commute time and distance. The cost of commuting can be quite significant, especially with volatile gas prices. That is one of the reasons why the greenest homes are often urban infill, closer to the places that we want to go often. The carbon footprint of urban houses are typically much lower than suburban ones. If you want to check your carbon footprint, try this website.