Today flowed more smoothly because many of the locations that were closed the day before were now open. Our first visit of the day was to the Treehouse. The Treehouse is a home improvement warehouse similar to Home Depot or Lowe's. However, unlike the other big box centers, Treehouse scores each and every product that is placed on the shelves. Treehouse emphasizes healthy living by the selection of items that one chooses to place in their home. Some of the offerings included low VOC paints, wool carpeting, wood pellet heaters, and an extensive indoor seasonal section. They carry Birdwell broom products that are made in Burleson, Texas.
Ronald McDonald House Charity/Houston was next on our list. Built four year ago, RMHC is the first LEED Platinum building in Austin. Here are a few quick facts about the house:
- First house opened in 1974 in Philadelphia
- 30 bedrooms are guest suites
- 31,000 sq/ft
- must live 25 miles or more from RMH to qualify
- Referrals only, no walk-ins
- $10/night donation asked
- 56% of the recipients are on medicaid
- 100% donation driven
- Solar PV panels
- LEED but not LEED, due to expense
- HEPA filtration throughout
- Special key in room turns off all electricity, must take key out to lock door
- Natural lighting throughout
- Living roof/garden
Austin Energy is more than just an energy company. AE is publicly owned and their aim is to protect and enhance the environment. They do so through many initiatives. Here are the highlights of our meeting:
- 30 megawatt wind generation plant in Weberville, 800mw goal by 2020
- No rate increases since 1994, currently looking to raise rates
- Energy audits/ratings to recognize the benefits of retrofits
- Tiered rates, the more kw you use, the more you pay
- Inhouse LEED review board (Austin local)
- Mandated zones around Austin that require local LEED regulations
Austin Energy also looks to address consumer behavior and behavior change. AE looks to be net zero by 2015. To accomplish this they plan to utilize modest solar arrays, a tight envelope, efficient HVAC and appliances. For those that choose to make energy efficient choices, there are several rebates available.
Bercy Chen Architects was founded in 2001 and is an architecture and urban planning firm. They build with function as well as aesthetics in mind. BCA utilize living roofs whenever possible. Bercy Chen is a registered solar PV contractor with Austin Energy. They tend to build on Austin Energy green standards as opposed to LEED due to LEED being expensive up front. The build price is typically in the $200/sq.ft. range.
The East Village is a mixed use project that Bercy Chen was a part of designing and building. The orange and red panels that you see below function in two ways. First, they serve as a balcony and secondly they serve as a sunshade for the windows to shield out the harsh sun rays.
TreeFolks is a non-profit organization dedicated to growing the urban forest of Central Texas through tree planting, education, and community partnerships. Their programs have planted nearly 200,000 trees in city parks, preserves, schools, and community gardens. We were running late to our appointment with April and did not get to speak with her for very long. April provided us with a native tree growing guide for Central Texas. Here are a few reasons why we should plant trees:
- Shade trees can reduce home energy consumption
- Added property value
- Climate protection and increased air quality
- Urban heat island mitigation
- Water and Land conservation
- Wildlife Habitat
The Sustainable Food Center in Austin is not a food bank. Founded in 1993, SFC has 30 community gardens throughout Austin. They offer cooking and nutrition classes and organic farm conversion. SFC also provides food education and provides food for Austin Independent School District cafeterias. SFC accepts the Lonestar card and WIC for limited income individuals and families. SFC has realized that there is a high incidence of diabetes and disease in Central Texas. There is a seed bank located in the SFC office where individuals may come and pick up vegetable seeds to plant in their garden at no charge. SFC runs three, year-round farmers markets.
FKUR Plastics is a German based biodegradable plastics company located in Cedar Park, Texas. Here are the highlights from our meeting:
- Products are biodegradable or renewable resources
- Compostable is different from biodegradable
- Natural gas is 50 % cheaper to convert to plastic than petroleum based products
- PET is the best recyclable plastic
- The Port of Houston allows easy accessibility to both all areas
- There is a shortage in feedstock and raw materials
- You can eat FKUR produced zipties without any ill effects
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