Tag Archives: Large Scale


LEED For educational buildings: New Construction And Large Scale Renovations

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LEED has a particular rating system for building types. Having rating systems suited for a building type assures 100% performance from LEED. Like for example, if a school is going through major renovation, LEED for Schools: New Construction and Major Renovation is more well-suited than LEED for Retail. LEED for Schools: New Construction and Major Renovations is a rating system developed for academic institutions. It was created out of consensus from USGBC committees. These committees are experienced both in building and building strategies.

LEED aims to make better buildings using strategies like Sustainability, Energy and water efficiency, CO2 emission abatement, preservation of natural resources, and a better indoor environment quality.

This rating system serves as a guide to certify how academic institutions are developed. Its aim is to promote a healthy, and environment friendly building design and construction.

LEED for Schools: New Construction and Major Renovations focuses on these 7 topics:
1. Sustainable Sites (SS)
2. Water Efficiency (WE)
3. Energy and Atmosphere (EA)
4. Materials and Resources (MR)
5. Indoor Environmental Quality (IEQ)
6. Innovation in Design (ID)
7. Regional Priority (RP)

LEED for Schools: New Construction and Major Renovations has a maximum of 79 points and is rewarded depending on the following scale:

Certified 29-36 points
Silver 37-43 points
Gold 44-57 points
Platinum 58-79 points

Additional 1-2 points can be allotted if the building outshine in performance or has innovative designs not yet known in any LEED rating system.

LEED for Schools is only dedicated for schools both new buildings or existing buildings that does major renovations. It is mainly developed for K-12 facilities but it may also be used for postsecondary and prekindergarten buildings.

Interested in using LEED for Schools? Before anything else, here are some of its advantage:

Increased energy and water efficiency therefore 50% of the monthly consumption is reduced
LEED strategies serve as a teaching tool for students.
Improved indoor air quality and prevents Island Heat Effect.
Take advantage of natural daylight.
Improved building quality.
Create a sustainable building.

Registration of the project requires a project team. Project teams must then register the project on the GBCI website and upload the essential documents required by LEED. Registration is important because it shows intent that the project is willing to participate. Project teams have the option to register in USGBC or not before registering the project. But promotions, discounts, marketing and other essential information for the project will only be accessible to USGBC members.

Before registering a project, check first the minimum program requirements of LEED. LEED 2009 MPR are as follows:

1. Must follow national and state environmental laws.
2. A project is considered as a building, mobile structures are not allowed.
3. Must meet the minimum lot area.
4. USGBC must have access to energy and water usage of the building.
5. Must abide by the correct building to lot size ratio.

The expense paid to register a school varies according to the project’s lot area and the rating system used. For example a 100,000-square-foot school can cost about $5,500 if LEED for School and Major Renovation is used and could cost about $3,500 for other related rating systems like LEED For Existing Buildings: Operations and Maintenance. That is only the price for USGBC registered member. A non-USGBC member will pay for the non-USGBC price.

Once the registration is approved, project teams then assign tasks on their team members to reach the desired rating level. Here are the maximum achievable points for each category:

Sustainable Sites (SS) = 24 points
Water Efficiency (WE) = 11 points
Energy and Atmosphere (EA) = 33 points
Materials and Resources (MR) =  12 points
Indoor Environmental Quality (IEQ) = 19 points
Innovation in Design (ID) =  3 – 6 points
Regional Priority (RP) = 1- 4 points

To attain the highest possible score, here are some tips:

There must be spaces to grow plants and vegetables.
Add various types of plants. This can also as an educational material.
Place pedestrian pathways that are easily reachable for residents around the area.
Maximize the use of the daylight.
Implement sustainable energy like solar panels, wind turbines, etc.
Consider adding greenhouses for growing plants.
Use photovoltaic lighting system for outdoor lamps, parking spaces, etc.
Use dimmable lights to minimize light during the day or maximize artificial light usage only when required.
Choose an advanced recycling method such as those suggested by Multi Recyclage.
Rainwater harvesting system can be used to water plants, clean rooms, etc.
Make use of Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle waste management plan.
Take emphasis on alternative transportation.

This rating system is created for new constructions and major renovations, for existing schools that have not undergone major renovations but wants to become LEED certified, they can do so by using LEED for Existing Buildings: Operations and Maintenance. For more information and other LEED rating systems, visit www.usgbc.org

Ref. AQ2342349

Renewable Living in Our Green Home

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Whenever some interesting , brand new , gadget like home product shows up, it’s the truth that every one will be interested, because it exactly means stuff for your home and garden needs, the need is endless and timeless, it’s almost impossible to find even one exception. The home and garden category is phenomenally huge, and the product line is ever growing, when new ones come in, old ones phase out, sometimes due to technology advance, old products obsoleted and new ones spring up, another interesting reason is that when society is evolving, products have to follow suit, here is the most prominent example, the household solar energy and heat collecting system, these things just came out of labs recently, now there are a lot large scale community solar projects, this is technology advance as well as social evolution, of course, this is just one of the countless examples.

