Nearly one year after a 7.0-magnitude earthquake rocked the Republic of Haiti, engineering and concrete experts at Georgia Tech report that concrete and other debris in Port-au-Prince can be safely and inexpensively recycled into strong new construction material. 

In a paper published in the Bulletin of the American Ceramic Society, researchers Reginald R. DesRoches, Kimberly E. Kurtis and Joshua J. Gresham say that they have made new concrete, from recycled rubble and other indigenous raw materials using simple techniques, which meets or exceeds the minimum strength standards used in the United States.

Most of the damaged areas of Haiti are still in ruins. The trio says their work points to a successful and sustainable strategy for managing an unprecedented amount of waste, estimated to be 20 million cubic yards.

“The commodious piles of concrete rubble and construction debris form huge impediments to reconstruction and are often contaminated,” says DesRoches, professor and Associated Chair of Civil and Environmental Engineering at Georgia Tech. “There are political and economic dilemmas as well, but we have found we can turn one of the dilemmas — the rubble — into a solution via some fairly simple methods of recycling the rubble and debris into new concrete.”

DesRoches, who was born in Haiti, traveled several times in 2010 to Port-au-Prince to gather samples of typical concrete rubble and additionally collect samples of two readily available sand types used as fine aggregates in some concrete preparation.

He and Gresham also studied the methods, tools and raw materials used by local laborers to make concrete mixes. DesRoches recalls they encountered no mixing trucks. “Instead, all of the construction crews were manually batching smaller amounts of concrete. Unfortunately, they were mixing volumes of materials ‘by eye,’ an unreliable practice that probably caused much of the poor construction and building failure during the earthquake,” he says.

Before leaving, DesRoches and Gresham manually cast an initial set of standard 3-inch by 6-inch concrete test blocks using mixes from several different construction sites.

They returned to Georgia Tech with their cast blocks, sand samples and notes, where they were joined by Kurtis, also a professor and Chair of the American Concrete Institute’s Materials Science of Concrete Committee.

They quickly discovered that the concrete test samples cast in Haiti were of poor quality. “The Haitian-made concrete had an average compressive strength of 1,300 pounds per square inch,” says Kurtis. “In comparison, concrete produced in the U.S. would be expected to have a minimum strength of 3,000 pounds per square inch.

They then manually crushed the samples with a hammer to provide course aggregate for a second round of tests. In this round, they made concrete samples from mixes that combined the course aggregate with one of the two types of sands they had collected. However, instead of “eye-balling” the amounts of materials, in this round of tests they carefully measured volumes using methods prescribed by the American Concrete Institute. The materials were still mixed by hand to replicate the conditions in Haiti.

Subsequent tests of samples made from each type of sand provided good news: The compressive strength of both of the types of new test blocks, still composed of Haitian materials, dramatically increased, showing an average over 3,000 pounds per square inch.

“Based upon these results, we now believe that Haitian concrete debris, even of inferior quality, can be effectively used as recycled course aggregate in new construction,” says Kurtis. “It can work effectively, even if mixed by hand. The key is having a consistent mix of materials that can be easily measured. We are confident are results can be scaled up mix procedure where quantities can be measured using common, inexpensive construction equipment.”

DesRoches is pleased because recycling eliminates two hurdles to reconstruction. “First, removing the remaining debris is nearly impossible because there are few, if any, safe landfill sites near Port-au-Prince, and the nation lacks the trucks and infrastructure to haul it away. It is better to use it than to move it. “Second,” DesRoches says, “Finding fresh aggregate is more difficult than getting rid of the debris. It is costly to find, mine and truck in.”

The trio notes recycled concrete aggregate has been used worldwide for roadbeds, drainage, etc., and that many European Union countries commonly use 20 percent recycled aggregates in structural concrete. Published research by others has also demonstrated that the use of local-sourced recycled aggregate concrete production can be more sustainable.

Because of the urgency of quick and safe reconstruction, the researchers urge that recycling the debris quickly move from proof-of-concept to large scale testing. “More work must be done to characterize the recycled materials, test additional performance parameters and gauge the safest ways to crush the rubble. Seismic behavior and building codes must be studied. But, these tests can and should be done dynamically, during reconstruction, because the benefits can be so immediate and significant,” says DesRoches.

DesRoches, Kurtis and Gresham say they plan on sharing their research with Haitian government officials and nongovernmental organizations working on reconstruction projects. DesRoches is hopeful that a debris strategy and infrastructure will eventually emerge from the government once the disputed presidential elections in Haiti are resolved. “Some think that many rebuilding projects have on hold for the past few months because of distraction from the elections. The next round of elections is this month, so it soon may be possible to accelerate reconstruction.”

Source: Science Daily

Source

 

As the 2010/11 ski season nears its end and Earth Day 2011 celebrations begin, CSCUSA is highlighting resort environmental efforts. By implementing new means of generating and conserving energy, sourcing more sustainable ways of construction and snowmaking, and making it a priority to give back to their communities, CSCUSA resorts are leading the way in protecting one of Colorado ski industry’s most valuable assets for future generations of outdoor enthusiasts.
Colorado Ski Country USA (CSCUSA) is the global voice of Colorado’s ski industry and represents the world’s premiere ski destinations. With 22 member resorts, CSCUSA encompasses 28,791 skiable acres, 3,623 snowmaking acres, 2,328ft average vertical rise, and 1,749 trails. Resorts offer a wide variety of terrain by utilizing the natural landscape of Colorado’s Rocky Mountains, hence, CSCUSA resorts are making it their duty to be good stewards of the environment in which we ski.

