Sunday, January 13, 2013
Stay Classy REAE 5304
This class has opened my eyes to a new perspective of ambition. My mind has always been focused on success in numbers. I am an accountant, so when I say numbers I mean revenue, gross profit, cost of goods, expenses, taxes, interest, accruals, deferrals, amortizations, depreciation, etc. Just when I thought I had my business strategy down, sustainment decided to pop up. I do not mean this in a negative way at all. I thought it was about to get boring, so business has my interest again. I am now a believer in the old saying that the only constant thing is change. I plan to continue to look into renewable energy and change. I believe Mr. Thompson had it right that there is a great opportunity in these times.
The Final Stretch
After lunch, Jerry Burbridge had a word with us. Jerry works in the private sector for the Cherokee Nation out of Tulsa, Oklahoma. He has been assigned to the Department of Homeland Security, Customs OA, FME, and under that, he is part of the mission support PMO. He builds out offices for government entities. It seemed like it took about half his time to explain what he did. I have respect for him because he's a marine and I know what it takes to do that after serving eight honorable years. The most interesting concept I heard from him was a theory of his that he remembers it by the numbers 6666. It is a method he uses when building or streamlining structures for optimal use. To summarize, there are six sides to land, six sides to a building’s skin, six sides to every room, and six sides to furniture. If you give each of the 6’s a full evaluation, you will be in good shape. The other main point Jerry drove home was telecommuting or teleworking as he says. I firmly believe this is a great supplement of working spaces. The issue is change and trust of managers. Once telecommuting is accepted by American culture, theory has it that productivity and morale of corporate America will increase significantly. In regards to telecommuting, I have been able to do that several times with my job when the weather is too bad for me to make the long drive to work or when I need to stay at home to work. Telecommuting not only helps me with saving money on gas, but it also lets me get my work done by being in the comfort of my own home.
Our last tour was of the TRWD (Tarrant Regional Water District) Annex Building and Laura Blaylock was the guide. TRWD is a large raw water agency that serves the majority of the metropolitan Fort Worth area. It is a state agency. Their LEED certified building was built from materials no further than a 500 mile radius. The single feature that set this building apart from the Bedford Library and BRIT was their water system. Their rain water is collected as non-potable water and is used to water their plants. This does not seem like a huge deal, but given that 60% of all filtered water in the metroplex is used to water lawns, and TRWD uses 0% of their filtered water to water lawns, is a shining example that if it catches on, could benefit all of north Texas.
The Last Day of Class, But Not for Green
On January 12, 2012, I woke up exhausted, but excited since I knew this was our last class and I was going to have my Saturdays back. Truthfully, the weekends are the main time I get to spend with my 8 month old daughter and wife, so having my Saturdays back to spend with them is going to be nice. On another note, I don't get to go on anymore interesting and informational tours. Our first guest speakers of the day were Rik Adamski (will bring you to one of Rik's videos) and Debby Stein (will bring you to Debby's website). Rik started the first hour off talking about DIY (do it yourself) or Tactical Urbanism. DIY Urbanism works from the bottom up. In other words, you do small scale projects to pay attention to details and build the community from the ground up. Working on small aspects of certain areas will help the citizens of the community notice and the project doesn't become too overwhelming. The other great aspect of this is ordinary citizens and people of the community can participate and make a difference and take pride in their community. The main reason why this campaign came about is because the government is out of money. The area closest to home is The Race St Project, which they're trying to spruce up Race St in Fort Worth. Rik stated they are trying to create public art and repaint the buildings in the area. Race St was actually my wife's beat for the first few years she was on the department. I remember talking to her on the phone many times when she would be answering a call on Race St and all of the issues they had in that area. For ordinary people to be taking matters into their own hands to help a neighborhood and make it better, that is extremely beneficial and cost efficient. A lot of the people who live in that area do not have a lot of money, so having people like Rik who really care to turn around the neighborhood, I'm sure means a lot to them. Rik also mentioned many simple things that most people don't even think of. For example, parking day is where you park your car in a spot, put money in the meter, and just hang out by grilling, playing ping pong, etc. Parking day is all about making the area more comfortable. The above picture is actually an example of a parking day done in San Francisco. Rik made the topic of tactical urbanism fun and casual as well as informative. It is definitely an interesting way to improve neighborhoods in the small frame and cities in the large frame.
