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Author: falconuser

ENERGY COMMISSION APPROVES WATER APPLIANCE STANDARDS

 

After Jerry Brown’s mandatory water reduction, the state’s experts have been managing water resources to deal with effects of the current water scarcity and prepare for the years to come. As part of the solution, the California Energy Commission approved standards for water appliances in which will save more than 10 billion gallons of water in the first year. Over time, the water savings is estimated to reach 105 billion gallons per year – pretty amazing number!

The water standards approved by the commission, on April 8th require appliances to consume less water thereby using less energy. Toilets and urinals are required to use 1.28 gallons or less and 0.125 gallons or less . Faucets – being residential or public – are required to consume 1.2 gallons and 0.5 gallons or less per minute flow rate.

THE ECONOMICS OF CALIFORNIA DROUGHT

 

What happens when the country’s largest state runs low on water? The Golden State has been in the grips of historic drought conditions, and all the dryness has threatened not only the famous California lifestyle, but the state’s economically essential agriculture sector.

California is known for its coastal beaches, mountains, and desert. But the state’s most important economic region may be its Central Valley, one of the country’s most productive agricultural areas. Most of the tomatoes, lemon, pistachio and almonds in the United States are grown in the valley. However, the agricultural output demands a lot of water. While cities like Los Angeles and San Francisco can sustain themselves with less water, farmers in the Central Valley find it extremely hard to do so and be profitable at the same time. The lack of water is forcing California farmers to spend huge sums of money to keep their crops irrigated and thriving. In addition to irrigation, lack of water is also affecting the value of some farm land.

With that said, California’s dryness has had a national impact on food prices, as the cost of some U.S produce that primarily grow in the Golden State has increased. Nevertheless, the drought has become an opportunity to force the state to seriously focus and reform laws towards water supplies and overall consumption. California has always been a dry state, and things are not likely to change in that aspect. Even if the drought continues for another few years, through prudent conservation and measures we will adapt. Our relationship with water has shifted and new technologies have come to surface. It has brought about changes that were long overdue, and despite the state’s growing population, California’s per capita water consumption has been decreasing for the past decades.

WEEKEND LINKS: CALIFORNIA DROUGHT

 

Let’s high five the weekend! And all the rain Southern California has been getting since yesterday. As you may have noticed, our theme for the past week has been surrounding the drought. This is a topic is close to us and we will take any opportunity to discuss the options available for us to make a difference. In order, to keep the conversation going throughout the weekend, we rounded up a few articles around the web…

Holy Cow! Crops that use even more water than Almonds.

The 1976 – 1977 California Drought.

Innovation or insanity? Californians’ ideas for busting the drought. 

100+ ways to conserve water.

Builders turn to ‘greywater’ at construction sites. 

The grass IS greener in Hollywood. 

Temple in West L.A. lets its landmark lawn turn brown.

8 cost-cutting lessons from California’s drought crisis. 

How golf courses in California are saving to deal with the drought. 

Here’s how much water it takes to make California’s craft beer. 

Hope you have a great weekend! Cheers.

CALIFORNIA’S WATER CRISIS AND WHAT IT MEANS FOR CRE OWNERS

After years of worry and concern over the lack of rainfall in California, Governor Jerry Brown made a historical announcement this past March. The statement made by Brown, officially recognized the alarming situation the Golden State is facing in regards to the sustainability of its water supply, and is the first mandatory water cut in California.

This is a sign that the drought is not only threatening the multi-billion dollar agricultural industry, but also the livability throughout the state. Not only does the drought have economical consequences, but it also extends through the social and environmental aspect of society. Without a booming agriculture, towns are given into poverty and unemployment rates soar to extreme. These are wages lost. Loss of revenue into the community.The money that supports families and businesses. On the other hand, it also impacts the environment around us. Plants and animals depend on water, just like people. When a drought occurs, their food supply can shrink and their habitat can be damaged. Sometimes the damage is only temporary and their habitat and food supply return to normal when the drought is over. But sometimes drought’s impact on the environment can last a long time, maybe forever. We don’t know what’s ahead of us, so we need to change the way we view our water supply and use it in a respectful and sustainable way.

This extends beyond the agricultural realm and is reaching commercial real estate owners as well. With Brown’s mandatory cuts, landlords will have to make a few changes to the way they manage their water usage. Considerations vary depending on water districts and type of commercial product owned. However, these are a few of the restrictions that landlords will need to address:

 

Even though, it seems extreme to implement such changes, in such a short amount of time, water districts are offering incentives to help mitigate the costs associated with the retrofitting. Owners will find rebate programs and other incentives to cut costs when it comes to replacing lawns, improving irrigation systems, and upgrading metering systems to monitor water flow more accurately.

