McKinney, Texas

The Green Building in McKinney was built with no expense spared.  Coincidentally this was a good lesson learned because it was difficult to lease the building once it was completed.  The rent was to high.  Once again, the business case needs to be made for a building to truly be sustainable.  On the other hand, it is a great example of multiple sustainable features.  Notice the window eyebrows in the picture.  They help shade while providing natural light. www.wereldhave.com

The parking lot has permeable pavers - notice the
water seeping through?

McKinney Green Gardens at Gabe Nesbitt Park feature native plants for our area. The garden is a joint project between the city of McKinney and the Texas AgriLife Research and Extension. A scorching hot day was perfect to visit.  I could really see what was surviving the heat and what wasn't.  This is a great resource for homeowners, landscapers, and educators.  I'm glad to say I have many of these plants in my yard!   www.mckinneygreengardens.tamu.edu/about-the-gardens

Toyota Car Dealership

The dealership was featured on the cover of Time!

Patt Lobb Toyota of McKinney  www.patlobbtoyota.com 

I was curious to visit this Toyota Dealership in McKinney. We visited the Toyota factory on our sustainable tour of Texas and I wanted to see if the sustainable philosophy was the same - it was.  Robert Castle, the fleet manager was passionate about his company and the sustainability features of their dealership.  The positive company culture also addresses the triple bottom line of sustainability.  

This first LEED silver certified eco dealership uses these tent stands as a subtle way of educating customers about sustainability.  Pat Lobb, the owner was quick to point out that they sell cars first.  A sustainable dealership is the right thing to do and he was able to make the business case for a wise economic decision. 

A green wall is showcased on the north side of the building.  It helps insulate the building. There is also a green wall on the west side.

Approximately 250 cars are washed a day.  The water is reclaimed, filtered, and used to re-wash; therefore conserving water while producing a clean car! Viola!

Motor oil is collected during the winter months for heating.  During the summer months, a contracted company picks it up for use elsewhere.

The red mark gauges the fullness of the cistern.  Rainwater is collected here for irrigation use.  The parking lots are made concrete that contains fly ash - making them more reflective.

Pat Lobb is passionate about his building.  He shares his expertise with the community and with fellow car dealerships.  A leader in sustainability . . . .

Montgomery Farms

Lee Hall, President of Sustainable Structures showed us through the first LEED Gold home in Collin County.  The home is located on Montgomery Farms, a development in Allen.  Lee is a member of USGBC and is the LEED ND (neighborhood development) specialist for the area.  This 6,000 sq foot home boasts a projected electric bill of approximately $1,200 dollars a year!  I'm ready to move in!  Native woods, no voc paints, a concrete roof combined with a standing seam roof, and a rain capture garden are just a few of this home's features. The efficiencies are common sense.  This beautiful stair case is in the foyer.


Lee explains his wall technology.  Each builder we visited with had their own spin on constructing a tight envelope.  Lee prefers to use stick built with some modifications such as the braces and reinforcements in the corners.  

Wisteria, native to the farm is used throughout the landscape.  Also notice the native stone as well as the berm in the background.  It provides a sound barrier for the busy street on the other side.  

 

These trees were reclaimed from another development and moved to this location.  As a sustainable feature, Montgomery Farms also grows trees to harvest.

I want this system.  It allows you to program your water temperature for your bath or shower.  No more juggling the faucets to get the right temperature.  A great way to save money and water.

This corner is the gateway or "marker" for this sustainable area that includes Montgomery Farms.  This property borders the Connemara Meadow Preserve we toured earlier.  Across the street are 200 acres that are part of a sustainable neighborhood pilot program sponsored by USGBC.  www.montgomeryfarm.com and www.ssotx.com

The BC Workshop, Alan Hoffman Co and more fish

Alan Hoffman Company www.concretehomestore.com
Alan Hoffman's company specializes in "Innovative Designing and Building Practices of LEED homes".  He stresses the economics of green home building.  Simplicity is key because good ideas can go awry. Updating some old ideas can prove to be sustainable.  Alan suggests considering the following when building a home:

• location
• are the materials sustainable for the long haul? - decades rather than a few years
• focus on regional solutions - for example native stone
• where will you spend your money first? 

As  a builder, Alan is concerned that we aren't changing behavior.  He's interested in reducing consumption.  This goes back to the idea of updating old ideas and using known methods in a new way.  Using thermal mass walls - an adobe wall.  This is a technique that has been around for hundreds of years. New day insulated concrete forms are an update.  A kiva fireplace used within an adobe wall radiates heat through out the walls.  The ground is also used as a heat source.  It costs about 5-6% more for him to build a house, but the long term savings are substantial.  He can easily make the business case.  


