NASA Building Achieves LEED Gold Certification

 

NASA's JPL Goes Gold Certified

Last week issuewire.com posted an article announcing that NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (or JPL) has attained LEED Gold certification for its new Flight Projects Center, located near Pasadena, CA. The building’s design, created by a team of sustainable architects at LPA Inc., is being celebrated for achieving LEED Gold status on a “Silver” budget.  Dr. Charles Elachi, the JPL’s director, said in a video attached to the issuewire.com article, “[The building] is highly functional for our purpose, and at the same time reduces our carbon footprint.” Elachi sees LEED certification not as a barrier to JPL’s business, nor a trophy to hang on its wall—for JPL, employing green standards will allow them to do their jobs more effectively.

Before we go on, let’s review what LEED certification is. According to an earlier post [Seven World Trade Center LEED Certified] on this blog,

In early 2000, a coalition of construction-industry leaders established the LEED system (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design), which grades structures in areas like energy and water consumption, indoor-air quality and constructive use of renewable materials. Ratings for LEED certification range from certified (26 to 32 points) to platinum (52 to 69 points); 39 gets you the gold certification.

LEED, a nonprofit organization, was created with hopes to develop a set of unified building standards that would make it easier for designers and builders to create sustainable structures. In addition, the government offers certain incentives to LEED certified projects, including grants and tax breaks.

So what are some of the Flight Projects Center’s greenest features? They include:

• Low-flow faucets and toilets will reduce water use by more than 44 percent compared with typical fixtures.
• A vegetative roof will keep the building cool in the summer and warm in the winter. The green roof will also help minimize storm water runoff into the Arroyo Seco, a dry riverbed near JPL.
• Drought tolerant, native plants and landscapes use 72 percent less water.
• Improved wall insulation, efficient chillers and boilers, window shading devices and the green roof will greatly reduce energy needs.
• Smart heating and cooling systems know whether people are in a room or not, and adjust temperatures and ventilation accordingly.

For more information:

Check out this article on the building’s ribbon cutting, released today.

For more information on LEED Certification and what it means, visit the wikipedia page or the USGBC site.

Things You Should Know About Steam & Water-Based Cleaning

Water Can Be a Powerful Cleaning Agent

Steam cleaning as a concept has been around for years, but only recently with the arrival of new technology has its popularity seen such rapid growth. This is due in large part to the Green cleaning movement, and the widespread demand for processes that will replace traditional methods with cleaner, safer technology.

In case you’re unfamiliar, the basic functions of steam cleaning are as follows: water is heated to above boiling, usually around 300 degrees fareinheit, then blasted into surfaces, bringing dirt and grime to the top where it can easily be removed. Steam cleaning can be used on a variety of surfaces, and has been found to be especially effective on porous or textured surfaces. Steam is able to penetrate deeply into these surfaces, expelling dirt that chemical treatments may not be able to reach.

The benefits are manifold: reduced chemical exposure makes it safer for cleaners and building occupants, and may help qualify a building for LEED certification; it can be used on a wide variety of surfaces and often removes stains in high-traffic zones such as those found in restaurants or schools; it can be a labor-saving device by reducing the amount of trips cleaners make to refill their chemical solutions. The list goes of accomplishments goes on. But perhaps most impressive is that everything on this list requires but one resource: tap water.

Of course, skepticism over the effectiveness of steam cleaning abounds, and that’s understandable. Consider, for example, how a cousin of steam cleaning—electrolyzed water treatment—is said to work. In his article on water-based cleaning systems, Nick Bragg of CleanLink writes,

The way it works is the tap water first passes through an electrified screen in the machine’s oxygenation chamber, creating highly oxygenated microbubbles. Next, the oxygenated water is sent through a water cell where an electric current is applied, creating a stream of blended, highly charged acidic and alkaline water that has the same attributes of a general purpose cleaner. In this activated state, the electrically charged water then breaks down dirt into small particles, removes it from the floor surface, and about 45 seconds later, the water returns to its original state and can be handled and disposed of safely.

So you can see why facility managers might think all this sounds too good to be true. Proponents of steam and water-based technology, however, are eager to bring their products in for demonstration. Confidence is certainly not lacking. But assuming the product is as effective as advertised, is it worth the higher price tag? This might be an easier question to answer. Nick Bragg cites Mike Gosson (President of Parish Maintenance Supply) who says yes, over the course of approximately two years a steam cleaning or electrolyzed water system pays back its investment in reduced chemical and water usage alone.

It’s likely that the cleaning industry will continue to have its reservations, but it steam and other water-based cleaning methods will continue to grow in popularity if for no other reason than their “green” appeal. A cleaning method that cleans as well as, if not arguably better than, traditional methods, without the related hazards to human and environmental health—this surely is one piece of technology that plans to stick around.

Additional Resources:

An article with information on disinfecting with steam cleaners.

For information on why steam cleaners are preferred for the removal of allergens look here.

Things to Know About Green Chemicals

For many, the validity of “green” chemicals is still in question. Are they effective killers, are they really safer, what are the vested interests of their advocates – these are just a few critical questions remaining unanswered.

Wherever you stand in relation to green chemicals, it’s now no longer possible to deny their impact on the industry. For months now a proposal has been under consideration by the EPA to allow “green labeling” of certain qualified disinfectant chemicals. On September 3rd, that proposal was passed by the EPA during a meeting of the Workgroup on Comparative Safety Statements for Pesticide Product Labeling. The program will consist of two tracks: (1) The EPA’s Design for the Environment (DfE) product recognition and (2) limited statements of environmental preferability. The program is currently a “pilot” program that will control what kinds of claims can be made about qualified products.

Again, regardless of your position on green chemicals, awareness of the greater public and governmental stance on the position is imperative. A quick look at the EPA’s webpage for “Greening Your Purchase of Cleaning Chemicals” reveals important information, particularly in the note it gives at the top of the document:

NOTE: The following discussion primarily addresses hazards associated with cleaning product ingredients. The actual risks from these chemicals at typical exposure levels are often uncertain, and in many cases are probably low. Regardless of the expected risk levels, however, reducing the intrinsic hazard of a product is a desirable pollution prevention objective as part of decisions that also take into account other important product attributes.

As you can see, the discussion has begun to move away from “Green vs. Traditional chemicals” to “What’s the best way to incorporate green chemicals into the workplace.” It’s too soon to decide who’s won the day, but important to note the shift. Later in the document, the EPA gives a list called “Benefits of Buying Green” that’s interesting to consider:

• Choosing less hazardous products that have positive environmental attributes (e.g., biodegradability, low toxicity, low volatile organic compound (VOC) content, reduced packaging, low life cycle energy use) and taking steps to reduce exposure can minimize harmful impacts to custodial workers and building occupants, improve indoor air quality, and reduce water and ambient air pollution while also ensuring the effectiveness of cleaning in removing biological and other contaminants from the building’s interior.

• Buying cleaners in concentrates with appropriate handling safeguards, and reusable, reduced, or recyclable packaging, reduces packaging waste and transportation energy.

• Buying less hazardous cleaners may reduce costs when it comes time to properly dispose of any leftover cleaners.