# Presentation: 456355

## Green Buildings

**Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR)**
**Special Solicitation Workshop**
- San Francisco 		Mar-23-04
**Olof Hansen**
**U.S. EPA Region 9**
**Waste Management Division**
**Strategic Planning and Partnership Office**

## Energy
37 % of primary energy use
68 % of all electricity use
Materials
60 % of non-food/fuel raw materials use
Waste
40 % of non-industrial solid waste from construction and demolition debris per year 
Water
36 billion gallons of water per day
20 % loss of potable water in many urban systems due to leakage
Air Quality
35 % of CO2,  49 % of SO2, 25 % of NOx, and 10 % of PM emissions

**Energy**
- 37 % of primary energy use
- 68 % of all electricity use
**Materials**
- 60 % of non-food/fuel raw materials use
**Waste**
- 40 % of non-industrial solid waste from construction and demolition debris per year
**Water**
- 36 billion gallons of water per day
- 20 % loss of potable water in many urban systems due to leakage
**Air Quality**
- 35 % of CO2,  49 % of SO2, 25 % of NOx, and 10 % of PM emissions

- SBIR USEPA Region 9

## Green Buildings and EPA

- Sustainable building is a priority under EPA's Resource Conservation Challenge
- EPA is an active member of the U.S. Green Building Council
- Federal statutes require green building practices
- Agency issued Environmental Quality Guidance for Green, High Performance and Sustainable Buildings
- Buildings have tremendous human health and environmental impacts

- SBIR USEPA Region 9

## Environmental Impacts of Buildings

**Indoor Air/Human Health**
- Americans spend 90% of their time indoors
- On average, indoor air is 2-10 more contaminated that outdoor air
- 20% of workers suffer from indoor air illnesses resulting in 11,400 premature deaths/year
- Health and productivity losses associated w/indoor air quality are estimated to cost tens of billions of $ annually

- SBIR USEPA Region 9

## Environmental Impacts of Buildings

**Air/Energy Impacts**
- Buildings consume one third of all energy
- Consume 2/3 of all electricity in the U.S.
- Buildings contribute
- 25% of all greenhouse gas emissions,
- 49% of sulfur dioxide emissions, and
- 10% of particulate matter emissions

- SBIR USEPA Region 9

## Environmental Impacts of Buildings

**Waste Impacts**
- Worldwide construction activities consume 3 billion tons of raw materials each year
- Nearly 40% - 136 million tons/year - of waste going to landfills in the US is building construction and demolition debris
- More than 30% of the mercury in solid waste is from building switches, thermostats, florescent tubes, and paints

- SBIR USEPA Region 9

## Environmental Impacts of Buildings -Waste

- SBIR USEPA Region 9

## Waste from Building Construction and Demolition Debris 

- 136 M Tons =
- 1.36 M Freight Cars =
- 15,000 Miles

- SBIR USEPA Region 9

## Federal Government Leading by Example

- Owns 500,000 buildings = 3.1 billion sq. feet of floor space
- Largest energy user in the country
- 2% of building-related greenhouse gases in US
- $3.4 billion/year
- 23% reduction in energy (‘85-’01)
- 100 buildings are Energy Star labeled
- 10.5 million metric tons of carbon equivalent/year

- SBIR USEPA Region 9

## Federal Green Building Materials Requirements

**Building insulation**
**Carpet & padding**
**Cement & concrete containing fly ash/slag**
**Latex paint**
**Floor tiles**
**Flowable fill**
**Laminated paperboard**
**Patio blocks**

**Railroad grade crossing surfaces**
**Restroom dividers**
**Structural fiberboard**
**Compost & mulch**
**Landscaping timbers **
**Park benches & picnic tables**
**Playground equipment & surfaces**

- SBIR USEPA Region 9

##                     Federal Law: RCRA 6002 and Executive Order 13101

- Requires the purchase of recycled materials - **Federally funded projects**
- Uses Federal purchasing power to promote recycling
- EPA and State inspectors **enforce **implementation of RCRA 6002
**TOOLS:**
- Screened vendor lists
- Specifications

- SBIR USEPA Region 9

## Why Recycled Products?

**Aluminum**
- 95% less air pollution
- 97% less water pollution
**One can = energy savings of 1⁄2 a can of gasoline**
**Paper**
- 74% less air pollution
- 35% less water pollution
**One ton = 17 trees & 7,000 gallons water**
**Green House Gases = *****25 million cars/year***

**Why Recycled Products?**

- SBIR USEPA Region 9

## Additional Federal Focus Areas

- Energy Star
- Environmentally Preferable Purchasing
**Green Janitorial Products**
**Biobased Products** (wheatboard, soy adhesives, plastics)
- Construction & Demolition Debris
- Database of C&D Recyclers
- Green Leasing
- Waste Wise
- GreenScapes

