Rainwater Harvesting and Condensate Recovery - New Tools for Sustainable Site Development - A Presentation by Tom Barrett

"Water, water everywhere and not a drop to drink." wrote Samuel Taylor Coleridge in The Rime of the Ancient Mariner. In its Report Card for America’s Infrastructure, the American Society of Civil Engineers rated our nation's wastewater, stormwater, and drinking water systems a "D” minus. This is the lowest grade in any infrastructure category. The most alarming conclusion is the next lowest grade is "F" - FAILURE. Over the last fifty years America has not invested in new practices and technologies which can enhance our infrastructure and our environment. Rainwater harvesting and condensate recovery are transformative approaches to sustainable site development. "The over-borrowing, over-consuming, and under-innovation (is) now in the US. . .," Antonio van Aqtmael said in an October 2007 issue of Newsweek. As engineering solutions to water management that protects, restores, and mimics the natural water cycle. Rainwater harvesting and condensate recovery incorporates both the natural environment and engineered systems to provide clean water, conserve ecosystems, and provide a wide variety of benefits for people and wildlife. Additionally, all this can be accomplished at a significantly lower cost than conventional concrete and mortar infrastructure. Join Tom Barrett as he explains how the use of locally produced water helps develop a “natural approach” to efficient use of water and relieves stormwater management issues.

What Others Said About This Presentation:
". . . best class at CCGT so far, rainwater data, new ideas, charts and stats, all the different ways I can use the rainwater for my home."

" . . . great speaker, the positive outlook, no blame game, examples (drip system), knowledgeable, class got to participate.

Speaker’s Biography - Tom Barrett

Tom Barrett is an accomplished corporate growth and change agent with over thirty years of landscape industry experience. Tom’s leadership experience, holding executive level positions, drives corporate revenue growth through change and innovation for business start-ups, corporate expansions, and divisional turnarounds. Tom Barrett has been delivering energetic, dynamic presentations and training for over twenty years. These presentations empower people to become masters of change rather than victims of circumstance by developing tools for transformative thinking. "Tom's been a leader with smart water technologies, green roofs, rainwater harvesting and other emerging technologies well before they became buzzwords at water conferences. It's impressive to work with Tom because he knows his stuff from the ground up.” - Jeff Carowitz, Principal, Strategic Force, Inc.

Creative Projects with Concrete and More!

Are you looking for a way to improve your projects? Feel like there is something holding you back? Do you desire more? Then being creative in your projects should evolve with your projects. Working with specialized contractors will give you an opportunity to deliver notable projects with cost effective solutions.

How do you find good contractors? Good contractors can be found on Angie’s list, at building supply stores, at job sites, and through referrals. Look for companies that have been in business for a number of years, talk with other consultants and ask the clients if they were satisfied with quality of work and time it took to complete the job. Finding contractors to bid projects may take some time initially, and once you have an approved group, you will see great results. Some of your projects can list pre-qualified or preferred member contractors. A good contractor creates a win-win situation that can promote competitive bidding, reduce change orders and improve construction documents when they go out for bid.

Why do contractors help? Why not? Contractors love the opportunity to participate as a project member, especially when they can bid the work. They can offer design and material suggestions, make recommendations on design details, and schedules. They help can be extremely valuable and they are a great resource for design details. Conventional design details can make or break a great project and knowing what allowances to make when they are modified can ease the construction process, save time and potential cost savings.

Construction industry professionals offer contractor services for construction management; value engineering, quality control, cost estimating, constructability analysis, and construction. Some contractors offer fee based services while others work or team with consultants for bid packages. They can also help identify ways reduce project cost, while maintaining design intent, quality details and specifications.

A recent site visit at Smock Fansler gave me the opportunity to learn more about taking a standard product and making it unique. Smock Fansler is quoted saying, “It’s not about construction; it’s about better places to live”. They specialize in concrete products and more. One of their concrete specialty items includes pervious pavement. They have several test plots where pervious concrete was mixed and poured using different material size, shape and balance. At Keep Indianapolis Beautiful’s new LEED-Gold facility, pervious concrete tested met the criteria and successfully installed.

