Yesterday, AIA Seattle announced the judges of its What Makes it Green competition, described two posts down. They are:

Bob Berkebile, founding principal of BNIM Architects

Donald Horn, assistant director of General Service Administration’s Office of Federal High Performance Green Buildings

Claire Johnson, head of the San Francisco office of environmental design and consulting firm Atelier Ten

Alex Steffen, executive editor of Worldchanging

and the moderator will be Nadav Malin, president of BuildingGreen LLC

These is a pretty impressive list of judges and their conversation on which projects should win promises to be equally interesting. If you want to attend the jurying session, it will be May 5 from 1 to 4 p.m. at Seattle City Hall as part of the Living Future 2010 Conference.

For further bios on the judges, visit AIA here.

The San Juan Channel House on San Juan Island, by Anna Howlen, D + A Studio, was one winner of last year's WMIG competition

For everyone that does not yet know, the What Makes it Green final submittal deadline in this Friday. What Makes it Green is an AIA Seattle awards program that honors the best in local green design.

The program honors both projects that are already built and those that are “on the boards” or planned.

AIA Seattle will shortlist project teams between April 12 and 16. Then, those teams will go through jury interviews as part of the Living Future Conference in May. A celebration for the winners and a panel discussin will be held in Seattle in early June.

For information on last year’s winners, click the tab ‘AIA’ below.

Recently, I received an e-mail from a senior studying business at Seattle Pacific University named Jamie. The student said they are part of a team writing a comprehensive business plan regarding a power strip that automatically shuts off power in stand-by mode. Turns out two of her teammates have created a working prototype, which will participate in a number of competitions.

The student, Jamie Durbin, sounds pretty excited: “We are super passionate about our product: it would save

Is this your home?

energy and save consumer(s) $100+ on their annual energy bills. We are seeking venture capital at the competitions to launch our product line and hopefully serve the environmentally-minded (smart) consumer.”

Basically, the device senses when something switches to idle mode and can turn it off, saving energy.

Sounds kinda cool, eh? Here’s where you can help: Jamie’s team needs 1,000 respondents to an online survey. If you click here and spend 5 minutes, you could really help them out.

Overall, the product seems pretty handy. Even though I have power strips, there are often times when I simply forget to switch them off. Having a device do that automatically would take care of those moments.

Here’s a description of the product:

The controlled outlets have four main functions.

1) Able to sense when an appliance switches to idle mode

2) Able to turn the appliance off after a period of time in idle mode.  To achieve this functionality, the device will monitor how long an appliance has been in an idle power state and remove power when it has been in the idle mode for a user specified period of time.

3) Able to restore power to each appliance once the user wants to use the appliances again.  When the power is cut, the device will use a motion sensor to determine if anyone is around the device. If the motion sensor is tripped then it will reconnect power to the appliance; when the user turns the appliance off the cycle will begin again.

4) MOST IMPORTANT, the device will reduce power consumption.  The maximum expected consumption of the power strip itself will be under 1 watt. It will completely eliminate the standby power for the controlled appliances.

What do you think? Are they on the right track? If you think they are, answer the survey and help ‘em out.

Over at HugeAssCity on Publicola, Dan Bertolet has a great overview of Vancouver, B.C.’s transportation experience during the Olympics, then connects that to Seattle’s current replacement of the Alaskan Way Viaduct debacle. It’s an interesting overview, though I have to say the post’s comments are possibly even more interesting….

On Thursday evening, I attended Mission: Sustainable’s premier at Fisher Pavillion at Seattle Center. IT WAS A HUGE HIT! And I mean huge.

First, the room was absolutely packed. I would say there were about 600 people there but introductory speaker Gabriel Scheer said attendance was around 1,000. Either way, it was really impressive for a grassroots Seattle event.

For those of you that have not been following this story, a little less than a year ago Producer Rose Thornton decided to make a television show called Mission: Sustainable. The reality show aims to makeover a subject’s life, eating habits, living environment and transportation choices in a sustainable way while educating viewers on the value of green choices.

For those of you that couldn’t come, here are pictures of the event. I was really impressed by how well dressed most everyone was… for Seattle, this was a really stylin’ crowd!

For those of you that did come, what did you think? Would this kind of show be interesting for a national audience or is it too Seattle? If you saw it, what did you like about it? What would you change?

As for what happens next, now that the show is complete and has had its coming out party, there’s more work to be done! Thornton and the crew are looking to find distribution for the show… and you can help! If you know someone influential in the TV business, or just have a tip for the team, visit Mission: Sustainable.

