Green Phoenix Farms - Aquaponics

Date and Time:  July 26, 2011  7:30pm

Presenter:  Adam Cohen

                  Green Phoenix Farms

Adam received his B.S. in Marine Biology and his B.S. in Marine Fisheries.  He has been in business for about a year and recently received his business license 6 weeks ago. 

Adam gave us a comparison between Hydroponics and Aquaculture.  With Hydroponics, you can produce great yields, control every factor and grow plants without soil but the nutrient solutions tend to be very expensive as they can be used for only 2 or 3 weeks and then they need to be drained from the system or they become toxic to the plants.  Aquaponics is the bridge between hydroponics and aquaculture.  It is a naturally balanced system in an artificial environment.  Water circulates from the fish pond, gets detoxified by the plants and then goes back to the fish pond.  The waste from the fish is converted to fertilizer that feeds the plants.  Following is a short video on hydroponic lettuce production.

Adam’s inspiration for becoming involved in Aquaponics came from Will Allen of ‘Growing Power’ located in Milwaukee which is a community based urban farm that grows food for local groceries and restaurants.  Will has been in operation for 24 years and currently has 60 full time staff.  He also teaches people to be self sufficient through Aquaponics.  Following is a short video of his operation:

Another source of information on Aquaponics can be obtained from Travis Hughey: Barrelponics.  Travis uses 55 gallon drums for his system.  Adam patterned his 750 gallon prototype system from Travis’ design and also uses 55 gallon drums that have been cut in half.  He has 60 square feet of growbed space and raises approximately 100 pounds of Tilapia fish.  He wants to develop a version of his system for developing countries.

Adam's backyard 750 gallon system

There are three types of Aquaculture systems currently in use:

• Ebb and Flow:  water level goes up and down
• If you aerate the water you don’t need to change the water level and the plants do better.
• Continuous Flood:  tank is on bottom
• Raft Style:  similar to traditional hydroponic system with tank at end

Raft Style system

Plants grow bigger, faster and stronger in Aquaponics.  They have not found a plant that will not grow with Aquaponics.  Pineapples have been grown.  Even a papaya tree was grown that produced large papayas.  You are only limited by the seeds that you can obtain.  1 pound of fish will need 4 gallons of water and a 1 gallon fishtank will fertilize a 2 gallon growbed.

In DFW there is the DFW Aquaponics group that meets once a month.

Following is a link to their web page:

http://www.meetup.com/dfwaquaponics/

Whiz-Q Stone - Water Harvesting

Date ant Time:  July 26, 2011  6:30pm

Presenter:  Matt Reed

                  Whiz-Q Stone

Matt made a strong case for rainwater harvesting.  1 inch of rain on 1 acre generates 27,000 gallons of water.  Unfortunately, harvesting is not economically feasible in DFW due to the low cost and availability of water.  However, it is feasible in locations such as El Paso and areas where digging wells is not feasible due to the quality of water in the water table.  The current draught conditions have also caused some farmers to look at providing their livestock with water from water harvesting.  In Austin you will see many rainwater harvesting systems in suburban residences.

Matt demonstrating the Design Calculator

More and more we are seeing that there is a limited supply of fresh water and in many cases demand is outpacing supply.  Water conservation is becoming a key in many municipalities such as Tucson where water rights have been curtailed and where rainwater harvesting is necessary.  Rainwater harvesting can be used for:

• Landscape irrigation for your lawn and flower beds
• Topping off swimming pools and hot tubs
• Toilet and laundry water supply (where allowed by code)
• Washing your car, patio or deck.

Water storage tanks are available in metal, plastic and concrete.  Matt showed us the ‘Aquablox’ Tank Storage Module which is a lightweight structural catchment system which can create almost any shape and size reservoir.  It is also a structural box that can withstand car loading up to 38 psi.  It is manufactured from 85% recycled Polypropylene and is unaffected by molds, algae, soil-bourne chemicals and bacteria.  The system can be used along with a permeable patio paver.  Installation instructions for this system can be found at:  http://www.rainxchange.com/downloads/aquablox-water-matrix-manual.pdf

the Aquablox Tank Storage Module

Aquablox 1,500 Gallon System

Aquablox System Installation

Storm water runoff is the #1 cause of coastal pollution.  Aging infrastructure in many cities cannot handle large storm surges; therefore, managing storm water becomes a high priority.  In Chicago, mitigation of storm water runoff has become a high priority due to the fact that Chicago does not have separate storm and sewage drain piping.  One piping system serves both which can cause overflow at sewage treatment plants and has resulted in release of sewage into rivers and Lake Michigan.  As a result of this the EPA has fined the City.  There are now strict storm water retention and harvesting requirements there.  Chicago has installed 9 Million square feet of permeable pavers in the last 5 years to control runoff.

