Intro to Sustainability and the Built Environment

Non-point source pollution

Result of the combined effect from various sources. Unspecific source of pollution, such as run off.

Sustainable Sites (SS Leed Certification)

types of plants included at site, capturing rainwater, project site factors

What does the LEED acronym stand for?

Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design

What is the LEED rating system called

Leed BD&C v4 Credit categories

Green Building Market Drivers

Market distinction, Media exposure, market value, reduced operating costs, value of property, reduced maintenance, shareholder value, stewardship, health and productivity of occupants

Irrigation

A way of supplying water to an area of land

What are causes of the anthropocene?

Greenhouse gases,

When did they discover a hole in the ozone layer?

In 1985 a hole was discovered above Antarctica. The ozone layer protects harmful solar radiation from hitting our planet.

What is the Montreal Protocol?

1989 A global environmental policy outlawed the manufacturing of CFC's (Chlorofluorocarbons) often used in refrigerants that caused a hole in the ozone layer. The ban started in 1989 but the damage was done and kept on growing until 2006 until it started shrinking. 2010 we saw it finally start to repair.

National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA)

A 1970 U.S. federal act that mandates an environmental assessment of all projects involving federal money or federal permits.

Green Star Rating

A Green Star rating incorporates the design, construction, indoor environmental quality, energy, water, transport, land use, emissions and innovation in design. Integrating whole green building standards

What is a green building?

A facility using environmentally friendly materials and technologies in an effort to conserve natural and man made resources. Site Planning, indoor environmental quality, material use, energy, water management.

Entropy

A measure of disorder or randomness. Energy that is available before transformation is more ordered than after.

What is biomimicry?

A new science that studies nature's models and then uses these designs and processes to solve human problems.

Greenguard Certification

A program that gives assurance that products designed for use in indoor spaces meet strict chemical emissions limits, which contributes to the creation of healthier interiors and gives credence to manufacturers sustainability claims with empirical scientific data from an unbiased, third-party organization.

Formaldehyde

A type of VOC. An air pollutant that is a colorless chemical used to manufacture building materials and many household products, such as particleboard, hardwood plywood paneling, and urea-formaldehyde foam insulation.

Describe Abiotic and biotic factors that make up the environment.

Abiotic are non living factors like rocks wind and dirt. Biotic are living like people or plants.

2nd Law of Thermodynamics (entropy)

All complex systems on earth are subject to... Things move from highly energized (organized) to less energized (organized). Moved to disorder.

What is the biosphere?

All the earth's ecosystems. The interaction amongst organisms land air and water.

ANSI

American National Standards Institute: A private, non-profit organization that coordinates the development and use of voluntary consensus standards in the United States. for consumer safety and buildings

What is the Kyoto Protocol?

An international treaty formed by the UNFCCC or FCCC aimed to fight global warming. Was adopted in 1997 in Kyoto, Japan. "The stabilization of greenhouse gas concentrations in the atmosphere at the level that would prevent dangerous anthropogenic interference with the climate system. USA is the only country to have not signed the treaty.

What is LEED?

An internationally recognized green building certification system, providing third party verification that a building or community was designed and built using strategies aimed at improving performance across all the metrics that matter most: energy savings, water efficiency, CO2 emissions reduction, improved indoor environmental quality, and stewardship of resources and sensitivity to their impacts. -USGBC

Velcro technology made by studying the way lizards stick to surfaces is an example of what?

Biomimicry

What is the name of the report that defined the 3 pillars of sustainability as we use them today?

Brundtland Report

Who coined the term Spaceship Earth?

Buckminster Fuller. Explained as the concern of limited resources on earth. Also the creator Geometric Dome is based on geometry using the least amount of materials to reduce waste.

Greenhouse gases

Build up of unnatural gases such as carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide, water vapor, and ozone in the atmosphere which are involved in the greenhouse effect.

What is the main source of C02 submission?

Burning fossil fuels

What caused the hole in the Ozone layer?

CFC's -Chlorofluorocarbons. found in refrigerants and air conditions.

Clean Water Act

CWA under the EPA protects water quality. safe drinking water, bans the use of lead in pipes and protects different waterways

What is vernacular architecture?

Category of architecture base on local needs, construction materials, and local traditions; evolves over time to reflect environmental, cultural, technological, economic and historical context in which it exists; organic (natural growth; not designed)

LEED

Certain amount of preliminary requirements to even begin to be considered to be leed certified. Professional accredited program a tool for people to know about what's in the buildings we inhabit and the health effect on the planet.