Alternative Energy
While resorts are long-standing proponents and users of alternative energy, many resorts are adopting new wind and solar energy sources to power their on and off-mountain operations while always exploring new forms of alternative energy and energy efficiencies.

In effect since 1997, AreaNet has expanded each year to now control snow melt systems with moisture and temperature sensors, ensuring that heat will not be used unless it is wet and below freezing at Snoasis, Sunspot, Mary Jane, the Village Cabriolet lift, the Private Lesson Center and Zephyr Mountain Lodge. AreaNet also has some control over gas appliances and heat as well as shutting down snow-making equipment when temperatures are too warm for optimum snow production.

•    Winter Park installed a small wind turbine at the top of Parsenn Bowl to provide power to the lift shack. The turbine offsets energy consumption and increases lift operation efficiency. Also, Winter Park’s electrical foreman designed and built hardware and software to create a resort-wide automatically controlled system – AreaNet – that shuts down heat to lift shacks and lift motor rooms when not needed.

•    Copper Mountain harnesses solar power with photovoltaic panels that line the south-facing roof of the Transportation Center in the Alpine Lot. The 4.2 kW solar installation provides a portion of the electricity for the building. The resort is also working to retrofit lighting fixtures with more energy-efficient light bulbs.

•    Through solar energy, Aspen/Snowmass generates a total of 171.2kW with 147kW coming from a solar array installed at the Colorado Rocky Mountain School (CRMS) in Carbondale. The $1 million system sits on one-half acre of ranchland owned by the high school.

The electricity generated by the CRMS solar array powers the school’s science building, with excess energy fed into the town of Carbondale’s power grid. Annually, the installation will produce 200,000kWh (enough power for 20 average American homes) and keep 400,000 lbs of carbon dioxide out of the air each year.

Along with solar arrays, Aspen/Snowmass has explored alternative energy using spring runoff. The resort installed a 115kW micro-Hydro plant at Snowmass that produces power from melting snow. The golf clubhouse system reduces natural gas consumption by 2/3.

Several other facilities around Aspen also make use of solar energy including a 2.3kW solar installation at Aspen Highlands ski patrol headquarters; a 10.6 kW solar installation at Thunder River Lodge; an employee housing complex in Carbondale; a 5kW array at The Little Nell hotel; a 4.3kW array at the Snowmass Club; and a 2.0 kW array at the Sundeck atop Aspen Mountain.

•    Wolf Creek currently purchases 100 percent of its power usage from a green power supplier, and has been recognized by the US Forest Service for its commitment to alternative energy.

•    At Monarch Mountain, the majority of lighting is done with energy efficient light bulbs, with motion-sensor lighting in some areas.

•  Crested Butte Mountain Resort (CBMR) completed a full energy inventory of its Mountain Operations in 2008. The inventory included lifts, snowmaking, facilities and vehicles. As a charter member of the Colorado Industrial Energy Challenge, CBMR set the goal to reduce its overall energy consumption by 2 percent per year. Since 2008, through conservation and management, the resort has reduced electrical use by 17.15 percent, fuels by 28.5 percent, natural gas consumption by 47.2 percent and pumped 8.3 percent less water, exceeding the resort’s goals. Part of this reduction resulted from relocating the resort’s park and pipe area to a new location that requires less energy to pump water and air.

Through its energy efficient measures, CBMR is running a more cost-effective business and has reduced carbon emissions by more than 11 percent.

Additionally, CBMR has installed timers on the heaters in its lift shacks, enabling employees to be more comfortable while also significantly reducing energy use.

Renewable Energy Credits
Renewable Energy Credits (RECs) are another method many resorts use to offset energy consumption. Each REC represents one megawatt hour of electricity as generated from a certified renewable energy source. Many of CSCUSA’s member resorts are using RECs to offset their energy use, especially in areas where alternative energy is not readily available.

•    Wolf Creek offsets 100 percent of year-round operations with RECs, while Powderhorn offsets two of its three lifts with RECs and is planning to purchase RECs to offset more of the resort’s energy use in years to come. Steamboat’s RECs offset three percent of the resort’s total electricity requirements, while Telluride‘s RECs offset 1,000,000 kWh of electricity use each year.

•    Winter Park’s RECs offset the Panoramic Express, Eagle Wind, Super Gauge Express and Village Cabriolet lifts, which combined equal 6.4 percent of the resort’s total electrical usage.

Construction
Through the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design, or the LEED Certification System, and other green building initiatives, many CSCUSA resorts are dedicating themselves to sustainable and environmentally-responsible development.

•    Aspen/Snowmass has instituted a Green Building Policy that aims to reduce the impact of building and development by adhering to green building guidelines and participating in the LEED certification program. The Snowmass Golf Clubhouse, Sam’s Restaurant, and the Aspen Holiday House Employee Housing are all LEED certified buildings.

