South American Adventures, Part 1

Posted on July 8, 2013 by Abe Kruger

I recently spent 2 weeks in Bolivia and 1 week in Chile. While the primary goal was to visit my sister and take advantage of her translation services, my green building nerd membership would be revoked without a few blog posts about what I saw.

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Salar de Uyuni

Most of my photographs fall into one of two categories: beautiful countryside or my obsession with construction. This post covers both – the Bolivian salt flats and salt block buildings. Future posts will cover renewable energy and traditional construction methods (spoiler: this does not include salt blocks). Continue reading →

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Lead: America’s Greatest Enemy?

Posted on January 8, 2013 by Abe Kruger
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Window photo by Rev. Xanatos Satanicos Bombasticos from flickr.com, used under a Creative Commons license.

I like to think I have a pretty good understanding of the dangers of lead exposure. I’m trained on renovation practices that limit exposure to lead paint. In college I studied environmental policy and learned the importance of the ban on leaded fuels. Despite this background, I was pretty surprised to learn just how strong the relationship is between lead exposure and crime rates. Kevin Drum, writing in Mother Jones, explores the research on lead exposure and IQ, violence, ADD/ADHD, and other factors.

When I first read, America’s Real Criminal Element: Lead, I was intrigued and brought a healthy skepticism. Could something so simple actually be true? Can we really pin the blame for so many of society’s problems on lead? And I have to say that I think the argument is pretty solid. Of course there are numerous other factors at play and removing lead from our lives is no panacea, but it certainly wouldn’t make matters any worse!

Have you read the article? If so, what do you think?

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Making an American Water Heater: Lessons in Integrated Design

Posted on December 20, 2012 by Abe Kruger

The Atlantic recently ran an article about the return of manufacturing jobs to the US. The growth of jobs is clearly positive news for the US economy, but what really interested me was the process GE went through to actually build a water heater in Kentucky. This process of redesigning the GeoSpring water heater offers many parallels to green building.

The GeoSpring was originally designed by American based engineers and manufactured in China. There was little communication between the design and manufacturing teams. Most conventional buildings go through a similar process where there is little integration between the design and construction teams. Buildings typically follow an established set of steps, starting with design, then pricing, followed by value engineering, contract negotiations, and construction. This system relies on the architect to communicate information to the builder, who must then relay it to the trade contractors and ultimately to the homeowner. This process often results in projects going over budget and failing to meet performance expectations. Continue reading →

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Green Building Journeys

Posted on December 13, 2012 by Abe Kruger

“How did you become a green building consultant?”

“What does someone study to be a green building consultant?”

“You’re an engineer, right?”

I love these questions! I am not an engineer, architect, or builder by training and many of my colleagues have traveled equally interesting paths. The construction industry, and residential construction in particular, is very slow to change. This is probably why so many of the innovators bring an outsiders perspective. In an attempt to encourage folks to embrace “alternative” paths, here is my journey to green building consultant. For those already in the industry, please share your journey in the comments!

From an early age, I was drawn to construction and the environment. Throughout high school, a typical weekend would include hiking, volunteering with a local Habitat for Humanity affiliate, or building sets in the theater. I enrolled in Oberlin College, fully intending to change the world, though not yet understanding how. Environmental Studies was the logical first step. My courses ranged from international renewable energy policy to the geology of northern Ohio. In addition to my degree in Environmental Studies, I discovered a love of history. I was fascinated with the interplay of natural and built environments. My history courses explored how natural elements, such as soil fertility and proximity to water, influenced the location of cities and how, in response, cities changed their surroundings. Continue reading →

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2012 ENERGY STAR for New Homes Utility Sponsor Meeting

Posted on June 2, 2012 by Abe Kruger

The 5th annual ENERGY STAR Utility Sponsors Meeting occurred last month in Anaheim, CA. The meeting consisted of two days of presentations and break out sessions. On the third day there was an optional site visit to go through the ENERGY STAR inspection process. Discussion topics included marketing, utility rebate program design, data collection, transition to version 3.0, and builder and contractor participation.

I don’t think it can be understated just how important utilities are in the growth and success of ENERGY STAR for New Homes. 39 states have active utility rebate programs and over 80% of all ENERGY STAR certified homes are participating in an utility program. Clearly this was group is one of the EPA’s most valuable stakeholders! Continue reading →

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Request for Training Assistance

Posted on April 25, 2012 by Abe Kruger

As many of you know, I’m pursuing a Masters in Building Construction at Georgia Tech. What you might not know is that I’m teaching a residential green building course this summer! The course is cross-listed for both undergraduate and graduate credit. Class meets Thursday evenings from 6:05pm to 9:25pm. I’ll be a Graduate Teaching Assistant and the sole instructor. I have a very comprehensive syllabus ready and we’re using the textbook (Green Building: Principles and Practices in Residential Construction) I coauthored with Carl Seville.

And here’s my question/request…

To all of the green building trainers out there, do you have any in class exercises you’d recommend I incorporate into the course? I have taught hundreds of courses over the years that range from 1-hour seminars to weeklong HERS Rater courses. Typically, I either don’t have much time to incorporate in class activities or I’m constrained by focusing on exam preparation. I’m now completely free to establish the learning objectives and evaluation tools. I welcome the freedom, but I’m also aware that I need more activities to breakup the evening lecture. My goal is for the class to be as interactive and engaging as possible. I never want to promote death by PowerPoint!

My goal is to not subject my students to death by PowerPoint! Image from http://jennifermccrea.com/2011/12/death-powerpoint/

I have at least one field trip planned to perform a BPI Building Analyst style audit that includes blower door, duct blaster, and combustion safety testing. I also have a bunch of discussion topics planned for small groups and a handful of short activities.

