Cohousing-L Mailing List: RE: [C-L] Grants/ Energy Effieicntcy/ Sustainable Development

[Albert Schinazi (aschinazi]

Amy, Robert, Don, and others with interest,

Amy in regards to your questions about "alternative means of energy, as well
as other green" ideas", "leads for grants, or other financial incentives",
"prospect for long-term savings, (without) substantially increasing our
initial housing costs." I have a perspective to offer you which comes from
my work in leading design processes, being a contractor,  and deep
reflection and study on issues of energy efficiency, Green Building,
Sustainable Community Development and evolving concepts of Regenerative
Design & Development.

On the surface these terms appear to represent the same thing. While they
embrace similar values, awareness and intention around how the built
environment relates to the natural environment there is a considerable
difference in strategy, practice, cost / benefits and scope of design
considerations.

A comprehensive response to your question and it's underlying concern or
interest of, what is a cost effective approach to design that addresses
energy efficiency and environmental concerns, is only possible with deeper
study and understanding of your unique situation. This is possible in an
Integrated Design process usually in the form of a Design Charrette. A
Design Charrette geared towards the specific needs of the development
project does cost money to host, but it provides substantial savings usually
immediately and if conducted properly will continue to pay excellent
dividends throughout the lifecycle of the project.

I will offer working definitions of the terms presented which are intended
for the scope of this conversation. They are not meant to be comprehensive
definitions. Also note that I am supplying links as a example of what is
possible and an indication of trends and emerging directions. I do not
specifically endorse any of the links and the list is not complete..

The most common approach to design may be categorized as "add on components"
often used in conjunction with the concept of "energy efficiency" or
"alternative energy" The primary focus is energy usage and conservation and
the primary strategy to achieve a "workable design" is to add and subtract
"components" such as, passive solar, solar hot water, windmill,
photovoltaics, super insulation, composting toilets etc. with the decision
making going through filters of presented values, relative cost, building
codes, aesthetics etc..

I would say that the suggestions made by Robert and Don fall into this
category. This approach tends to work well when the design process is fixed
or for some reason not negotiable as in working with an existing building or
the design process becomes too overwhelming to reconsider options. This
approach is often driven by what I will call the "presented values" and
immediately identifiable ROI (return on investment). The financial gains
providing motivation to pursue this design strategy may include, tax
credits, discounted acquisition costs, and projected energy savings based on
projected use.

In Ann Arbor MI it is safe to say that Solar Hot water, passive solar, and
super insulation will all provide long term cost savings, but I think you
would do your self a disservice to make decisions without deeper
consideration and understanding of available options.  I realize that you
are in what seems to be very preliminary stages of design considerations but
it is exactly here where your goals need to be well defined. To move beyond
the component approach requires an ever increasingly integrated design
process, by which I mean that the scope of the project shifts in a
contextual nature to include the impact of the design and project beyond the
immediacy  of pressing needs and the options that are immediately apparent.
Through time, information, expertise and suitable process values come into
sharp relief as well as awareness of a balanced perspective of needs and
desires. A useful book that may serve as food for thought is "Natural
Capitalism" by Paul Hawken  and Amory Lovins
http://www.natcap.org/sitepages/pid5.php

To go on, the term "Green Building"  Implies a focus beyond just energy
considerations and includes "Green" evaluation of materials and building
methodology. The US Green Building Council http://www.usgbc.org is receiving
very positive response to the LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental
Design) program. Though currently focused on commercial projects there is
tremendous relevance to Co Housing and residential projects in general.  In
many ways the synthesis into a good design of the variables such as siting
of a project, the shape and dimensions of rooms, daylighting, Heating and
cooling system sizing configurations and the air flow and pressure gradients
in a structure, material usage and other considerations as noted in the LEED
certification guidelines can do more to save money short and long term than
simply adding components. In addition maintenance costs decrease and quality
of life increases. "Green Building" is more integrated than "energy
efficient" design.

The next level is Sustainable Community Development which considers the
synergetic impact to environment and quality of life of development in a
community.  Issues addressed here include embodied energy of materials,
leasing products such as carpet instead of purchasing, renewable / recycled
raw materials, environmental impact of the manufacturing process, open vs.
closed loop production, watershed and drainage issues, reclaiming brownfield
sites, giving a voice and consideration to ALL who will be impacted by a
development project, mixed use development, density, and consistency with
general principles of Sustainable Economic development. This level expands
the criteria from immediate self concerns of end users to considerations of
the greater good. It may be fashionable to speak to environmental impact but
do our values prompt us to include this in our cost analysis.

