Photo Diary: Touring the Construction Site of the Greenest Building in the World

Bullitt Foundation president and CEO Denis Hayes wasn't kidding when he said the Bullitt Center is "a bold attempt to do everything right." A group of us were fortunate to tour the six-story, 50,000 sq. ft. office space owned  by the Bullitt Foundation.  The building is only two and half months away from being occupied and is truly the world's most progressive, self-sufficient building.

Interdisciplinary Collaboration and the Economics of Change Project

(The following is a guest post from UW grad student, Kate Bonaparte, regarding The Economics of Change research project which seeks to map and measure the monetary benefits of ecosystem services for real estate investment in high performance green buildings. posted 4/23/12)


Why can’t we all just get along?
After five years of studying architecture at the University of Miami I learned the art of hand and computer drafting, design, methods of rendering and graphic communication, and even how to write with the stereotypical architectural block lettering. But the most surprising revelation I encountered upon my matriculation was that I had also learned to talk like an architect.

O'Brien and Co. Celebrate 20 and Support S2!

Last week Sustainable Seattle was honored to be a part of O’Brien and Company’s 20 year celebration. O’Brien & Company is a nationally-recognized consulting company whose mission is to create a sustainable built environment that ensures a better quality of life for present and future generations.

The company’s founder Kathleen O’Brien is a nationally recognized leader in the field of sustainability, writer and author, educator, strategic planner, and project consultant for nearly 25 years. She has earned numerous awards including S2’s own Outstanding Leadership Award in 2006. Most recently King County Executive Dow Constantine declared September 13^th Kathleen O’Brien Day.

To be invited to speak about The Happiness Initiative and table at the event was again, truly an honor. Attendees generously donated to S2 and Kathleen agreed to match all the funds raised throughout the night. In total, Sustainable Seattle raised over $1000! We would like to extend our sincere gratitude and congratulations to O’Brien and Company and to Kathleen personally.

Sustainable Communities Workshop

Sustainable Communities Start with Healthy and Green Homes Workshop


Workshop Overview: EPA and the Puget Sound Chapter of the Pacific Northwest International Section (PNWIS) of the Air & Waste Management Association are presenting this two-day workshop on the connections between the homes and communities where we live and the impact they have on our health. Guest speakers and attendees from health, housing, green building, and sustainability will come together to share what has worked and what the future looks like. Better housing results in better health.

When: February 2-3, 2011

Where: Seattle, Washington, at the downtown Red Lion Hotel (scroll down to Red Lion on 5th Avenue to reserve lodgings) (map)

How to register: Register by January 14, 2011 to get the early registration rate of $200. After January 14 the fee is $250. Note: PNWIS will collect registration fees to cover its share of the costs for this meeting. EPA does not receive any part of the fees.
Register now

Agenda: Draft agenda for Sustainable Communities Start with Healthy and Green Homes (PDF) (2 pp. 94K)

Speakers: Speakers and Presentation Summaries (PDF) (16 pp. 164K)

Who should attend: Builders, architects, planners, sanitarians, building inspectors, facilities managers, tribal housing authorities, health care professionals, community outreach workers, state/local governments and NGOs. Opportunities to earn Continuing Education Units (CEUs) will be available.

Workshop Track Descriptions:

• Indoor Air Quality and Health -Health- People spend over 90% of their time indoors, and indoor air pollution can reach 100 times the concentration as outdoor air. Where you live, work, and go to school can have an impact on your health. Come and learn how you can identify indoor air pollution sources and ways to mitigate and improve your indoor air.
• Homes, Indoor airPLUS and Energy Star - Come and learn all the new and exciting improvement and upgrades for existing homes, new energy saving features for new homes (ENERGY STAR and Home Star), and options to improve healthy indoor living (Indoor airPLUS). ENERGY STAR, and Home Star
• Green Buildings - How can we improve our current buildings to make them more energy efficient? Come and learn more about LEED and Built Green programs and other technologies you could do to make you building healthier, more energy efficient and marketable.
• Sustainable Communities - Come and learn from city planners and urban developers on sustainable community designs. Concepts to improve a community's accessibility.

For more information: Contact Susan Titus (titus.susan@epa.gov) at 206-553-1189.

Brown Bag Event Wrap Up

The Brown Bag event on January 20, 2010 was a resounding success. The event was held at Elliott Bay Books in historic Pioneer Square on a blustery Wednesday night. Over twenty five people were in attendance in the underground reading room of the expansive book store and the staff had to bring in extra chairs to accommodate all the participants.

The event was put on by a partnership of Sustainable Seattle's STARS program and Elliott Bay Books. The topic of discussion with author Jacqueline Powers was Transitioning to Green.

The book is all about making changes as home owners and to some extent renters to make the places we live more sustainable and green. Ms. Powers kept repeating the need to be "Green and Sustainable," numerous times as she sees the green movement as only the beginning. We cannot simply lower our amount of waste, but we must also gain some material benefit as well. People will do the right thing more often if they get something tangible in return.

Ms. Powers is an Interior Designer and General Contractor who was a member of the United States Green Building Council creators of the LEED certification awards. She talked about how as an interior designer she did not have the control necessary to insure that the materials being used in the homes were sustainable or from verifiable lands of origin. She realized that in order to be sure that the materials actually had the properties they claimed, she would have to be able to check the authenticity of said materials.

She launched into a review of her book Transitioning to Green with a caveat towards knowing where your building materials originate. One of the main problems that people have when they are remodelling is not knowing the origin of the materials. She suggested calling the manufacturers and requesting the certificates of authenticity especially for wood. Wood as a resource is going to be the most used material and the origin of the wood used in construction is one of the many reasons for deforestation of the tropical rain forest. It is important to make sure the wood is from the United States as it is from plantations that did not erase the carbon dumping rain forest to put in that extra porch.

The audience had a chance to ask questions and most were about different materials she would recommend for various projects. One man asked about insulation and the response was unexpected, "Fiberglass, spray soy, caster bean foam and shredded blue jeans." The follow up questions about the use of former linens as insulation was expected and Ms. Powers went on to elaborate that shredded blue jeans are recycled material and useful for closing up the inevitable gaps when using traditional fiber glass insulation.

After the event was over Ms. Powers stayed on to chat and answer more informal questions and sign copies of her book, which she had for sale in a neat stack to her right. Many people stayed after small talking and networking and the evaluations of the event were positive.

Our next event is the first annual Environmental Film Festival on February 11, 2010. Be sure to mark your calendars for this mind expanding event.

Who's Who: Urban Visions

Urban Visions believes sustainable development choices, smart growth and increased density can create a vital, vibrant and compelling alternative urban sprawl.

They believe in creating innovative urban communities that offer a wide array of experiences for individuals, where life's amenities and necessities are within easy reach. A vibrant downtown is a powerful mixture of office space, housing, retail, open spaces and the arts.

Posted by Matt Ross.