Sunday, December 13, 2009

Fort Lewis Sustainability and Green Building

Colonel Cynthia Murphy explains Fort Lewis Master Plan



Fort Lewis is a leading force for sustainability within the U.S. Army and in 2002 became one of the first Army installations to implement a sustainability program. One of the program's early goals was to construct sustainable buildings.

In one of its first attempts to realize this goal, Fort Lewis designed and built its 2003 Whole Barracks Renewal project using the Sustainable Project Rating Toom, or SPiRiT. The project used alternative materials such as stained and polished concrete flooring. It achieved energy savings through a heat recovery system that pulls heat from dryer vents and circulates it throughout the building. Water savings were achieved through a rainwater harvesting system. Subsequently, the Fort Lewis installation sustainability program adopted the U.S. Green Building Council's LEED standard.

Since then, Fort Lewis has continued to make green construction progress. The 2004 project was the first on Fort Lewis to be awarded the Silver Certification for LEED - 90% of construction waste was recycled. The project in 2005 exceeded LEED baseline energy conservation requirements by 36% and produced an annual energy cost savings of $30,000. Moreover, 50% of the wood that was used for formwork, cabinetry, and doors is Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) certified.

True to the principles of sustainability, in 2007 Fort Lewis adopted a more holistic desing approach that moved beyond facility construction. A new master plan was developed that made creating sustainable neighborhoods a prime objective - places where Soldiers and Families can live, work, and have opportunities for recreation. These sustainable neighborhoods are key to tying green buildings together for a truly sustainable installation.

As Fort Lewis continues to work toward sustainability, tools such as LEED will remain critical. New tools, such as the sustainable master planning will help build on the foundations of green buildings to reach even higher levels of sustainability in the years to come.

Saturday, December 12, 2009

Greening Your Christmas


I thought I'd take a break from the government and write a bit on how you can green your holiday season. Luckily, some of the things you can do to make your Christmahanukwanzaakah more sustainable are also more affordable. I am actually really looking forward to this holiday season more than I normally am because this year we're all forced to slow it down a bit, not buy so many things, and *gasp* enjoy our friends and family. I hope that this will show people that they don't need to buy tons of stuff to have a great holiday.

First of all, the tree.

  • This year, I'm going to buy an evergreen in a pot and reuse it every year. Sure my upfront cost might be a bit more but this will have a 2-3 year payback period. Not bad if you ask me and that doesn't even include the improved air quality from my live tree.
  • Second, I'm using LED lights; they use 80-90% less energy and they last so much longer. To give my house the extra holiday cheer, I can just go for a walk in the woods and collect fallen evergreen branches. Winter often brings wind so fallen branches are easy to find.
Next, gifts.
  • You know, regifting really isn't that bad as long as the gift is something the other person would like. Did you get a gift at the office party that isn't quite you? Is it perfect for Cousin Johnny? Go ahead and give it to him. It's better than sitting in your closet for years to come.
  • Make something. That's right, get out the glue stick and craft something. We all have a creative bone in our body. Use it.
  • Cook something. Banana bread, lasagna for them to put in the freezer, cookies, granola...you get the drift. For extra points cook something delicious and healthy to combat that holiday poundage.
  • Coupons. Who wouldn't want to have one free massage, kitchen cleaning, taxes done, sitter service, photo session? You have a talent to offer, so offer it.
  • Instead of buying each other gifts, spend the money on an experience together. A possibility that I highly recommend is going to see the Nutcracker. Seattle has the best one I've ever seen.
  • Wrap your presents in fabric so it can be reused every year. Check out this blog for a great How-To. It's the gift that keeps on giving.
  • Buy cool board games that can be played with the family rather than watching energy sucking (you and the grid) TV.
Most importantly, be conscious of your spending and instead, take the time to enjoy your family. You may be delighted to find you actually have fun with them!

The EPA Admits Climate Change


Two years ago, the Supreme Court ordered the EPA to address climate change and its causes. On 7 December, the EPA released its findings stating that climate change does, in fact, exist and yes, its causes are anthropogenic. No way. Really? They also state that a major cause is motor vehicles. Again, no way. You've gotta be kidding.



So the EPA has finally caught up. Good work. And in the wake of Climategate this is good timing. It will help to alleviate the media hype that is being caused by this. Climate change is real and we need to take action against it, now. This is my blog's main goal, to express that the government has a responsibility in this and they need to own that.

There are some regulations to address this: the Clean Air Act and Executive Orders. And now government officials are in Copenhagen deciding the fate of the world. So what's taking everyone so long to get on board? I can only hope that with these "new" findings by the EPA, the government will start taking some real action against climate change.

We've screamed, we've shouted, we've voted. What do we really need to do for our government to listen up? Just like I believe it's our governments responsibility to take action, it is also our responsibility to take action to get our government to act. Apathy and inaction can no longer exist. We must find the time in our busy lives to do this. Act now.