greenerMIAMI

Hold The Line and Residents Win State Support!

Will Miami Dade Commissioners Gamble Away our County Budget?

Dear Friends:

The Florida Department of Community Affairs' (DCA) received thousands of comments from Hold the Line activists and responded by strongly opposing Miami-Dade County's ill advised efforts to develop outside our Urban Development Boundary (UDB).

If County Commissioners do not rescind these amendments, the DCA's lawsuit could cost the county half a million dollars in legal costs.

Let's keep the pressure on! Please tell Miami Dade Commissioners that it is wrong to waste our taxpayer dollars to help private development interests!

It is critical that Commissioners hear from as many residents as possible.  Please share this email with friends, colleagues and family and encourage phone calls. Your participation today could stop Lennar's new proposal for 7,000 homes outside our UDB!

Thank you for your dedication!  Together we CAN win!

Sincerely,

Dawn Shirreffs

 

 

Dawn Shirreffs
Progam Coordinator
Clean Water Action
Clean Water Fund
www.cleanwater.org

Publix to Open Green Supermarket

During Serve to Preserve: A Summit on Global Climate Change on Friday, one of the leaders of Publix was part of a leadership roundtable. He told us that in addition to researching solar energy, Publix is "looking at alternative [methods] of refrigeration and air conditioning." He also stated that Publix is"recognizing that it's good for business and it's also good for the environment," which was really one of the general themes of the conference overall. He continued, "Something else that's been a real benefit since we've gotten into this is: we employ about 140,000 people in five states in the Southeast and what we're learning is that young people that we appeal to for employment, what we find is that they expect business to do a good job..."

And so it goes that Publix continues its foray into specialty stores. In September, the first Publix Greenwise Market will open in September in Palm Beach Gardens. They are attempting LEED certification on the building, organic certification for prepared foods, and more. Miami's not next on the list for a Greenwise Market, however: Boca Raton, Tampa & Vero Beach stores are planned to open after the Palm Beach Gardens branch.

Just last month, Publix received the Sustainable Large Business Best Practice Award from the Council for Sustainable Florida. Specific programs that Publix submitted with their application for the award include:

Get into a Green Routine, a Publix program launched in 2002 to educate associates on energy conservation. Since launching, the company has succeeded in reducing electricity usage by an average of 7 percent overall and approximately 23 percent in new stores.

Publix reduce-and-reuse before recycling program, where plastic is re-used for the shipping of product. Recycling efforts in 2006, lead Publix to recycle more than 209,000 tons of cardboard and 7,600 tons of plastic.

Okay Publix, we're listening. Now let's see how you can really affect change and get your customers to bring their own bags. How about charging for bags like IKEA does? Or putting out more "loose" fruits & veggies, instead of packaging them in Styrofoam & plastic wrap? Or labeling foods so that we can tell which ones (if any) are local?

Upcoming: Mayor's Green Building Forum

There will be another Mayor's Green Building Forum this month, held at Miami City Hall. The event will be held on Monday, January 29, 2007 at 4pm in the Miami City Commission Chambers (map). Please RSVP at 305.250.5455 by January 25.

Deforestation & Architecture

Post contributed by architect Luis Bentancor. Below is an excerpt of an article he wrote called Deforestation & Architecture. This section is actually the final section of the article, discussing how architecture and deforestation are related, and what can be done to improve the situation. Para leerlo en español, visita Todo Arquitectura.

Architecture

If at first sight architecture does not seem to be related with what was exposed, in reality it is, and in a serious way.

In the industrialized countries from North America, Scandinavia and in many Pacific countries, wood is the most common material for the constructions of homes.  And wood is always used in diverse and varied ways in all the stages of the construction process in the world.

According to the World Watch Institute based in Washington, 25% of the wood extracted from the forests is used for construction purposes.  Because it is clear that architecture plays an important role in the demand for wood, it has its share of responsibility in the deforestation process. 

Architecture, therefore, can contribute in a significant way to the diminution and prevention of this process.