•    At Copper Mountain, the Woodward at Copper action sports facility was awarded a Green Globe third-party certification for green building practices and design. The Woodward building features energy-efficient heating and cooling systems, low volatile organic compounds (VOCs), and energy-efficient lighting.

•    Over the past two years, Purgatory implemented conservation measures as it added terrain with the Legends expansion and created The Ambassadors Glade, which further increased the resort’s skiable acreage and improved forest health and wildlife habitat through a selective tree clearing and thinning process.

Purgatory also constructed the half-pipe and other terrain park features out of dirt and utilized a new technique and product called biochar, which helps store carbon in the ground, improves water quality and increase soil fertility for forest rehabilitation.

Land Management
Many resorts have developed land management programs that protect vegetation from snow making/contouring equipment and maintain maximum vegetation cover.

•    Steamboat has programs for slash management to prevent run-off and land degradation, re-vegetation for natural grasses and plants, and habitat management for native species.

•    Sunlight developed a vegetation management program to balance maximum forest cover with safe and varied terrain.

•   Telluride is also working on a vegetation cover analysis to increase on-mountain vegetation while maximizing space on the slopes.

•    Winter Park continues to work with the United States Forest Service on its award winning Pine-Beetle Mitigation.

Recycling, etc.
Nearly all of CSCUSA’s resorts have recycling and re-use programs in place that reduce waste and increase awareness of the environment.

•    At Crested Butte, the resort recycled more than 50 percent of solid waste products in 2010 and set a goal to recycle more than 65 percent in 2011. Additionally, Crested Butte uses Green Seal Products in its operations and lodging division as part of the Green Purchasing Program.

•  Recycling and composting are top priority at Arapahoe Basin. A recycling policy and waste reduction guidelines were implemented recently and have had a major impact on the amount of recycling and compost being diverted from the landfill. Arapahoe Basin composts in the kitchens of both restaurants, at all after-hour events, and with its Snowsports School lunch program. The resort also allows its employees to bring all compostables from home. To date Arapahoe Basin has diverted approximately 20 tons of compost from the landfill.

•    Monarch Mountain recycles everything possible at the resort, from office materials to food and beverage utensils. Monarch also re-processes used oil and grease for re-use.

•    Wolf Creek recycles kitchen oil, equipment oil, steel, aluminum, cardboard, paper, batteries, uniforms, ink cartridges, office equipment, and phone books.

•    Copper Mountain increases its resort-wide recycling program each year. The Copper Conference Center has a pilot composting program to encourage staff to compost all food scraps.

•    Powderhorn recycles everything including glass, plastics, aluminum, office paper, newspaper, cardboard, uniforms, printer cartridges, oil, skis, and some metals. The Fleet Maintenance at Powderhorn installed a used-oil burner to reduce propane use and eliminate sending waste oil to third parties for disposal. Powderhorn also gives old rental skis to a local carpenter who uses them to manufacture deck chairs and benches.

•    Silverton Mountain follows the ‘reduce, reuse and recycle’ mantra in nearly every aspect of its operations. The Base Lodge was donated by the town of Silverton, the equipment facility is run out of a used school bus, the mountain’s only lift was purchased from Mammoth Mountain in California, and all mountain vehicles, radios, furnishings, carpeting, bar equipment, ski patrol toboggans, and ropes were donated as well. As a result, Silverton produces very little waste.

•    Purgatory has a resort-wide recycling program that encourages all guests and employees to recycle. Purgatory recycles all construction material and is home to the North County Recycling Center where residents of North County can bring their recyclables

•    Telluride’s latest “reduce, reuse and recycle” efforts include resort restaurants using natural sugar cane take-out containers and printing receipts by request only, saving approximately 2,000 receipts daily. Ski school utilizes paperless check-out systems, saving 10,000 triplicate forms. The resort reduces paper-usage by digitalizing all legal files and has developed a paperless database.

Recycling at Telluride is available at all guest service kiosks, and at the snowcat fuel island. The maintenance department uses bulk chemicals having phased out aerosol cans, and has transitioned to cloth rags for cleaning instead of paper towels. One of Telluride’s more creative initiatives was the purchase of a waste oil heater. This heater burns all food and beverage fryer oils as well as most maintenance shop oils including hydraulic fluids, used motor oils, and more, saving heating bills and hazmat hauling fees. Skiers and riders will also notice Telluride’s trail sign posts, made from old rental shop skis.

•    Steamboat’s award winning Zero Waste Initiative eliminates the amount of trash sent to landfills with the goal of producing zero waste in the future. The Initiative utilizes composting, in addition to recycling and reusing. All mountain restaurants and outlets are using biodegradable and compostable products wherever available and eliminated trash by utilizing reusable plates and silverware. Unique recycling efforts include coffee grounds, milk jugs to make patio furniture and old signs and banners turned into messenger bags and totes.

•    To better educate its staff and guests about Winter Park Resort’s environmental initiatives, the resort developed Connexion – an umbrella brand with a distinct look placed throughout the resort on various recycling stations and displayed on signage on the mountain. Connexion’s goal is to inform, involve and educate resort employees, guests and the community about the environment in which they work and play. The program includes energy reduction efforts with the purchase of RECs, the utilization of single-use items made from biodegradable resources, and an expanded recycling program for guests and staff.

