If only they could prevent the copier from jamming
An interesting story I found today on Yahoo!
Yahoo! News - Green Technology Can Reduce Building Costs:
by William McCall, AP
"If workers feel a little chilly at their desks in one of the newest skyscrapers under construction in New York City, they'll be able to adjust the temperature with switches tailored to individuals, not entire floors or buildings."
This is a brilliant idea that makes a lot of sense. Other than individual temperature controls, a green building would include:
a system to capture & re-use rainwater (you should also be doing this at home with a rain barrel!)
the addition of roof gardens to reduce heat pollution (probably a cool place to take your lunch break too!)
the introduciton of actual sunlight for all levels of an office building (for worker health benefits!)
the reduction of the potentially cancer-causing chemicals from carpets and plastic components (can't argue with that)
All of these features are green and do not cost any more than the traditional, less green materials. In fact, some believe that a work place would actual see a 5-10% savings due to decreased sick days and increased productivity.
More info can also be found at the web site of U.S. Green Building Council.
Yahoo! News - Green Technology Can Reduce Building Costs:
by William McCall, AP
"If workers feel a little chilly at their desks in one of the newest skyscrapers under construction in New York City, they'll be able to adjust the temperature with switches tailored to individuals, not entire floors or buildings."
This is a brilliant idea that makes a lot of sense. Other than individual temperature controls, a green building would include:
All of these features are green and do not cost any more than the traditional, less green materials. In fact, some believe that a work place would actual see a 5-10% savings due to decreased sick days and increased productivity.
More info can also be found at the web site of U.S. Green Building Council.
4 Comments. Add your comments!
Wow, that's pretty fascinating stuff. It's so simple, you wonder why it things like this haven't been done since the start.
By Nathan, at 4:34 PM, November 12, 2004
And speaking of green technology and building costs, there is a very exciting project underway in Toronto right now called the Enwave Deep Lake Water Cooling (DLWC) system.
It involves the largest renewable lake source cooling system of its kind and is providing air conditioning to several buildings in downtown Toronto. Enwave and the City of Toronto have created an innovative cooling system that is clean, price competitive and energy efficient.
Enwave's three intake pipes draw water from a permanent layer of icy-cold (4°C) water 83 meters below the surface of Lake Ontario. This naturally cold water makes its way to the City's Pumping Station. There, heat exchangers facilitate the energy transfer between the icy cold lake water and the Enwave closed chilled water supply loop. This cold energy then cools several of Toronto's office buildings, sports centres and other assorted sites.
Pretty impressive stuff.
For more information, visit www.enwave.com
By Nathan, at 4:41 PM, November 12, 2004
But there's always another angle to consider...
Many so-called "green" initiatives could actually end up doing more harm than good?
news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/business/4026369.stm
By Nathan, at 3:53 PM, November 24, 2004
I agree with the last comment. One has to consider all the consequences or take a more simple a pro vs. con look at things.
For example, the blue box program is a great thing. But, when you consider that many people rinse out or wash their empty food or drink containers (plastic, metal and glass) before addinf them to the box. I assume this is done so as not to attract insects or to prevent odours.
Still, you have to think about the amount of water used and energy used (if they use hot or warm water) to do the rinsing.
In this example, i still think that the millions and millions of recyclables avoiding the landfill wins, but it is worth considering.
The same goes with the new green box program for food (organic) waste. I agree with composting organics, of course. But, I do think that if you live in a house with a backyard, you should do your own composting.
Why is doing it in your own backyard better?
Simple. If you compost at source, you do not need a team of gas guzzling trucks driving around collecting the green bins, thus creating a different type of pollution.
Lots to think about!
By Scott, at 7:56 PM, November 24, 2004
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