Study: U.S. Can Look to Europe, Australia for Environmental Lessons
The United States can learn a few lessons in energy-efficient buildings and green jobs from Europe and Australia, according to a new study by the Rand Corporation. The research shows that steps taken by the two continents to inspect, rate, and publicly disclose the energy efficiency of buildings indicate the structures use less energy and are worth more when sold or leased.
Study: U.S. Can Look to Europe, Australia for Environmental Lessons
The United States can learn a few lessons in energy-efficient buildings and green jobs from Europe and Australia, according to a new study by the Rand Corporation. The research shows that steps taken by the two continents to inspect, rate, and publicly disclose the energy efficiency of buildings indicate the structures use less energy and are worth more when sold or leased.
‘The Green Picture’ with Erika Schnitzer: Can the World Learn a Lesson from Buildings?
New York City is flooded with some major events this week: the U.N. General Assembly, the annual meeting of the Clinton Global Initiative and Climate Week N.Y.C., which falls just a few months before the international climate meeting slated to take place in Copenhagen this winter. At a meeting at the U.N. on Tuesday, President Barack Obama, addressing world dignitaries, noted that though some progress has been made in the fight to combat climate change, there is much more work to be done. The President called on all nations to work together to face the global crisis. “Difficulty is no…
ThermoSoft Under-Floor Heating Systems are Made from Recycled Content
ThermoSoft International Corporation’s ThermoFloor under-floor heating systems heat rooms from the floor up, using the natural flow of warm air rising, to maximize efficiency and reduce the amount of energy needed to heat the average home by 30 to 40 percent.
‘The Essential Kitchen’ with Kevin Henry: Just How Green is an All-Glass Kitchen
At a recent design show in Los Angeles this past June, I had the opportunity to see firsthand, the highly touted sustainable all-glass kitchen from a very high profile Italian manufacturer. At first glance, it appeared to be the “holy grail” of environmental kitchen design. The doors, drawers, box, counter top and toe kick were all made of glass and it was this overuse of glass that got me thinking, “Just how green is glass?” When we think of glass, the first thought that comes to mind is its ability to be recycled and reused over and over again, but…
‘The Green Picture’ with Erika Schnitzer: Taking the Initiative
What do Bentley Prince Street’s Cool Carpet, Arbor Contract Carpet, WeatherTRAK Smart Water Management by HydroPoint Data Systems Inc., Post Properties’ EcoActive program, The Tower Companies’ “Beyond Green” program and Forest City’s “Roadmap to Intrinsic Sustainability” have in common? They were all winners of MHN’s 2008 Green Initiative Awards! (Click here for details about last year’s winners.) With sustainability an increasingly “hot,” albeit important, topic, more and more companies are paving the way for a greener future. Whether it’s a recycled-content carpet, technology that creates a rational irrigation schedule based on the landscape or a corporate initiative pledging a company’s…
‘Editor’s Notebook’ with Diana Mosher
NAA Exhibitors ScentAir and Beaulieu Demonstrate the Role of Scent Management in the Apartment Business We know that the smell of baking cookies can make a house more attractive to prospective buyers. So why not apply the same principle to rent apartments—or to keep residents from moving elsewhere when their leases are up? There is a growing body of research on the sense of smell to affect consumer responses. According to The Scent Marketing Institute, “scent can be highly effective in helping us distinguish one product from another. It can trigger a memory or desire that influences a purchase decision….
‘The Green Picture’ with Erika Schnitzer: The Legislative Impact of Clean Energy and Security
The House of Representatives recently passed energy and climate legislation that would include a number of provisions for green building incentives. The Waxman-Markey bill, otherwise known as the American Clean Energy and Security Act of 2009 (H.R. 2454), would include such things as: -A building retrofit program, which would include standards for both residential and nonresidential buildings; -A building energy performance labeling program, which would encourage both owners and occupants to learn about building energy performance; -Established percentage targets for energy use reductions in new residential and commercial buildings; -The GREEN (Green Resources for Energy Efficient Neighborhoods) Act, which includes…
‘The Green Picture’ with Erika Schnitzer: The Government’s Greening Initiatives
The USGBC recently released its “Top Ten Ways to Use Recovery Funds for Green Buildings.” In its introduction, the report notes that local governments have begun to think “holistically about how to use recovery dollars to advance sustainability in the built environment,” rather than basing change on a “project-by-project” basis. This is pretty evident in the ever-increasing news about city and state efforts to mandate building standards and/or provide incentives to buildings that include a certain green checklist, if you will. While most, if not all, of the USGBC’s Top Ten can be incorporated into multifamily, I find No. 2:…
COUNTDOWN TO SAN DIEGO: Multifamily Conference Offers Advice on Circumventing Credit Crunch
Construction financing is still attainable, if you know where to look. Learn about obtaining and nenegotia ting for debt financing—including construction, acquisition and refinancing—in today’s difficult environment at the upcoming Multi-Housing World Leadership Summit 2009. The conference, which is produced in conjunction with Multi-Housing News magazine by Nielsen Business Media as part of the Nielsen Co., will be held from Sept. 29-Oct. 1 in San Diego. One panel in the Finance and Investment Track is called “Show Me the Money: How to Find, Negotiate and Secure Construction, Acquisition, Rehab and Permanent Financing.” The panel will be led by David Hendrickson,…