Construction

As if Tel Aviv doesn’t have enough sand, dust and smog storms already.

Looking out my bedroom window one can see a luscious landscape spanning with five miles of sandy beaches, which will lead, in one direction, to the oldest port on Earth, the Arab municipality of the Jaffa Port.

If one looks in the other direction they will see a giant smoke stack called the Reading Power Station, which is approximately five blocks from my apartment- where public access is limited due to the nasty hazards associated with production.

As if Tel Aviv doesn’t have enough sand, dust and smog storms to deteriorate its air already.

The Station consists of four units with only one working today. The other three have been shutdown slowly but surely since 1967.  The reason for these shutdowns is that over the year’s environmental groups similar to Green Equations have accused the Station of causing severe pollution to the airs of Tel Aviv, which is home to approximately 2.3 million inhabitants.

In 2006 this Station was completely shutdown due to the failure to meet environmental requirements, which resulted in the Stations shift from using fuel oil to natural gases.

The Israeli national government is the force behind this mess of a structure in the center of Tel Aviv. The government wants to increase the Station’s output and then, after, reduce its environmental footprint and keep it where it is.  I wonder how quickly those reductions will take place.

The city of Tel Aviv wants this structure rebuilt outside of the city limits. So the question is, why would a country that cares for its people, in the 1^st-world, want to keep a power plant, knowingly, in a place so harmful for city inhabitants.

These are the questions that continue to boggle the informed.

A country, like Israel, that already spends so much on its inhabitants through military protection, can afford to sprinkle a little more money on the long-run and protect the health and happiness of its citizens.

I say they shutdown Reading Power Station, and turn it in to one giant club, the one thing Tel Aviv may know how to do correctly.

In an Op-Ed piece for the New York Times, Alec Appelbaum, questions the efficiency of LEED Program in the United States. Considered the highest standard in sustainable building and Environmentally friendly practices in green design; Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED)  is the certification that any business hopes to attain for green certification purposes. According to Appelbaum,  “The LEED program, which awards points for incorporating eco-friendly material and practices into buildings’ design and construction, has led to a sea change in the industry, introducing environmental awareness into everything from regulatory processes to rents.” So what does Appelbaum finds lacking in this standard for Environmentally conscious designs and buildings? Appelbaum feels that LEED program is more like a snapshot rather than the concrete foundation which government awards these certification to sustainable minded businesses and homes.  As Appelbaum states:

But while the standard is well-intentioned, it is also greatly misunderstood. Put simply, a building’s LEED rating is more like a snapshot taken at its opening, not a promise of performance. Unless local, state and federal agencies do their part to ensure long-term compliance with the program’s ideals, it could end up putting a shiny green stamp on a generation of unsustainable buildings.

One of the biggest deficiency of LEED standard is that it doesn’t measure the energy performance or can predict how much energy will be required to keep that LEED certified building running. The output of energy required can be much greater than originally predicted. As Appelbaum surmises, “Bike racks merely encourage cycling to work, and operable windows merely offer the opportunity to use less air-conditioning.” Another drawback to LEED certification is the way it is being used by marketers and developers to upsell their development. Environmentally conscious consumers are usually more than willing to shell out extra money to support environmentally friendly products, so it is with no surprise that LEED certification has become a marketing tool for developers rather than a foundation to truly build a sustainable dwelling. Not to say that all developers are using LEED certifcation for profitable purposes; but without a follow up of how efficiently LEED certified buildings fare; it does not seem to reach the actual potential that it was designated for. Reading Appelbaum’s op-ed was an eye opener for me. Since LEED has become the leading certification for Eco-concious construction and buildings; there hasn’t been much question of its efficiency and standards. While I do believe LEED certification is the right step; it is obvious that it needs a closer look of its aftermath in terms of energy efficiency. Source: New York Times

In a great discussion of how you need to look beyond the surface, both literally and figuratively, when trying to build a green house (or making other decisions in life), in this TED talk below Catherine Mohr looks at how complicated evaluating different options in a green light can be.

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Above, creative architecture student Magnus Larsson shares his incredible idea to help settlers along the harsh Sahara desert. His proposed process of re-structuring sand is a building material process already researched for helping strengthen earthquake prone land with sustainable bacteria that turns shifting sand into a solid mass.

Looks like Larsson is creating sandcastles out of desert land. Brilliant! His Holcim Foundation winning proposal could very well transform life in that region as the Sahara green wall shelterbelt is planted across the African continent. The possibilities are endless as the quality of life will improve for so many along the Sahara. (more…)