Every day life is the base of our brand new future. There are lots of home and garden products evolved, some of them are the same as maybe more than 10 years ago, like the camouflage straps , it’s no surprise that there will be new materials to be used for this kind of product, since we use these things for so long we get used to the usual suspect. Moving blankets is another example, 15 years ago we probably used cotton ones, people nowadays will definitely prefer recycled materials inside, most likely there are no moving pads made from natural cotton any more, the recycled material is both cost and environment wise choice. And one other product, camouflage blanket, they have the recycled stuff inside, you still can find cotton ones, in some cases you will find some high end ones with natural material inside, but I will choose the one with recycled material inside over those ‘real’ ones, I feel much better when I know I am using recycled materials, as long as I still live on this planet I have the urge to fulfill my obligation.

The theme of now and future will be sustainable development and renewable everything, especially the most important things like energy and basic material, if you can feel what our plant feels, you will find pay the price to go green is well worth it, do what we have to for our earth, as a family, the planet and mankind, will have a future full of hope.

Get Green Premier Home And Garden Stuff

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If you’re talking about home and garden products, people will definitely be interested, because it literally means stuff for your home and garden needs, that’s universally true, it’s absolutely no exception out there. And there are countless products belong to home and garden category, and there are new products joining this category every day, just like metabolism, old ones out and new ones come in, sometimes due to technology advance, old products obsoleted and new ones spring up, and some products become socially outdated yet more products some into play, here is the most prominent example, the household solar energy and heat collecting system, these things just came out of labs recently, now there are a lot large scale community solar projects, this is technology advance as well as social evolution, obviously, I just use this one as an eye opener, you’ll find a lot more interesting examples like this one.

Every day life is the base of our brand new future. There are lots of home and garden products evolved, some of them are the same as maybe more than 10 years ago, say garden glove , of course it’s possible that there are new products made from new materials, but we always know what we need and always get the same one which we feel comfortable with. As something we will need at some point, moving blanket , people probably used cotton to make these pads fifteen years ago, people nowadays will definitely prefer recycled materials inside, I believe there won’t be any exceptions, the recycled material is both cost and environment wise choice. Here is one more example, camo blankets, for obvious reason almost all these on the market have recycled material inside, you still can find cotton ones, even some other genuine and real natural material made ones, for me the choice is straight forward, only the ones made from recycled stuff, I feel much better when I know I am using recycled materials, as long as I still live on this planet I have the urge to fulfill my obligation.

Anything renewable and sustainable is good for this world, energy and basic material are the most important, if you feel what I feel, you will find pay the price to go green is well worth it, take care of our planet like we always will do to our home, then earth will be a model citizen of universe.

Easy Organic Gardening

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People at times compare the idea of organic gardening with heirloom gardening, but the ideas are not quite the same, though they do overlap to a large extent. “Heirloom” essentially refers to original types of plants, many of which aren’t commercially produced on a large scale but which are survive becaise of those who hand down the seeds, generation after generation. Many heirloom fruits, vegetables, and flowering plants are virtually the same as they existed hundreds of years ago.

Most currently cultivated, commercially grown fruits and veggies are hybrids, basically, plants that have had their genetics altered by cross-breeding or just plain genetic adjustment. They have been bred to be cultives in l vast quantities and to be disease- or drought-resistant, and plus to last a long time when they are transported over vast distances. Therefore, flavor itself has oftentimes been sacrificed to accomodate mass production, long life, and to increase the monetary bottom line. And oftentimes these genetic modifications mean that there might only be a very few different varietyes of specific fruits or vegetables grocery store , replacing the multitude of varieties of the same plant that was previously grown.

Most folks don’t realize that this situation, this “monoculture” as it’s referred to, can put those few varieties in true danger. One monolithic variety could be susceptible to a specific deadly virus, and that whole kind of food could truly become extinct if the disease strikes. On the other hand, having lots of different kinds increases the chance of the survival of the fruit or vegetable, as one breed might fall to a virus which others resist.

For these reasons and lots of others, groups and individuals have arisen that seek to save and increase the food and other plant types that have fallen out of commercial favor. The seeds they save from the growing of these older varieties proceed as organic by definition, because they have not been altered by non-natural means, nor have they been chemically treatedtreated with chemicals. Yet their planting, fertilization, and harvesting could still end up not falling into the “organic” category if pesticides or herbicides are used, or if non-organic techniques are used in the horticulature.

It’s obvious that while heirloom gardening has many of the same goals as organic gardening, they aren’t always one and the same.

The true organic hobby gardener who wishes to grow heirloom varieties will use these preserved seeds, and and will absolutely employ the methods associated with organic gardening on top of that. He or she will avoid the synthetic fertilizers, pesticides, and herbicides, will use natural methods of dealings with insects and other pests, and will always use natural composts and fertilizing techniques to keep the soil healthy and full of nutrients. Even the pollination of the blossoms that produce the fruits or vegetables will be accomplished by “open pollination,” that is, via bees, insects, or the wind. This will result in vigorous seeds that breed true in the succeeding(a) generation, unlike lots of of the hybrids that don’t always produce the same results in the second or third generations.

An organic gardener may plant hybrid varieties, yet use organic methods in the actual gardening. And conversely, an heirloom gardener could begin with organic heirloom seeds, but use non-organic techniques. It’s only when the two are conjunctive that a person is a true organic heirloom gardener.