Winter Park Resort’s food and beverage department continues to lead the resort’s recycling efforts with restaurants currently expanding the amount of reusable items to completely eliminate waste or by using single-use, environmentally-friendly and completely compostable products like cups, plates, bowls, and cutlery, all made from corn, sugar cane, and potato starch. Winter Park’s resort wide efforts help divert 43 percent of its waste from landfills.

Snowmaking & Snow Equipment
By using more efficient snowmaking machines, as new snowmaking and upgrades to existing snowmaking are brought online, many CSCUSA resorts are saving rather than spending energy when it comes to making snow and slope maintenance.

•    Combining efforts of added snowmaking coverage with state-of-the-art energy efficient guns and constructing its half-pipe and other terrain park features out of dirt, Purgatory was able to reduce water and energy consumption through snowmaking and conserve 190,000 gallons of water during the 2010-11 season.

In addition, new snowcats were purchased for the season, reducing fuel usage and saving more than 14,000 gallons of fuel, greatly reducing Purgatory’s carbon footprint.

•    At Arapahoe Basin, an airless snowmaking system requires 20 percent less energy than traditional equipment, and Eldora continues to improve the efficiency of its snowmaking system, therefore lowering its energy demand. Steamboat uses a similar technology, with nearly nine miles of pipe installed over the past few seasons.

•    Aspen/Snowmass has begun using a dirt-based superpipe at Buttermilk to reduce the amount of snowmaking necessary in the winter. The dirt pipe saves more than $15,000 in electricity and 4 million gallons of water each year.

•    At Telluride, biodiesel fuel is used in most of the on-mountain machinery, including snowcats, trail crew utility machines and golf course utility vehicles.

•    Copper has also been able to reduce its snowmobile fuel consumption by 40 percent in the past few years.

•    Crested Butte made energy reductions by investing in new Low Energy HKD snow guns that were awarded to the resort as part of the 2010 Sustainable Slopes program. Crested Butte also has a sophisticated tracking system for peak energy loads. When temperatures are below 15 degrees, employees shut off the compressed air in the tower and run water instead, saving large amounts of energy.

Alternative Public Transportation
The emergence of energy efficient public transportation has made a positive impact on resort transportation systems while providing incentives and rewards for guests and employees that use the systems.

•    In support of the benefits of public transportation and carpooling, Copper Mountain offers carpooling incentives to guests who arrive with four or more people in their vehicle. On select weekends, Copper offers premier parking in the Alpine Lot for those who carpool.

•    Durango’s carpool program provides incentives of $7 – 10 per day to employees who carpool and includes free, close-in parking and a Carpool-only Parking Lot for cars with three or more people.

•    The Summit Stage bus runs from Breckenridge to Arapahoe Basin, stopping at multiple locations in-between. The Summit Stage reports that riding the bus saves 20 pounds of CO2 emissions per day.

•    Employees and guests at Arapahoe Basin who carpool to the ski area are rewarded for using public transit with discounted lift ticket rates.

•    Environmental efforts of Eldora include public transportation advocacy. Eldora is the only Front Range ski resort accessible via Denver’s Regional Transportation District (RTD) bus route.

•    Monarch Mountain operates a daily shuttle for employees between Poncha Springs, Salida, and the mountain. On Saturdays, Monarch also offers a guest shuttle from Salida through the Parks and Recreation Department.

•    Powderhorn also promotes alternative transportation with a town shuttle from Grand Junction to Powderhorn on weekends and holidays.

•    Each season, millions of passengers use Aspen/Snowmass’ alternative transportation – the Roaring Fork Transit Authority (RFTA). The RFTA operates a number of Hybrid Buses and has increased the percentage of Bio-Diesel buses. RFTA provides an extensive commuter bus services within the Roaring Fork Valley between Aspen and Glenwood Springs.

•    Steamboat’s free busses, used for employee and guest transportation to and from parking, are alternative-transportation vehicles, which reduce the vehicle miles traveled and ultimately reduce emissions and traffic congestion.

•    At Sunlight, the Employee Transit System provides more than 100,000 employee passenger miles per season. The resort’s guest Park and Ride Program provides scheduled ride service from the Sunlight Ski and Bike Shop in Glenwood Springs to the resort.

Corporate Community
While CSCUSA resorts are known for providing world class skiing, they also give generously to local community programs, federal initiatives, and environmental partners.

•    Environmental partnerships are a large part of Telluride’s environmental program. The resort is aligned with the United States Forest Service, United States Environmental Protection Agency, Colorado Division of Wildlife, US Fish and Wildlife Service, Army Corp. of Engineers, Sheep Mountain Alliance, San Juan Fens Partnership, Bonneville Environmental Foundation, Colorado Department Of Transportation, New Community Coalition Sustainability Team, Clif Bar, Chaco, and Fairfield Resorts.