Our next guest speaker was Debby Stein, who also focused on DIY Urbanism. She was very enthusiastic about visual art and how her mind always wants to make things better, which is perfect for DIY Urbanism. She talked a lot about the Race St Project, which she became interested in by reading about the Plaza District. She went to check out the area and spoke to the community leaders about what she wanted to do to spruce up the area and they were ecstatic about it. Debby was really excited because the Plaza District is considered 1 of the 16 urban villages in the city of Fort Worth. An urban village is an area designated for redevelopment. A very interesting fact Debby stated was that she has her real estate license so she can be more credible to the neighborhood leaders when she poses her ideas to them. That is a very good and useful idea because she is showing that she cares about connecting and communicating with the people, but also that she is paying attention to the laws and restrictions of the area she wants to fix up. Another good point she made is that in order to be successful at DIY Urbanism, you must be flexible when working with the people in the neighborhood and the city itself. If you are too forceful, most of the time the neighborhood leaders will not respond or be supportive.
Both of these speakers made great points of being energy efficient as in doing things yourself instead of relying on the government for all of the funds. They made very good points about taking advantage of your creative side by creating art, repainting buildings, cleaning up a block, etc. Probably the most random idea that I would have never thought of, but is really interesting to help bring some business and liven up a neighborhood or area, are the parking days. That is a very simple and efficient way for someone to become involved even if they don't have the money to invest in helping rejuvenate a neighborhood. Knowing that there are easy ways out there to go green is very motivating for me to make a difference.
Once we were done with the speakers in the classroom, we were able to walk up to the building containing the information on the Trinity River Vision. I've mainly heard about this from my wife because the current police academy is going to be underwater when the project is done so the city has been talking about where they're going to have their new police academy. Once we arrived, Shanna Cate told us all about the Trinity River Vision. She stated that the reason this project came about was in 2000 and 2001, they held public meetings asking citizens what they wanted out of their river and they overwhelmingly said a waterfront just like San Antonio. Honestly, I celebrated my 30th birthday on the San Antonio Riverwalk and it was great. The atmosphere was fun and energetic, which made my birthday even better. If Fort Worth had something like that, it would be right in my backyard and I would be able to take advantage as much as I wanted. In other words, it would be great!
Shanna stated that there are three projects they are working on: The Trinity Uptown Project, which is the waterfront development and urban neighborhood; The Gateway Park Project, which is to build out the park; and The TRE Experience, which is improving the trails. Shanna explained that people also wanted more recreation and access to the river, which is difficult now because of the extensive levies we have. The levies were put in after the flood of 1949 destroying a lot of property and people. With the project going in, it will not only bring in a recreational and urban development, but will also have the integrity of the levies to prevent flooding, which is very economical. With this project going in, it will create more tax revenue, more jobs, and more housing. In regards to sustainability, this project will have the city of Fort Worth being a main attraction for residents and tourists, which will keep money flowing into the city, keep citizens happy, and put the city on the map as a tourist attraction even more than it already is.
The next stop was a walking tour with Bill Peterson and Matt Oliver at Fort Worth Fire Station #1. When we were en route from the Trinity River tour, some cold wind picked up and raindrops started. We met up with the gentlemen and got inside. While we were warming up, one of the first things said during their introductions was that that they were scoutmasters. That grabbed my attention because I am an Eagle Scout. Bill and Matt are a couple of architects that walked us through 150 years of Fort Worth history at Fire Station #1. They took us on, what they referred to as, the four stages of Fort Worth. In the first stage, when Fort Worth was first established, buildings were built as if they were a human body. They were built to be protected from the sun with most, if not all, windows avoiding the sun. The now ancient buildings had high ceilings, so there was a distribution of air, with the hot air towards the top and cool air where the people were. The second stage was when the railroads came by Fort Worth during the industrial revolution, and the population boomed. The third stage was when petroleum picked up, giving Fort Worth the most disposable income it had ever seen. This was around the 1980’s when Fort Worth’s sky scrapers were built. The buildings were filled with many people, but waste and sickness spread more fluid than ever. We are now in the fourth stage. The trend that has happened through stages 1 through 4 is that each one has moved further from sustainability respectively.
