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!

Speakers

 Dan Dean from Greenland Energy Dynamics shared ways that we can conserve energy both residentially and commercially.  There are three main components to their business:  materials, energy, and behavior.  Consumption and production of energy are a primary focus.  In regards to residental use, he considers the following:

• building orientation
• the thermal envelope - is it pier and beam or slab?  what kind of roof?
• R-value and infiltration rate
• integrated landscape design
• energy load schedule - make it as small as possible

Geothermal, solar, and spray foam are systems they use to decrease energy use.  A geothermal house shows about an 80% energy savings over a traditional HVAC system.

Interesting - have the electrician measure the "two legs" of electricity to make sure you are being charged correctly.  http://www.gedyn.com/

Axiom Sustainable Consulting owner Michael Kawecki, was a wealth of information.  I now have a better understanding about LEED certifications and the USGBC.  LEED green associate will become the standard certification.  It requires continuing education whereas LEED AP certification does not.  The GA certification is more holistic in scope.  There are other certifications for speciality areas such as neighborhoods. LEED doesn't endorse products or companies which lends credibility to the certification.   Anyone can be a member of USGBC. By 2035, 3/4 of all building stock will be new or renovated.  This means there is a need for people knowledgeable in sustainable built environments.  In addition to LEED training, Michael does consulting work regarding sustainability. http://www.axiomsustainable.com/  

We started with a morning walk . . .

We started Saturday morning with a walk through the Connemara Meadow Preserve supported by the Connemara Conservancy.             http://www.connemaraconservancy.org/  The conservancy was founded in 1981 by Frances Williams with a donation of 72 acres which is now the meadow preserve.  Frances was quite a head of her time - she felt her land was going to become part of urban sprawl and she didn't want that to happen.  The preserve is located in Allen, Texas.  The conservancy is currently the only land trust focusing on North Texas.  It contains four different eco-regions in 33 counties. 

The preserve is a picture of sustainability at its best.  The grove is untouched.  The bottom land is hardwood forest.  40 of the 72 acres are in the flood plain.  Johnson grass grows freely as do the Hackberry trees.  Incidentally, birds love the berries. 
 

Off for our hike - nearly a 100 degrees and it's 8 AM!

 

A red tail hawk (we think) keeps watch over the meadow


Onward to Erecycler.  This company recycles computers and electronics with a zero land fill policy.  They establish collection points around town.  This one is located at Christ United Methodist Church in Plano.  Erecycler sets up shop here one Saturday a month. There is $5.00 charge for monitors and a $10.00 charge for televisions.  Almost anything with wires and small batteries are accepted.  On any given Saturday, they will fill an 18-wheeler with electronics.  If they are in good condition, they will be given away.  Nothing from these collection sites leaves Texas.  Many electronics recyclers ship the waste overseas.  The electronics and their components are disassembled and distributed to places where they can be re-used. By providing neighborhood collection spots, the community can properly dispose of electronics instead of tossing them to the curb.  http://www.erecycler.net/




One of my cohorts seems to love this stance.  You'll see it in some other pictures!  He's standing on top of the rain water collection feature at the City of Plano Environmental Education Center.  This is the city's first green building and is designed to include as many sustainable features as possible.  After examining the property, we came up with about 30.  Some of them include recyclable materials (carpet, tiles, fly ash in the concrete, and glass), solar panels, photovoltaics, gray water recycling, low flow commodes, bike racks, a bus stop nearby, native plants, and insulated concrete forms. The building has yet to open because of city funding cuts.  Even so, it's a great place to learn and observe sustainable features.  http://www.plano.gov/

This amazing building is the Student Services Building at the University of Dallas. The LEED Platinum building is the first academic platinum building in the UT system.  LEED structures are typically built in the government and non-profit sectors.  The floating panels seen in the picture help with shade and natural light.  Electric savings are projected to be substantial.

Our last stop of the day was a tour of Texas Instruments in Richardson. Paul Westbrook, Director of Sustainability was our guide - amazing afternoon!  He is very passionate and knowledgeable about sustainability.  And to think, his position evolved from sharing lifestyle changes he and his family were making.  If substantial savings were being made with regards to energy and water at home, what would that mean for a large, corporate facility?  His mantra is "balance of people, profit and the planet".  Energy efficiency is the biggest budget concern at TI.  Paul is known as the "green guy"  and looks for opportunities to "influence"  employees. 

This is a very large, clean facility.  It could easily have a 15-20 million dollar energy bill.  If 10% of that bill can be saved through sustainable measures, that is huge!  Water is a concern as well.  Hay is grown on the grounds which only requires mowing and harvesting two times a year.  The ponds provide irrigation. 

Paul shared some of the difficulties in making the business case for sustainability.  First of all, it is hard to measure and a business case is looking for metrics.  How do you measure energy, CO2, emmissions, H20, materials, and waste?  He has been inventive and forward thinking in determining ways to do this. Even so, he is always looking for a better way.  Paul is also willing to share what they are doing because it makes all industry better.  He is convinced that sustainable features don't need to cost more, they just need to be innovative. In a recent facility project, less than 1% of the projected cost was spent on LEED items.   www.ti.com

Composting

Oh my gosh!  Who knew composting could be so interesting!  John Darling, a composter at University of Texas at Arlington, started as a volunteer.  His passion led him to a position at UTA.  As composting grew at UTA, he applied for a grant from the North Texas Council of Governments; awarding him $130,000.00. Food waste and top soil loss are serious issues that can be changed by composting.  John subscribes to the theory that we can "save the world in humble steps".  So let it begin with composting . . .


He relies on food waste and leaves from the groundskeepers for composting.  The UTA kitchen provides pre-consumer waste such as peel and fruit that has gone bad as well as coffee grinds.  Post consumer waster can't be composted because saliva has touched it.  This requires a special permit.  Meat, grease, and dairy aren't composted.  Food waste is looking for a place to roost.  


Food Waste Facts from John:

• There is one pound of waste per day for every adult and child in the United States.  This doesn't include food lost on farms, wholesalers or processors.
• 1/3 of what we buy goes in the garbage
• Japan, United Kingdom and Africa have huge food waste for a variety of reason

Composting 101:

• Compost is the product of controlled aerobic decomposition of organic materials.  If you don't know what it is anymore, you have compost!
• Compost is self-insulating
• An ideal mix is 30 parts of brown to 1 part of green (rule of thumb)
• It reduces or eliminates the need for fertilizers and pesticides
• If you increase lawn compost by 5% you can reduce waters by up to 60%

Check out www.mastercomposter.com for more information.

Living Earth

Living Earth Technology Co.  better known as Living Earth, is Texas" largest green recycler.  They are also the largest manufacturer and provider of mulch, compost, and other landscaping materials in Texas.  The company began in 1985 and has grown to nineteen locations.   Approximately 5% of the business is retail while the remainder in wholesale.  Landscape architects, designers, builders, and retail stores such as Albertsons and Krogers are a few of their clients.  Much of the retail business is seasonal.  Interestingly, Living Earth purchases some of the materials they sell; including river rock, Mexican stone, and lava rock. 

The company is very strategic with its materials.  This photo illustrates pallets that can't be recycled for mulch because it's used wood. In a sustainable manner, the pallets are hauled to the timber mill (a truck would be going anyway and there is no reason to send an empty truck) to be used for fuel.  The return truck is bringing clean  wood scraps and bark back to Living Earth to be used in making  mulch.   In this business, freight is a huge factor effecting the bottom line.      http://www.livingearth.net/

New Project Class

A new project class started this week.  It's shaping up to be full of great guest speakers and interesting sight visits.