How can architecture help fight the problem of deforestation and its consequences? It can in many ways in all the stages of the architectural process; from design to construction and until the end of the building’s life.  Certain measures can be taken in this regard, some of them are:

• Specifying certified wood. 
• During the construction process a plan can be elaborated to separate all the resulting debris, among them wood, so they can be then taken to recycling plants. 
• It is possible to construct new buildings taking advantage of certain elements from old buildings.  Structural elements, floors, windows and others wood elements that are still in good condition in abandoned buildings can be re-adapted in new projects, and can generally be acquired at a very low cost.
• In remodeling projects trying to save and use the largest amount possible of existing wood elements from the building.
• When a demolition is carried out, it is important to save the elements, which can be reused in other projects.  This measure, together with the other three mentioned, decrease the demand of new wood. 
• When new buildings or urbanizations are designed, adapt the design to the existing trees and include them in the new project, instead of cutting them and totally clean the terrain.
• Wood can be substituted for other alternative materials that are found in the region.  For example, in many countries where there is a lot of bamboo, this material is an important construction material, and if we take in account that pine trees take 40 years to produce one cubic meter of wood and bamboo after 5 years can be a usable material, it is obvious that the use of this last material is a much more sustainable option. 

Applying these measures, architecture contributes to the diminution of deforestation.

Saving the world from deforestation and its terrible consequences is not achieved by applying a few isolated measures, but with the combination of those small isolated measures that each inhabitant of the planet can carry out on a daily basis and in his/her professional activity.  Architecture professionals have the ability and the responsibility to contribute in the attainment of this objective.

*Primary forests are those that have existed untouched by humans and/or other sorts of disturbances during periods of time larger than the normal life period of their mature trees. 

To read the remainder of this article, which actually precedes this section, please click the link below.

Mayor's Green Building Forum

Post contributed by local commercial realtor and green building enthusiast Bryan Wasmer Dempsey, ESQ.

The City of Miami addressed the pressing issues of climate change, resource depletion and energy security last Friday, December 8th with the “Mayor’s Green Building Forum” at the downtown campus of Miami-Dade Community College. The event heralded Mayor Manny Diaz’s first public foray into the green building movement as he voiced the City’s intent to become one of the greenest cities in the country.  Mayor Diaz really seemed to grasp the urgency of developing "green".  He, and a couple of the other speakers, dropped small hints that green building elements will soon begin to be incorporated in the City of Miami planning and design programs. 

The Mayor was followed by the keynote speaker, Rick Fedrizzi, President, CEO and Founding Chairman of the U.S. Green Building Council.  Mr. Fedrizzi gave an impressive presentation, chalk-full of statistics on the health, environmental and economic benefits of green building. William Holly, whose Green Miami building just broke ground the other day was a guest speaker as well. Also in attendance, local non-profit Dream in Green.

The standing room only crowd of interested parties included; engineers, architects, developers, non-profits, commercial real estate professionals, and local media. The desire for further illumination into Miami’s possible future green building practices and prerequisites was evident by the number of questions addressed to the Mayor and panel ranging from incentives to standards to administration.

My personal opinion of the forum was that, although it was long overdue for Miami, it was a good start with what felt like a lot of enthusiasm on behalf of the Mayor and the attendees.  The Mayor made several bold statements, including his desire to make Miami one of the leaders in green building.  The green momentum was palpable.  Let’s hope that it continues and that the City of Miami carries through.

Learn more about contributing articles to greenerMIAMI.

LEED Building Breaks Ground Tomorrow

Transit Miami's got the story of the first LEED building of Miami - scheduled to break ground tomorrow. He's not quite pleased, though. Too much parking...there's a new complaint! I see his point, though. What do you think?

Green Building for Design District

I heard about this recently at the FIU Green Building Conference. A green tower for Miami. See in the circles at the top? Wind power...

Young Talent Redefines Design

Several local organizations have teamed up to sponsor a green building contest, and it all culminates on Wednesday with a lecture from Metropolis Mag's Susan Szenasy along with the announcement of the competition winner.

If you go to the event, you can check out all of the contest entries on display. Here's some info what the students were asked to create:

This student design competition has challenged students to tackle what the developer-driven building industry in South Florida has not - a green high-rise. The students are applying the principles of integrated design, sustainability, innovation, and social consciousness by preparing plans for a LEED Platinum building for an urban site in downtown Miami.  The project will consist of a high-rise tower on an existing site at the mouth of the Miami River.  The program includes a mix of residential and commercial spaces and will force students to address the current concerns and real-world problems in the design of green buildings in an urban setting located in a hot and humid climate.  The site is also considered an active archaeological site and respect must be given to the Miami Circle.

Here's some info on the Miami Circle if you'd like to know more about the "active archaeological site".

