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é 2003 Canadian Centre for Pollution Prevention. All Rights Reserved. Please do not reprint without permission and attribution.

Contents:

• The Focus of this Issue: Green Building and Design
• Downtown Montreal House of Straw
• Awarded for Building a Green Future
• City of White Rock Goes Gold With LEED Certification
• Retrofitting Your Home for Energy Efficiency
• Incentive Programs to Build Green in Canada
• Towers of Solar Heating and Underground Thermal Energy Storage
• Manitoba Ice Rink Cools Naturally
• Pollution Prevention in Your Personal Life: Discovering Environmentally Preferable Residential Heating
• Across Canada: Pollution Prevention Activities and Events Across Canada

The Focus of this Issue: Green Building and Design

Incorporating pollution prevention in building design and retrofit projects is an issue that residents, industry and businesses are facing today. Building owners now have many options to reduce the amount of energy, natural resources and money that they put into buildings.

Reductions in annual operating costs, water consumption and energy consumption are some of the reasons building owners are retrofitting or constructing buildings that are more sustainable. The Government of Canada has also made it much easier for Canadians to fund green buildings, with a variety of incentive programs and grants offered through Natural Resources Canada.

Currently, 1/3 of all energy and natural resource consumption is for the construction and operation of buildings. This issue of at the source will focus on Green Buildings that prevent pollution through building design, construction strategies and land usage.


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Downtown Montreal House of Straw

In the Spring of 1999 Julia Bourke, with the help of a research grant and a team of consultants and volunteers, began to build a two and a half storey, single family home using straw bales on a small urban lot in a Central South area of downtown Montreal. The goal was to promote the general use of straw bale in an urban context, and revitalize older neighbourhoods with a housing type sympathetic to the historic architecture of the area. The low-cost permit and simplicity of installation of straw bale infill with stucco exterior and plaster interior have building cost savings of 15-20% as compared to conventional construction methods. By using locally available raw or non-processed material, straw bale construction reduces air pollution in several significant ways. The increased insulation (R-40) that straw bale construction provides reduces heating costs and associated emissions. As well, bales used for construction prevents pollution when the bales are burned as waste.

Indoor air quality of the house is improved in several ways, the first being the non-toxic nature of the material itself. All products used in the house construction are nontoxic including strawboard, wood, concrete, finished with linseed oil, milk paint, and tree resin. The principle of dynamic wall construction - strawbale coated with lime stucco on either side - allows moisture to move through wall without condensation balancing indoor humidity levels.

For more information on Julia's straw bale home, visit:www.mchg.mcgill.ca/straw or contact Layla MacLeod at Fiset Miller Bourke Architects, Phone: 514-931-7501, E-mail:fmbarch@bellnet.ca