•    At Aspen/Snowmass, environmental partnerships go beyond the corporate realm with more than half of Aspen/Snowmass employees contributing a dollar per week to the Environment Foundation, a nonprofit governed and run by employees. Employee contributions are matched by the Aspen Community Foundation, and again by the Aspen Skiing Company Family Fund. Donations go to local environmental causes such as clean air and water programs, trail maintenance and energy efficiency initiatives. The foundation has donated $1.2 million to various groups in the Roaring Fork Valley since its inception in 1997.

•    Arapahoe Basin offers season pass holders a chance to join the resort’s Snow Huggers Club. The Snow Huggers Club offers its members exclusive discounts for Arapahoe Basin, including a 1/2 price lift ticket, rental or lesson, and discounts at Arapahoe Sports and the Legends Cafe or Black Mountain Lodge. All the proceeds are donated to the High Country Conservation Center, a non-profit organization dedicated to minimizing waste and conserving resources in Summit County and surrounding areas.

•    Guests at restaurants and retail operations at Crested Butte have the opportunity to assure open space in the upper Gunnison Valley. Butte 66, The Ice Bar, Paradise Warming Hut, On Mountain Basics, the General Store, The Woodstone Grille, The Woodstone Deli, The Grand Lodge Gift Shop, the 9280 Restaurant, and Elevation Station are all participants in the 1% for Open Space program. With purchases at these participating locations, customers are given the option to donate one percent of the services provided to them to 1% for Open Space.

•    Local forest conservation plays a large role in Copper’s Environmental Program. Copper has partnered with the National Forest Foundation (NFF) to fund local conservation projects and has committed to donate funds to the Friends of the Dillon Ranger District (FDRD), a local nonprofit partner of the United States Forest Service (USFS). Copper will continue to raise funds through the Ski Area Contribution Program, support local conservation groups, including FDRD, and maintain the local Wheeler Lakes Trail through the Adopt-a-Trail program.

Once collected, the program grants this money to requesting organizations for the protection of open space in Gunnison County. Through these non-profits, land has been preserved on the Woods Walk, the Lower Loop, the Rec Path, Washington Gulch, along the Slate River, and Kebler Pass, among others. Crested Butte has also donated four percent of its Prospect land sales to the Crested Butte Land Trust, a Crested Butte non-profit that works to permanently preserve open space land in the area.

•    Steamboat’s resume of community environmental outreach projects includes a joint project with the U.S. Forest Service and the Boy Scouts of America, in which more than 800 spruce seedlings were planted at the ski area’s kids-only winter adventure park, Rough Rider Basin. Steamboat also worked with the Strawberry Park Elementary School rehabilitation program at Butcherknife Creek and helped with re-grading and re-vegetating stream banks, as well as improving habitat for fish and wildlife.

Steamboat’s annual spring on-mountain project day, now in its 19th year, has been organized with more than 100 resort employees working on projects, gathering litter and other materials from across the area. On average, nearly 100 gallons of trash is removed or recycled from the resort that day.

Additionally, the resort makes an annual contribution of $75,000 for recreational projects including parks, beautification and recreation. In addition, over the past two decades, more than $1.7 million has gone toward community projects. Since its inaugural year in 2004, the Ski Corp. Employee Environmental Fund has granted nearly $200,000 to 42 projects representing a variety of nonprofit organizations across the Yampa Valley.

Industry Awards
CSCUSA resorts are continually recognized for their efforts in environmentalism and sustainability.

•    Arapahoe Basin was voted #3 in Top Ten Green Ski Resorts by SkiNet.com in April 2009. In the same month the resort’s environmental manager, Sha Miklas, was awarded Essential Earthy Employee by High Country Conservation Center. In past years, Arapahoe Basin has also received multiple NSAA Silver Eagle Awards. In 2008, the resort won the award for Excellence in Visual Impacts, and in 2005 won the award for Excellence in Water Conservation.

•    In 2010, Purgatory received the Clif Bar Silver Eagle Award for Excellence in Fish and Wildlife Habitat Protection, one of the ski industry’s highest environmental honors. Purgatory was recognized for its comprehensive efforts in planning and implementing the Legends expansion project, which increased the resort’s total skiable acreage by 10 percent and improved forest health and wildlife habitat.

•    Recent accolades for Aspen/Snowmass include, the 2008 Clif Bar Silver Eagle Award for Environmental Education, the 2008 Snowmass Club Golf Course Audubon Cooperative Sanctuary Program Certification, the 2008 NSAA Best Overall Marketing Programming (resorts with 500,000+ skier visits – recognizing Aspen/Snowmass’ compact fluorescent distribution program), and the 2008 City of Aspen ZGreen Membership – recognizing exemplary environmental stewardship.

•    Telluride’s recognition for excellent environmental initiatives includes the 2005 NSAA Silver Eagle Award for Protection of Fish and Wildlife Habitat and the 2004 Fully Certified Audubon Cooperative Sanctuary golf course.

•    Winter Park has received several environmental awards including the 2009 NSAA Silver Eagle Award for its Excellence in Visual Impact, the 2008 Silver Partner in Leadership from the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment and the NSAA 2007 Silver Eagle Award for Excellence in Visual Impact.

•    Wolf Creek is one of 11 Colorado ski areas that received the Sustainable Business Practices award by the U.S. Forest Service in 2006.