They have many unique projects that began as a “Big Idea” and evolved into a work of art. They love projects that challenge creative minds and enjoy working with Landscape Architects on gardens, parks, fountains, hardscapes, specialty molds, special soil blends for green projects and everything concrete. They offer stamped, colored and stenciled concrete finishes, custom concrete rocks/boulders, exposed aggregate finishes, custom art molds and pervious concrete. Some concrete test include durability, weight, along with textures, acid stained, sealants, and lighting using special materials to enhance look at night while maintaining a natural look.

To learn more on creative solutions and sustainable construction practice at Smock Fansler, bring your questions to the INASLA Annual Meeting and Design Awards Presentation on October 23, 2009. Smock Fansler representatives will discuss projects from a contractors point of view. For your project needs, contact Ms. Jhennifer Sanchez, LEEP-AP at 317-248-8371.

The ACE Mentor Program - Learn why so many people have become mentors.

The ACE Mentor Program was founded in 1995 as an innovative way of attracting students, particularly minorities, women and the less privileged into engineering profession. It is a not-for-profit organization whose mission is to engage, excite and enlighten high school students to pursue careers in the design/build construction industry through mentoring; and to support their continued advancement in the industry through scholarships and grants.

The program relies on mentors, professionals from leading design and construction firms, who devote countless off-duty hours and personal energy to introduce students to a broad range of people, projects and career possibilities within the construction industry.

In 1991, working with the Explorer Program of the Boy Scouts of America, the program began with one team of thirty students, mentored by volunteers from four firms. Year-by-year, participation grew and in 1995, the independent nonprofit ACE Mentor Program, Inc. was formed.

The program growth has been phenomenal:

• From one team of 30 students in one city mentored by volunteers from four firms in 1991
• To teams in twenty-eight cities with more than 1800 students and 600 professional mentors in 2003
• To teams in sixty-four cities with more than 3,600 students and 1200 mentors in 2004
• To teams in eighty cities with more than 5,000 students and 1500 mentors in 2006
• To teams in ninety-three cities with more than 7,500 students and 2100 mentors in 2007
• To teams in one hundred and thirty-six cities with more than 9,300 students and over 2500 mentors in 2008

Since 1995, more than 50,000 students have had the opportunity to participate in the ACE Mentoring program. 80% are minority, 52% are female and 92% go on to 2 or 4 year colleges, training or apprenticeship programs.

All activities on the part of the mentoring firms are donated by the firms.

The Program
Students are recruited from both public and private high schools, with special efforts made to reach those women and minorities who might otherwise not be aware of the challenges and rewards of careers in the design and construction industries. Students selected for the program are divided into teams of twenty to thirty. They work under the guidance of mentors from firms representing owners, architects, construction managers and engineers (civil and mechanical). Teams are also affiliated with a college or university.

Teams meet at least fifteen times during the course of the school year in an after-school program. Initial meetings involve visits to the offices of the involved firms where the scopes of their activities are discussed and a tour of the facilities conducted. Each team then selects a design project that may require site acquisition, as well as the drawing of plans, the building of models, and other related activities. Students go through the entire design process, with the tasks they perform for their “clients” modeled on the real-life activities of their mentoring firms. Among the skills they learn are drawing to scale and estimating the cost of a job, skills that their mentors utilize in performing their daily professional duties.

At the end of the school year, there is a major culminating event at which all teams present their projects, much as actual design teams would present to their clients.

ACE Scholarships
Scholarship funds are raised through local events to help graduating seniors defray some of the costs of attending college. Each graduating senior is given the opportunity to apply for an ACE Mentor Program scholarship and a committee, with input from team mentors, selects the scholarship winners. Since 1996, scholarships totaling $8.2 million have been awarded.

Moving Towards a Transformational Transportation Bill

At the American Planning Association (APA) Federal Policy Briefing, which began on Sunday, John Robert Smith, CEO and President of Reconnecting America and a leader of the Transportation for America (T4America) network, and Devon Barnhart, legislative counsel for transportation, urban and natural resource issues for Congressman Albio Sires of New Jersey, called for a transformation in federal transportation policy so that federal investment better supports the development of multi-modal urban transportation networks, increased inter-connections in rural areas, and improved walkability and bikeability across communities. With the upcoming reauthorization of SAFETEA-LU, the USD 286 billion transportation legislation, there is an opportunity to put U.S. transportation on a new path away from highways and towards sustainable, accessible forms of transportation, including rail, and public transit.

