Measuring Sustainability Midterm
Generator:
A device that converts mechanical energy into electrical energy
Recycling:
A disposal method that provides some improvement over landfilling and incineration. It extracts materials from the waste stream and processes them so that they can be reused in some way
Natural gas:
A fossil fuel; emissions per unit of heat are lower than oil
LEED Green Building Rating System:
A rating system for buildings developed by the US Green Building Council which certification's provides third-party verification that a building's design, construction, and operation will reduce greenhouse gas emissions, use water and energy efficienty, minimize environmental impact, promote social equity and promote economic viability LEED Prerequisites: While project managers can pick and choose the credits they want to pursue, prerequisites set the minimum requirements that all buildings need to meet in order to achieve LEED certification. Additionally, fulfilling the requirements of prerequisites will not earn points. Think of them as the foundation—without it, you can't construct a building.
Living Building Challenge:
A rating system that intends to move beyond LEED Platinum towards buildings and sites that are truly regenerative and sustainable.
Downcycling:
A recycling/reprocessing practice that involves breaking an item down into its component elements or materials. The quality of the material decreases over time, rather than actual recycling
Bioswales:
A stormwater treatment swale that is planted with native or locally adapted plants
Food miles:
A term that describes how far food travels from where it was grown to where it is eaten
LEED Pilot Credit:
A testing area for new ideas in LEED
Global Warming Potential:
A unit used to compare greenhouse gases, which gives their impact relative to the same mass of carbon dioxide for a particular time horizon
Organic agriculture:
Agriculture that does not use synthetic fertilizers or pesticides; instead, it relies on biological approaches. They use biological methods of controlling weeds and insect pests and techniques of crop rotation that prevent soil from becoming exhausted without the need for applying massive amounts of fertilizer
Low-impact development:
An approach to managing rainwater runoff that emphasizes on-site natural features to protect water quality, by replicating the natural land cover hydrologic regime of watersheds, and addressing runoff close to its source
AASHE's STARS:
An indicator report developed by the Associateon of the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education (AASHE), is used by institutions of higher education to track sustainability indicators
Steam turbine:
Common in power plants and are driven by heat; that heat can come from a nuclear reactor, geothermal heat, a solar concentrator, or from burning biomass, coal, oil, or natural gas
Utility company:
Companies that supply what is considered basic services to the home, such as electricity, gas, water, sewer, etc.
eGrid Subregion:
Different coefficients in regions due to fuels / power plant efficiency
Scope 1 emissions:
Direct emissions from the institution including stationary and mobile fossil fuel and combustion. This includes natural gas, propane, university fleet emissions, and refrigerants.
EA Prerequisite: Fundamental Refrigerant Management
Energy and atmosphere prerequisite: addresses energy use reduction, energy efficiency, and renewable energy sources Intent: Reduce stratospheric ozone depletion Requirements Don't use CFC-based refrigerants in new HVAC&R systems If reusing HVAC&R systems, make a plan to phase out the CFC-based refrigerants Existing small HVAC&R systems with super small amounts of refrigerant are exempt My thoughts:
Living Building Challenge Imperative 3: Habitat Exchange
For each hectare of development, an equal amount of land away from the project site must be set aside in perpetuity through the Institute's Living Future Habitat Exchange Program or an approved Land Trust organization. The minimum offset amount is 0.4 hectare.
Landfill gas (Landfill Methane)
Gas given off by landfill consist of about 50% carbon dioxide, and 50% methane. Anaerobic bacteria gives off methane, a highly potent greenhouse gas, as they metabolize the material. Landfills produce one third of the methane emit in the US, and are the single largest methane source.
LEED Credit Categories
Impact categories developed for LEED v4 underscore how a project can benefit their local communities and our planet. They incentivize pursuing higher-point valued credits and higher certification levels that achieve better environmental economic and social impacts
Scope 2 emissions:
Indirect emissions resulting from electricity, steam, and chilled water purchased by the university from a utility.