We all have roles to play when it comes to living more sustainably. Water usage varies according to regions and the types of players that are involved, nevertheless if we all do our part, that 10, 15, 20 percent can add up to be a whole lot of gallons of water saved. And those gallons may be just what we need.

WHAT IS THE URBAN WATER EFFICIENCY POTENTIAL?

 

Californians are well aware of the current drought.

Even though we are constantly being reminded of the situation, it can seem overwhelming to try to understand the drought in a broader prospective and see the potentials for urban conservation and efficiency. Improving water-use is a key solution for the state’s short-term and long-term water challenges. From drought to unsustainable groundwater usage, California has a long list of water dilemmas, and there remains a tremendous untapped potential to increase efficiency. At home, in businesses, and in government.

Let’s start with recognizing where water use in urban areas come from. According to the California Department of Water Resources, cities and suburbs account for one-fifth of water withdrawals in current years. Mostly used in and around our homes, with residential water use accounting for 64 percent of total urban use. In addition, institutions, schools, hospitals and commercial buildings account 23 percent, leaving 6 percent to industry and manufactures. Even though, agriculture uses large amounts of water, when taking into consideration an urban largely populated area, homes and businesses are the real issue.

About half of California’s urban water use is outdoors, largely for watering landscapes, washing cars or sidewalk, and filling pools or spas – 70 percent in residences and 30 percent in commercial businesses. You can see the rates go up the further inland you go. There the weather is hot, dry and sometimes water is inexpensive. In more saturated areas such as Los Angeles County and the Bay Area, there are a number of aggressive water conservation campaigns. With that in state, the average per capita water use is low, and continues to decline as the drought prolongs itself.

After pinpointing how and where water is consumed, we are able to quantify the potential for improving the way we use the natural resource. There are plenty of new technologies and practices available in the marketplace as well as government policies and initiatives to tap into. Even though behavioral changes influence water savings, we like to focus on technological solutions. Education and awareness is always necessary. It comes hand in hand with change and offers a better landscape for implementing new solutions. So let’s not leave that aside even though our focus is on technological solutions.

First off, there are many ways to reduce water waste and improve efficiency at home. Over the past decade, we have seen homeowners paying more attention to leaks, upgrading old toilets to flow flow models, switching washing machines for ones with the EPA Water Sense labels on them. That includes, faucets and dishwasher as well. As for the outdoor usage, Californians have starting opting for water efficient plants, however there is still a lot that can be done! When it comes to commercial buildings most measures mirror residential conservation efforts, like installing waterfree urinals and low-flow toilets. However, some industries need to take a more specific look on certain aspects of the business. If you’re in the food industry, pre-rinse spray valves, ice machines, food steamers,etc would be your best bet. Office and commercial buildings should also focus on cooling and heating systems. They have the biggest potential for saving and there are plenty of new technology available for retrofitting.

Drought is always an opportunity to initiate clarification. The main issue we face, isn’t the drought itself but our perception of water use is the real problem. As important as water is to us, it is extremely easy to assume that our supplies are both reliable and plentiful. In spite of that, with recent changes that does not seem to be the case. Not only do we have to use less water in our day-to-day life, but we have to think of becoming more water efficient. There remains a tremendous untapped potential to increase water-use efficiency at home and at our businesses. It takes time, and a little bit of understanding. Nonetheless, we are in this together and creating healthy discussions is what will help us move forward.

If you want to continue the conversation head on over to our twitter account! Our handle is @shuttheflushup. Not an easy one to forget!

WHERE THE WATER SIPPERS AND GUZZLERS ARE IN CALIFORNIA

Californians use 196 gallons of water per capita per day, including all businesses except agriculture. But there are wide differences by community, and the moist coasts uses less water than the arid inland.

See below, water usage by selected cities per capita in gallons per day. Where does your city come in?

7 OF THE GREENEST OFFICE BUILDINGS IN THE WORLD

 

Powerhouse Kjørbo

Location: Sandvika, Norway

Opened: 2014

Powerhouse is a renovation of a building that had started out green with regular solar panels. However, as after becoming the Powerhouse, it turned into an energy positive building, which means that over a lifespan of 60 years, this Norwegian office produces more energy that it consumes.

 

Pricewaterhouse Coopers

Location: London

Refurbished in 2013

It was initially built in the early 1900’s and was the first to use air rights in the UK. A century later, it was refurbished for energy efficiency and has a tri-generation cooling system powered by recycled, refined vegetable oil. In addition, they installed waterless urinals and low-flow toilets throughout the building to help lower water usage. During the refurbishing, 95% of materials used were sourced responsively and 96% of the waste was diverted from a landfill.

 

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Deloitte Headquarters

Location: Amsterdam

Opened: 2014

The Deloitte corporate HQ is 430,000 square feet with passive temperature control, energy efficient design, and it generates its own electricity with solar panels. In addition to an aquifer thermal system that heats and cools the building, they have graywater collection that is used for flushing toilets and watering plants.