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This picture is while we were walking through downtown Fort Worth with Bill and Matt. They were telling us about all of the big buildings in the city and how they were built in the 1980's. They stated the buildings were built from petroleum money to show the prestige of the city and to get the most people in a space to work. Unfortunately, none of these buildings were built with energy efficiency or sustainability in mind.
The BRIT...and Not the British Kind
Once we arrived at the BRIT (Botanical Research Institute of Texas), our tour guide was explaining the huge wall of cyprus wood that was salvaged from the bottom of an East Texas bayou and had been resting there for about a 100 years. Evidently, there was a lot of cyprus wood that fell off merchant ships a century ago that has been discovered in good condition. You can see this amazing wall in the below picture.
I was hooked from this beginning. The BRIT serves two purposes. They are an information hub for sustainment, by example, and a research center of plants. There is valuable information botanists use looking at the plant's DNA from pharmaceuticals to tracking global warming. Their main function, which would really interest my wife with her law enforcement background, is crime scene analysis.
There are literally tons of plants preserved in the facility that are studied. Most of the area is filled with living plants, which makes it not only beautiful, but refreshing.
The BRIT's sustainable structure we were in seemed to be as LEED as you can get. The grand windows flooding the rooms with daylight reminded me of the Bedford Library's low energy usage of artificial light. Also, in common with the Bedford library, BRIT has a geothermal system. Here is a display in the BRIT's wells below the surface:
The outside of the building has a living roof tilting in the southern direction insulating the building in the summer as well as the winter. There are several more benefits from this living roof, but I feel this is the main one.
Their solar panels take about 6,000 square feet and cover a large percentage of their electricity. They are actually a series of tubes that allow the sunlight to be collected from above, but also collects from below and from the side off the reflection of the roof. Also, because they are tubes, they are not effected by updrafts from wind. That was something I never considered. After intense windstorms, apparently it is common to find flat solar panels blown off the roof if they are not screwed down. The tubes are literally not screwed down. Another advantage is that you do not have to clean them as they do not have a flat surface that collects dirt. Also on the outside are vines growing and planned to eventually cover the outside walls getting the full effect of insulation. After learning about the vines, it was time to head back to campus and hear our guest speaker for the day.
Once back, Mark Thompson from Green Ox Energy, was there to fill our minds with more green. Mark Thompson is the Director of Sales for Green Ox Energy Solution. Mark was well spoken and an advocate for renewable energy. I wish I could absorb more information in an hour because there was a mass quantity of it.
He first informed us about de-regulation or the ability to choose your phone or electricity and that not all areas have this. “Coal, nuclear, and natural gas are the main sources of energy,” he continued. The coal plants are the bread and butter in Texas, but have been lobbied not to expand and the nuclear plants have restrictions to the point where it is almost impossible to build new ones. This seems to have made an opportunity for renewable energy.
I was interested to hear that Texas is the lead wind producer in the US. I was surprised that so much wind energy is produced in Amarillo. There is actually a surplus of wind energy from Amarillo that it goes right back into the ground. It is exciting to hear that a medium is being built to carry the excess energy to other cities in Texas. Another topic Mark focused on was solar panels. A couple of interesting points that came up were there are tax incentives for home owners to purchase solar panels, and most panels are most effective on the southeast locations. Mark was well informed and has jumped on this opportunity of renewable energy in Texas, and I believe it has a promising future that the government is backing up. My main concern is how the market will react to this shift from the well-entrenched energy producer giants that currently exist.
Beer O'Clock?? Beer is Energy Efficient??
Well, not the beer itself, but the manufacturer sure is! On January 5, 2012, I was rejuvenated from my mini Christmas break and was really looking forward to the scheduled tour of the MillerCoors Brewery. Ever since I saw this on our syllabus, I had been looking forward to it. My wife was even jealous. Yes, I was hoping for a free beer, but, in all honesty, I drive past the Miller Factory everyday during my long trek to work. Just a little sidebar, we live in Burleson and I drive to Addison Monday through Friday for work, so when I see the factory going northbound, it's the beginning of my day, but on the way home, that is a landmark I enjoy seeing because I know I'm almost home. Now, going back to the Miller Factory, I woke up that morning making sure I adhered to the strict dress code and I had gotten the expedition ready the night before so I could transport people to and from class.