What is straw bale housing? What is straw bale housing? Chris Magwood - The Camel's Back Construction Chris Magwood - The Camel's Back Construction Straw bale homes can be designed and built in any style an owner chooses, from small bungalow to two-story luxury. Many kinds of outbuildings have also been built from bales, from simple chicken coops to three-car garages and livestock barns. Bale buildings are most commonly finished with a cement plaster (or "stucco") on the exterior and a gypsum plaster on the interior, but any common interior or exterior finishes are practical to use. Bales are a practical building material, abundantly available in most areas, and annually-renewable. It is worth considering using straw bales for your next building project. Straw bale homes can be designed and built in any style an owner chooses, from small bungalow to two-story luxury. Many kinds of outbuildings have also been built from bales, from simple chicken coops to three-car garages and livestock barns. Bale buildings are most commonly finished with a cement plaster (or "stucco") on the exterior and a gypsum plaster on the interior, but any common interior or exterior finishes are practical to use. Bales are a practical building material, abundantly available in most areas, and annually-renewable. It is worth considering using straw bales for your next building project. Straw bale homes use less than one half of the heating and cooling energy required by standard frame homes and replace the majority of the framing lumber, manufactured insulation and plastic barriers with an annually renewable, agricultural byproduct. Straw bale homes use less than one half of the heating and cooling energy required by standard frame homes and replace the majority of the framing lumber, manufactured insulation and plastic barriers with an annually renewable, agricultural byproduct. For more information contact Chris Magwood at cmagwood@kos.net or visit:www.strawhomes.ca/default.asp For more information contact Chris Magwood at cmagwood@kos.net or visit:www.strawhomes.ca/default.asp _____________________________________________ Awarded for Building a Green Future Recognizing environmental leadership through awards and recognition programs demonstrates that the technology to build green is reliable and ready to use. The Canadian Council of Ministers of the Environment (CCME) annually gives national recognition to companies and organizations showing cutting-edge accomplishments and leadership in pollution prevention. The 2002 CCME Pollution Prevention Awards recognized two outstanding structures, built to minimize or eliminate the creation of pollutants and waste. Aurum Lodge, located in the Eastern Front Ranges of the Canadian Rockies, began building an eco-tourism inn in 1997, with the intention of providing accommodation and service with the least adverse environmental impacts. The lodge is solar and wind powered, reducing fossil fuel use by 85%. The lodge also includes a number of other sustainable building and operating practices such as recycled cellulose insulation proving minimal heat loss in the winter, composting toilets that save 150 litres of water per day, lamps with fluorescent or halogen bulbs to reduce the need for artificial lighting and a contraflow masonary storage heater, which is the only heating device used during spring and fall and stores heat in excess for 24 hours. Mountain Equipment Co-op's (MEC) Winnipeg Retail Facility was also awarded by the CCME for its application of sustainable building techniques and technologies and is the second retail building in Canada to meet the national C2000 Green Building Standard -- the first being MEC's Ottawa store. The MEC Winnipeg building has included many green building features such as energy efficient heating and cooling systems, water and energy conservation systems, composting toilets, no use of ozone-depleting materials, and structural and finishing materials chosen for low embodied energy, low toxicity, and minimal environmental impact. Projected energy consumption is up to 60% below the Model National Energy Code for Buildings, due to insulation values that are four times that of conventional buildings. For more information on Awards/Recognition programs, visit: www.c2p2online.com/awards _____________________________________________ City of White Rock Goes Gold with LEED Certification The United States Green Building Council (USGBC) has developed a Green Building Rating System called LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design), which the Canadian Green Building Council plans to adopt and modify for application to Canadian buildings. There are now more than 34 Canadian projects waiting for LEED certification at USGBC. The City of White Rock Operations Building, located in White Rock, British Columbia is the first building in Canada to receive LEED Certification under USGBC in July 2003. Busby and Associates designed the building for the City to reduce environmental impact, save on long-term energy and operating costs, create a healthier work environment, increase worker productivity and enhance