- SBIR USEPA Region 9

## The Challenge

- SBIR USEPA Region 9

## Increase the efficiency with which buildings and their sites use energy, water, and materials, and 
Reduce building impacts on human health and the environment, through better siting, design, construction, operation, maintenance, and removal 
Assess the complete building life cycle

- Increase the efficiency with which buildings and their sites use energy, water, and materials, and
- Reduce building impacts on human health and the environment, through better siting, design, construction, operation, maintenance, and removal
- Assess the **complete building life cycle**

- SBIR USEPA Region 9

## Focusing on only one component of a building can have unintended environmental, social, or economic consequences
Examples:
Poorly designed energy efficient building envelopes can result in poor indoor environmental quality
Some recycled content latex paint could have higher volatile organic compound (VOC) emissions than other environmentally preferable paints 

- Focusing on only **one** component of a building can have unintended environmental, social, or economic consequences
**Examples:**
- Poorly designed energy efficient building envelopes can result in poor indoor environmental quality
- Some recycled content latex paint could have higher volatile organic compound (VOC) emissions than other environmentally preferable paints** **

- SBIR USEPA Region 9

## New GSA Federal Building in San Francisco 
windows that open, 
shared spaces between offices, 
lots of natural light, 
reduce energy costs by 45 percent, and
is expected to save $500,000 per year in taxpayer dollars.

- New GSA Federal Building in San Francisco
- windows that open,
- shared spaces between offices,
- lots of natural light,
- reduce energy costs by 45 percent, and
- is expected to save **$500,000** per year in taxpayer dollars.

- SBIR USEPA Region 9

## Earthship
4500 used tires
Round adobe bricks
Solar Panels
Sinks
Grease & particle filter
Garden grey water
Freshwater collection
Roof/rain > 4 cisterns
40,000 gallons

- Earthship
- 4500 used tires
- Round adobe bricks
- Solar Panels
- Sinks
- Grease & particle filter
- Garden grey water
- Freshwater collection
- Roof/rain > 4 cisterns
- 40,000 gallons

- Garden “gray water”

- SBIR USEPA Region 9

## Impacts of buildings are so tremendous
Numerous research opportunities 
on buildings’ environmental effects and interactions and 
on technologies and techniques to reduce these impacts
We encourage new ideas/research

- Impacts of buildings are so tremendous
- Numerous research opportunities
- on buildings’ environmental effects and interactions and
- on technologies and techniques to reduce these impacts
**We encourage new ideas/research**

- SBIR USEPA Region 9

## Water conservation and reuse, 
Recharging of groundwater, 
Construction runoff control, 
Use of green building products, 
Indoor environmental quality (e.g., day-lighting, ventilation, low emitting materials)
Design products to consider toxicity emphasizing natural, low-emitting materials
Effect on cost savings, worker productivity, and worker health
Comparable information on the environmental impacts of building products
life cycle assessment (LCA) and
building product life cycle inventories (LCI) tools and protocols

- Water conservation and reuse,
- Recharging of groundwater,
- Construction runoff control,
- Use of green building products,
- Indoor environmental quality (e.g., day-lighting, ventilation, low emitting materials)
- Design products to consider toxicity emphasizing natural, low-emitting materials
- Effect on cost savings, worker productivity, and worker health
- Comparable information on the environmental impacts of building products
**life cycle assessment (LCA) and**
**building product life cycle inventories (LCI) tools and protocols**

- SBIR USEPA Region 9

## Design techniques or equipment to promote building renovation/deconstruction instead of demolition
Design, construction practices or equipment to improve indoor air quality
Building materials development to reduce risks from persistent, bio-accumulative, and toxic (PBT) chemicals
Recycled content building materials development using local feedstock
Develop natural flame retardancy for building materials

- Design techniques or equipment to promote building renovation/deconstruction instead of demolition
- Design, construction practices or equipment to improve indoor air quality
- Building materials development to reduce risks from persistent, bio-accumulative, and toxic (PBT) chemicals
- Recycled content building materials development using local feedstock
- Develop natural flame retardancy for building materials

- Rapidly renewable/bio-based building materials development using local feedstock
- Environmentally preferable building systems or materials with unique application to arid Southwest
- Measurement/metering equipment for green building systems
- Moisture control systems/materials/detection equipment for condensation, water intrusion, etc.

- SBIR USEPA Region 9

## EPA Resources

- Websites
**Green Buildings:  ****	**
**www.epa.gov/greenbuildings**
**Recycled Products**
**www.epa.gov/cpg**
**Environmentally Preferable Purchasing**
**www.epa.gov/oppt/epp**
- Green Building Contact in Region 9: Timonie Hood
- (415) 972-3282
- hood.timonie@epa.gov

- SBIR USEPA Region 9