The first stop was the Sante Fe campus where I spoke up and let people know I could take 7 in my ride. We ended up filling up every seat but one in the expedition, (talk about going green and carpooling) then we headed down 35 for the Miller Factory tour. Once we arrived, you could smell the fresh bread coming from the Mrs. Baird's Factory next door or the delicious Miller beer being brewed, I'm not sure which, but whatever it was smelled good. After the class checked in with security, we met the MillerCoors Ft. Worth Brewery sustainability engineer, Larry Johnson, Jr. in a conference room. He explained that his CEO is using a top down approach implementing sustainability. This company has an extensive sustainability program that is not only in place, but measured daily. Larry sparked my interest when he was speaking about MillerCoors' intricate transportation and delivery systems. About this time, Rashad Alston, MillerCoors' trade quality specialist (Larry's right hand man), spoke up informing us that all their delivery's where by truck because their beer gets crushed when shipping it by rail. Alternate packaging is being experimented with to cut down on their use of material shrinking their carbon footprint. Anyways, Rashad pretty much took the floor from that point on with Larry chiming in here and there. Rashad led the tour showing us how the beer was brewed by using water (a LOT of water), hops, barley, yeast, and a liquid supplement. One point of the process is cooling grates that had been heated by running cool water over them. This heats the water up, the factory stores that water, and uses it as the hot water for the facility. Now that is green. They also multi-use CO2. During the brewing and fermenting process CO2 is generated and one of its uses is squirting some in the top of their beer cans and bottles to keep the oxygen out. The bottom line is the more MillerCoors uses sustainability, the more it helps the environment. The most important factor from their perspective is, it makes them more competitive. I do not want to drop names, but Budweiser should watch out.
The first stop was the Sante Fe campus where I spoke up and let people know I could take 7 in my ride. We ended up filling up every seat but one in the expedition, (talk about going green and carpooling) then we headed down 35 for the Miller Factory tour. Once we arrived, you could smell the fresh bread coming from the Mrs. Baird's Factory next door or the delicious Miller beer being brewed, I'm not sure which, but whatever it was smelled good. After the class checked in with security, we met the MillerCoors Ft. Worth Brewery sustainability engineer, Larry Johnson, Jr. in a conference room. He explained that his CEO is using a top down approach implementing sustainability. This company has an extensive sustainability program that is not only in place, but measured daily. Larry sparked my interest when he was speaking about MillerCoors' intricate transportation and delivery systems. About this time, Rashad Alston, MillerCoors' trade quality specialist (Larry's right hand man), spoke up informing us that all their delivery's where by truck because their beer gets crushed when shipping it by rail. Alternate packaging is being experimented with to cut down on their use of material shrinking their carbon footprint. Anyways, Rashad pretty much took the floor from that point on with Larry chiming in here and there. Rashad led the tour showing us how the beer was brewed by using water (a LOT of water), hops, barley, yeast, and a liquid supplement. One point of the process is cooling grates that had been heated by running cool water over them. This heats the water up, the factory stores that water, and uses it as the hot water for the facility. Now that is green. They also multi-use CO2. During the brewing and fermenting process CO2 is generated and one of its uses is squirting some in the top of their beer cans and bottles to keep the oxygen out. The bottom line is the more MillerCoors uses sustainability, the more it helps the environment. The most important factor from their perspective is, it makes them more competitive. I do not want to drop names, but Budweiser should watch out.
Southeast Fort Worth Inc
Our next speaker was Andre McEwing, who is the president and CEO of Southeast Fort Worth Inc. He presented a power point regarding how green aspects can bring monetary benefits. He reinforced what we had been learning throughout the day regarding sustainable buildings, the advantages, and return on investment. He also focused on governmental incentives and the creation of jobs. One interesting topic he covered was how much solid waste is reduced if a green building is used properly. 70% to be exact. In his power point, he showed statistics showing that it is clear the first steps are being taken to ensure more green capabilities of buildings. Another interesting aspect of his presentation was incorporating LEED, which is what Amari discussed earlier in the day. He then went into discussing the benefits of a few key establishments that have incorporated LEED and their significant savings shown in real numbers, including, Baylor Health Systems, Texas Health Resources, Texas Christian University, Jack Evans Police Headquarters, Frito Lay Headquarters, and WalMart. For entities not as established as ones mentioned, he enlightened us about three federal grant programs and several different federal loan programs to help get the ball rolling with LEED. Andre had very high energy during the presentation and he has the vision to take Southeast Fort Worth Inc in the green direction.