Source: theskichannel.com

 

Did you ever have a flamboyant friend whose home seemed inexplicably staid? Or one who is always pulled together in appearance but whose home seems anything but pulled together?

There’s a disconnect, right?

“It’s always great when you enter into a home and the atmosphere captures the essence of what the person that lives there is all about,” says designer Stephen Saint-Onge. “Whether it be mementoes from travels, use of vibrant colors or some other specific theme that captures the energy of what that person’s personality is.”

Already you have a starting point for a concept that Saint-Onge recommends when decorating or renovating your home — ask friends what they imagined your home would be like before they actually saw it. This might seem like a small thing, a nice little technique to help define your style. Same with Saint-Onge’s suggestion to take a cue from rooms you see in films or his idea of creating a ‘look book.’

But there’s a big payoff from taking these small steps. For Saint-Onge, it’s all about this: “Good home design has the power to change lives.”

It is this theme of empowerment that comes through in Saint-Onge’s recently released book called No Place Like Home, not only written by the designer but lovingly photographed by him. The photos are mesmerizing, evoking a feeling of warmth and comfort as he illustrates ideas and shows people living in the environments they’ve created.Yes, power. And by “good” he doesn’t mean pricey or slick or showroom-y. He means congruent with your life and how you choose to live it on a daily basis. He means aesthetically pleasing to you as you move from one room to the next, making dinner, feeding the dog, whipping up a batch of lemonade, watching a movie.

And while all of that is undoubtedly appealing — as is his work as a former columnist for Better Homes and Gardens and on television (i.e., The Oprah Winfrey Show, the Today show, Fox News) — it is Saint-Onge’s stories about his life that really make him special and lure one in. The elderly neighbor whom he loved as a boy and whose house shaped his own sense of style. The trip to Ethiopia he took with his wife recently to bring creativity tools to children. Or, in progress now, both of them working to help the Boys and Girls Clubs of America raise money to save a 120-acre camp in upstate New York that provides inner-city kids a chance to enjoy nature.

It all meshes spiritually — the person and the work and the actions — to bring forth a vision and philosophy that help him and hopefully his clients and readers build a consistent and enduring ‘stage set’ for life.

“We came back to the states with a new appreciation for the simple things in life and it just happened to be right at the time of my finishing up my book and doing some final rewrites,” Saint-Onge says of his return from Ethiopia. “It was interesting taking the rough drafts with me on the plane to Africa, pages filled with my ideas and descriptions about All-American life and home design. Then, coming back, the words took on new meanings and I certainly appreciated all that we have to enjoy here at home. Giving great meaning to its title, No Place Like Home, which seemed even more fitting.”

When one feels life, it translates in the creative work. That is why it is no surprise that Saint-Onge – named one of America’s top 15 designers under 40 by House Beautiful magazine — learned early on the value of listening deeply when engaging clients.

“What fascinates me is what I can learn from what I hear,” he says. “Sometimes there is an emotional charge to what they say that makes me realize that the home needs to be about making them feel comfortable, safe or surrounded by good things. Each situation is different – as each home is different.

“I did a project for television with Jane Pauley a few years back for a soldier that had been hit by a suicide bomber in Iraq. He was hospitalized for almost a year and was soon to be returning home to Arkansas. The emotional charge to me was that he had survived and that his home needed to be safe and loving again for him and his family.”

In addition, working in television gave Saint-Onge a sense of how important it is to follow intuition, to go with gut instinct.

“Having done many room makeovers on television, with TV cameras rolling and tight deadlines to turn things around – you had to be creative on your feet and just move towards the idea quickly,” he says. “If I chose to go in a direction that didn’t feel right, things usually didn’t fall into place. Yet, when I followed that initial concept and direction – things did work out.”

He has witnessed countless situations where people seemed transformed by finally taking action after long periods of indecision.

“Change or seeing things in new ways can set the wheels into motion towards new vantage points and fresh perspectives,” he says.

And then, the ripple effects begin.

As Saint-Onge says on his Web site, “You are creating a lifestyle.”

Yes. And what power in that.

Source: Fox Business By Nancy Colasurdo Published February 25, 2011

Nancy Colasurdo is a practicing life coach and freelance writer. Her Web site iswww.nancola.com. Please direct all questions/comments to FOXGamePlan@gmail.com.

Sustainability is the only way forward for industry that does not lead to an environmental dead-end. Waste recycling has its place, but researchers in France suggest that from the outset the design of a product should consider the whole life cycle to offer any chance of sustainability. Writing in the International Journal of Design Engineering, the team explains how this approach might best be adopted by industrial and other designers.

“The concept of sustainable development was proposed as a solution to this situation during the 1980s,” the researchers explain, “This concept calls upon each actor, especially industry in its role as the pillar of developed societies, to strike a balance between the social, economic and environmental dimensions of its activity.” It is an increasingly critical factor to be addressed in the face of a rising global population, diminishing resources and climate change.

Dominique Millet and Nicolas Tchertchian of the Design and Ecodesign Methodology Lab, at SUPMECA in Toulon, working with Daniel Brissaud of the INPG, GSCOP Laboratory, in Grenoble, point out that there are many “eco design” tools on the market. However, very few of these are actually used by design teams because few help in green design and do not offer good results in terms of radical environmental improvements.