Alan built the first LEED platinum home near White Rock Lake.  He is currently working on a 22 lot sustainable community in Lakewood.  LEED is used because it's a third party rating which makes it easier to acquire outside funding.  


In addition to home building, water is a key concern for Alan.  Storm water needs to be captured and managed to curtail flooding and soil erosion.  He community plan calls for water capture through cisterns in multiple locations.  The water will then be used for irrigation.  He suggests checking out Brad Lancaster, a landscape architect from Tuscon with very innovative ideas.


The BC Workshop www.bcworkshop.org
"The building community workshop is a Dallas based nonprofit community design center seeking to improve the livability and viability of communities through the practice of thoughtful design.  We enrich the lives of citizens by bringing design thinking to areas of our city where resources are most scarce.  To do so, we recognize that it must first understand the social, economic, and environmental issues facing a community before beginning work. "


I love this concept!  The Building Community Workshop is a group of young, thoughtful, community minded architects. It started in 2005 and became a 501c3 in 2008.  Their community design has many self -descriptive names - human caring, do-gooder, and public interest to name a few.  SEED or social economic environmental design in the backbone of their work.  They work for other non-profits.  Brent Brown, CEO and Benji Feehan, architect ,use design as a tool to thread and weave how a community should look and feel.  


Ethics is at the core of their sustainability model.  People are a part of nature and stakeholders must be engaged to encourage the best design.  Everyone should be respected for their expertise and contributions. It's also key in their business to make sure the people who make the decisions are sitting at the table with them.  If not, nothing gets accomplished.  Matrix is important to show actual feelings rather than anecdotal.  They are held accountable through empirical data. 


The BCWorkshop has a great website with video and descriptions of some of their projects.  Check out the Congo Street project in Fair Park.   Anyone can participate in the every other Friday lunch and learns they host at their office.  2814 Main Street, Dallas, Texas.  I think I'll check it out!


.....more fish.........SynergyFish
Aquaponic systems design consultant, Dave Pennington had a little different spin than our earlier aquaponics speaker.  His sustainability motivation is from a global perspective and the overfishing of our oceans.  Education and sharing his perspective with the community is important.  He is currently developing an aquaponic system for the Parkland Hospital community garden sponsored by the Urban League in south Dallas.  Dave presented a great history of this technology showing how the Aztecs used aquaponics.  He contends that it allows efficient local production of food.  Interesting fact - it takes about 4 pounds of ocean fish to feed 1 pound of fish we eat. (i.e. salmon) www.synergyfish.com

Korwall Industries, River Legacy, and the Stinky Place

Korwall Industries www.korwall.com
has been building panels since 1958.  Over the years they have taken on different formats and served different purposes; primarily the mobile home industry.  These days, they are called "SIPS"  or structured insulated panels.  A polystyrene foam is used and all panels are custom made to order.  One of the greatest frustrations is having to convert architectural plans so they have a planner on staff.  They have also had to overcome city inspectors by constantly proving their case of safety and energy savings.  This is no longer an issue. SIPS are gaining more public acceptance.  The panels are warrantied to infinity and cost about 5% more than stick built.  There is savings in building time because it only takes about 2 days to put up - saving labor wages and weather delays.  Liquid nail and screws are used in the construction - no nails.  SIPs are used for envelope construction only.

Panels curing 

Foam beads are recycled to plant nurseries

Sample of SIPs walls and roof.  Slab accuracy is paramount!

The tree growing through the roof at the River Legacy Science Center www.riverlegacy.org is one of its many sustainable features.  It provides structural support for the building and roof. 


It was a beautiful morning for a walk through the park.  There are good examples of natural Texas habitat.  Many of the plants were wilted - a way of protecting themselves in the excruciating heat - sustainable!  


The center has a large educational display on the sustainability features of the building and grounds.  Some of these include:  impervious parking surface, decomposed granite walkways, restroom tiles made of crushed windshields, recycled carpet fibers, and a gray-water plumbing system.

This rock retaining wall is a sustainable way to prevent soil erosion.

If you could only smell this picture!  Some would equate it with the smell of money.  I understood that once I got past the stinky!  This is one of my cohort's giving his famous pose atop the McCommas Landfill.  John, a member of our cohort was our guide.  McCommas is one of the largest landfills in the country.  It's projected life span ends in 2056.  A Leachate Recirculation system has been installed to prolong the life of the landfill.  Other benefits of this system include re-using landfill airspace, modest cost and efficient operations.  As liquids are introduced into the landfill, it speeds decomposition which enhances the production of landfill gas.  The gas can then be used as an energy source for approximately 30,000 homes in the Dallas area.  