building marketability. The green building features cost 8% more than the cost of an equilvalent conventional building, but the expected 40% reduction in energy costs alone will make up for this cost and pay off in 11 years and then yield continuing savings in operating costs. The White Rock facility received Gold LEED Certification for its innovative strategies and technologies located throughout the building. An existing foundation was reused and 99% of the materials from the original building were recycled preventing almost half a million tonnes of waste from going to landfill. New materials were acquired within an 800 km radius to reduce emissions associated with transportation to the site. A new type of concrete, made of 40% fly ash (fine solid particles that are a waste by-product from combustion of coal/oil/wood for electrical generation) was also used in the construction of the building to reduce carbon dioxide emissions associated to the production of cement. In all, 376 square meters of asphalt paving was replaced with a natural landscape and a gravel parking lot was constructed for re-infiltration of rainwater into the ground. To help manage storm water, a Green Roof was built to soak up water and mimic the natural water cycle. Storm water, instead of potable water, is also used to irrigate the landscape. To reduce the burden on municipal water supply and the waste water system, waterless urinals and low flow faucets were installed, as well as a storm water storage tank, which is used instead of potable water for toilets and to wash down cars. These water conservation features reduce site water use by 90% (2 million litres/year) and building water usage by over 20%. Energy consumption has been reduced by approximately 45% through high efficiency glass, fluorescent lighting, maximum use of natural daylight through glass walls and opaque transoms, roof overhangs, exterior window shades and deciduous trees to act as sun-shading devices to reduce heat gain, and a Green Roof to provide additional insulation. Solar tubes are used to harness solar energy and to provide base heating for the building, while the thermal energy in storm water is also used to help heat and cool the building. A low energy consumption heat pump was also installed, saving approximately $1, 670 per year in energy costs. The City of White Rock has taken a lead role in building a facility that exemplifies the benefits of building green in Canada. Sustainable building concepts were used throughout the construction of the building, demonstrating that constructing and designing a facility with environmentally sound technologies will save money, lessen adverse effects on the environment, and improve the health and comfort of staff. For more information contact: The United States Green Building Council at (202) 828-7422, E-mail: info@usgbc.org, Internet:www.usgbc.org or The Canada Green Building Council (613) 241-1184 E-mail: info@cagbc.org, Internet:www.cagbc.org _____________________________________________ Retrofitting Your Home for Energy Efficiency Building, buying or retrofitting homes to become energy efficient is becoming more attractive to Canadian homeowners, as it will save money on energy costs, help the environment by producing fewer harmful emissions and allow for a more comfortable home to live in. The Residential Energy Efficiency Project (R.E.E.P.) is an organization that performs home energy evaluations throughout the Waterloo Region to help homeowners upgrade energy efficiency and comfort in their home. During an energy evaluation a nationally certified Certified Energy Advisor and their assistant, most often a University of Waterloo intern collects data about the physical properties of the house and perform a series of tests that are entered into a computer modeling program developed by Natural Resources Canada's Office of Energy Efficiency. They will calculate the volume of your house, measure windows and doors, examine the furnace, the level of insulation in the walls and attic, and check the outside of the house for signs of heat leakage or moisture damage. A report is then given to the homeowner that describes where the energy is being lost and suggests how they can retrofit their home to improve energy efficiency, such as installing an energy efficient furnace or adding insulation in the attic. Following the suggestions provided by R.E.E.P. can help homeowners reduce energy consumption by up to 38%. Moreover by reducing the amount of fossil fuels burned to heat and cool their homes, homeowners decrease the amount of harmful emissions they contribute to the air, which in turn has positive health and environmental effects. R.E.E.P. provides home energy evaluations for only $75 ( GST), with an approximated value of $300. For more information about R.E.E.P. visit: www.thereep.ca or contact R.E.E.P: at 519-744-9799, E-mail: waterloo@thereep.ca How to Get a Home Energy Audit How to Get a Home Energy Audit To have an Energuide Home Energy Advisor perform an energy evaluation in your home, contact Natural Resources Canada. To find an inspector for your area