Others have suggested that addressing environmental issues earlier in the process offers designers more chance of success. However, there is a current lack of off-the-shelf design tools and decision-making methods available to simplify this process from the start. Such tools could help close the loop of materials, energy, waste and other criteria, such as pollution, Millet and colleagues explain.

Moreover, such tools if they existed would be the only ones that could contribute to a radical strategy of environmental improvement which would not be a mere “green fix” further into the manufacturing process and would not improve environmental credentials to the detriment of functionality and cost to the consumer.

The team has now developed a design tool that encapsulates the following principles: the ability to correctly define the performance of product, usability, effectiveness of the method in assessing environmental performance, ability to provide new solutions, possibility to review the design activities, and ability of the method in fitting into a certain design process.

Their tool incorporates the following five steps into a computer program.

1. A product model is defined generically based on existing products on the market.
2. The design team considers what might be improved in the generic model.
3. Suggested improvements are validated based on technical and economic factors and user attractiveness.
4. Environmental performance and ecological indicators are assessed.
5. Design results and experiments are interpreted as a hierarchy and assessed.

“We are convinced that only this type of approach will enable true eco-innovations to emerge,” the team concludes.

Source: Science Daily

Many homeowners here in the mountains of Colorado opt to include some type of outdoor living space in the plans for their home. Enjoying the cool mountain breezes while spending time with family and friends is a favorite activity among many residents here in our region. For us, it is just as important to include eco-friendly materials in outdoor living spaces as it is within the homes we build. Recently, Elle Décor featured a short article on the top trends for eco-friendly flooring materials for outdoor living spaces. If you’re thinking about adding an outdoor living space to your home, you may want to consider using some of these materials for your flooring.

• Gravel – Gravel has been a staple product for landscapers for many years, and it’s expected to make a big comeback this year. Crushed stone is suggested over pea gravel, as pea gravel is a nonrenewable resource.
• Pavers – Pavers made of local stone enhance the look of the native plants in your landscape, plus it’s better for the environment than a stone imported from far away.
• Decomposed Granite – Decomposed granite is very much like sand and is a slight shade of pink, which Elle Décor suggests would be a great accent for outdoor dining rooms.

You can check out more ideas at Elle Décor.

Image Courtesy of Stephen Orr via Elledecor.com.

Figuring out Energy-Efficient Mortgages and Making Room for Green Building Budget No Matter How Big or Small.

Whether you are building on a shoestring or have an abundance to spend on the green design home of your dreams; We must all have a budget for sustainable building and renovation expenses planned out before the real work begins. Like all budgets, a sustainable building/renovation budget will keep your expenses in check and will allow you to make improvements efficiently as possible.

Some of the questions you must ask before starting the green building project is how are you going to pay for it all? Another important question that potential builders and home owners must consider is the federal tax breaks and incentives for green building and remodeling. As President Obama made a point in his 2011 State of the Union address, green building is becoming a core part of the “American Dream” and rightly so. So how do we come up with the money and how do we utilize that money to save us money in the long term?

While some builders might have couple of thousands of dollars in savings, most do not have tens of thousands needed to complete most big green building  jobs. Some of the budget could be offset by loans such as home equity loan or home equity line of credit, says John Barrow and Lisa Iannucci of “Complete Idiots Guide to Green Building and Remodeling”. Good news is there are several specific loans for energy-efficient upgrades like Energy Efficient Mortgages (EEMs) and Energy Improvement Mortgages (EIMs). Both of these options lets homeowners finance such green upgrades as part of their monthly mortgage bill.

Energy Efficient Mortgages

EEM has a regulation that all homeowners should be aware of. In order to qualify for an EEM, homeowners must first have a Home Energy Ratings Systems report on your home by a qualified Home Energy Ratings Systems (HERS) evaluator. A HERS evaluator will come to a potential home for energy upgrade and will determine if the energy-efficient renovations will make sense financially. The rater will also provide home owners and mortgage companies the recommended upgrades and the estimates of such upgrades. To find a HERS evaluator, check out Residential Energy Services Network.

Three different types EEM loans are available which are through Federal Housing Administration (FHA), Veteran’s Administration (VA) and Conventional loans. An EEM can only be applied to single-home and  condominium which is occupant’s primary residence. “One of the primary benefits of an EEM is that it increases the amount of money you can borrow,” says Barrow and Iannucci.  Other benefits of energy-efficient upgrade includes

• It allows homeowners to include the total cost of improvements into the total mortgage amount.
• The value of home will go up due to the energy-efficient upgrade
• Home owners will also get tax-deductible interest on mortgage payments
• Home owners will also benefit from lower heating and cooling cost. According to Georgia power, home’s heating and cooling requirements account for more than 50% of the average monthly energy bill.

Tax Credits for Energy-Efficient Upgrades

Here’s the rundown of 2011 Tax Credit according to Energy Star. It’s important to note that not all Energy Star appliances qualify for a tax credit.

Tax Credit:10% of cost up to $500 or a specific amount from $50 – $300Expires:December 31, 2011Details:Must be an existing home & your principal residence. New construction and rentals do not qualify.Save your receipts and the Manufacturer’s Certification Statement for your records.Submit Form 5695 with your taxes.

