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Kevin Site Admin Joined: 13 Apr 2004 Posts: 1349 Location: Eugene, Oregon	Posted: Tue Jul 14, 2009 1:25 pm    Post subject: ArchWeek Green 2009.0714 Dear Designers, Builders, and Friends, ArchWeek Green, from the editors of the leading architecture magazine online, brings you weekly sustainable design and building news from around our planet. It can be hard to watch as the political sausage-making process is applied to something with the technical clarity and life-and-death consequences of climate change. Along those lines, we've been in support of the overall Waxman-Markey bill, though we know it falls short of what's needed, and some of the last minute corruption of its elements has been terrible, to be polite. The position has put us at odds with some environmentalist friends - and in alignment with others. At least we know we share the same goal - definitive, substantial, enlightened reductions of U.S. greenhouse gas emissions. The divergence comes around tactics, and in the case of the climate bill, given how very badly America has done for the last eight years, we've felt getting something going in the right direction is the most immediate need. U.S. climate initiatives will need to be tightened up very substantially in the coming years. But at least it does appear that Waxman-Markey will get us started on some important steps. Let's help the Senate pass it without further dilution. When special interests lean into the politics of such technical issues, as they do, it takes some extra effort to see through the flack. Former Fortune magazine editor Eric Pooley does a real service in deconstructing some recent heavyweight comments on the climate bill in this Bloomberg column: Eric Pooley, Bloomberg wrote: Warren Buffett carries plenty of weight in any debate - even when he gets it wrong. So as the Senate digs into the climate-change bill that passed the House of Representatives last month, it's worth taking a hard look at how Buffett's views on the bill went off course. Buffett knows global warming is real and carbon emissions must be cut. But he's worried that the bill might hurt his electric utility, Des Moines, Iowa-based MidAmerican Energy Holdings Co. He may be right. But that doesn't mean this is a bad bill; it may mean MidAmerican made some bad decisions. On another count, Buffett is simply wrong when he calls the bill a "huge, regressive tax" that would ensure "very poor people are going to pay a lot more for their electricity." Likewise David Sokol, the chairman of MidAmerican, was wrong when he testified that the cost of buying carbon allowances under the bill would drive up Iowa electricity prices by $110 per month per customer in the first year. Why Warren Buffett Is Wrong About Cap and Trade: Eric Pooley - Bloomberg, 2009.0714 http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601039&sid=aiPQRMSW8JzY In other recent news, the approach proposed in research described here by Reuters looks like a huge step forward. It appears to provide a simple, fair, and balanced way to apportion carbon footprint reductions across the full range of developed, developed-but-inefficient, and undeveloped nations: Reuters wrote: To fairly divide the climate change fight between rich and poor, a new study suggests basing targets for emission cuts on the number of wealthy people, who are also the biggest greenhouse gas emitters, in a country. New Climate Strategy: Track the World's Wealthiest - Reuters, 2009.0706 http://www.reuters.com/article/newsOne/idUSTRE56562Y20090707 Green and Sustainable Design and Building News This Week -------------------------------------------------------- Non-Green Asset Managers Could Be Sued: U.N. Report - Reuters, 2009.0714 http://www.reuters.com/article/GCA-GreenBusiness/idUSTRE56D43B20090714 EU Carbon Reform Proposals No Threat to China: Official - Reuters, 2009.0714 http://www.reuters.com/article/GCA-GreenBusiness/idUSTRE56D1KM20090714 A Solar Land Rush - New York Times, 2009.0713 http://greeninc.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/07/13/a-solar-land-rush/ Boiling the Frog - New York Times, 2009.0713 http://www.nytimes.com/2009/07/13/opinion/13krugman.html?_r=1&ref=opinion Court Overturns Bush-Era Smog Rule - New York Times, 2009.0710 http://greeninc.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/07/10/court-overturns-bush-era-smog-rule/ The Two-Degree Solution - New York Times, 2009.0709 http://dotearth.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/07/09/the-two-degree-solution/ A Push to Hide Solar Panels in Santa Monica - New York Times, 2009.0709 http://greeninc.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/07/09/a-push-to-hide-solar-panels-in-santa-monica/ spam Plan Floating Nuclear Plants - New York Times, 2009.0709 http://greeninc.