Save The Rain Project

The County of Onondaga has a program to keep rainwater out of the combined sewers, and avoiding additional sewage overflow treatment during rainstorms.  One of the measures is at Forman Park, downtown, which is being relandscaped with trees.  Trees, shrubs and plantings slow down runoff and allow it to infiltrate the soil.  

 

Water Street, Outside of the Erie Canal Museum, Syracuse, NY

We were downtown this past weekend to visit the Erie Canal Museum and the annual Gingerbread House exhibit.  We did not park near the museum as that side ot the street was off limits due to constuction.  The city is constructing a strip of permeable pavement along Water Street.  The permeable pavement will allow capture of some of the street runoff, as it drains thru the pavement, temporarily stored in the gravel below, and is absorbed into the earth.

Our Urban Forest - Schiller Park Forest

Syracuse has some Wonderful Parks, each with their Own unique personality.  This is a walk thru Schiller Park, on the north side of the city.  Pedestrian road around the top of the park

At the Top of the Park

At the top of the Park

Statues of Schiller and Goethe

The Road Back

Fall Flowers

Mint

Begonias

Hosta

My Bike Path to work

 MY BIKE PATH TO WORK

Starting Out of the Driveway

A side road, parallel to Court Street

Court street, no room for Bikes, I ride
on the Sidewalk

Along Court Street on the Sidewalk, no room
on the road for a bike

Moved onto the street, waiting at the redlight

No Room along the road under the railroad bridge

Some bike Space along Military Circle

Swamp on the right

Approaching the thruway, the road narrows

Going Over the Thruway Bridge

A Side Road bypassing the traffic

Some Space along Molloy Road, but the
traffic is faster and heavier

A welcome parking lot along Molloy

Molloy Road carries a lot of trucks and cars at fairly high speeds

Parked at Work

Thoughts on our new Air Conditioning

This is our first summer with central air conditioning since we had the geothermal system installed, and the hydronic radiators and boiler removed.
Our air conditioned space has remained no warmer than 72 deg.F, no matter what the temperature outside.
 Earlier this spring, when the temperature had cooled after a warm spell, we opened our windows to cool the house.  That is natural ventilation.  However, after 3 days of this, our noses were stuffy and heads full from the allergens brought in on the breeze.  Our air conditioning not only cools the air, it also filters the air.  We have a MERV 7 filter on the water furnace heat pump.  MERV is a rating of size particles that pass thru the filter, from 1 to 16.  Some of the more common filters for residential systems are MERV 1 to 4.  A MERV 7 filter will filter 70% to 80% of particles 3 to 10 microns in size.  This includes the pollens, dust mites and carpet fiber, all larger than 3 microns.  I think we will keep the windows closed next time.
Then, about a week ago, the evening temperature was cooling, about 72 degrees, the same as inside.  But when I went outside, extremely humid.  We kept the windows closed and the humidity out.  Air conditioning also dehumidifies the air.
Conclusion:  That natural ventilation may not be a savings.  When the windows are opened, the filtered and dehumidified air escapes out the window.
Please note that at this time, we have an older home that is not airtight, and are not concerned about getting enough fresh air.

LEED BD&C - Getting the credits

LEED accredited professionals are now required to have continuing education as part of their accreditation.
I have attended the local Green Build conference to pick up credits.  Each year the CNY Greenbuild is 2 days.  I have attended one day each year.  A day can be up to 7 general credits in seminars.
If you participate in a LEED Certified Project, you can add some points.
USGBC offers courses over the internet, both for free and with some cost.  There is a quiz that you must pass.  The credits available vary according to the program.
McGraw Hill offers a series of courses thru their continuing education program.  There is a quiz for each program, generally an article from a trade magazine.
30 credits are required for the renewal every two years. 6 of these hours are prescriptive.  Credits are submitted directly to GBCI (Green Building Certification Institute) on your own activity page.  There are 7 categories that require credits.  After you submit a credit for consideration, the credit will be reviewed and accepted or not.  This process can take several days.
What would help me in the future, if more of the courses were applicable to my NYState PE recertification credits.

2030 Challenge

The AIA, American Institute of Architects, has put a challenge out to the building community.  The challenge is to have buildings  using no fossil fuel to operate.  This is a  challenge first for all new buildings.  Second, the challenge would like to see renovation to the same goal, in an equal square footage or more to the new buildings.  Starting in 2010, the goal is a 60% reduction in fossil fuel.  Then it is prorated every 5 years by 10% until 2030.  What does that mean?  There are other goals out there for green buildings.
First and foremost is the LEED, Leadership in Environmental and Energy Design.  LEED  is not a code, but a set of guidelines to make buildings more sustainable.
ZNE, or Zero Net Energy, is a building with zero net energy and zero carbon emissions.
Carbon Neutral is a goal.  It can be offsetting carbon emissions with surplus renewable energy, or buying carbon emission credits.  Or growing trees to offset your carbon use.  There are calculators online that will help you find your own carbon footprint.
Many of these goals start with the architect and the siting and design of the building. Lots of Insulation and renewable energy sources like wood burning, solar and photovoltaics can be used.