Driving Social Equity in New Orleans: Historic Green 2009

After the devastation wreaked by Hurricane Katrina in 2005, the Holy Cross Neighborhood Association of New Orleans’ Lower Ninth Ward committed to carbon neutrality by 2020 and climate neutrality by 2030. In an area where 85 percent of buildings are listed in the national or local historic registries, the USGBC-sponsored Historic Green program was a welcome effort.

The aim of Historic Green is to revitalize communities through heritage conservation and sustainable action in a 100 percent volunteer effort. The second annual event was held March 10-20. Volunteers engaged the community in the construction of rain gardens to control run-off, installation of radiant barrier insulation, education sessions on money savings through energy conservation, sustainable deconstruction of buildings beyond repair, and the incorporation of recovered materials into new buildings, among other projects.

Spearheaded by leaders from USGBC’s Emerging Green Builders national committee, the volunteer team doubled from the inaugural year in 2008 to 400 in 2009 – some $600,000 in donated labor. An estimated savings of 752,540 kilowatt hours (or $87,860) was delivered to residents this year. In addition to USGBC, Historic Green also received support from the Make it Right Foundation, Preservation Resource Center, CSED and The Salvation Army.

The program is scheduled for March 9-20 next year and is expected to expand in scope. Ryan Evans, EGB representative to the Chapter Steering Committee, writes, “Our plans call for another 10 years of projects in the most devastated, historic neighborhoods of the city. And we will keep planning if you will keep coming. See you in 2010!”

Read original article in USGBC Chapters Update August 2009 Newsletter

**Susannah Tuttle, Co-founder & Partner of Trace Collaborative has served as Chair of the Board of Directors for Historic Green and continues to volunteer with the organization.

**Trace Collaborative is a proud sponsor of Historic Green in both 2008 & 2009 at the $25,000 Gold Level. For more information on how to support this work visit:
http://www.historicgreen.org/sponsors.php

Don't Be Afraid of Prefab

From Trace Collaborative Intern Katie Truncellito

There are a number of trends that can be seen in the housing market today: (1) we see an increasing number of smaller (or occasionally referred to as appropriately sized) houses, (2) that people are finding it trendy to have green products in their homes (even though we know that individual products alone don’t lead to a truly “green” lifestyle), and (3) that LEED certified houses and neighborhoods are becoming more popular with communities.

Housing is a tricky topic in the U.S. The typical and celebrated “American Dream” is one of the contributors that has left our environment in need of repair. Maybe we don’t really need that 4-car garage and game room. Maybe we don’t actually need to separate our houses just enough to have a sliver of wasted green space so that we can call it a “single-family-home”. And maybe, just maybe, that imported marble countertop doesn’t need to come from Italy… maybe a recycled local product could be just as beautiful and a lot healthier for the environment.

Perhaps Marmol Radziner Prefab has the right idea. Many of you may get scared at the mention of prefab, but should we have to give up personal choices and good design when choosing a prefab house? According to Marmol Radziner, based out of Los Angeles, the answer is no… And this must be why they have gotten so much press, including a recent article at Dwell.com. Click here for the full article.

The idea behind the modular houses from Marmol Radziner is that factory-built houses can still be customized and unique to the individual, but still made with consideration to the site and environment. While the site is being prepared, the modules for the house are being made in the factory so that by the time the modules are actually brought to the site, the house is just days away from move-in. Other groups have been very successful at prefab design as well, though many of them are closer to the standard pieces-and-parts approach.

Why are Marmol Radziner Prefab houses a good option when considering the environmental impact of a new house? There are many answers. As with any prefab, because they are made in the factory and not on-site, materials can be measured accurately to reduce waste, and any scraps can be re-used. Also, since the modules are sized to fit a truck bed, the embodied energy of transporting is reduced since multiple materials don’t need to be brought from multiple locations. All Marmol Radziner Prefab houses are LEED certified (the level generally is dependent on the site). To view more about why this product is a good idea, click here to view their website.

The most important thing we can do is start to rethink our idea of the “American Dream” and what that means in terms of housing and the environment. Marmol Radziner Prefab has re-thought… and good for them for getting their thoughts and work in the public eye!

Scaling Up the Focus of Green Design

From Trace Collaborative Intern Katie Truncellito

With all the media attention to sustainability, government support of energy initiatives, and real evidence of multi-faceted benefits, “greening” our buildings is finally making its way over the peak of the veritable roller-coaster hill and speeding its way toward becoming the norm. But, are green buildings enough? (Nevermind defining “green.” We will leave that for another post.) Single buildings are a substantial part of the problem, but only a piece - what about other scales? We maintain that we should be thinking about our communities and cities, and not just our single-family houses and office buildings. Of course we are not alone - this is exactly what Re:Vision did.

Urban Re:Vision is a group of experts, activists, practitioners and a wide range of others from various backgrounds that have come together to advocate for change in the urban landscape. They understand the importance of a cohesive plan, and one at a larger scale than a single building. There are a number of RE:Vision initiatives, including RE:Volt, RE:Route, RE:Store, RE:Connect, RE:Construct, and RE:Consider. The RE:Vision Dallas Competition focuses on developing a prototype for a “green” city block.

From their site - “We have focused on the city block because it is a microcosm of systems and relationships, and requires an integration and imagination that transcends beyond a single building. The challenges—and opportunities—on this scale are incredible…. Re:Vision Dallas is a chance to propel design beyond the typical, beyond the norm and to lay the foundation for a future of sustainable development we all hope is inevitable…. A chance to encourage and value relationships, while fostering respect for nature and our neighbors, privacy and resources, economy and consumption….”

This competition was not only intended to get people thinking, this city block will actually be built. The competition was launched on January 26, 2009 and the winning entries were chosen by a panel of jurors in May 2009, being announced on May 21, 2009.

The competition was judged based on the following (all of equal importance):
Sustainability and Reality of Intent
Affordability and Constructability
Innovation and Originality
Encouraging Sustainable Use of Energy, Transportation, Commerce, Community, and Construction

The three winning designs are “Entangled Bank” done by Little (located in Charlotte, NC), “Forwarding Dallas” by Atelier Data & Moov, and “Xero-Energy” by David Baker and Partners Architects and Fletcher Studio.

To see the designs and learn more about Re:Vision, click here.

While this may be a small start in the grand-scheme of the world, this is an incredible beginning, and good ideas usually take off like wild-fire. Let’s hope the wind catches this one.

Welcome to the Trace Collaborative blog!

We have so much information to share, thoughts to ponder, and collaborations to foster we decided it was past time for us to blog! We're happy to have you on board, and look forward to hearing from you about all of your endeavors. Let's get talking!