Conference Buildings-Feb-5-2007

From Common Energy UVic

These are the minutes of the Buildings, Infrastructure, and Ecology Working Group from the proceedings of the Common Energy Conference, Feb 5th 2007.

Contents 1 Check-In 1 1.1 What directions are we moving towards? 1.1.1 How do we retrofit old buildings? 1.1.2 What are the obstacles to a 100% green building? 1.2 What directions are we moving away from? 1.2.1 How do we retrofit old buildings? 1.2.2 What are the obstacles to a 100% green building? 1.3 What questions need to be researched? 1.3.1 How do we retrofit old buildings? 1.3.2 What are the obstacles to a 100% green building? 2 Check-In 2 2.1 What directions are we moving towards? 2.1.1 How do we retrofit old buildings? 2.1.2 What are the obstacles to a 100% green building? 2.2 What directions are we moving away from? 2.2.1 How do we retrofit old buildings? 2.2.2 What are the obstacles to a 100% green building? 2.3 What questions need to be researched? 2.3.1 How do we retrofit old buildings? 2.3.2 What are the obstacles to a 100% green building? 3 Check-In 3 3.1 What directions are we moving towards? 3.1.1 water 3.1.2 Waste 3.1.3 Retrofits 3.1.4 Involving students, employees and building Community 3.1.5 Developing CJVI 3.1.6 Lighting 3.2 What directions are we moving away from? 3.2.1 Water 3.2.2 Lighting 3.2.3 Fear of social "closeness" 3.2.4 Cleaning 3.3 What questions need to be researched? 4 Check-In 4 4.1 What directions are we moving towards? 5 Check-In 5 5.1 Building 5.1.1 Triple bottomline in building code 5.1.2 Building policy at UVic 5.1.3 Two-pronged approach 5.2 Infrastructure 5.2.1 How do we get regular spending on infrastructure 5.2.2 Building operations 5.2.3 Composting 5.3 Ecology 5.3.1 Water 5.4 Broad 5.4.1 CJVI 5.5 Engagement 5.5.1 Implimentation of the strategic plan

[edit] Check-In 1

[edit] What directions are we moving towards?

[edit] How do we retrofit old buildings?

• Is it worth retrofitting old buildings rather than building new, more efficient buildings?
  • lots of fairly cheap things to do (furnace, light retrofits)
  • Take in full costs of picture - e.g. energy to make materials to build the building. Are "green components"from China/Germany actually green?
  • Continuum of "bolt on additions" to "leveling" - increasing costs, but increasing benefits.
    • how to maximize benefit
  • Subsidies?
  • How to integrate costs with benefits

• CIT - a LEEDS buidlnig - drafty, inefficient
  • How important is sustainability to UVic?
  • Sarah Webb not replaced.
  • Economic model, not sustainability.
  • moving towards paradigm shift?

• Involve students in classes in conjunction with Fac Man
  • Retrofit Elliot - heat exchngers in fume hoods, double glaze windows in window wall
  • Engineering students?
  • ES students with Fac man- suggest actions

[edit] What are the obstacles to a 100% green building?

• policy change
• municipal bylaws
• UVic as catalyst
• rebates from CRD
• UVic policy change - BOG -> Target
• Concrete Examples
  • Set example, take action
  • education
• Faith in donations
  • strong support for climate change action
• we need to frame it in terms of leadership, academics, economy, HEALTH
  • policy

[edit] What directions are we moving away from?

[edit] How do we retrofit old buildings?

[edit] What are the obstacles to a 100% green building?

• business as usual
• Hierarchy - move away from existing structure

[edit] What questions need to be researched?

[edit] How do we retrofit old buildings?

• How much energy/water/etc. do buildings consume?
  • UVic, Residential

[edit] What are the obstacles to a 100% green building?

[edit] Check-In 2

[edit] What directions are we moving towards?

[edit] How do we retrofit old buildings?

• Is it worth retrofitting old buildings rather than building new, more efficient buildings?
  • lots of fairly cheap things to do (furnace, light retrofits)
  • Take in full costs of picture - e.g. energy to make materials to build the building. Are "green components"from China/Germany actually green?
  • Continuum of "bolt on additions" to "leveling" - increasing costs, but increasing benefits.
    • how to maximize benefit
  • Subsidies?
  • How to integrate costs with benefits

• CIT - a LEEDS buidlnig - drafty, inefficient
  • How important is sustainability to UVic?
  • Sarah Webb not replaced.
  • Economic model, not sustainability.
  • moving towards paradigm shift?

• Involve students in classes in conjunction with Fac Man
  • Retrofit Elliot - heat exchngers in fume hoods, double glaze windows in window wall
  • Engineering students?
  • ES students with Fac man- suggest actions

[edit] What are the obstacles to a 100% green building?

• policy change
• municipal bylaws
• UVic as catalyst
• rebates from CRD
• UVic policy change - BOG -> Target
• Concrete Examples
  • Set example, take action
  • education
• Faith in donations
  • strong support for climate change action
• we need to frame it in terms of leadership, academics, economy, HEALTH
  • policy

[edit] What directions are we moving away from?