Any activity suggestions are greatly appreciated!

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Bringing New Life to Briarcliff Summit

Posted on March 9, 2012 by Abe Kruger

Anyone living in Atlanta is familiar with the 9-story Briarcliff Summit building on the corner of Ponce de Leon Ave and North Highland Ave. Depending on where you strike your gaze it’s either a gorgeous 1920’s building with lovely decorative terra cotta detailing or a rundown brick building with cheap windows and unsightly window A/C units. In reality, Briarcliff summit is both and if all goes as planned is about to undergo a significant retrofit.

Originally known as the 750, the building opened to much fanfare in 1925 with 200 luxury condominiums. Asa G. Candler Jr., the son of Coca-Cola magnate Asa Candler Sr., owned the real estate firm that built the 750. As the Great Depression set in the building was converted to the Briarcliff Hotel and eventually HUD subsidized affordable housing.

Evergreen Partners Housing, based in Portland, Maine, is in the process of purchasing the building. The project is seeking affordable housing and historic preservation tax credits to facilitate the much needed improvements. The renovation will include cosmetic upgrades (painting, replacing carpet with durable flooring, new kitchen cabinets, etc) and significant energy efficiency improvements (new windows and HVAC systems).

To aid their application for tax credits, Evergreen has chosen to pursue green certification under the Enterprise Green Communities program. Kruger Sustainability Group and Carl Seville are the green consultants on the project. Today we inspected the facility along with the general contractor, architect, engineer, and project manager from Evergreen. While the building was far from the conditions described in a 2006 Creative Loafing article, it clearly was in need of some TLC. A couple of the highlights from the building tour are the amazing view from the roof, inspecting the old boiler in the basement, seeing where the indoor pool used to be in the basement, and getting an close up view of the terra cotta.

I’ll post updates as the project progresses.

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Decatur Day of Service- UPDATE

Posted on March 5, 2012 by Abe Kruger

This year for MLK Day I volunteered with a weatherization team organized by Southface Energy Institute (read the original post here).  I was one of approximately 1,300 volunteers providing home repairs and yard work for Decatur’s senior citizens. I recently received an update from Lee Ann Harvey with Volunteer! Decatur that summarizes our impact. In total 7,628 hours were donated, which correlates to a value of $162,934.08 based on Independent Sector (http://www.independentsector.org/volunteer_time) calculation. Below are some of the highlights from Lee Ann’s email:

  • Large-scale repairs (full three-day weekend projects) were made at 12 homes and 10 homes had less demanding small projects for a total of 22 homes receiving repairs.
  • All but one of these homes also had yard work and / or miscellaneous items (broken or obsolete or no longer usable items) removed.
  • Another 23 homes had yard work and / or miscellaneous items (broken, obsolete or no longer usable items) removed. This resulted in 45 senior citizens’ homes benefitting from this project. Also, the “Independent Communities” apartments of 14 people with disabilities living in five buildings had yard work done.
  • 17 tons of yard waste (including 2,300 filled yard waste bags) and 30 tons of miscellaneous items were removed.
  • Roving teams cleaned gutters at 22 homes.
  • Skilled weatherization projects were undertaken with the help of the nonprofit organization Southface Energy institute, resulting in three homes being prepared for insulation (to be done at a later date). This work included airsealing ductwork and replacing crushed ductwork.

If you are interested in volunteering in Decatur, contact Lee Ann Harvey, Volunteer! Decatur, at 678-553-6548 or leeann.harvey@decaturga.com. You can learn more about the Decatur Martin Luther King Jr. Service Project at http://www.mlkserviceproject.com.

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Brown’s the New Green

Posted on January 30, 2012 by Abe Kruger

Consciously or not, when I see brown napkins I tend to assume it’s made with recycled content. And apparently I’m not alone! The Wall Street Journal explores the trend of national chains like Dunkin’ Donuts, Cinnabon, and Target switching over to brown napkins from white ones. One of the primary motivators is the perception of greenness that comes with the brown color. Brown paper products get their distinct color from the presence of recycled fibers that are unbleached. Thanks to these bona fide environmental benefits brown’s the new green!

One of my goals with this blog is to explore the meaning of green and respond to the growing prevalence of greenwashing within the industry. It’s hard to turn on the TV or read a magazine without finding a manufacturer making some kind of environmental claim about their products. While many companies have solid data to support their claims, many leave much to be desired. Now I wonder if we need to keep an eye out for “brownwashing,” products that are intentional dyed brown to appear to contain recycled content.

Do you have a favorite example of green or brown washing?

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McGraw Hill’s Construction Outlook

Posted on January 25, 2012 by Abe Kruger

Last week Harvey M. Bernstein, Vice President of Industry Insights and Alliances, McGraw-Hill Construction, gave a lively presentation at Georgia Tech. His talk was titled Construction Outlook: Key Trends Shaping the Future of the Design and Construction Industry. Mr. Bernstein leads the company’s thought leadership and green building initiatives and manages its market research group and partnerships with industry associations. McGraw Hill is known and respected for their market research and I was excited to see what trends Mr. Bernstein was tracking.

The crowd was a mix of students, faculty, and local industry professionals. It’s no secret that the construction industry, and economy as a whole, is in the midst of a slow climb out of the great recession. Some, like Sam Rashkin, believe high performance construction is the saving grace for the residential new construction industry (see Retooling the U.S. Housing Industry: How It Got Here, Why It’s Broken, How To Fix It). Mr. Bernstein didn’t go that far, but it was clear that the green building industry continues to grow and McGraw-Hill predicts this trend to only continue. Continue reading →

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