P.S. Congrats to the show and for doing this all on a $1,000 budget. It’s a great example of how something big can get done with enough willpower behind it. Also, kudos to our own DJC Green Building Blog. Without which, co-host Megan Hilfer might not ever have seen the advertisement for a host! Good job guys!

The green carpet leading the way into the premier

The giant crowd

The crowd, half seated

Rose Thornton, show creator and producer

The whole cast and crew of the show, after the premier

I’ve had a few interesting articles in the DJC this week. If you’re not a subscriber, you’ve been missing out!

First, an article published on Monday discussed what local green contractor Martha Rose had to do to get financing for her latest 4-home project. Turns out she had to fund part of the project herself and educate (many, many) bankers on just how sustainable a builder she is. (Rose believes in continually improving her green credentials. Her latest projects employs a number of Passive House techniques and is striving to be a net zero development). That story was carried by the AP - so anyone can read it, even if you don’t have a subscription. The story is located here at The Tacoma News Tribune and here at The Seattle PI (who do you want to give your advertising dollars to?)

Second, an article I wrote appeared in yesterday’s (Jan. 5) edition regarding the first straw bale structure in Seattle to receive a permit. The project was completed last fall and was built by the community via a number of different work parties. As part of my reporting, I visited the home addition, which has a bedroom in it. The space was beautiful but what struck me most about the space was how different it feels… it somehow seems more safe and secure than your stick built home (likely thanks to the walls that are around 20 inches thick!) It also is extremely, extremely quiet… and comforting.

Have you been in a straw bale house? What was your experience?

There were a number of photos I didn’t get to include in the story so I’m including them below for your enjoyment:

An outside view of the edition

An inside view

A small window showing the staw behind the wall (and some cute, lil animals)

Architect Sage K. Saskill and home owner Brenda Abjour

Interior view of the window without people in it

Third, also in the Jan. 5 edition, I wrote a story about Art Stable, a new development in the Cascade neighborhood of South Lake Union. More on this later but the team is using an innovative combination geothermal and piling technique, which allows the system to make sense financially. Fun stuff!

Well, everyone, it’s (almost) a new year. Looking back, 2009 has certainly been…. interesting.

Summing up: the U.S. got a new president, Seattle got a new mayor, energy efficiency got a lot more attention and the economy continued to move along on its (very) bumpy path.

Now, looking on to 2010, there are a number of things on the horizon. Both nationally and locally, it looks like existing buildings will be getting a lot more attention. It also seems like 2010 will be the year that Living Buildings really start to pop up, both in the Puget Sound and nationally.

And then, there’s the wildcard that is Seattle’s mayor-elect, Mike McGinn. What will he do? Where will he

Mayor-elect Mike McGinn

stand on environmental issues? What will be his pet issues (other than the viaduct)?

Before McGinn was mayor, I spent a lot of time listening to him introduce Great City events. Based on that, I suspect density, green buildings and transit will be seeing some interesting changes in the next few years, though only time will tell.

In the mean time, answer my poll at right and tell me what one thing you would have McGinn concentrate on in terms of the environment. In a perfect world, what should be the hot button issue? Living buildings? Density? Congestion pricing? Only you can tell me (and maybe McGinn if he stops by) what you’re most interested in.

Other than that, happy holidays to one and all! Also, please feel free to share with me your reflections of the past year from an eco-standpoint, or to tell me what other eco-issues you want McGinn to focus on. Remember, you never know who could be reading…..!

………………..happy holidays!

Energy efficiency has been a big topic this week. On the left coast, the city of Seattle moved closer to requiring that many buildings measure and publicly disclose energy use while on the right coast, New York City passed a package requiring energy audits and tune-ups every 10 years, among other actions.

These steps make sense. But they also seem to bypass a really big

Where should technology take us?

elephant in the room: our own, personal energy use at work.

Think about it. When you are at work, you aren’t paying for energy so it doesn’t seem to be that big of a deal if you leave the computer running all weekend or maybe run a space heater in the dead of winter. You likely work in an efficient building or you work in an energy hog. But either way, it’s the building’s energy use that gets measured when (or if) it applies for Energy Star status. There is no accountability between that number and your use of energy while at work.

Even energy software programs like this one, look at a building as a whole (though its “eggs” can be located on floors).

But a building as a whole is only part of the solution to improving energy efficiency. The other part, which is consistently ignored, is the users.

See, you never really know how a user will treat a building. Even that brilliant LEED platinum project can turn into an energy hog if everyone in it is plugging in multiple devices or using extra electronic equipment. Architects can guess at how a building will be used but that’s all it is: a smart, qualified guess.

To really get efficient buildings, there needs to be a connection between the building itself and the user. How do you make that connection? How do you get people to care about resources they are using when they aren’t paying for it?