Opening My Eyes to Real Estate Sustainability
To start the day off, we had a guest speaker from Jacobs Engineering. Amari Roskelly is an expert in sustainability because she is the sustainability coordinator at Jacobs Engineering. She discussed the existence of LEED, which stands for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design. She explained in order for a building to get LEED certified, there is a strict rating system to abide by. The rating system categories include: sustainable site(s), water efficiency, energy and atmosphere, materials and resources, and indoor environment quality. The concept has many levels of greatness to it, but it's an administrative nightmare. It seems clear that Amari's passion for LEED drives her to be the champion in administering build sites specifically to insure LEED ratings are met. If passion is the driver it makes Jacobs Engineering able to create certified LEED buildings. Unfortunately, not many people have this passion because, in my opinion, the knowledge just isn't mainstream yet. I believe if it was well known, the administrative process would be streamlined and drive costs down. In this current economy, I don't see LEED taking off because of the substantial initial investment required to be LEED certified. The return on investment is enticing, we just need some more liquidity out there. I believe it's a long road for LEED to be standard, but at least the first few steps are being taken.
The very first tour we took was of the City of Bedford Library. The first thought that came into my head was, how is a library energy efficient?? My wife was even surprised when I told her we were going to tour the City of Bedford Library. Well, after the tour, I definitely left very surprised and impressed with the library. When we arrived, our tour guide, Maria Redburn, was running a little late, but once she gave the tour, the information she provided was well worth the wait. She is the project manager and librarian for the City of Bedford Library. In other words, a lot of the accomplishments the library has had is due to her. Throughout the entire tour, you could tell how much pride she took in working there, making it the best library in the country, and how much she loved it.
We started off going through the children's area, which was very kid friendly and modern all rolled into one. I could see my daughter enjoying going there. Maria explained how the library closed for a month in 2005 due to the city's tax rollback and the library services were actually being outsourced. Well, the community did not enjoy that and they wanted their library back. The only way to do that was for the library to become cost efficient, which is what Maria's goal was when she was hired on in January 2006. The citizens of Bedford along with the staff wanted a green building because they considered it the right thing to do socially and it would be energy efficient. The staff decided to make the building shuttle ready and they received two huge grants from the government to accomplish their goals.
The library is so energy efficient due to the reflective light roof, geothermal, added insulation, and motion sensor lights. The reflective light roof reduces heat on the roof, which lets their AC run more efficiently and it actually reduced their energy costs by $25,000. The geothermal improves the energy use anywhere from 25-50% and the motion sensor lights use the same amount of energy as a hair dryer. They have also received rebates from ONCOR because of how energy efficient the library is. Other ways the library, along with the city, saves money is by working together improving their budgets. For example, the police department and library use the same cleaning staff.
Another way the library saves on money, which not many people, including myself, would think about is having an auto drop system for their books and DVDs. This system is smart enough to weigh and sort the books and DVDs, which allows the staff more time to keep the shelves full with materials in the library for the patrons. There is also a sticky note system, which helps the staff manage items on hold. Maria stated that her staff would spend 32 seconds per DVD writing down the information and putting it on hold, which now, those staff members can focus on the patrons, making the library more enjoyable. They also have an automatic check out system, which helps them save money on staffing and the staff can provide more customer service. The City of Bedford Library was the first in North Texas to install one of these systems, and, now, other cities in DFW have followed their example.
Maria then took us to where the geothermal wells are located. What is really interesting about geothermal is it uses the heat of the earth to control the building temperatures above ground. When she showed us where the wells were, I would have had no idea they were buried there. It just looked like a normal field with trees and greenery. Maria stated they have 150 wells that regulate the temperature in their building and they are buried 250 feet below the ground. I found it extremely interesting that the system takes the hot air down into the geothermal wells, it becomes the earth's core temperature, and comes back out to the building allowing them to adjust the temperature only by a few degrees, therefore, saving a lot of money. What's even more energy efficient is that since it doesn't take up any space above ground, the library or city can use that land to build a parking lot or expand the library itself.