or visit: To have an Energuide Home Energy Advisor perform an energy evaluation in your home, contact Natural Resources Canada. To find an inspector for your area or visit: www.oee.nrcan.gc.ca www.oee.nrcan.gc.ca Natural Resources Canada Natural Resources Canada Office of Energy Efficiency, Residential Programs Office of Energy Efficiency, Residential Programs 580 Booth Street 580 Booth Street Ottawa, ON K1A 0E4 Ottawa, ON K1A 0E4 Fax: (613) 996-3764 Fax: (613) 996-3764 Tel: (613) 995-6000 Tel: (613) 995-6000 E-Mail: energuide.houses@nrcan.gc.ca E-Mail: energuide.houses@nrcan.gc.ca _____________________________________________ Incentive Programs to Build Green in Canada Incentive programs can help you save energy, save money and reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions that contribute to climate change. Industrial, commercial, public and residential buildings are all eligible for incentive programs that help fund energy efficient building construction and retrofit projects. A building that has been constructed or upgraded to include energy efficient technologies can have a competitive advantage through reduced operating costs and increased asset vale. Comfort level in the building will be raised while greenhouse gas emissions will be lowered. Incentive Programs to Build Green in Canada are outlined below, provided by the Office of Energy Efficiency within Natural Resources Canada. Energy audit incentive (up to 50% of cost to a maximum of $5,000) $60,000 $80,000 Initiative Eligible Participants Incentive Description Initiative Eligible Participants Incentive Description Energy Innovator Initiative Commercial businesses and public institutions Energy Innovator Initiative Commercial businesses and public institutions Industry Up to $250, 000 for retrofit projects Industry Up to $250, 000 for retrofit projects Energy audit incentive (up to 50% of cost to a maximum of $5,000) A free, voluntary federal government initiative to help identify and implement energy efficiency options with the help of an Energy Innovators Officer Renewable Energy Development Initiative A free, voluntary federal government initiative to help identify and implement energy efficiency options with the help of an Energy Innovators Officer Renewable Energy Development Initiative Private Sector Refund of up to 40% of purchase/installation costs or $80,000 Money is refunded for the purchase and installation of a renewable energy system for space and water heating and cooling Private Sector Refund of up to 40% of purchase/installation costs or $80,000 Money is refunded for the purchase and installation of a renewable energy system for space and water heating and cooling Commercial Building Incentive Program Commercial buildings Up to Commercial Building Incentive Program Commercial buildings Up to $60,000 A financial incentive is given for the incorporation of energy efficient features in new building designs A financial incentive is given for the incorporation of energy efficient features in new building designs Industrial Building Incentive Program Industrial buildings Up to Industrial Building Incentive Program Industrial buildings Up to $80,000 A financial incentive is given for the incorporation of energy efficient features in new building designs A financial incentive is given for the incorporation of energy efficient features in new building designs BETA initiatives: Advanced Houses Program, the Building Systems and Indoor Environment Program and the Passive Solar Program Commercial and Residential Cost sharing with suppliers, end-users and BETA The Building Technology Advancement Centre (BETA) Plan aims to develop a new generation of energy-efficient and passive solar technologies (for new buildings and retrofits) through technical and financial support BETA initiatives: Advanced Houses Program, the Building Systems and Indoor Environment Program and the Passive Solar Program Commercial and Residential Cost sharing with suppliers, end-users and BETA The Building Technology Advancement Centre (BETA) Plan aims to develop a new generation of energy-efficient and passive solar technologies (for new buildings and retrofits) through technical and financial support Home Energy Retrofit Grants Residential Homes Depends on energy improve-ments/ retrofits made to home after evaluation. Helps homeowners upgrade/retrofit their homes to make them more energy efficient and reduce GHG emissions. Home Energy Retrofit Grants Residential Homes Depends on energy improve-ments/ retrofits made to home after evaluation. Helps homeowners upgrade/retrofit their homes to make them more energy efficient and reduce GHG emissions. Office of Energy Efficiency Natural Resources Canada 580 Booth St., 18th Floor Ottawa, ON, K1A 0E4 Email: general.oee@nrcan.gc.ca www.oee.nrcan.gc.ca _____________________________________________ Towers of Solar Heating and Underground Thermal Energy Storage by Frank Cruickshanks, Environment Canada For the past 15 years Quinpool Towers, an apartment building in central Halifax has been harnessing the sun to meet 20% of its domestic hot water requirements. This