Scope 3 emissions:
Indirect emissions that are not directly released on campus, but result from university activities, including student and staff commuting, air travel (including study abroad), business travel, and solid waste disposal
Concentrated Animal Feeding Operation (CAFO):
Industrial-scale yards housing animals at very high densities for feeding prior to slaughter
"Factory farm":
Large scale animal factories
Coastal dead zones:
Less oxygen dissolved in the water is often referred to as a "dead zone" because most marine life either dies, or, if they are mobile such as fish, leave the area. Habitats that would normally be teeming with life become, essentially, biological deserts.
LT Credit: Bicycle Facilities
Location and transportation credit Intent: to promote biking and transportation efficiency, reduce vehicle distance travelled, improve public health by encouraging physical activity Requirements: Design/locate the project within close proximity to bike storage Provide both short and long term bike storage, as well as one on-site shower My thoughts: The shower is a cool idea in theory, but isn't actually used enough to be worth it
MR Credit: Construction and Demolition Waste Management Planning
Materials + Resources: focuses on minimizing embodied energy/impacts of building materials Intent: Reduce construction + demolition waste that is headed to landfill/incineration facilities Required: Recycle/salvage non-hazardous material- calculated in weight or volume If recycling/salvaging is not an option, WTE (Waste to Energy) may work My thoughts: I love the WTE idea because still helping
MR Prerequisite: Construction and Demolition Waste Management Planning
Materials + Resources: focuses on minimizing embodied energy/impacts of building materials Intent: Reduce construction + demolition waste that is headed to landfill/incineration facilities by recovering, reusing, and recycling materials Required: Develop/implement construction and demolition waste management plan Establish waste diversion goals, provide a final report with results My thoughts:
Combined Heat and Power ("CHP") also known as co-generation:
Natural gas as an input, found mostly in industry. Creates heated water (steam) as well as electricity. At Tulane (Our plant provides 5 MW (at one time), Tulane's campus load is 7.5 MW(at one time, including the chiller). So, Tulane also purchases electricity straight from Entergy and goes straight to buildings
Refrigerant:
Often contain hydrofluorocarbons; these refrigerants are used in heat pumps, air conditioning, and refrigeration are extremely potent greenhouse gases, even small leaks result in major global warming potential
U.S.D.A. National Organic Certification Standard
Overall, organic operations must demonstrate that they are protecting natural resources, conserving biodiversity, and using only approved substances.
U.S. EPA's Waste Reduction Model (WARM):
Program created to help solid waste planners and organizations track and voluntarily report greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions reductions from several different waste management practices. WARM calculates and totals GHG emissions of baseline and alternative waste management practices—source reduction, recycling, anaerobic digestion, combustion, composting and landfilling.
LEED Project Checklist:
Project teams use this to track project goals and process
Producer responsibility of "voluntary takeback" approach to waste
Responsibility no longer lies with consumer choices at the back end of a product's life, but with the manufacturer who designed and produced it. Producers are held responsible to reduce consumption and to facilitate reuse and recovery. This shift in thinking explicitly takes into account the full life-cycle cost of each product, including extraction, production, transportation, and disposal
Locavore:
Someone who eats primarily locally produced food
SS Credit: Site Development- Protect or Restore Habitat
Sustainable Sites: emphasizes/encourages the vital relateonships between buildings, ecosystems and their services Intent: conserve existing natural areas, restore damaged ones, promote biodiversity Requirements: preserve and protect 40% of the Greenfield from development + construction activity either through on-site restoration or financial support My thoughts: is financial support the easy way out?
SS Credit: Rainwater Management
Sustainable Sources: emphasizes/encourages the vital relateonships between buildings, ecosystems and their services Intent: Reduce run off volume, improve water quality by replicating natural hydrology Requirements: manage on site, the run-off from the developed site My thoughts: ???
SS Credit: Heat Island Reduction
Sustainable Sources: emphasizes/encourages the vital relateonships between buildings, ecosystems and their services Intent: to minimize the effects on microclimates + human and wildlife habitats by reducing heat islands Requirements: To provide shade over paved areas by using either plant materials energy generation systems Paving materials with a three year aged solar reflectance Parking under cover
Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) :
The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) is a United Nations body, founded in 1988, which evaluates climate change science. The IPCC assesses research on climate change and synthesises it into major 'assessment' reports every 5-7 years
Methane:
The primary component of natural gas; absorbs the sun's heat, and warms the atmosphere; comes from trash in landfills, cows
Living Building Challenge Imperative 2: Urban Agriculture
The project must integrate opportunities for agriculture appropriate to its scale and density using the Floor Area Ratio (FAR) as a basis for calculation. The table below outlines the mandatory agricultural requirements for all projects. Single-family homes must also demonstrate the capacity to store at least a two-week supply of food.