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/07/09/spam-plan-floating-nuclear-plants/ Poorer Nations Reject a Target on Emission Cut - New York Times, 2009.0709 http://www.nytimes.com/2009/07/09/world/europe/09prexy.html?ref=earth Preserving Memorial Coliseum - Portland, Oregon - ArchitectureWeek, 2009.0708 http://www.ArchitectureWeek.com/2009/0708/index.html The perimeter of Memorial Coliseum bounds the equivalent area of four city blocks in Portland, Oregon, yet the entire envelope of the building, designed by Skidmore, Owings & Merrill, stands on just four columns. In a 1958 or '59 photograph of the building under construction, when just the columns and great cantilevering roof truss had been erected, the structure appears as one massive blend of sculpture and engineering, a proud, dramatic emblem of 20th-century optimism and industry. Oil Baron's Wind Farm Project Hits Doldrums - CNN, 2009.0708 http://edition.cnn.com/2009/TECH/07/08/pickens.wind.farm/index.html The First Living Building Sets the Bar - eMagazine, 2009.0708 http://www.emagazine.com/view/?4721&src=QSA079 Environmentalists Sue over Energy Transmission Across Federal Lands - New York Times, 2009.0708 http://greeninc.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/07/08/environmentalists-sue-over-energy-transmission-across-federal-lands/ -- * -- Double-Helix Spiral Stairs A York Spiral Stair is distinguished by its double-helix stair design - two handrails and no center post. The handcrafted wooden spiral stairs can be customized with your choice of woods, finishes, risers, balusters, and nosing. Shipped prefabricated and almost fully assembled for quick and easy installation. http://www.archweek.com/ad.cgi?090708_york.html -- * -- Iceland's Environment Minister Discusses Geothermal Power, Aluminum Concerns - New York Times, 2009.0708 http://greeninc.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/07/08/icelands-environment-minister-discusses-geothermal-power-aluminum-concerns/ Study: Geoengineering Won't Help Oceans - New York Times, 2009.0708 http://greeninc.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/07/08/study-geoengineering-wont-help-oceans/ More on Thinning Arctic Sea Ice - New York Times, 2009.0708 http://dotearth.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/07/08/more-on-thinning-arctic-sea-ice/ Chicago Traffic Delays: A Tiny Break in the Traffic Logjam - Chicago Tribune, 2009.0708 http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/chi-traffic-congestion-08-jul08,0,1335171.story?track=rss Despite Shift on Climate by U.S., Europe Is Wary - New York Times, 2009.0707 http://www.nytimes.com/2009/07/08/science/earth/08climate.html?ref=earth Gore Says Climate Deal Needs More Public Pressure - Reuters, 2009.0707 http://www.reuters.com/article/internal_ReutersNewsRoom_BehindTheScenes_MOLT/idUSTRE56649R20090707?sp=true Couple Is Living the 'Platinum' Life - Greenville Online, 2009.0707 http://www.greenvilleonline.com/article/20090707/PCN/907070336/1004/NEWS01/Central-couple-is-living-the-a[euro]~Platinum--life Combative Start to Senate Climate Hearings - New York Times, 2009.0707 http://greeninc.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/07/07/combative-start-to-senate-climate-hearings/ Omega Center for Sustainable Living Opens in Upstate New York - Inhabitat (blog), 2009.0707 http://www.inhabitat.com/2009/07/07/omega-center-for-sustainable-living-opens-in-upstate-new-york/ Is Energy Harvesting Moving into the Smart Home? - Reuters, 2009.0707 http://www.reuters.com/article/earth2Tech/idUS109659598620090707 France Imports UK Electricity as Summer Heatwave Puts a Third of Its Nukes Out of Action - Climate Progress (blog), 2009.0706 http://climateprogress.org/2009/07/06/france-imports-uk-electricity-summer-heatwave-puts-nuclear-power-plants-out-of-action/ Incandescent Bulbs Return to the Cutting Edge - New York Times, 2009.0706 http://www.nytimes.com/2009/07/06/business/energy-environment/06bulbs.html?em=&pagewanted=all -- * -- Using Autodesk 3ds Max Design for Visualization & Collaboration Give your transportation project a boost. Join this webcast and find out how you can use Autodesk solutions to help you better convey the intent of your road designs to the public, and more effectively analyze these designs for environmental impact, and more. Register now! http://www.archweek.com/ad.cgi?090708_autodesk -- * -- Environmentally Friendly Homes Reward Builders - Rocky Mount Telegram, 2009.0705 http://www.rockymounttelegram.com/news/environmentally-friendly-homes-reward-builders-701321.html Center for Architecture Earns Top LEED Honors - Portland Business Journal, 2009.0702 http://- abuse alert -.com/portland/stories/2009/06/29/daily56.html