The event should be interesting. The speaker is well respected in her field, and seeing the competition entries would be exciting. I found a bio on Susan Szenasy here, which tells us:

In 1986 Susan S. Szenasy was named chief editor of Metropolis, the New YorkCity-based magazine of architecture, culture, and design. During her 17 years as Editor-in-Chief, the magazine has gained international recognition and has won numerous awards. Susan's training in design journalism was on the job. Beginning with Interiors magazine, she rose from a junior position of editorial assistant to senior editor; then she was named chief editor of Residential Interiors, the short-lived offspring of Interiors. Susan is the author of several books on design, including The Home and Light. She holds an MA degree in Modern European History from Rutgers University and teaches design history and design ethics at New York's Parsons School of Design. She is a frequent lecturer and panel moderator on broad-ranging design topics, and the guiding light behind Metropolis's Conferences (which she also facilitates), including Wonderbrands, Wonderbrands West, Net@Work,Business UnUsual, Teaching Green and Design Entrepreneurs. She is the co-founder of R.Dot (Rebuild Downtown Our Town), a coalition of New Yorkers who came together after the 9/11 tragedies to contribute their expertise to building the 21st century metropolis at the site of the former World Trade Center.

Event details: Wed, Nov 1 at 6:30pm, UM School of Architecture. $10 for non-students/non-members.

What's Green in Miami Today?

How green is Miami? I would argue that it is greener than yesterday and greening more everyday. I haven't even been able to post regular content lately, as I have been promoting green events left and right. I can guarantee that the desire to be green is alive and well in this southern city. Is action following? I believe if it is not already, it soon will.

Rick gave me a tip of the "Daring to be Green?" article in today's Herald. (When there are green articles, please let me know...I do not follow the paper as I should.) The gist of the article is summed up by this single line, "Now, the trend of environment-friendly building may, just may, finally be reaching South Florida -- where not a single building has been certified green to date."

Yes, it has taken a long time for the green movement to travel to the end of I-95 to reach our great city, but it has arrived. I attended the Simple Solar Solutions workshop last week. It was a full house of around 200 people, with at least another 100 watching the live webcast from the MDC Kendall campus. I learned probably more than I ever wanted to know about solar panels, including the fact that they don't like to be hot. What? I know. I also learned that there has been a solar panel company located near downtown Miami for 20 years, Sun Electronics. Additionally, I learned about all of the rebates currently being offered for solar systems in residential and commercial use...and they are pretty good. I will post my complete notes in a couple of days.

In the meantime, it's time to promote another event that is happening this afternoon/evening. This is going to be a good one: Re-Energize America Town Hall Meeting.

Miami Town Hall to Address Oil Dependence and Global Warming

Speakers Will Highlight Solutions to Energy Crisis

With volatile energy prices and concern about rapidly accelerating global warming, Floridians are asking hard questions about our energy future.

On Monday, October 16, Mayor Manny Diaz, Senator Bob Graham and representatives from the faith, policy and environmental communities will come together for a town hall meeting to highlight solutions for America’s oil addiction and global warming.

The participants come from diverse backgrounds and demonstrate the growing support for Re-Energize America, a nonpartisan campaign with a goal to create a new energy future for America.

It's at UM's Storer Auditorium. I'll be there. If you would like to meet, send me an email and I'll give you my cell number.

 

Green Building Conference

Wow, anyone else out there starting to feel like they live in a city that really cares about the environment? The amount of green events in Miami lately has been overwhelming. Today, I have even more information about another upcoming green event.

FIU, Biscayne Bay Campus, is holding a Green Building Conference on Friday, November 3. Called, Green Buildings & Sustainable Construction: A Road Map for the Future, you will need to pre-register for the conference. It costs $50 per person, with a discount for USGBC members.

The conference is being hosted by FIU's Institute for Technology Innovation & Canadian General Consulate of Miami.

The event is described as follows:

This event will bring together corporate leaders from our community in industries such as real estate, land development, construction, and architecture, as well as experts in climate, green technology, and the environment, focusing on three areas:

• New technologies and construction practices that decrease the energy footprint of buildings.  This will cover construction materials, energy and water use, and management practices.
• The future of government environmental regulations at the local, national, international levels as well as emerging industry standards and certifications.
• The future of global climate change and the effects this has on construction and building management strategies

View more event details and RSVP. The view the flier above, simply click on the image.