is accomplished with the help of 100 roof top solar panels measuring 228 square metres. The original installation costs were offset by 50% rebate that was offered by Government of Canada at the time. An Environment Canada scientist, who wishes to dovetail his research into tangible projects, is currently working with the apartment owners to try to increase the solar power by 70% by improving the storage capacity. Hot water from the solar heating system is presently stored in a series of water tanks. The idea is to leave the tanks in place as a short term buffer storage and to use a bore-hole storage system for long term or seasonal storage. In the pilot and testing stage, bore-holes will be drilled to 125 metres in depth and tested for "Thermal Response "i.e. in-situ thermal conductivity- a technique developed by the Environment Canada researcher in co-operation with the International Energy Agency, an energy forum for 26 member countries. As many as 100 bore-holes would be needed to make an underground store, with each bore-hole being connected together with heat exchange tubes. The apartment building owner estimates current savings of about 20% of the domestic hot water load or 20,000 litres of fuel. With the underground thermal energy storage pilot project he hopes to double his savings in fuel oil. Greenhouse gas reductions from decreased oil consumption will go from 58 tonnes up to 100 tonnes. The system may also be expanded to include the 232 apartments that are heated with hot water. A fully realized Bore-hole Thermal Energy Storage (BTES) system would comprise, in the order of, 100 bore-holes drilled to a depth of about 100 metres, depending on the bore-hole spacing, this would give an underground storage volume of 60,000 to 100,000 cubic metres. For more information, contact Frank Cruickshanks at: 902-426-6885, Frank.Cruikshanks@ec.gc.ca _____________________________________________ Manitoba Ice Rink Cools Naturally The Miami, Manitoba Hockey Arena and Community Hall have used a unique ice pad design and geothermal system to make ice and provide heating and air conditioning to the area and adjacent community centre. In 1998 the community decided to install an ice-making system that would be frozen solid for a longer season and have lower energy, operating and maintenance costs than a conventional ice plant. A patented "thermal storage buffer" was created under the ice to help maintain constant ice temperatures during heavy use of the ice, and to bring the heat rejected from the ice into an underground vertical earth loop to heat the building. The new geothermal system replaces the need for an electric heating system, reducing energy consumption by approximately 254.7 MW.h, avoiding 47.6 tonnes of CO2 emissions annually. The new technology prevents pollution through the use of water-based chilling mechanisms, which replaces the need for freon and ammonia in the ice plant. Revenues have been increased because the ice rink is open up to six weeks earlier in the fall and up to a month later in the Spring. For more information, contact Natural Resources Canada Canadian Renewable Energy Network at info@canren.gc.ca, Internet: www.canren.gc.ca _____________________________________________ Pollution Prevention in Your Personal Life This section will feature the personal stories of people who are working in pollution prevention. Do you have a story to share with your colleagues? We want to hear it! Please contact the C2P2 staff at info@c2p2online.com to discuss your ideas. The first story in this section is contributed by one of C2P2's staff, Linda Varangu and her husband, Rob Booth. Discovering Environmentally Preferable Residential Heating By Linda Varangu and Rob Booth In the mid 80's we bought a 93-acre farm in West Flamborough (now Hamilton) with a run down barn and a draughty (you-could-see-day-light-through-the-walls) insulbrick house to which several additions had been added. The heating system was archaic, unsafe and not environmentally friendly - it was an open fuel oil burner that you lit by tossing a match into a pot containing fuel oil. After living, and shivering, in the old house for about 7 years, we designed our new ¯¿½‘old stone home' and in 1995 we each took a 6 month leave of absence from our respective jobs to pursue our dream. We carefully tore down three quarters of the old house and reused as much as we could - the wood for maple syrup making, heating using the new airtight wood stoves, bird houses, small outbuildings including a tree house. What insulation we could salvage went into the new barn we had built. We dug the new foundation, hired a contractor to pour the footings and 12 " thick reinforced foundation walls and then with the help of friends and family started the framing. Our new heating system consists of radiantly heated hydronic floors with a ground source heat pump and four solar panels. In addition we included many energy conservation and energy efficient design features such as internal stone walls for increased thermal mass, multiple thermal breaks in the wall design, R-2000 equivalent insulation, and solar