The landfill consists of about 2,000 acres.  Of this, 1,000 acres are devoted to wildlife.

Reclaimed crushed glass in used as a permeable layer in the landfill.

The safety vests - not a great look but definitely needed!

Whiz-Q-Stone and Green Phoenix Farms

Rain Water Harvesting


Matt Reed with Whiz-Q-Stone   www.whiz-q.com presented RainXChange.  It's a system of capturing, filtering, and then reusing rainwater.  He can't make a business case for it but harvesting rainwater is a good thing to do in regards to using water wisely.  In many places the demand for water is outpacing the supply.  Many communities cannot handle irrigation needs.  Funny, as I write this, the news is talking about Texas towns that are out of water.  Water conservation is a solution.  Texas is considered a leader in water conservation.  Austin gives rain barrel rebates.  Check out house bills 645, 3391, and 3327 that talk about rain water harvesting and household potable water. 


Storm water runoff is the #1 cause of coastal pollution and our aging infrastructure can't handle it.  Some solutions include using impervious surfaces for driveways and roof tops and  rain gardens. www.rainxchange.com  has a calculator to predict water needs based on a thirty year average.  Dottie Woodson does local rain barrel classes.  I have always thought of her as the orchid lady!  Will be interesting to check out . .  




Green Phoenix Farms www.greenphoenixfarms.com
Adam Cohen is a school teacher with a background in marine biology and fisheries.  Sustainability is important to him because he wants there to be something for future generations.  Aquaculture was a natural fit for him.  Making it more affordable is his quest.  


Aquaponics recreates a natural balance in a controlled environment.  Fish waste is converted to plant fertilizer and then clean water comes back to the fish.  Will Allen www.growingpower.com provided Adam's inspiration as did the movie FOOD Inc. Adam developed a prototype to be used in a backyard.  Anyone can recreate this in their own space.


There are three basic systems:
1.  Ebb and flow - water is in grow beds and it goes up and down.  The roots need oxygen
2.  Continuous flood - the water level doesn't need to be changed
3.  Raft style - traditional hydroponic style of growth.  Plants float in a nutrient solution.  It's only good for certain types of plants and there needs to be a way to get fish solids out so the roots don't suffocate.


Adam's ultimate goals are to promote urban farming in Dallas, share information, and establish a community of aquaponics.

Urban Reserve and more . . .

 

This was a really great day!  We started at Living Earth (blogged about earlier) and then found our way to Urban Reserve. http://www.urbanreserve.net/  Having lived in Dallas, I felt pretty familiar with most of the centrally located neighborhoods, until I visited this one.  Who would have known this existed inside the loop with a short drive to downtown?  It was new, interesting, inviting, creative, and most of all, sustainable.

 

The neighborhood development is located between Royal and Forest Lane with the DART train nearby and the White Rock lake trail out its back door. The site was originally used as a dumping ground for access rock - some legal, some not.  Houses range in price from $500,000 - $2 million dollars and are more contemporary in style.

Diane Cheatham, invited us into her lovely home to show and tell the sustainable features of the home and of the neighborhood.  What was most interesting was the journey she has taken since beginning the project.  From the beginning, she understood that sustainability starts with the architect and the site plan.  It can't be sustainable just because of the materials.  LEED was used a building guideline. Her two biggest challenges were dealing with the city and having the contractors actually do what was specified.  The streets are narrower to be more neighborhood friendly.  As a result, the curbs had to roll up and over to accomodate the fire department.  The neighborhood has 26 of 50 lots sold with 16 built homes and boasts two ponds for irrigation and aesthetics. 

Diane has a chicken coop to provide eggs. 
The weather has been so hot, they need a fan to stay cool!

 Enviroglas is a boutique business that reclaims glass and porcelain and turns it into countertops, floors, ceiling tiles, landscape mulch, and other decorative surfaces.  Enviroslab, Enviroplank, and Enviroscape are the three divisions of the company.  Tim Whaley, CEO and Esteban, Operations Manager have a tremendous enthusiasm for their products, company culture, and sustainability.  


Glass is recycled then mixed with a binder.  It looks like Terrazzo. Clients are able to choose their colors and patterns to create a custom look.  The surface is practical, strong,  and durable. Artists and furniture designers can mold the mixture into specialized sizes and shapes such as an extra long dining room table.  


The glass comes from rejects that can't be sold.  Much of the glass from the city doesn't conform to standards.  The porcelain comes from reclaimed rejects from companies like Kohler.  Porcelain reclamation keeps about 500 tons out of the land fill!  www.enviroglasproducts.com

Even the ceiling tiles are decorative!