In introducing the panel, Roxanne Blackwell, Federal Affairs Manager, ASLA, said: “all of us in this room know and understand that how a community is designed, including the layout of its roads, buildings and parks, has a huge impact on the life and health of its residents and on the overall economic health and viability of our nation as a whole.”

Devon Barnhart, Legislative Counsel, Congressman Albio Sires: Congressman Sires is looking towards the upcoming authorization of surface transportation legislation as an opportunity to “keep people and goods moving in a sustainable manner.” Sires’ district contains almost all forms of transportation, including airports, ports, mass transit, Amtrak, and ferries. The port alone serves 1/3 of the nearby population, and generates enormous economic activity for the area. However, existing transportation networks, particularly for freight, also create “quality of life” issues, including pollution.

Barnhart said the new Hudson-Bergen Light Rail system, which runs through the district, has helped ameliorate some of these issues. Along the rail line, “there was lots of blight, old industrial sites. Now, there’s lots of tie-in, and commercial growth.” There have also been new condos and brownstones. However, Barnhart noted a big downside: it’s made it impossible for low-income people who need access to public transportation to live along the new light rail line.

Barnhart argued that complete streets are particularly crucial to dense communities like those in Sires’ district. Barnhart added that ”people are still trying to strip complete streets out of bills,” and urged planners and landscape architects to meet with their representatives and highlight the importance of complete streets projects in their districts (even if they are rural).

John Robert Smith, Reconnecting America / T4America: Robert Smith was the long-time mayor of Meridian, Mississippi, where he oversaw the development of an innovative transit-oriented development project. Smith led the development of a multi-modal transportation network and leveraged USD one million in government money to bring in USD 135 million in private sector investment around the new transportation hub. In a city of 350,000, the new transportation hub led to the restoration of the local opera house, a new conference center, and department stores. Meridian also now has the 15th largest urban forest in the U.S. The urban forest includes bike paths and trails.

Smith said the U.S. needs a “transformational transportation bill.” It can no longer just be about “asphalt,” but needs to be about “rail — light, heavy, high-speed, and include housing, planning, metrics, and smart growth.”

Transportation for America (T4America), an organization in which Smith plays a lead role, now has 360 partner organizations, and sends some 50,000 emails to Congress in each campaign. T4America is aiming for a transformational surface transportation bill that can provide incentives for:

• Affordable housing near mass transit
• Robust transit, walking, biking
• Improved mobility options for senior, low-income residents and veterans
• Incorporation of local voices (transportation is often sited within highway departments and the U.S. needs to get away from highway development)
• Green ports and freight.

Given that SAFETEA-LU, which passed in 2005, just expired, the current gas tax which funds all sustainable transportation work is also up for renegotiation. The U.S. Senate and administration want an 18 month extension into 2011. Regardless of how long the extension lasts, the issues need to be dealt with immediately. “Revenue from the gas tax doesn’t cover SAFETEA-LU. New sources of revenue are needed and there are different ways to do this.” New funds are needed for public transit and regional planning around transit-oriented development. Smith said the numbers aren’t critical, but what is needed is a basic change in the way the U.S. sees transportation. A new surface transportation bill must be transformational, and include housing, rail, environmental sustainability, if the U.S. wants to retain its economic competitiveness.

Smith added that “no rail system pays for itself.” In Europe, governments invest heavily in rail systems because of other economic, social, and health benefits they provide. In the U.S., “we spend more on highway roadkill clean-up than passenger rail.”

Smith and Barnhart encouraged people to check out MyCommuteSucks.org, and urged architects, landscape architects, and planners to get politically involved in their communities.

Image credit: Hudson-Bergen Light Rail, Flickr

ACE Mentoring Indiana is in pursuit of Light Rail

In September, Indiana’s ACE Mentoring program started the year by introducing mentors and students at selected high schools. The program began with students introducing themselves and talking about their interests. Then the mentors reviewed the program’s goals and student expectations regarding advanced learning, networking, scholarships, and internship opportunities.

