SMR Headquarters Building Certified Green; Crist Sees

SMR’s Building Certified Green – Schroeder-Manatee Ranch, the parent company of the developer of Lakewood Ranch, announces that its corporate headquarters is the first commercial building to be certified Green by the Florida Green Building Coalition. The two-story, 32,000-square-foot building is located on Covenant Way, just north of University Parkway on the east side of Lorraine Road. SMR has a history of practicing wise stewardship of their land and resources, and building Green is an extension of their commitment to quality building practices. The Green building features for the SMR corporate headquarters includes energy-efficient and healthful building construction, environmental responsibility, sustainability, and economic viability. Features include the use of drought-tolerant plants in the outdoor landscaping, the use of recycled building materials, the recycling of more than 75 percent of the construction waste, the use of efficient systems for heating, cooling and water resources, solar powered sprinkler systems, the use of iSynergy software from iDaix to reduce the use of paper, friction track flooring to eliminate the use of toxic glues, energy-efficient windows, low VOC (Volatile Organic Compound) paints, low flow faucets and dual flush toilets, and a daily recycling program at individual desks. Lakewood Ranch recently received the Green Homes Marketing of the Year award at the National Association of Home Builders’ eighth annual National Green Building Conference.


Crist Sees Florida as Green Leader – Governor
Charlie Crist wants to follow California’s lead and turn Florida into a green state by
capping greenhouse gas emissions, requiring environmentally friendly building codes, and turning state government into a model of energy efficiency. He is pushing to require dirty power plants to dramatically reduce emissions while converting 20 percent of their production to renewable energy. Greenhouse gas emissions from vehicles would also be cut.

Many of his proposals were presented at the recent Summit on Global Change in Miami July 12–13, 2007. The summit featured scientists, alternative energy experts, policy makers, academics, media, and environmental officials from around the globe. More than 600 people participated at the Summit.

Crist is pushing to set caps on emissions by electric utilities. The caps will come in stages, with the first reduction goals coming in 2017 when power plant emissions would be capped at 2000 levels. By 2050, emissions couldn’t exceed 20 percent of the 1990 levels. Utilities could also be asked to produce 20 percent of their power with renewable sources, such as solar and wind energy.

“Florida is providing the moral leadership needed to preserve our state’s beautiful natural environment, and state government is leading by example by taking immediate action to reduce greenhouse-gas emissions,” Governor Crist said. “However, our actions do not stop here. During the next few months, Florida’s Action Team on Energy and Climate Change will develop further recommendations for our state’s long-term climate-friendly efforts.

“Global climate change is one of the most important issues we face this century, and we must take action. We must make every effort to boldly do our best to do what is right – for our environment, for our economy, and for future generations. We have a responsibility to be good stewards of Florida’s natural resources and beautiful surroundings.”

Governor Crist called for Florida to become a leader in renewable and alternative energies such as ethanol and biofuels, solar and wind energy. Florida has the greatest capacity in the nation to produce ethanol because of a year-long growing season and robust agricultural lands. Florida’s sugar cane and citrus industries have great potential to become a statewide asset when converted to ethanol. In this way, energy diversification can be vital to Florida’s economic development and security.

Governor Crist also signed agreements with the governments of Germany and the United Kingdom calling for a post- Kyoto Protocol that protects the planet’s climate systems by reducing emissions of greenhouse gasses beyond 2012.

Moore Attends Builders Conference – Bryan Moore, a partner with Positive Change Media and the site coordinator for Efest 2007, recently attended the Southeast Builders Conference in Orlando. The event featured more than 800 exhibitors. Moore visited all the companies offering green products and services to build relationships and to make owners aware of the opportunity to exhibit at Efest. He also connected with some of the Efest 2007 sponsors and registered exhibitors such as Two Trails Green Consulting, Solar Direct, and Tankless Water Heater Systems.

Efest 2008 will expand to two days to accommodate as many as 200 exhibitors. It will be the largest green living music and arts festival in the history of Florida. Efest 2009 is expected to attract innovative green businesses from throughout the U.S. and other nations.

Submit suggested Regional Green News listings to randy@efest.us.

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Energy Obesity and Cutting Calories

They are as sick that surfeit with too much, as they that starve with nothing. – William Shakespeare (The Merchant of Venice)

In an interview he gave in 1973, Ivan Illich compared human energy overconsumption, particularly that of oil, with overeating. Both, he said, could lead to a kind of obesity, which could threaten the health of the organism. “High quanta of energy,” he claimed, “degrade social relations just as inevitably as they destroy the physical milieu.” What does that mean? It means that we can’t keep consuming huge amounts of energy (or overeating meal after meal) and not pay a high price, as individuals and as a society. When we continually overeat, we can become obese. When we continually overindulge in the earth’s energy resources, society can become obese, with all the attendant social-health challenges one might expect: fear of scarcity as demand outstrips supply, hoarding of resources by those who can do so, and a rising cost of living that threatens the stability of society as a whole. Illich said, “A people can be just as dangerously overpowered by the wattage of its tools as by the caloric content of its foods,” noting that, whether they realize it or not, both the under-consumer and over-consumer alike suffer. Calories are only healthy, Illich reminds us, “as long as they stay within the range that separates enough from too much.”

And I guess, for many of us, this is where it gets tricky. What is enough, and how much is too much? That’s not always easy to discern, especially in a society that presents over-consumption as the norm (and even a patriotic ideal). Given that, it’s up to each of us to begin to question our own energy consumption patterns within a much broader context: How healthy do we want our society and world to be? What is the real cost to each of us as individuals, beyond our monthly budget, of our energy consumption choices? And how can we begin to make healthier choices? For most of us, the first step is usually becoming aware: Noticing the tighter belt in the case of undesired weight gain; recognizing the symptoms of, say, global warming, in the case of energy consumption. The second step is doing something about it: reducing consumption. Whether we’re talking about food or energy, too many calories are too many calories, and we all know what to do about it. But knowing same. Doing is hard. Or so we think. The fact is even small changes in our energy “diet” can make a big difference when we all make a concerted effort to reduce consumption.

For instance, switching to compact fluorescent bulbs, which use up to 75 percent less energy than conventional incandescent bulbs (and last 10 times longer), is an easy, simple change we all can make. Other energy reduction choices include upgrading home insulation and appliances to be more energy efficient, switching to solar hot water heating, driving less and walking and biking more, and using public transportation when possible. Food, it turns out, plays an important role not only in our regular diet but also our energy diet. Because food can travel between 1500 and 2500 miles, farm to plate, transportation energy can be greatly reduced by growing our own food or buying it from local (preferably organic) sources. (This has the added benefit of helping the local economy.) There are, of course, many other changes that can be made to reduce energy consumption – some easy, some not so easy. In the end, greater measures may need to be taken to reduce our energy diet and overcome “social obesity.” But as anyone who cares for their physical health knows, positive change often has a way of creating more positive change, and what seemed like a daunting task turns out to be not so difficult after all.

Linda Maree is a freelance writer with a passion for the environment.
Please write to etainwrites@aol.com.

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