List the levels of LEED certification for most accredited to least

Certified (40-49 points) Silver (50-59 points) Gold (60-79 points) Platinum (80+ points)

In LEED credit weightings, the most important impact category is:

Climate Change, is weighted more heavily and will allow a building to achieve more points

Fossil fuels

Coal, oil, natural gas, and other fuels that are ancient remains of plants and animals.

Hydrocarbons

Compounds composed of only carbon and hydrogen. Burning them causes greenhouse gases. Made up of fossil fuels, coal, petroleum

Who is Rachel Carson?

Considered the Mother of the Modern Sustainability Movement. She determined the harm of pesticides which led to the national ban of DDT (probable carcinogen). Started EPA (Environmental Protection Agency) Author of Silent Spring.

SS Prerequisite 1

Construction Activity Pollution Prevention Certain things that you have to achieve to be eligible for a credit towards your leed certification

Point source pollution

Direct cause and effect pollutant. A specific source/thing of pollution; one that can be identified as the lone source of pollution (i.e. smoke stacks)

Climate Change

Documented by recording mean annual global temperatures and the rise in sea levels due to receding glaciers. A change in global or regional climate patterns that refer to the heating a cooling of the earth's temperatures

What are some strategies for saving water and reducing indoor potable water use?

Dual Flush toilets, Aerators on faucets, using captured rainwater on toilets

Federal Act that regulate VOC's

EPA (Environmental Protection Agency)

What is Ecology?

Ecology is the scientific study of interactions of organisms and their physical environment. How abiotic and biotic factors interact.

Green buildings can reduce...

Energy use, C02 emissions, water use, solid waste

EPA

Environmental Protection Agency- federal government agency created for the purpose of protecting human health and the environment. Enforces laws that are passed to protect the environment. Started in 1970

Energy and Atmosphere (EA LEED Certification)

Everything having to do with reducing energy, passive design strategies better insulation, special personals coming in to access the building, better light builds, electricity, renewable energy

Smog

Fog or haze combined with smoke and other atmospheric pollutants. Measured in parts per million. Increases in summerime with added heat of the season.

GBCI

Green Business Certification Inc. - Administers the admin of buildings getting certified. They judge the buildings and give you the certification. gives a more third party separations make LEED more valued.

HPD

Health Product Declaration - A standardized way Manufacturers can declare what is in their products and how will it affect its users health. Health impact

Living Building Challenge

Highest Standard of Green BUilding rating system. It is more rigorous than LEED and other green certification schemes. Creates a building that doesn't need energy or creates more energy than is needed. Create self sufficient buildings. Believes buildings should function like a flower. Categories are called Petals. Initiatives are not operational like LEED. Create regenerative output.

Describe Environmental ethics

Human beliefs about what is right or wrong with how we treat the environment.

Green Building Council

In the US who gives the annual awards for leadership in environmentally sensitive design?

Leed core credit categories

Integrative design (ID) Location and transportation (LT) Sustainable Sites (SS) Water Efficiency (WE) Energy and Atmosphere (EA) MAterials and Resources (MR) Indoor Environmental Quality (IEQ) Innovation in Design (ID) Regional Priority (RP)

What is an Ecosystem?

Interactions among populations in a community and the community's physical surroundings and abiotic factors.

What is ISO?

International Organization for Standardization - Life Cycle assessment of materials

ISO

International Standardization Organization. Creates national standards for performances, for buildings and for products for over 162 countries

Who is Victor Papanek?

Is world renowned for his perspectives regarding sustainable design. Designs products through the lenses of human ecology, nature and social change. Master of sustainable philosophy.

Why is night-time light pollution a problem?

It can adversely affect sleep and migration patterns of nocturnal animals. It limits our view of the night sky. It can affect our safety as it takes time for human eyes to adjust from dark to light surroundings, but this is not all.

Ozone

O3 - A form of oxygen that has three oxygen atoms in each molecule instead of the usual two.

What are VOC's

Organic Compounds that mimic compounds that your body can absorb. Will easily merge with you bodies tissue.

What are some cause of heat island effect?

Parking Lots, Asphalt Roads, Dark Roofs

Energy Information Administration (EIA)

Part of the Department of Energy, it is responsible for collecting, analyzing, and disseminating information on the full spectrum of energy resources

What is the triple bottom line of Sustainability?

People (Social performance), Planet (environmental performance), Profit (economic performance). Solutions that are equitable and sustainable.

What is the difference between people and buildings regarding LEED certification?

People become accredited (by taking exams) and Buildings become certified

What is the Red List?

Projects cannot contain chemicals of carcinogens found in majority of building products. None of you building can include these materials in the Green Building challenge.

Acid Rain

Rain containing acids that form in the atmosphere when industrial gas emissions (especially sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxides) combine with water.

Which one single sustainable strategy in building design can have a ripple effect on all of the other needs of a building?

