Letting go of my car

It was time. I was ready.

After owning or leasing an automobile continuously since graduating from college, I decided to go car-less for the foreseeable future. The time had come to walk the talk.

I had no prior experience selling or buying via craigslist when I posted my 1999 Audi for sale late last week. That's my excuse for being totally unprepared for what followed.

Within an hour, two interested parties were at the house inspecting the car. Meanwhile, four others called to inquire and four others emailed to register their interest. The two parties, who had arrived at the house at the same time, both wanted the car. A coin flip was suggested as a way to resolve the situation; heads it was and the buyer was determined.

My experience testifies to the power of the Web and the effectiveness of craigslist when it comes to selling vehicles. I have to wonder why anyone with access to a computer would bother with a classified ad in a print newspaper.

The realities of being car-free set in almost immediately. I had a meeting at 9:00 the following morning on the other side of downtown; during the night, 6 inches of snow blanketed the city. But hey, through the cold and blowing snow, I was walking my talk.

What are we going to build and where?

Roof structure, Warner Park - Madison, Wisconsin

Click for larger view

As noted in Architecture 2030’s Blueprint for action to reduce CO2 emissions, we have an opportunity to transform the built environment and dramatically reduce energy use in buildings as we construct, renovate and demolish 11 to 12 billion square feet of buildings each year in the U.S. But, what are we going to build and where will we build it?

Will population continue to concentrate in metropolitan areas, as has been the dynamic for the last century? If so, will the concentration continue to occur in existing metropolitan areas where many of the expensive investments in infrastructure have already been made? Or will changes in transportation, information and energy technologies make less dense living feasible and preferable for increasing numbers of individuals and families?

Ray Kurzweil, in his challenging and fascinating book The Singularity is Near, describes the exponential development curves we’re experiencing in artificial intelligence, genetics, nanotechnology and robotics. Applied to transportation, nanotechnology guided by artificial intelligence will surely make existing modes of transport smarter, lighter and more energy efficient. Longer term, virtual experiences which change the way we define travel and completely new modes will portend changes in the way we self-organize in communities and in the shape of our living spaces.

Subsequent posts will explore sustainable self-organizing, beginning with an effort to make sense of what we are doing now.

Architecture 2030 issues Blueprint to reduce carbon emissions

Pictured: moveable sun screen of the Milwaukee Art Museum - click image for larger view

In April, 2008 Architecture 2030 issued a Blueprint for action to reduce CO2 emissions. The logic behind the Blueprint is summarized as follows:

1. The atmosphere presently contains 385 ppm of carbon.
2. That level is increasing at the rate of 2 ppm per year.
3. The acceptable level of atmospheric carbon is 350 ppm if we are to avert catastrophic climate change.
4. Coal use is responsible for 81% of the CO2 emissions associated with electrical production.
5. 76% of all electricity produced is used to operate buildings.

Conclusion: we should be focused on reducing the electricity required to operate our buildings.

The Blueprint's logic stream continues:

1. Buildings account for 38.5 QBtus of energy consumption annually; of that, 27.3 QBtus is in the form of electricity.
2. Existing energy efficiency options could reduce building energy use by 11.1 QBtus.
3. To provide 1 QBtu of energy: new nuclear capacity would cost $222B, new coal capacity with carbon capture and sequestration (CCS or so-called "clean coal") would cost $256B. Incorporating energy efficiency measures to negate the need for 1 QBtu would cost $42.1B.
4. Coal CCS is estimated to be 20 years away. New nuclear would take 10-12 years to build and bring online.
5. Each year in the U.S., we build approximately 5 billion square feet of new buildings. We renovate approximately 5 billion square feet and demolish approximately 1.75 billion square feet of existing buildings.

Conclusion: we have an immediate opportunity to make an impact on the use of fossil fuels in buildings by maximizing energy efficiency, and it is a far better use of capital resources than is building nuclear or coal (CCS) power plants.

This is not new news. Years ago, Amory Lovins (Rocky Mountain Institute) urged Americans to think in terms of negawatts - that is, eliminating the need for additional megawatts. It is already happening, but not fast enough to silence the proponents of coal CCS and nuclear power.

Having made the case for investment in energy efficiency in buildings, Architecture 2030 lays out its Blueprint for action, with the following key components:

1. Declare an immediate moratorium on the construction of new coal-fired power plants and phase out existing coal plants by 2030.
2. Require all federally funded developments to meet the 2030 challenge targets. As a reminder, the targets begin immediately:

• All new buildings should be designed to use 50% less fossil fuel energy than previously


• An equal amount of building area should be renovated to use 50% less fossil fuel energy


• The 50% fossil fuel reduction standard increases to 60% in 2010, 70% in 2015, 80% in 2020, 90% in 2025 and 100% in 2030. We can reach these targets through energy-efficient design, use of renewable energy, and purchase of renewable energy offsets to a maximum of 20%.
  

3. Strengthen the National Energy Conservation Code requirements to reflect the 2030 targets.
4. Invest approximately $22B annually during each of the next five years through existing federal programs to drive the use of energy efficiency measures.
5. Fund and implement a joint labor-management program for retraining workers in the coal industry to help them make the transition to new jobs.

What we are building and remodeling today will be in place for years to come. It is important that every project explore the possibilities and strive to meet, at a minimum, the immediate and progressively increasing 2030 targets. Please read the Blueprint for additional detail and source information for the data cited.

The Architecture 2030 Challenge

(Image - transit-oriented development in Murray, UT)

Utilizing data from the U.S. Energy Information Administration, the folks at Architecture 2030, a non-profit organization based in Santa Fe, New Mexico, concluded that buildings use 48% of the energy consumed in the U.S. The calculation includes the energy that is embodied in the products used to construct the buildings (8%). The remaining 52% is used in transportation (27%) and industry (25%). Looking just at electricity, as much as 76% of our annual consumption is used in buildings to operate space and water heating systems, appliances and lights. CO2 emission levels correspond, with approximately 45% attributed to buildings of all types.

With these numbers providing context, it is clear that reducing the energy consumption associated with buildings should be a priority. The Architecture 2030 Challenge puts some numbers on this priority, stipulating that new buildings should immediately utilize 50% less fossil fuel energy than was previously considered standard practice. The savings target increases to 60% as of 2010 and rises to 100%, or carbon neutrality, by 2030. Carbon neutrality means that no fossil fuels would be used in the operations of new buildings.

The group also stipulates that 50% of the buildings being renovated should achieve the same targets. Importantly, they also call for design schools to change the curriculum as necessary to train new architects and designers to prepare them for their roles in achieving these objectives. The U.S. Conference of Mayors and the American Institute of Architects have endorsed the 2030 targets, as have governmental jurisdictions and others.

How will these targets be met? First, by utilizing creative design strategies such as:

1. appropriate neighborhood and project designs that reflect smart growth, acceptable levels of density, and a pedestrian and transit orientation

2. attention to building shape, color, placement and orientation so as to maximize effective use of daylighting and passive heating and cooling

3. use of materials with lower embodied energy and with properties that reduce energy use and emissions

4. landscaping that complements energy efficient structures and that reduces water and energy use

Second, by integrating appropriate renewable energy technologies, including solar water heating and solar electrical generating (photovoltaic) systems, and technologies such as shading systems, in a way that complements the design of the building.

Third, by offsetting up to 20% of the energy requirements by purchasing renewable energy and/or certified renewable energy credits.

In the following posts I'll look more closely at the Challenge and the recommended strategies.