“1-2-3-4-5-6-7-8, I believe it’s not too late!  Together we can change the world.”  These were the words sung by PS41 Senior Songbirds at the Opening Ceremony on September 21, 2012 for New York PS41 Greenroof Environmental Literacy Laboratory (GELL).  GELL is a 9,000 square-foot roof atop the Greenwich Village Elementary School.  After playing an important role in developing curriculum for the school’s Urban Eco-Club enrichment class, I was excited to join Emerging Professional members Mariah Howard Porath, Chad Ondrusek, and Rollie Jones at the opening ceremony.

Last spring, Urban Green Council’s Emerging Professionals partnered with Vicki Sando (PS41 science teacher and Founder of GELL) and her colleagues to help create a special curriculum aimed at teaching students about environmental building practices. EP volunteers also collaborated on the delivery of these lessons over the course of the eight-week program.  One activity had the students experimenting with the water retention and heat absorption benefits of a green roof through the use of a hand-made model of the school.  Later in the lesson series, students interacted with a game that allowed them to create dream [green] homes in various climates around the world.  The EP volunteers hope that this connection will support a lasting partnership between New York City’s educational providers and Urban Green Council’s emerging green building experts.

Also at the ceremony were the policy makers, donors, sponsors, and project management team.  Jonathan F.P. Rose of Jonathan Rose Companies praised both Sando and Kelly Shannon (PS41 Principal) for their dedication and perseverance that lasted throughout the six years it took to bring the project from inception to completion.  Manhattan Borough President Scott Stringer and State Senator Tom Duane emphasized that the laborious planning, fundraising, evaluation and construction process will serve as a prototype for other schools and communities interested in installing something similar.

New York City Council Speaker Christine Quinn was thrilled that the green roof would serve as a supplemental classroom, giving young students a place to be excited by science.  The outdoor garden will allow children to be taught through demonstration, supplementing the verbal learning that more typically dominates a classroom and transforming their educational experience.  Lessons in ecology, chemistry, biology, mathematics, nutrition, and fine arts will become more integrated with every student’s curriculum through the GELL Project.

It was clear that those in attendance at the opening ceremony believe that GELL will help pave the way for future projects with similar environmental and educational benefits.   Also important though, is to recognize the potential in this project to make our children and future generations better stewards of our planet.

The following was blogged live from our Fall Conference on September 18, 2012 – Cooling on Climate Change: Designing the Message.

In this first panel discussion this morning, speakers outlined a few key points that we can all use to capture the attention of varying audiences.

Elliot Diringer, C2ES says climate change is complicated by a number of conflicting characteristics.  Because it is a global phenomenon that affects cultures and landscapes in different ways, our message must be adaptable to different audiences around the world.  This, he says, is further complicated by the fact that the effects of climate change are still somewhat uncertain and being experienced sporadically and in different forms (if at all), making it difficult for individuals to understand the importance of taking immediate action.

Lisa Fernandez, Yale Project on Climate Change Communication shares her research showing that in the US, surveys show that the public perception of climate change has declined over the past few years as a result of the economy and unemployment, decreased media coverage, unusual cold weather, an effective “denial industry” and increasing political polarization.  She goes on to say these studies have also demonstrated that there are six different levels of climate change perception (alarmed, concerned, cautious, disengaged, doubtful, dismissive), all of which require tailored engagement strategies.  Each audience interprets facts differently to construct their own understanding of the issue.

David Ropeik, Author and Consultant at David Ropeik and Associates, wrapped up the powerpoint presentations with a summary of the science behind how our brains actually process information.  He outlined the five components of risk perception, only one of which addresses the conscious, which is our ability to reason.  All other components come from our subconscious and deal with how we use mental shortcuts, circumstantial generalization, and common social influences to assess the risk associated with a certain event.  In summary, Ropeik illustrated that risks will not seem applicable to the individual if they don’t concern the individual on a level that is personal, local, and immediate.

Speakers agreed that effective messages must maintain credibility for the movement by staying close to facts outlined by current scientific research but counting on science alone won’t work. Spreading this knowledge is important, but that appealing to an individual’s (or a culture’s) emotions, values, and ideology also play a critical role in messaging effectively.  Finally, the message must appeal to the current social, political, and economic forces that are impacting an individual’s current perspective.

If you’re taking notes, write this down for tips to create and effective climate change message:

-        Present scientific data and consensus that climate change is real

-        Convey the real risks and impacts that climate change has on humans and focus on health consequences.

-        Portray linkage to recent extreme weather conditions

-        Avoid referring to climate change as an idea

-        Remind your audience that it’s solvable through immediate action

More to come in the next panel (The Role of the Green Building Industry) as we look to our “non-scientist validators”  to speak out to other key audiences.  Stay tuned for an update!

The media coverage of the earthquake that devastated Haiti and the city of Port au Prince on January 12, 2010 stopped long ago, creating a silence that allows many of us to remove the event from the list of immediately pressing concerns.

For a moment, let us think back to 2010 when initial reports stated that the total cost of the earthquake was between $8 billion and $14 billion and the death toll was approximately 316,000.   Later, in June 2011, the International Organization for Migration reported that an estimated 634,000 people were still living in displacement camps (New York Times).  Now, two and a half years after the natural disaster, hundreds of thousands are still living without safe housing and much of the infrastructure in Port au Price remains in disrepair.  Tent camps and damaged buildings provide unstable housing for those remaining in the city, while others have moved to the countryside to build homes with tarps and sheet metal. The crisis is far from over, and the need to build more permanent housing and infrastructure in Haiti still persists.