One idea: instead of just measuring the entire building’s performance (which, I know is a feat in and of itself), why not also find a way to measure separate sections of a building and give that information to tenants? That way, users can at least begin to make a connection between the very nebulous idea of “building energy use,” and well…. us. The workers. The people using energy. That way, we no longer have the excuse of thinking “this is a LEED certified building, it will be efficient enough for me.” Or “this is an energy hog anyway, it doesn’t matter what I do.”

Heck, if I had a pop-up system on my computer that was half as annoying as my virus detector that told me when I’m using more than my fair share of energy and when I’m being efficient or even gave me that information on a floor by floor basis, I could understand how much I’m using. Maybe it would get people to turn off their computer during the weekend. Or maybe it would remind me to turn off my task light when the sun comes out (because hey, sometimes, I forget).

So, um…. how do we do that?

Locally, Washington Real Estate Holding’s LEED Platinum (for existing buildings) Park Place is at least starting down this very interesting road. I wrote about the building, constructed in 1971, in the DJC here. In the story, I said Park Place has a new online system that lets tenants, staff and eventually the public

Park Place in Seattle

Image courtesy Chris J. Roberts Photography

see its operation in real-time, including water capture, reuse, lighting and HVAC loads. The system measures water on a building level but also measures utility use on a floor by floor basis!

Floor by floor measurement still might not seem like it goes far enough, but it sure is a great start to at least seeing how much you - or you and your counterparts - use compared to the rest of a building. Park Place has 10 floors that are occupied by the EPA. Don’t you think actual energy use will affect the actions of people working on those floors?

What do you think about all of this? Are the politicians on the right track by starting with building energy use? Should that information be made public or is it proprietary? Do I have the right idea? Should we - as tenants of a building - see how much energy we are using or is our energy use not worthwhile when compared with building operation as a whole?

Heck, is there a building out there that already sub-meters individual spaces for tenants to this level?

I’d love to hear from you on this topic!

Remember the post we ran last summer about a new, local green reality TV series called Mission: Sustainable? You remember: during show episodes expert consultants provide ordinary people with the tools to make more sustainable choices around transportation, home furnishings, landscaping, food, personal care and products….?

Well, it turns out the show has shot its first episode and is seeking to shop the concept to networks in

Mission? She\'s searching out sustainability!

2010. But before it gets there (and maybe gets really, really big) it is hosting a premier in Seattle in the middle of January… and is looking for partners.

Most importantly, the crew behind the TV show wants to host the premier on Thursday, Jan. 14 but it needs a place to do it. However, it needs the space for free, at a discounted price or via a sponsorship (remember, this whole TV idea is basically a grassroots effort created by Rose Thornton of ReGeneration Productions). The team is looking for a place that can hold 1,000 people and preferably has audio visual capabilities. It needs to confirm a space by Dec. 10. Dream locations include Town Hall, Fremont Studios, Olive 8 and Benaroya Hall.

It also is looking for a celebrity emcee to introduce the pilot episode, musical entertainment, local and organic food and beer and wine.

Want to help “the little TV show that could,” as co-host Megan Hilfer says? Contact Megan@parsonspr.com to do your holiday good deed! And if you’re looking for more information on what the show is all about, check out ReGeneration Production’s blog here.

How will the recession affect green buildings, codes and development?

It’s a timely question and one I’ve been wondering about for some time. It also happens to be the topic of a panel discussion I am moderating on Thursday evening for the Cascadia Region Green Building Council at

What to do?

Seattle University.

The event features a number of great panelists: Michael Weinstein of the Urban Innovations Group, Bruce Herbert of Newground Social Investment, Jayson Antonoff of the City of Seattle Green Building Program, Ric Cochrane of King County Green Tools Program and Aaron Fairchild of G2B Ventures. Come eat, drink and discuss with us! The discussion costs $10. To register, go here.

However, our event is not the only good thing happening on Thursday evening. If you’re not at Greenbuild, here are a number of local things to keep you interested:

On Wednesday and Thursday, Alex Steffen of Worldchanging.com will host a two-day lecture to flesh out a pathway to a great sustainable future. On Wednesday, the lecture is called “A new Global Future,” and on Thursday it is called “Seattle’s Bright Green Moment.” Each lecture costs $5.

On Thursday, Tacoma will host a talk on its Center for Urban Waters. The center, an environmental research space, is seeking LEED platinum certification. The talk costs $10 at the door or $7.50 in advance. More info here.

On Friday and Saturday, the Northwest Energy Coalition is hosting its fall conference on energy efficiency. The conference features a keynote talk by Rob Bernard, chief environmental strategist for Microsoft, and multiple panel discussions. More info here.