south orientation of the building. For the floors we poured 1 ½" thick high-strength concrete over thousands of metres of radiant floor cross linked polyethylene piping. The radiant hydronic heating system is zone controlled with a thermostat in each room. Hot water for the floors is supplied from a reservoir in the basement through manifolds on each floor. The water was initially heated using four solar collectors located on the south wall with an electric water heater for back up. While this system could maintain an interior temperature of 15 oC during most of the winter it could not bring rooms up to a comfortable temperature within a reasonable period of time, especially with the strong winter winds. Use of two airtight wood stoves had to be discontinued due to allergies to the wood smoke. In the fall of 2001 we dug a trench 1100 ¯¿½‘ long x 2¯¿½‘ wide x approx 6 ¯¿½‘ deep, laid 2200 feet of 11/4 " plastic pipe and in January, 2002, installed a ground source heat pump. Within two days the house was toasty for the first time in over a decade. Our house is not a conventional house. We have experimented with different heating systems out of personal and professional interest in environmentally friendly homes. The radiant floor heating system with the ground source heat pump is more expensive to install than conventional forced air systems - more than double the cost at about $10.00 per square foot for our system. We don't yet have enough data to calculate the payback time for our system but the additional benefits are many including: the even comfort of hydronic floor heating, better indoor air quality, preheat for our domestic hot water, and we are less reliant on the fluctuating electrical costs expected in the near future. The one thing we should have done, was wait a tad longer for those government incentive programs! For more information, contact Linda at linda@c2p2online.com, Phone: 1-800-667-9790. __________________________________ _______________________________________________________ Pollution Prevention Activities and Events Across Canada _______________________________________________________ Lake Ontario Cools Downtown Toronto Enwave District Energy Limited has finished installing 3 new 5 km pipes into the depths of Lake Ontario for the Deep Lake Water Cooling Project(DLWC) for Downtown Toronto. High-Density Polyethylene (HDPE) pipes have been placed into Lake Ontario to draw in near-freezing water, which will be brought to Toronto's Island Filtration Plant and used to cool 100 downtown office towers. The Deep Lake Water Cooling project will meet 40% of the air conditioning requirements for downtown Toronto and use up to 75 per cent less energy than conventional electric chillers and eliminate 40,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide. The DLWC Project plans to be completed and activated in Spring 2004. For more information contact Michelle Murray at (416) 392-0272, E-mail: mmurray@enwave.com Solar Water Heating for Car Washes The Sunoco Car Wash located on McCowan Rd. Markham, Ontario harnesses the sun's energy to create the first solar car wash in Canada. The solar car wash replaces a conventional natural gas powered car wash which saves an estimated 16, 000 cubic metres of natural gas and will reduce carbon dioxide emissions by 30 tonnes each year. Government of Canada provided $15, 000 through NRCan's Renewable Energy Deployment Initiative (REDI), a $24-million program launched in 1998. For more information contact Heather Bala from Natural Resources Canada at 613-996-7252. Canada Takes the LEED to Build Green July 31, 2003 marked the official launch of the Canadian Green Building Council, which has been formed to accelerate the design and construction of Green Buildings across Canada. The US Green Building Council and Canada Green Building Council signed a historic agreement licensing LEED¯¿½™ certification program for use in Canada. Contact the Canada Green Building Council at 613-241-1184, E-mail: info@cagbc.org, Internet: www.cagbc.org Green Roofing Workshop Green Roofs for Healthy Cities will be hosting two Local Market Development Workshops in Calgary and Edmonton in December 2003 to demonstrate the benefits of a green roof system and how to establish a green roof incentive program in the local municipality. To register for the workshop or for more information contact Jennifer Sprout at (416) 686-5887, E-mail: jsprout@cardinalgroup.ca, Internet: www.greenroofs.ca _____________________________________________ This Special Edition of at the source was made possible through the support of TD Friends of the Environment Foundation. The operation of Canada's foremost pollution prevention resource is possible through the generous support of our sponsors. Canadian Vehicle Manufacturers' Association DaimlerChrysler Canada Inc. Ford Motor Company of Canada Limited General Motors of Canada Limited Ontario Ministry of the Environment The Ontario Trillium Foundation ------- é 2003 Canadian Centre for Pollution Prevention. All Rights Reserved. Please do not reprint without permission and attribution. ________________________