After the complete tour of the City of Bedford Library, I found myself very enlightened by the whole concept of energy efficiency in buildings. Thinking about buildings being so sustainable really shows that there is a bright future out there for the green concept. It is rather expensive in the beginning, but like Maria stated, it pays for itself in the long run. In this case, the library being able to go green allows the city of Bedford to enjoy their library. It also helps the city save money on the library and distribute it wherever it is needed. It is a very interesting concept and it really helps the city work and come together to better itself for its citizens. I also find it rather amusing that the library is such a big competitor for the best national library spot. A lot of people underestimate Texas when it comes to things in the educational world, so this is a really big stepping stone. For those of you who would like to know more about the City of Bedford Library or see the analysis of their sustainability (pictured above), simply click on the City of Bedford Library link listed above. I would like to end this little segment with a great quote from Maria, "a librarian is the original search engine."
After the short trek back to campus, we heard from Don Ferrier. Don is the owner and CEO of Ferrier Homes, which is an energy efficient custom home building company here in North Texas. They also remodel and do commercial buildings. I had heard of Ferrier Homes before, but I wasn't sure what made their homes so special. Don explained how important building energy efficient homes is to him and that he makes it very clear in the homes and projects he builds. I think one of the most important aspects of his company is that it is a family owned company that has been passed down from generation to generation. It started with his grandfather who immigrated here from Scotland with his brother. Don's father then took over the company, and, once Don got a hold of it, he began to impart energy efficiency into the homes. Don was a very personable and entertaining speaker and he definitely cared a lot about not only his company and the homes he builds for people, but the environment as well.
Don stated one big challenge for him and the energy efficient homes he builds is the appraisal process. Due to appraisers not being educated or understand how energy efficient homes work and how all of the costs go into it, they appraise the homes at a much lower price than what they are worth. Don then explains to them why the appraisal is too low for the home because of all the self sustainment aspects that are incorporated. For example, reusing energy using geothermal wells or having solar panel roofs can be on a small home, but putting those resources in is a pricey process. Appraisers just look at the size of the home and go from there instead of looking into what truly makes the home.
Other aspects Don discussed was taking into consideration which direction the sun faces. If the windows face the sun, the sun will come into the windows and heat up the house, making it less energy efficient. Also, there is a big difference between steel and wood homes when it comes to going green. Don explained that steel homes are actually less energy efficient due to the fact they will warp if there is a fire and you will need to completely rebuild,and the steel will conduct heat in the summer or cold in the winter. Don was a very enthusiastic man and a great speaker. He is a great motivator to me and advocate in the possibilities of going green. My wife and I are actually going to be moving in the next couple months and looking into his homes will definitely be a possibility for us.
The very first tour we took was of the City of Bedford Library. The first thought that came into my head was, how is a library energy efficient?? My wife was even surprised when I told her we were going to tour the City of Bedford Library. Well, after the tour, I definitely left very surprised and impressed with the library. When we arrived, our tour guide, Maria Redburn, was running a little late, but once she gave the tour, the information she provided was well worth the wait. She is the project manager and librarian for the City of Bedford Library. In other words, a lot of the accomplishments the library has had is due to her. Throughout the entire tour, you could tell how much pride she took in working there, making it the best library in the country, and how much she loved it.
We started off going through the children's area, which was very kid friendly and modern all rolled into one. I could see my daughter enjoying going there. Maria explained how the library closed for a month in 2005 due to the city's tax rollback and the library services were actually being outsourced. Well, the community did not enjoy that and they wanted their library back. The only way to do that was for the library to become cost efficient, which is what Maria's goal was when she was hired on in January 2006. The citizens of Bedford along with the staff wanted a green building because they considered it the right thing to do socially and it would be energy efficient. The staff decided to make the building shuttle ready and they received two huge grants from the government to accomplish their goals.
