Loading...
HomeMy WebLinkAboutMinutes 02-25-2008 ST. LUCIE COUNTY SUSTAINABILITY AD HOC COMMITTEE February 25, 2008 3:30 PM – 5:00 PM Oxbow Eco-Center MEMBERS: Eric Winterstein, J. Gellermann, Dr. Bobbie Conti, Robert Tabor, Jim Sculley, Doug Coward, Allen Gilbert, Leon Camarda, Nick Blount, Donna Rhoden (alternate for Jesus Merejo) SLC STAFF: Sandra Bogan, Yvette Alger The meeting was called to order at 3:30pm. The minutes from the January 28, 2008 meeting were unanimously approved. rd Sandy offered to do another web survey to determine the best meeting date, as the 3 Monday was not workable for a couple members. Sandra Bogan reminded the committee of web-links and other useful resources available on the new Sustainability Committee website (http://www.co.st- lucie.fl.us/erd/Sustainability_Ad_Hoc_Committee.htm). Sandra Bogan announced: 1) the next Green Drinks event, to be held February 26 at the Alumni Club; 2) the 2008 Treasure Coast Green Conference is tentatively scheduled for October 16. JP Gellerman announced that IFAS is working on an alternative fuel seminar, during which presenters would discuss fuels such as solar, biodiesel, etc. The event is set for April 10, and IFAS is seeking $1,500 in additional funding. Commissioner Coward offered that he may be able to assist with this funding. Leon Camarda then presented a slide show on “Green Building Rating Systems”. Below are some of the issues he covered: ?? Sustainability involves three components: environment, economy, and social ?? US Buildings account for 12% of water use, 39% of carbon dioxide emissions, 65% of waste, and 71% of electricity use. ?? Green components of buildings focus on 5 major aspects: 1) building design, 2) alternative energy, 3) triple bottom line (considering not only economy, but also environmental and social aspects), 4) recycling, and 5) education. ?? To be more specific, some of the concepts to be incorporated in Green design are: 1) site sustainability (stormwater management, light pollution, site planning, etc.), 2) water conservation, 3) energy efficiency/pollutant emissions, 4) material conservation/re-use, 5) indoor environment (air quality), 6) site access/ alternative transportation, and 7) education. ?? Green buildings have been shown to save money by reducing waste (50-90% reduction), water (30-50% reduction), energy (30% or more reduction), and carbon (35% reduction). ?? Green buildings save on operating costs, have higher value, increased return on investment, increased occupancy, and increased rent. ?? The cost of certifying buildings under the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) rating system varies from a 0.66% increase in cost for basic certification to a 6.8% cost increase for a platinum-certified building. ?? Advantages of LEED: 1) nationally recognized, 2) measurable impact of building performance. ?? Disadvantages of LEED: 1) up-front costs, and 2) need for a team aware of green building technologies and LEED certification. ?? Florida Green Building Council (FGBC) certification advantages: 1) less up-front cost, 2) easier to use. ?? FGBC disadvantages: 1) smaller pool of professionals familiar with tool, 2) not as reputable as LEED. ?? Commissioner Coward interjected that we need to be considering whether or not we want to require/incentivize actual certification or just demonstration that certification practices have been implemented. ?? The group briefly discussed the pros/cons of the two certification systems. Allen Gilbert presented a slide show discussing some of the Green Design features the SLC School District is considering pursuing. Highlights of his talk are: ?? Benefits of Green Design: improvements in attendance, student test scores, and teacher satisfaction o reduced operating costs, liability, and environmental impacts. o ?? Features of Green Schools: native/drought tolerant landscaping, clere-story daylighting, low E (emissivity) window glazing, covered outdoor dining, reflective roof membrane, reflective ceilings and interior windows to distribute light, low Volatile Organic Chemical (VOC) materials, walls and roof with high R values, waterless urinals, double-flush toilets, improved acoustics, color theory to enhance learning environment, ice chillers for reduced peak hours use of AC, renewable energy (biodiesel, solar, etc.), recycling systems, alternative transportation, etc. ?? SLC School District modelled the total cost savings from Green Schools over a period of 10 years to be $1.5 million. These modeling tools are available to anyone considering construction of a green building, and allow you to determine cost savings of different alternative designs prior to construction. Mr. Gilbert was not able to complete his presentation, due to time constraints. The committee members felt the information being provided was valuable and requested he return and finish presenting at our next meeting. They also suggested that the School District share these innovations with the public, so they are aware of the progress being made by the District and also so that they become more aware of green design in general. Mr. Gilbert suggested that perhaps the consultant, Zyscovich, who worked on the design could give the presentation at the next meeting. Sandy agreed to work with him on that. The group discussed two topics that they are interested in getting more information about. One was sustainable site planning which could include concepts such as low-impact development and community planning. The other topic the group is interested in is comparing various incentives and ordinances that have been used throughout the state/nation, and an analysis about what has worked and what hasn’t. Sandy then discussed time/location for our next meeting. She stated the meeting on March 17 will be at 3:00 in the Commission Chambers. Some members stated a preference to keeping the meetings at the Oxbow or alternatively switching them around to various locations. This was left for further discussion at subsequent meetings. The meeting was adjourned at 5:30 pm.