During times like these, it seems that our role as architects, engineers, developers, and builders is obvious.  The concepts of social entrepreneurship, social architecture, or social engineering have been around for a long time, all of which revolve around the goal of mitigating a social problem through conscious organization, planning, or design.  Shortly after news of Haiti’s earthquake reached this country, the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) committed to helping the people of Haiti rebuild and recover from the disaster.  The current USGBC-led initiative, Project Haiti, is an effort to build a LEED-certified orphanage in Port au Prince.  Once complete, the Orphanage and Children’s Center will provide shelter and safety, immediate care, and a hopeful future for children.

Upon hearing about USGBC’s effort to raise money for this noteworthy project, the Urban Green Council Emerging Professionals came on board to support the cause.  At a fundraiser on August 15, 2012, the group raised over $1,700 to be donated to USGBC and used exclusively for expenses related to the design and construction of Haiti Orphanage and Children’s Center.  The evening was a cultural celebration with a brief presentation of the project and a performance by local Haitian drumming group, La Troupe Makandal.  A generous donation of raffle prizes from the Four Seasons Restaurant, TJ Allan, Rachel Goldfarb, Volta, Alexandra Weiss Designs, and Urban Green Council contributed to the funds raised.  See photos from the event here.

This project has been designed as a model for high-performance green building practices that can be tailored to any culture.  As sustainable builders, we cannot just rebuild buildings and infrastructure; we must “rebuild them better”. Project Haiti aims to inspire and teach how construction can both minimize impacts on the environment and, through maximizing energy and water conservation, be financially sustainable.  Sponsored by USGBC with partnership from the Foundation L’enfant Jesus and pro-bono design by HOK, Project Haiti has been recognized as a Commitment Maker by the Clinton Global Initiative.

The Urban Green Council Emerging Professionals are a dedicated group of young professionals who work to create a network of leaders in the field of sustainability.  Led by a core group of volunteer leaders, they develop opportunities for involvement through Urban Green Council to further generate momentum for the green building industry.

Want to learn more about how the green building industry is practicing “social design”?  Urban Green Council’s conference Cooling on Climate Change: Designing the Message on September 18, will examine how the green building industry should be responding to climate change by asking questions such as: How can the green building movement better communicate the threats of climate change?  What role do designers, developers, operators, and other real estate professionals have in climate change activism?  What role does marketing play regarding climate change in the green building industry?  How are marketing strategies adjusted for clients who are uninterested in mitigating climate change?

“Cracking the Energy Code training was excellent. The departure from the ‘bullet point slideshow with code clauses’ was refreshing…. the course manual is an extremely well thought out, graphically clear product, which I have already referenced a dozen times since the training.”

This is quite a statement for a course outlining code material!  We’re happy to say it’s consistent with other feedback from students who have taken Cracking the Energy Code, which Urban Green developed with the New York Chapter of the American Institute of Architects (AIA).  Data compiled from the 44 courses delivered since last September show that 85% of students feel that the course has met or exceeded their expectations.

The Course was funded by New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA) and gives an overview of the 2010 Energy Conservation Construction Code of New York State (ECCCNYS-2010), including compliance methods.  It also covers some of the fundamentals of low energy design.

Wanting some insight from an insider, I asked instructor Paul Reale to share his thoughts on why Cracking the Energy Code is keeping students revved up and excited to learn.

Jessica Cooper: How long have you been teaching Cracking the Energy Code?

Paul Reale: The first time I ‘cracked it’ was March 6^th and I’ve taught another five since.

JC: Who is your primary audience for the course?

PR: The main target audience is architects, building engineers, lighting designers and code officials, but I believe the course helps lots of people working in or with the building industry: sustainability service providers, policy makers, building inspectors and even to some degree environmentalists. Thus far, the vast majority of students have been architects, but so many more can benefit from it.

JC: How does this course compare  to similar courses?

PR: Umm, have you ever read any energy conservation construction codes?  Let’s put it this way – it’s good material for your nightstand if you’re an insomniac.  Yet the vast majority of students that have taken this course find it excellent.

JC: What are the biggest areas of concern for students?

PR: Roughly speaking, the level of code requirements, administration, and scrutiny by code officials has increased by an order of magnitude.  This is definitely a “wow, I’m glad I learned this” kind of class!

JC: Any personal favorites in the curriculum?

PR: I particularly like the practical parts about thermal bridging in a building envelope as well as techniques for energy efficient lighting.  And the heat wheel slide? I’ve gotten some pretty good reactions from that one.  It’s like a 2-minute rock concert to an engineer.

JC: So where do you see this code having the biggest impact?

PR: There are three main areas addressed: building envelope, mechanicals (like HVAC equipment) and lighting.  It’s hard to pick one of the three because they’re all addressed to a great degree, though perhaps the longest-term impact is on the envelope, because an envelope retrofit is not easy.  You really need to try to get it right from the very beginning, and the effects last for the life of the building.

JC: Do you have any insights on future policy in energy conservation and/or sustainable building? 

PR: Ok, serious question so let’s close on a serious note.  As much as the new code will tighten energy consumption (and greenhouse gas emissions, for that matter) resulting from buildings, it’s still a far cry from a sustainable energy and emissions budget.  In the not-so-distant future, our buildings will have to be much more efficient, and you can’t get there without an incredibly tight, well-insulated envelope.  That’s fundamentally incompatible with a glass tower.  There – I said it.  But if you come take the class, I’ll tell you how it’s possible to use a lot of glass yet still comply with the current code!
Cracking the Energy Code sessions are being scheduled in New York City and throughout New York State through November 13, 2012.  Register on NYSERDA’s website (more Course dates coming soon) or e-mail us if you want Cracking the Energy Code offered near you. 

Paul is teaching his next session is Thursday, August 9 at the Center for Architecture.  Sign up today!