Climate Action Plan:
The steps for setting up a program to reduce greenhouse gas emissions: 1- make a plan, 2- measure; that is, prepare a greenhouse gas inventory, 3- reduce emissions, and 4- offset the emissions that remain
LEED Credits:
These are what truly set your building apart from the rest. You are free to go for any credit you want within your chosen rating system, as long as it applies to your project type. Certain credits pair well with certain prerequisites or even other credits—we call that an integrated process—which amounts to synergistic benefits.
Chiller:
Uses electricity to cool water; filtered water goes into the chiller from a well, chilled water goes into/onto the campus, and waste heat is released in the coding tower
WE Prerequisite: Outdoor Water Use Reduction
Water efficiency: "Efficiency first" approach to water conservation Intent: Reduce outdoor water use Requirements: Reduce outdoor water use either through: No irrigation required 30% reduced irrigation
WE Credit: Outdoor Water Use Reduction
Water efficiency: "Efficiency first" approach to water conservation Intent: Reduce outdoor water use Requirements: Reduce outdoor water use either through: No irrigation required At least 50% reduction in irrigation; based on site's peak watering month
Carbon Offset
a certificate representing the reduction of one metric ton (2,205 lbs) of carbon dioxide emissions, the principal cause of climate change.
Solar reflectance index (SRI):
a measure of the constructed surface's ability to stay cool in the sun by reflecting solar radiation and emitting thermal radiation. It is defined such that a standard black surface (initial solar reflectance 0.05, initial thermal emittance 0.90) has an initial SRI of 0, and a standard white surface (initial solar reflectance 0.80, initial thermal emittance 0.90) has an initial SRI of 100. To calculate the SRI for a given material, obtain its solar reflectance and thermal emittance via the Cool Roof Rating Council Standard (CRRC-1). SRI is calculated according to ASTM E 1980. Calculation of the aged SRI is based on the aged tested values of solar reflectance and thermal emittance.
Zero Waste:
a philosophy that encourages the redesign of resource life cycles so that all products are reused. The goal is for no trash to be sent to landfills or incinerators. The process recommended is one similar to the way that resources are reused in nature.
Waste-to-energy (WTE):
a process of generating energy in the form of electricty, sometimes by capturing methane and using it within the gas turbines to generate power Materials recovery facility (MRF, pronounced 'murf'): the location where materials collected for recycling are transported and sorted
Emissions factor (aka Emissions Coefficient) :
a representative value that attempts to relate the quantity of a pollutant released to the atmosphere with an activity associated with the release of that pollutant.
Green infrastructure:
a soil- and vegetation- based approach to wet weather management that is cost-effectivee, sustainable, and environmentally friendly. Green infrastructure management approaches and technologys infiltrate, evapotranspire, capture and reuse stormwater to maintain or restore natural hydrologies
Porous pavement (aka permeable pavement):
a specific type of pavement with a high porosity that allows rainwater to pass through it into the ground below.
Greenhouse gas emissions inventory:
a type of emission inventory that are developed for a variety of reasons. Scientists use inventories of natural and anthropogenic (human-caused) emissions as tools when developing atmospheric models. Policy makers use inventories to develop strategies and policies for emissions reductions and to track the progress of those policies.