To create early interaction between the students and mentors, the first session consisted of designing and constructing name tags. The ACE mentor leader played the role of project owner and students were placed into designer and contractor groups alongside mentors. Once project “name tag” began, the owner began watching the time and reviewing team efforts.

This exercise incorporated project name tags as an introduction to the light rail project the students will undertake for this years mentoring project. The student’s thought process begins to develop as they work in teams and communicating ideas. Their project “name tag”, communicated the design intent on paper for contractors to bid. Some used text and others used drawings to detail size, color, shape, etc. They learned that a clearly defined design parameter helped the contractors accurately bid the work. This bidding process was based on time and effort to complete the name tags.

Look OUT! Did someone say, “Change order?” Of course there were change orders, and the owner made last minute request to keep everyone scrambling. The session concluded by evaluating the project time in addition to product quality to determine which team provided the best product solution. To conclude project “name tag”, the mentors initiated discussion on lessons learned and how the exercise reflects actual construction and design parameters.

Students will begin their next session with an on-site visit focusing on architecture and landscape architecture professions. To learn more or sign-up as a landscape architect mentor, go the acementor.org, select the mentor tab on the top left of the page and select online application. Please note background checks are completed in about five minutes at the City County Building, so do not fill out the on-line background check. You may also contact Daryn Fair at 317-578-4462 or daryn.fair@gmail.com.

SDAT Workshop- Professional Participation Requested

Be a part of the exciting Sustainable Design Assessment Team. We need local professionals to help explore a new model for sustainable neighborhood renewal. From affordable housing and quality jobs to green infrastructure and brownfields, chances are there is a topic you have critical expertise in. This is a great opportunity to give back to our community and help shape public policy in a manner that benefits a neighborhood we've long neglected.

The workshop is a three-day affair, concentrating on gathering community input on Wednesday, interpretting that input into several alternative visions and policies for the future on Thursday, and wrapping everything into a cohesive story for a public presentation on Friday. All work will be evaluated against a series of Policies and Goals previously identified through the Smart Growth Renewal process.

• All food (and good food at that!) and snacks will be provided.
• We will have standard charrette supplies, but you are welcome to bring your own materials.
• You will receive recognition in the report.
• This program can be counted towards your CEU requirement.
  

The charrette track will work in three multidisciplinary teams to explore alternative renewal scenarios and be led by a local professional. Full-workshop (October 28, 29, 30) participation is critical to maintain concept continuity and we ask that you register for as many days as possible. If you only can dedicate one day, Thursday is probably the most critical. Download a complete schedule.

For more information please visit the Sustainable Design Assessment Team website.

Pilot Projects to Test First National Rating System for Sustainable Landscapes

The Sustainable Sites Initiative™ announced a November 5 call for pilot projects that will test the first national rating system for sustainable landscapes. The Initiative is a partnership between the American Society of Landscape Architects (ASLA), the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center at The University of Texas at Austin and the United States Botanic Garden to create guidelines and performance benchmarks for sustainable landscapes, with or without buildings. The announcement took place at the ASLA Annual Meeting in Chicago.

The Initiative will accept applications starting November 5 and closing February 15, 2010, in conjunction with the release of the next report and new rating system, online at www.sustainablesites.org. Any type of designed landscape is eligible to participate, ranging from academic and corporate campuses, parks and recreation areas, transportation corridors to single residences so long as the total size exceeds 2,000 square feet. Fees for participating in the pilot project process may run between $500 to $5,000 depending on project size. Approximately 75 to 150 projects will take part in testing the rating system.

Until now, design and construction rating systems included little recognition for benefits of sustainable landscape and site design. Landscapes can clean water, reduce pollution and restore habitats, all while providing significant economic benefits to land owners and municipalities. The U.S. Green Building Council, a stakeholder in the Initiative, anticipates incorporating the Sustainable Sites guidelines and performance benchmarks into future iterations of its LEED® Green Building Rating System™. More information is available at www.sustainablesites.org.