Topics
10 Comments
-
Re: Energy Grades for Buildings
2015-07-20 11:09:24 UTC
Cassidy, I would second Katie Jones Schmitt's comment about using the Federal program, Portfolio Manager. It takes away the finger-pointing, and puts all of the grading in the hands of a neutral third party.
I've ben using this for the City of Berkeley, CA buildings since the program first began in 2004? 2005? and we've used it to steadily improve our facilities. Whatever you do, don't try and compare buildings of different ages and construction types. There's lots of reasons some buildings do better than others, or worse than others.
The City of Berkeley will soon be requiring this for all commercial buildings sold or transferred as a condition of sale, so we expect a big jump in the number of buildings registered.
Also note that Portfolio Manager is set up for energy, but it also has a water component. We haven't been successful in getting that to work, but once you have a baseline score, use that as the motivator for reach building's manager to start finding ways to improve the buildings. Maybe re-programming the EMS will help, or commissioning the building if it hasn't been commissioned since it was built, etc. Good luck, and let me know if you have any questions about how to approach staff.
Alice La Pierre
City of Berkeley
United States -
Re: Best possible place to recycle my electronic devices in fresno, California?
2015-07-20 10:59:41 UTC
Find the best place to take ewaste here:
http://www.epa.gov/osw/conserve/materials/ecycling/certification.htm
Alice La Pierre
City of Berkeley
United States -
Re: 5 Electronic Devices You Should Be Recycling
2015-07-20 10:58:47 UTC
It's not just about find a place to send ewaste -- it's about ensuring that the organization is certified as a recycler, and that the waste isn't ending up in a big pile in Arizona, or sent to China for "crush and grind". Recyclers can become certified through the EPA's certification program which has strict standards:
http://www.epa.gov/osw/conserve/materials/ecycling/certification.htm
Alice La Pierre
City of Berkeley
United States -
Re: Dealing With Drought
2015-06-11 19:01:39 UTC
I should also mention that we are implementing a replacement program for restroom faucet aerators, to 0.5 GPM from as high as 2.2 GPM. We expect the combination of these two things to reduce water consumption. In 2014, Berkeley municipal buildings, parks and infrastructure reduced water consumption by 26%. The mirror decals for hand washing will continue to help with further reductions, and will be a constant reminder for staff.
Alice La Pierre
City of Berkeley
United States -
Re: Dealing With Drought
2015-06-11 18:38:51 UTC
Hello Marjorie,
Please read the CDC guidelines carefully -- note that they clearly reference using a standing basin of water, as opposed to running water. Our staff cannot use a standing basin of water, because none of our commercial sinks have stoppers in them.
Our rationale is that since all of our offices have a scent-free, non-antibacterial liquid (or foaming) soap, that the soap works best when applied to dry hands. Our observations have been that when people pre-wet their hands, the soap tends to slide off almost immediately, because people try and "lather" under the running water. The soap is most effective when applied to dry hands, in our observations. The only downside is, perhaps, that people have to spend an extra 2-3 seconds rinsing it off, because it works into the skin so well.
Some of our staff (non-health department) expressed the same initial questions, but when they tried it, they realized that the soap "stuck" to their hands better, and could break down dirt and oils better, and it was clear that most of the germs would be washed away. Obviously, this is not the same if your facilities have dry bars of soap, but most public restrooms in commercial buildings have moved to some form of liquid or foaming soap.
Our Public Works mechanics have used waterless hand cleaners for years; these are intended to do exactly the same kind of thing, breaking down engine grease and oils, before being washed off. The techniques, and the soaps, have simply been modified for the office environment.
Alice La Pierre
City of Berkeley
United States -
Dealing With Drought
2015-06-10 11:51:59 UTC
California is dealing with a historic drought, and the Governor has set mandates for water reduction. The City of Berkeley has developed a program to educate managers and staff on methods for reducing water consumption. Aside from some changes to the infrastructure, our basic messaging that is common to all staff is "Think Before You Touch The Tap." We piloted decals that are affixed to the restroom mirrors, instructing people how to properly wash hands with the supplied foaming soap, before running water over their hands (1. Apply soap; 2. Scrub; 3. Rinse). The decal also has a specific number for people to call to report any water leaks.
There has been zero resistance to this methodology, and we have also messaged this with our Health Department, who are in agreement with this, for several reasons: 1. Touching the faucet handle with unclean hands spreads the germs, so waiting until they are soaped up makes more sense from a health standpoint; 2. Pre-wetting the hands creates a film of water on the hands, so the liquid or foaming soap (that's all we have here) doesn't come into direct contact with the skin immediately, and doesn't work into all the creases to remove germs.
We are now waiting for water bills to come in to see how effective this has been. We are also rolling this out at our Corporation Yard, and have had no negative comments or expressed unwillingness to comply for the past month that this has been in place.
Alice La Pierre
City of Berkeley
United States -
Re: Keeping Dogs Secure at Home
2014-04-28 10:50:31 UTC
Perhaps you should work with dog rescue agencies, since your goal is essentially the same -- keeping dogs secure at home.
I work with several dog rescue agencies here in the USA, and we see issues ranging from dogs tied on a chain 24/7 in all kinds of weather and not allowed into the house, to dogs simply let to roam, where they get into trouble, or are hit by cars and trucks. Either way, it's not safe or healthy for them.
Working with rescue agencies will allow you to advance your goals, and will appeal to those who have the dogs' safety in mind. It could be a win-win.
Alice La Pierre
City of Berkeley
United States -
Re: Barriers/Benefits of Installing Low Flow Showerheads
2013-05-13 10:33:22 UTC
Anna, The State of California's Department of Community Services' Weatherization program has been effectively installing showerheads for decades. I am sure they have case studies on this.
If you are starting a program for this measure, I suggest that you refrain from calling it a "low flow" showerhead, and refer to it as a "Water Efficient" showerhead. Same with kitchen and lavatory aerators.
Alice La Pierre
City of Berkeley
Energy Efficiency Coordinator
Alice La Pierre
City of Berkeley
United States -
Re: Keeping Track of Community Sustainablilty
2010-08-04 14:35:54 UTC
You might want to visit the Ecological Footprint Calculator at http://www.footprintnetwork.org/en/index.php/GFN/page/calculators/
This is one of the longest-running online calculators out there, and is very accurate and well-researched. -
Re: First Actions to Reduce Energy Use
2010-08-04 12:25:23 UTC
You don't say what state you are in. If you are in California, I would contact the California Building Professional Contractor's Association (www.CBPCA.org) and get more information about local contractors to work with. You might also want to work with Rising Sun Energy Center (www.risingSunEnergy.org) which also works with youth and energy. The Executive Director is Jodi Pincus. Rising Sun has several programs that not only teach youth about energy issues and how to do installations, it also specializes in working with youth who have had issues with the law, and teaches them good work skills, such as how to dress, be respectful, show up on time, etc. They have had a lot of success.
If you are outside California, contact the Building Performance Instutute. (www.BPI.org) for the same type of information on hiring a Performance Contractor, who will be able to work with you on doing more than jsut the low-hanging fruit (which leaves you with only the expensive things to do, and which typically never get done.) Good luck, and let me know if you have any additional questions.
-- Alice La Pierre
[email protected]
Alice La Pierre
City of Berkeley
United States
0 Recommends
You haven't saved any recommendations.
Messaging 0 colleagues