These consideration cannot be incorporated in component approach and cannot
be introduced after the design process has begun without considerable review
and integration of completed work. Projects that qualify as Sustainable
Community Development have the greatest possibilities for state and federal
grants.

There is an instance of a regional utility NIPSCO
http://www.state.fl.us/fdi/fscc/news/world/susurban.htm granting up to $20
million dollars to a developer in Northern Indiana for the Sustainable
community Development project Coffee Creek http://www.coffeecreekcenter.com
. Northern Indiana has such a poor reputation and is so economically
blighted that NIPSCO is underwriting this radical approach to rebuild the
economic infrastructure of the area.

The next consideration beyond Sustainable Development is Regenerative
Design. if we embrace the precepts of Sustainable Development then it begs
the question of, what is it that we are sustaining? If global resources and
environmental conditions are in decline are we then sustaining the current
rate of decline or the current state of depletion. Regenerative design is
design that regenerates the environment and all who are impacted by the
development.. These are designs that are net energy producers and are
integrated into the environment in such a way that soil quality, erosion,
watersheds, natural habitat and diverse species or life are supported. The
materials used are manufactured in processes that are regenerative. The
payoff here is both immediate and long term.  Often the design decisions
made to pursue this strategy does not substantially increase building and
development costs. It does require awareness of the opportunities and a
process that make it easy to incorporate these principles.   See Article -
"Green to the Power of Three"
http://www.edcmag.com/edc/cda/articleinformation/coverstory/bnpcoverstoryite
m/0,4118,75525,00.html

FINANCIAL STRATAGIES, BENEFITS, CONSIDERATIONS, & GRANTS

A major financial consideration is resale value. In 5 or 10 years buildings
that are not designed to at least "Sustainable" standards may not appreciate
nearly as well as those that are. I would say that grants that are available
would likely apply more readily to innovative design concepts.

Most of these programs require that developers partner with municipalities.
http://www.epa.gov/smartgrowth/awards.htm
http://www.nrdc.org/cities/smartGrowth/char/charinx.asp.  Partnering with a
municipalities can begin with a well made presentation to the local Chamber
OF Commerce or the hosting of a community wide interactive forum in a
process like Open Space Technology. This can serve as an opportunity to
educate, promote your project and design goals, and vicariously provides the
benefit of a Focus Group for your project. Both approaches increase positive
interest and open the doors to gather information, access local resources,
and paves the way for discussion on federal grants and other funding
opportunities

Energy Efficient Mortgage - Uses the energy savings from a new energy
efficient home to increase the home buying power of consumers and
capitalizes the energy savings in the appraisal.
http://www.natresnet.org/lenders/default.htm  . I did not research this to
explore how this would apply to Co Housing projects but I feel confident
that there are institutions who would consider this.

State and Regional Programs

I have not kept up with all possible programs throughout the country but I
believe there are many. Utilities are increasingly participating in energy
buy back programs for users that comply with connection standards. These
policies are most often regulated by state laws.

An example of a local program is this one I came across. The Los Angeles
Department of Water and Power (DWP) has approved a new program that will
provide payments of up to $5 per watt to qualified homeowners and businesses
that purchase and install their own solar photovoltaics systems.

Curiously I have a friend who received 20 acres of land in trust by agreeing
to develop it by incorporating Permaculture principles.

Amy if you made it this far you may be overwhelmed as you were likely
looking for a simple answer. Yes there is a lot to consider when designing
and building a project such as you contemplate. The upfront investment of
time and reflection is well worth it.

A whole system design charrette including all the expertise, end users, and
community representation can save a small fortune and produce a creative
design beyond any one persons expectations often addressing  the needs,
desires, preferences and values of those present in an elegant way. An
integrated design process is much simpler than it sounds and is actually
quite fun.

Amy, Robert, Don and all I am curious to know if this is helpful.

Regards,

Albert Schinazi

Quote for today..

"If you advance confidently in the direction of your dreams, and endeavor to
live the life you have imagined, you will meet with a success unexpected in
common hours. You will pass an invisible boundary; new, universal, and more
liberal laws will begin to establish themselves around and within you, and
you will live with the license of a higher order of beings. If you have
built
castles in the air, your work will not be lost; that is where they should
be.
Now put the foundation under them."

Henry David Thoreau




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