The library is so energy efficient due to the reflective light roof, geothermal, added insulation, and motion sensor lights. The reflective light roof reduces heat on the roof, which lets their AC run more efficiently and it actually reduced their energy costs by $25,000. The geothermal improves the energy use anywhere from 25-50% and the motion sensor lights use the same amount of energy as a hair dryer. They have also received rebates from ONCOR because of how energy efficient the library is. Other ways the library, along with the city, saves money is by working together improving their budgets. For example, the police department and library use the same cleaning staff.
Another way the library saves on money, which not many people, including myself, would think about is having an auto drop system for their books and DVDs. This system is smart enough to weigh and sort the books and DVDs, which allows the staff more time to keep the shelves full with materials in the library for the patrons. There is also a sticky note system, which helps the staff manage items on hold. Maria stated that her staff would spend 32 seconds per DVD writing down the information and putting it on hold, which now, those staff members can focus on the patrons, making the library more enjoyable. They also have an automatic check out system, which helps them save money on staffing and the staff can provide more customer service. The City of Bedford Library was the first in North Texas to install one of these systems, and, now, other cities in DFW have followed their example.
Maria then took us to where the geothermal wells are located. What is really interesting about geothermal is it uses the heat of the earth to control the building temperatures above ground. When she showed us where the wells were, I would have had no idea they were buried there. It just looked like a normal field with trees and greenery. Maria stated they have 150 wells that regulate the temperature in their building and they are buried 250 feet below the ground. I found it extremely interesting that the system takes the hot air down into the geothermal wells, it becomes the earth's core temperature, and comes back out to the building allowing them to adjust the temperature only by a few degrees, therefore, saving a lot of money. What's even more energy efficient is that since it doesn't take up any space above ground, the library or city can use that land to build a parking lot or expand the library itself.
After the complete tour of the City of Bedford Library, I found myself very enlightened by the whole concept of energy efficiency in buildings. Thinking about buildings being so sustainable really shows that there is a bright future out there for the green concept. It is rather expensive in the beginning, but like Maria stated, it pays for itself in the long run. In this case, the library being able to go green allows the city of Bedford to enjoy their library. It also helps the city save money on the library and distribute it wherever it is needed. It is a very interesting concept and it really helps the city work and come together to better itself for its citizens. I also find it rather amusing that the library is such a big competitor for the best national library spot. A lot of people underestimate Texas when it comes to things in the educational world, so this is a really big stepping stone. For those of you who would like to know more about the City of Bedford Library or see the analysis of their sustainability (pictured above), simply click on the City of Bedford Library link listed above. I would like to end this little segment with a great quote from Maria, "a librarian is the original search engine."
After the short trek back to campus, we heard from Don Ferrier. Don is the owner and CEO of Ferrier Homes, which is an energy efficient custom home building company here in North Texas. They also remodel and do commercial buildings. I had heard of Ferrier Homes before, but I wasn't sure what made their homes so special. Don explained how important building energy efficient homes is to him and that he makes it very clear in the homes and projects he builds. I think one of the most important aspects of his company is that it is a family owned company that has been passed down from generation to generation. It started with his grandfather who immigrated here from Scotland with his brother. Don's father then took over the company, and, once Don got a hold of it, he began to impart energy efficiency into the homes. Don was a very personable and entertaining speaker and he definitely cared a lot about not only his company and the homes he builds for people, but the environment as well.
Don stated one big challenge for him and the energy efficient homes he builds is the appraisal process. Due to appraisers not being educated or understand how energy efficient homes work and how all of the costs go into it, they appraise the homes at a much lower price than what they are worth. Don then explains to them why the appraisal is too low for the home because of all the self sustainment aspects that are incorporated. For example, reusing energy using geothermal wells or having solar panel roofs can be on a small home, but putting those resources in is a pricey process. Appraisers just look at the size of the home and go from there instead of looking into what truly makes the home.
Other aspects Don discussed was taking into consideration which direction the sun faces. If the windows face the sun, the sun will come into the windows and heat up the house, making it less energy efficient. Also, there is a big difference between steel and wood homes when it comes to going green. Don explained that steel homes are actually less energy efficient due to the fact they will warp if there is a fire and you will need to completely rebuild,and the steel will conduct heat in the summer or cold in the winter. Don was a very enthusiastic man and a great speaker. He is a great motivator to me and advocate in the possibilities of going green. My wife and I are actually going to be moving in the next couple months and looking into his homes will definitely be a possibility for us.
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