Reduced building footprint and the square footage. the size of a building affects the amount of material needed, maintenance, embodied energy, how much energy is needed to heat, cool, and light the place, site disturbance and more. The smaller the building the better the environmental impact.

Water Efficiency (WE LEED Certification)

Reducing the amount of water needed in the building, through plumbing and irrigation system

What are the seven different petals of the Living Building Challenge?

Site (place)- reestablishing the balance between nature and the built environment. limits the amount of spaced used. creating healthy atmosphere for birds and plants Water- must create a closed loop to capture rain water and treat water on site Energy- net zero energy, use renewable energy and reduces the amount needed. Health- biophilic design. maximising physical and psychological health Materials - no materials used that are typically unhealthy Equity- holds dignity of members. access for everyone in place (not possible in a gated community) Beauty- design the space to be beautiful and inspired by nature

Sick Building Syndrome (SBS)

Situation in which building occupants experience acute health and comfort effects that appear to be linked to time spent in a building but no specific illness or cause can be identified. Potential sources come from things like mildew, poor air quality, toxic materials etc.

Effects of The 1973 Oil Crisis

Started in 1973 when OPEC declared embargo. forced the redesign of cars to run more efficiently and save gas.

Regional Priority (RP LEED Certification)

Strategy that is more important to a specific region

Biophilia

The biophilia hypothesis suggests that humans possess an innate tendency to seek connections with nature and other forms of life. "the urge to affiliate with other forms of life"

Who is John Mere?

The father of our National Park System.

What is the cause of climate change?

The greenhouse effect

Anthropocene

The modern geological era during which humans have dramatically affected the environment. Human activity has been the dominant influence on changes to the climate and the environment.

ureaformaldehyde

The most harmful type. A combination of urea and formaldehyde used in some glues; may emit formaldehyde at room temperature

Describe Systems Analysis

The study of elements and the interactions among them. The elements can be abstract concepts. elements in a system are interrelated and interdependent.

Greenhouse effect

The warming of the surface and lower atmosphere of the Earth that occurs when water vapor, carbon dioxide, and gases absorb and radiate thermal energy.

How are we exposed to VOC's and other toxins? What is the pathway of exposure?

Through materials used in buildings or toxins that are released into our surroundings. Pathways of exposure include, breathing in, taken in by mouth and absorbing through skin.

Solid Waste Disposal Act

To find better and more efficient ways to dispose of solid waste; promotes shredding and separation of waste and burning of remaining materials to produce stream or generate electricity; promotes recycling.

USGBC

U.S. Green Building Council- founders of LEED- help administer LEED ceritfiations

Indoor Environmental Quality (IE LEED Certification)

Views, air quality and daylight or use of materials that are low emitting. HVAC systems

What does VOC stand for?

Volatile Organic Compounds

Heat Island Effect

Warmer temps are experienced in urban landscapes due to solar energy retention on constructed surfaces. Principal surfaces include streets, sidewalks, parkings lots and bldgs.

Location and Transportation (LT Leed Certification)

Where you chose to build your site. is there public transportation available? bike racks? away from sensitive areas?

What is the Brudtland report?

Written in 1987. Defines sustainability as a development which meets the needs of the present generation without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their needs.

What is xeriscaping?

Xeriscaping is a practice of installing native and drought tolerant plants and landscape features to eliminate the need for irrigation

Global Warming/Climate Change

a gradual increase in the overall temperature of the earth's atmosphere generally attributed to the greenhouse effect caused by increased levels of carbon dioxide, chlorofluorocarbons, and other pollutants.

Energy Star

a program which provides certification to buildings and consumer products which meet certain standards of energy efficiency.

What is a GREENFIELD site?

a site that has not been previously developed

Installing an irrigation drip system is a type of what?

a solution to save water for outdoor irrigation

Innovation in Design (ID LEED Certification)

divided into two sections 1: Exemplary performance- above and beyond a strategy 2: Actual innovative strategies. something that is not necessarily covered in the rating system

Integrated Design (ID- Leed Certification)

pre design strategy where a design team is brought together to review the functions of pre designing a green building.

population growth

increase in the number of people who inhabit a territory or state

Biological Agents

living organisms that invade the host like cigarette smoke, mold

Cradle to Cradle

management of a resource that considers the impact of its use at every stage of the process. While cycle analysis. Waste = food.

What are the three pillars of Sustainability?

social, environmental, economic

ocean acidification

when CO2 dissolves in seawater, it reacts with water to form carbonic acid, which lowers ocean pH and puts ocean ecosystems at risk

Materials and Resources (MR LEED Certification)

where do materials come from? are they purchased regionally. what are their lifecycle?