For more info, Go to Energy Star Consumer Energy-Efficiency website.

Three Categories of Green Building/Remodeling Cost

There are three different categories of expenses in green building and remodeling: construction costs, verification costs and certification fees, according to Michelle Desiderio, Director of Green Building Programs, NAHB Research Center. “These additional costs may deter builders from considering building a green-certified home,” Desiderio says, “But there are ways to significantly reduce or eliminate additional construction costs — and even reduce typical construction and operational costs”.

• First, figure out where you stand. Check out the free Green Home Scoring Tool provided by NAHB which provide rates for residential green building projects. Consider the frame of the build. Consider using panels or trusses which are both energy and labor efficient. Prefabricated houses are becoming more popular and have the added bonus of thermal efficiency over stick frame.
• “Another simple method for cutting costs is to develop a cut list — a set of cutting instructions and guidelines for your field crew that ensures the material you purchased for a particular application is used for the intended purpose,” says Desiderio.
• Optimizing duct works, placing HVAC systems within the confines of the home, creating smaller living space, designing efficient plumbing system and quality assurance are all key factors of building a great and budget friendly green home or building.

Coming up with a budget for such large task of green building is no easy matter. There are home loans to consider. What upgrades would best suit each home or building. Then there is the bigger matter of paying for it all. With some government relief such as the EEMs and EIMs along with federal tax breaks. Green builders and home owners can find some assistance and relief. As we figured out in Week 1, going small in green building is an important step. Then using Bioclimatic Design for green design phase of building, then debunked some green building myths and now figured out a budget to pay for it all. Next series, we will take a closer look at sustainable materials.

Source: Green Building Elements

Source: The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Green Building and Remodeling, Energy Star, Professional Builder

Photo Source: stockxchange: iprole, svilen001

A recent study conducted by the National Association of Realtors has revealed a great deal of information about the types of neighborhoods Americans wish to live in. The Community Preference Survey showed that an astounding number of Americans would prefer to live in a walkable, mixed-use neighborhood, otherwise known as smart growth neighborhoods, over those that require them to drive between work, home, and recreational activities, according to Residential Design + Build magazine.

The survey’s results revealed that 77 percent of the respondents said they look for neighborhoods with sidewalks and pedestrian-friendly features, while 50 percent noted they would like to see improvements to existing public transportation over new roads and developments. The survey also revealed that consumers would willingly sacrifice square footage space for less driving.

Ron Phipps, the President of the National Association of Realtors, said “Realtors care about improving communities through smart growth initiatives… Realtors understand that different home buyers are looking for all kinds of neighborhood settings and that many home buyers want walkable, transit-accessible communities.”

Image Courtesy of EPA Smart Growth/Flickr via Switchboard.nrdc.org.

Interior design is a multi-aspect career in which technical and creative solutions are related within a structure in order to attain a constructed interior setting. The interior designing procedure follows a coordinated and systematic methodology, including analysis, research, and assimilation of knowledge into the artistic process, whereby the resources and needs of the customer are met in order to create an interior area that satisfies the project objectives.

There is a broad assortment of employment opportunities and working conditions within interior design. Tiny and large businesses frequently hire interior designers to work for them on a regular working time. Designers for smaller companies typically work per job basis or on a contract. Self employed interior designers, which are 26 percent of all interior designers, typically work the largest amount of time. Interior designers frequently work under stress in order to meet deadlines, meet customer’s needs, and stay on the budget. In some situations, licensed experts check the work and authorize it prior to passing the design to the construction permitting or clients for approval. The necessity for a licensed verification and signature differs by relevant legislation, range of work, and locality. Their career has the tendency to involve a huge deal of travelling to visit various studios, locations, or offices and homes of the client. A lot of interior designers are employed by bigger architecture companies. With the assistance of new technology, the procedure of calling clients and getting design options across has become simpler and needs less travel. A number would argue that essential makeovers have reformed interior design from a client viewpoint, making the designing process more exciting and interactive, in a fairly technological yet labour intensive setting.

A theme or style of an interior design is a continuous idea utilized throughout a space in order to create a sense of completeness. Themes are not to be mistaken as design concepts or the higher level party, which involved a deeper comprehension of the architectural framework, the programmatic and the socio-cultural needs of the customer. These styles frequently follow era styles. Examples of these are Art Deco, Indian Mughal, Gothic, English Georgian, Minimalist, Mid Century Modern, International, Feng Shui, Islamic, Victorian, Louis XVI, Louis XV, and a lot more.

The development of interior decoration styles has now bred to include styles not necessarily dependable with a certain era theme permitting the combination of pieces from various eras. Every element has to contribute to function, form, or both and keep up a constant standard of quality and blend to create the wanted design. An interior designer develops an interior and home architecture design for a client that has a theme and style that he mentally relates to and personally likes. For the past ten years, architects, designers, and decorators have been discovering the innovative fixtures that were created post war of the 50s and 60s from the new supplies that were created for military functions. A number of the trendsetters include Herman Miller, Knoll Miller, Ray Eames, and Charles Eames.