[edit] How do we retrofit old buildings?

[edit] What are the obstacles to a 100% green building?

• business as usual
• Hierarchy - move away from existing structure

[edit] What questions need to be researched?

[edit] How do we retrofit old buildings?

• How much energy/water/etc. do buildings consume?
  • UVic, Residential

[edit] What are the obstacles to a 100% green building?

[edit] Check-In 3

[edit] What directions are we moving towards?

[edit] water

• cisterns on buildings - store rainwater
  • toilets
  • recycle water
• HUGE number of people at UVic
  • any attempts at UVic effective
• Can we convert the old buildings

[edit] Waste

• Self contained waste-to-energy, compost system
  • get off Saanich waste system

[edit] Retrofits

• Graduating classes purchase retrofits?
  • sense of participation
  • Fac Man suggestions?
• Fume hood complex outdoors

[edit] Involving students, employees and building Community

• Public admin students - focus on building/project
  • take on project for term
• Find way around union problem
  • greater prestige
• sparks action (pressure)on the part of Fac Man
• Builds on sense of community
• How does theatre fit in?
  • Changing mindset of "one-car privacy"
  • get out the idea of a sustainable society
  • Can we reduce the need for private space? - increasing efficiency - less energy required
  • Write a play about issues - popularize efficiency
  • dispel fear of sharing space
• How do we get on-campus entertainment?
• public space for creating art
  • everything happens in inner harbour
• No local student housing => lack of community

[edit] Developing CJVI

• Integrate community, food, etc. ideas
• Develop good plan before a developer gets a hold, and we have to "green it up"
• Polis project already came up with report
• Very professional presentation
  • right language
  • map out which group is best
  • BOG? Senate?
  • the members have children - must have consciences (and grandkids)

[edit] Lighting

• motion sensors in unused res rooms?
• Timed switches/light sensitivity switches

[edit] What directions are we moving away from?

[edit] Water

• turn off sprinklers in rain

[edit] Lighting

• turn off lights when not in use

[edit] Fear of social "closeness"

• Need to tackle social fear
• music and theatre

[edit] Cleaning

• although 95% of cleaning products in main buildings are "green" housing does not fall under this
• need to train janitors (mindset: if it doesn't smell clean, it isn't clean

[edit] What questions need to be researched?

• is UVic a source for exploring retrofit info off campus?
• Who decides on the Grad gift/project

[edit] Check-In 4

[edit] What directions are we moving towards?

Policy

• wires below ground rather than above
• need a minimum green standard of building - LEED Platinum
  • UVic needs to be all LEED to promote it and lower costs for it elsewhere
  • IS LEED THE MOST SUSTAINABLE BUILDING FORMAT? - local/sustainable supplies
• How do we make UVic change its policies

Building Energy Use

• what happened to EnerGuide?
• R2000 -> Japan (research this topic)
• Pay back the cost of retrofits through taxes (distributed through community)
• Waterloo -> "WatGreens" way of getting students involved (hands on grad work thru E S programs)(research more)

[edit] Check-In 5

[edit] Building

[edit] Triple bottomline in building code

• Start municipal
• Saanich, Oak Bay
• show that even though admin is dragging feet, inhabitants want
• change building code

• Coordinate requests (tied to variances) for additions to proposals with on-campus, mnicipal

• get ideas supported by municipality to start with
  • meet with mayor (mayors?)
  • What are common interests

• they have legislative power
• we have lobby power

• what do the mayors want?

[edit] Building policy at UVic

• Use stakeholders in common energy as larger push
• coordinate

• send delegation to initial consultation process
• inform stakeholders about criteria

• idea - heat exchange in fumehoods

[edit] Two-pronged approach

• region + internal

• research UC Berkley

• get UVic, Victoria, Oak Bay to watch [www.2010imperative.org this webcast] podcast - Tues Feb 20th

[edit] Infrastructure

[edit] How do we get regular spending on infrastructure

• e.g. Dockside Green

• road design, road material, lifetime cost
• heat, energy from sewage
• "waste" needs to fit into biological or technological stream

• refer to outside sources/standards - e.g. Smartgrowth(too political?)

• push policy towards recognized best practices

[edit] Building operations

• Lights OFF
• Cleaning in res, cluster, etc. (ensure it is in line with UVic's "clean" policy)

[edit] Composting

• coordinate with food group

• improve current program
• expand
• educate

• teach people how to shop

[edit] Ecology

• integrate policy, Fac Man

• native species management plan

• replace grass with native spec.

• edible landscape

• controlled burns

• note models of social sciences and math building, and native plant garden

[edit] Water

• sprinkling in the rain
• sprinkling to appease neighbours - education, sell value of natural system
  • make it look like a park

• cistern (rain collection), gray water use

[edit] Broad

[edit] CJVI

[edit] Engagement

• report: Summary for policymakers

• grad class gifts
• linking students and facets of university (e.g. Fac Man)

[edit] Implimentation of the strategic plan

• ensure it is followed

• compare campus plan document with implementation of the plan

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