 

The Co-Operative Group Headquarters

Location: Manchester, England

Opened: 2013

 

One of the most unusually, yet fascinating features of the Co-Operative Group HQ, is that its power is generated by crops grown on the co-op’s farms. Heating and cooling are conducted using air drawn from below the basement, in addition to a double-skin facade that helps insulate it in cold weather while allowing ventilation in the summertime.

 

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The Bullitt Center

Location: Seattle

Opened: Earth Day, April 22, 2013

This building does not do anything halfway. Instead of pursuing just a few items on the “green building” list, they went for all of them. Net zero energy, net zero water, carbon, composting toilets, toxic-free materials, 80 plus percent day lighting using high performance windows. Name it and they are using it.

 

NuOffice

Location: Munich

Opened: 2013

All energy used in the NuOffice building is renewable. Part coming from the greenery and the solar panels installed on it’s roof. The walls are also thick and insulated to keep heat or cool air inside depending on the season.

 

The Tower at PNC Plaza

Location: Pittsburg

Opens: this year. It is currently 83% complete

The tower will be approximately 30-story and 800,00 square foot “breathing” building. The construction is focused on a natural ventilation system where the opening of doors and windows allows a flow of air throughout the building. Energy will also be produced by solar assistance and green roofs, that will be harvested by rainwater.

 

 

 

 

 

IT’S OUR ONE YEAR BLOGIVERSARY

 

A year ago, this blog was a simple idea scribbled on several pieces of paper scattered throughout our office. We wanted to tell our story, so we set out on a journey to create a meaningful conversation and to connect with like-minded people like you. What a year this has been! There aren’t enough words to thank all of you for following along and making this engagement transcend the online world. For that we thank you!

To celebrate our one year Blogiversary we rounded up a list of our favorite posts. Click on the links below and come along on a trip down memory lane…. It’s not a long one, however it was definitely worth the ride!

It all started with a Welcome and a introduction.

We then later opened the curtains to a small product photoshoot held in the back of our LA office.

Talked about drinking water that was derived from wastewater sounds gross and unreliable, but is actually the contrary.

Pulled out the grill for our summer BBQ.

And featured Higher Education partners that are taking sustainability to the next level.

August was the time to debut our new Velocity cartridge and share a few must-see water related documentaries.

Followed by our brand new website and California’s ever growing water challenge.

We went to GreenBuild in New Orleans and then talked about this amazing ten-year journey through our endangered polar regions.

In December, we had the honor of interviewing Jocelyn Corbett from B Lab, and wrapped up the year with a every exciting announcement.

2015 started off with partnerships with Kounkuey Design Institute and pro golfer Jason Gore.

The next few months were packed with Do Good Bus rides, flights to Frankfurt, and World Water Day celebration.

To end this year on a (very) good note, B Corp announced Falcon as the Best for the World Environment!!!

Hope you are enjoying the ride as much as we are! We couldn’t have done this without your support. If you have any suggestions for blog posts, themes or even someone to interview, feel free to send us a message.

Cheers!

SAN MATEO HIGH SCHOOL FUNDRAISING

 

“Take that, California drought!” was San Mateo High School’s attitude when they initiated the Urinetown project back in January.

With the drought on their mind and a passion to change the future, students from both the theatrical production and Environmental Science class joined forces to create awareness and raise funds to retrofit the urinals throughout the school.

This is an incredible example of leadership within a community. Californians have been living through a major drought and it was only a matter of time for people to start fighting for a more sustainable way of living. This student run campaign in drought stricken region shows that sometimes you have to take matters into your own hands. Throughout the golden state, water districts have been encouraging residents and businesses to retrofit appliances, landscape offering rebates. However, it is not everywhere you are able to find such programs and cities need to be reminded that this is no longer an option. San Mateo does not have access to rebate programs and like fellow Californians, they have experienced first hand the severity of ongoing drought. Whereas in their case, the student body came together to help change. Students took lead of the future with hopes that city government will follow. Nothing short of amazing!

It all started with the Broadway musical, Urinetown. Followed by an Earth Day rally to generate more funds to retrofit all bathrooms in the school.

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IMG_2508IMG_2505Because of student initiative and partnership Falcon helped retrofit the remaining waterfed urinals to waterfree. Giving San Mateo’s students what they so desired from the start: a more sustainable environment for the school.

Part of being a B Corp is giving back locally and when communities come together to generate good, we can’t help but feel excited. This is what propels us to work harder everyday. When you have people making it their mission to conserve water for both ourselves and future generations, it all makes sense. We are using the power of business to do good, and are extremely happy it reached San Mateo High. #BtheChange