Pacific Northwest Forests Could Store More Carbon, Help Address Greenhouse Issues - Eureka Alert, 2009.0702 http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2009-07/osu-pnf070209.php Saratoga Eyes Big Green Step in Residential Construction - San Jose Mercury News, 2009.0701 http://www.mercurynews.com/breakingnews/ci_12733661 Organic Farms as Subdivision Amenities - New York Times, 2009.0701 http://www.nytimes.com/2009/07/01/business/energy-environment/01farm.html?ref=commercial L.A. Business Leans Green - Los Angeles Times, 2009.0629 http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/greenspace/2009/06/green-business-in-los-angeles.html People and Places by Nancy Novitski http://www.ArchitectureWeek.com/2009/0708/news_1-1.html RTKL in West Chester, Ohio - NBWW in Miami, Florida - Otak, Inc. in Lake Oswego, Oregon - kadawittfeldarchitektur in Sighartstein, Austria... -- * -- Please help us build ArchitectureWeek with your support... It's fast, easy, private, and secure: https://archweek.securesites.com/cgi-bin/support_archweek.cgi * 60% Student Discount * https://archweek.securesites.com/cgi-bin/subscribe_aw_student.cgi * Gift Subscriptions * https://archweek.securesites.com/cgi-bin/support_archweek_gift.cgi -- * -- Press Release - Lutron Electronics Donates Energy-Saving Lighting Controls http://www.archweek.com/2009/0708/press_release_1-1.html Product News - Hurricane-Resistant Windows from Pella(R) http://www.archweek.com/2009/0708/products_update.html ==================================================================== Tools and Downloads -------------------------------------------------------------------- Sponsor this ArchWeek special section and build your brand: http://www.archweek.com/ad.cgi?090708_notes_tools_sponsor File Transfer and Management for AEC Firms FileGenius is a web-based, secure file transfer and management solution designed for professional use. Easily send and share important drawings, images, and other large files, and reduce reprographic costs and overnight deliveries. Features easy-to-use file and folder interface, web-based access, site setup and management, and unlimited tech support. A free, 14-day trial is available, or try the demo: http://www.archweek.com/ad.cgi?090708b_downloads.html Sustaining Infrastructure White Paper from Bentley Systems Creating a sustainable world through infrastructure requires addressing three interrelated and complex issues: sustaining society, sustaining the environment, and sustaining the infrastructure professions. At stake, says Bentley Senior Vice President Buddy Cleveland, is our ability to provide an acceptable quality of life for all of the people on our planet. http://www.archweek.com/ad.cgi?090708a_downloads.html Cyberattacks Hit U.S. And South Korean Web Sites - New York Times, 2009.0709 http://www.nytimes.com/2009/07/09/technology/09cyber.html?_r=1 With the Chrome OS, Google's Software Stack Is Revealed; Shrapnel Everywhere - ZDNet, 2009.0708 http://blogs.zdnet.com/BTL/?p=20827 Review: The 15-inch MacBook Pro Soars to New Heights - Computer World, 2009.0707 http://www.computerworld.com/s/article/9135253/Review_The_15_in._MacBook_Pro_soars_to_new_heights?taxonomyId=12&pageNumber=1 -------------------------------------------------------------------- ArchitectureWeek Blog Center - industry-wide postings listed live, 24x7... http://www.ArchitectureWeek.com/blogs/ ArchitectureWeek Jobs Board - a free and growing industry resource http://jobs.ArchitectureWeek.com/ ArchitectureWeek Book Center - 87 architecture-related categories... 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Keep up the good work!" - Toufic, Abu Dhabi, UAE Subscribe today - Save trees now! ** https://archweek.securesites.com/subscribe.html -- * -- Green Building Forum http://arch.DesignCommunity.com/forum-22.html LEED and Green Certification Forum http://arch.DesignCommunity.com/forum-30.html Architecture Discussion Forum http://www.designcommunity.com/forums/forum-6.html Architecture Students Forum http://www.designcommunity.com/forums/forum-13.html ArchWeek Classified Ads - Buy/Sell & Services http://www.designcommunity.com/forums/adverts.php This Week's Quiz - When you specify a seven-day water cure for concrete, about how much water does this require per square foot of concrete? http://www.ArchitectureWeek.com/2009/0624/quiz.html Architecture Answer - for last issue's quiz... For what reasons would you specify or not specify a fan coil mechanical system? http://www.ArchitectureWeek.com/2009/0624/answer.html Classic Home 054 - Four-square house, by Christian F. 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ArchitectureWeek DesignCommunity Forum Index » Green Building & Climate Forum

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