Heat Island Effect:
built up areas that are hotter than nearby rural areas. The annual mean air temperature of a city with 1 million people or more can be 1.8-5.4°F (1-3°C) warmer than its surroundings. In the evening, the difference can be as high as 22°F (12°C). Heat islands can affect communities by increasing summertime peak energy demand, air conditioning costs, air pollution and greenhouse gas emissions, heat-related illness and mortality, and water quality. Potable water: Drinking water
Synthetic nitrogen fertilizer:
came into wide use after World War II, helped prompt the agricultural revolution that has allowed the Earth to feed its seven billion people. However, this synthetic fertilizer is carried in runoff from farmland intro streams, lakes, and oceans, and are increasing/creating dead zones in our coastal waters
Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) :
develops certification standards for wild-capture fisheries, with the goal of protecting both the health of the oceans and fishing-related livelihoods. The MSC eco-label indicates that the labeled seafood was captured from an MSC-certified sustainable fishery and was segregated from non-certified seafood
Fourth National Climate Assessment (NCA4) NCA4:
done by Federal Agencies, NASA, NOAA US Global Change Research program. Designed to be an authoritative assessment of the science of climate change, with a focus on the United States, to serve as the foundation for efforts to assess climate-related risks and inform decision-making about responses.
Montreal Protocol:
finalized in 1987, is a global agreement to protect the stratospheric ozone layer by phasing out the production and consumption of ozone-depleting substances (ODS). The stratospheric ozone layer filters out harmful ultraviolet radiation, which is associated with an increased prevalence of skin cancer and cataracts, reduced agricultural productivity, and disruption of marine ecosystems.
Fossil fuels:
fuels/substances that provide energy- dug out of the earth. Found in three forms: oil, natural gas, and coal. Oil and natural gas = hydrocarbons, made up of hydrogen and carbon. Coal is a solid material + also contains carbon and hydrogen, mostly carbon + releases the most carbon dioxide per unit of energy of all fossil fuels
Greenhouse gases (GHGs):
gases that trap heat in the atmosphere
Sanitary landfill
modern landfills that use methods intended to keep surroundings clean by preventing leaks into soil and water
CFCs:
nontoxic, nonflammable chemicals containing atoms of carbon, chlorine, and fluorine. They are used in the manufacture of aerosol sprays, blowing agents for foams and packing materials, as solvents, and as refrigerants.
Greenfield:
open space that gas never been built upon.
Rain gardens:
planted depressions in the landscape, small basins where stormwater runoff is allowed to collect temporarily as it infiltrates into the soils below
Native species or native vegetation:
plants that are either native to the region or have adapted to the region and require little to no irrigation
Stormwater runoff:
rainfall that flows over the ground surface. It is created when rain falls on roads, driveways, parking lots, rooftops and other paved surfaces that do not allow water to soak into the ground. Stormwater runoff is the number one cause of stream impairment in urban areas.
Carbon footprint:
the amount of carbon dioxide and other carbon compounds emitted due to the consumption of fossil fuels by a particular person, group, etc.
Embedded energy (aka embodied energy) :
the energy that is required to produce, transport, and dispose of a product
Solar reflectance (SR):
the fraction of solar energy that is reflected by a surface on a scale of 0 to 1. Black paint has a solar reflectance of 0; white paint (titanium dioxide) has a solar reflectance of 1. The standard technique for its determination uses spectrophotometric measurements, with an integrating sphere to determine the reflectance at each wavelength. Determine the SR of a material by using the Cool Roof Rating Council Standard (CRRC-1).
Carbon Dioxide Equivalent:
the metric or final unit of a GHG inventory. A measure used to compare or total the emissions from various greenhouse gases based upon the global warming potential (GWP)
LEED v4
the newest version of the world's premier benchmark for high-performance green buildings. With contiguous improvement as an integral part of its DNA, LEED is a market driven green building rating system. LEED v4 has ushered in substantial changes to make LEED more accessible to a wider range of building and space types so they can achieve higher levels of environmental sustainability, while also making more flexible for projects outside of the United States to adopt LEED and achieve LEED certification
U.S. Green Building Council:
the organization behind the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) standards to measure the "greenness" of buildings.
Leachate:
the water that picks up contaminates as it flows through the soil
"Adapted species" (in LEED):
vegetation that is not native to a particular region but that has characteristics that allow it to live in the area. Adapted plants do not pose the same problems as invasive species.
Municipal solid waste (MSW):
waste included from households, offices, institutions, and small businesses. Almost 1/3 of the weight of MSW consists of discarded packaging materials. MSW is collected and treated by municipalities and is so-named because it is the responsibility of the local governments
Stormwater:
water that falls as rain