Matt also demonstrated a Design Calculator which gives you the projected rainfall in your area by month and then calculates your rainwater storage requirements based on your water use.  This is available at:  http://www.rainxchange.com/calculator.php

Following is a link to their web page:

http://www.rainxchange.com/

Enviroglas

Date and Time:  July 23, 2011 at 12 Noon

Presenters:  Tim Whaley – Founder

                   Esteban Diaz - Operations

                   Enviroglas

‘Enviroglas’ considers themselves a ‘boutique product’.  Their product is recycled ground glass embedded in a quick hardening pigmented polymer based epoxy resin.  Much of this glass comes from the City of Plano which has a glass crushing machine.  Utilizing this 100 % post-consumer glass keeps the material out of landfills.

The installation procedure for Enviroglas is similar to working with terrazzo and workmen are able to use the same type of tools.  The epoxy resin has no volatile organic compounds (VOC’s) so workmen don’t have to use respirators.  They also use‘sand’ made of crushed glass which is combined with the resin.  The ground glass is categorized by color, size, weight and shape.  The mixture is troweled in and polished in a two-step process.  First with wet polishing and then finalized by dry polishing.  The final polishing brings out the color of the glass.  The material is also easy to repair on site.

This material is being used for floors (Enviroplank), countertops (Enviroslab), ceiling panels as well as interior wall panels. It is not recommended for outdoor use as UV rays will degrade the epoxy resin.  Another product they have is called ‘Enviroscape’ which is using recycled glass as a landscaping material.  Commercial installations are their best customers and DFW International Airport as well as Dallas Love Field are using their flooring product.

Following is a link to their website:

http://enviroglasproducts.com/index.asp

Urban Reserve

Date and Time:  July 23, 2011 at 10:00am

Presenter:  Diane Cheatham

                  Urban Reserve

This is a development of single family homes designed by recognized architects.  The development plan uses a concept of ‘ribbons of landscape’ as a unifying force.  There are areas set aside as green areas.  Lot square footage range from 5,000 to 14,000 square feet.  The least expensive lot is $125,000.  The minimum square footage of a home is 1,200 square feet with a maximum being 8,000 square feet.  

view showing one of the water retention ponds

The development includes front yard setbacks of only 10 feet and streets use rollover curbs.  There are two retention ponds in the development to catch runoff.  Rain gardens are also used to filter out heavy metals from rainwater.  Their homeowner’s association guidelines, which can be found online, include a list of plants that are drought tolerant and native to the area.  LEED certification is a requirement for any home constructed in this development.  There have been 16 homes built so far.

Diane is a proponent of using a geothermal system as being the most cost effective for heating and air conditioning with a relatively short payback.  Water conserving fixtures is also one of her recommendations as is composting to minimize trash going to the landfill.  The question of having a ‘community garden’ came up, but this would require re-zoning one of the lots for commercial use which is presently not an option.

Following is a link to the web page:

http://urbanreserve.net/

Living Earth

Date and Time:  July 23, 2011 at 8:00am

Presenter:  Paul Tomaso

                 Living Earth

Living Earth is the largest provider of mulch, compost and other landscaping materials in Texas with 19 locations.  It also recycles green material.  The company began operations in 1985 out of Houston.  Its clients include homeowners, nurseries and landscaping contractors.  Their products include mulches, compost, blended soils, stone, gravel and river rock.  They are the largest recycler of tree limbs, brush, leaves and grass clippings in Texas.

Their operations also include the grinding up of wood pallets.  This product is used as fuel for high temperature boilers but is not used for mulch.  Utilizing this fuel is supposedly cheaper than using natural gas.

wood pallets that will be ground up for fuel

The use of mulch is very advantageous in a climate such as we have in northeast Texas.  At a temperature of about 140 degrees F, plant root systems shut down.  A 3 inch layer of mulch helps bring down the soil temperature in the hot summer months.  It also helps to retain moisture.  In the winter, it serves as an insulating layer helping to retain warmth in the soil. 

The company also has 3 manufacturing plants in Texas for the bagging of organic soils.  Albertson’s and Kroger markets sell the bagged product.  Living Earth’s operation is a seasonal business with most demand occurring during the spring months.

Following is the link to their web page:

http://www.livingearth.net/

Axiom Sustainable Consulting

Date and Time:  July 19, 2011 at 7:00pm

Presenter:  Michael Kawecki

                  Axiom Sustainable Consulting

Michael gave us an interesting presentation on the US Green Building Council and LEED.

 

 The US Green Building Council (USGBC) is a coalition of the country’s foremost leaders from across the building industry, promoting buildings that are:

• Environmentally responsible.
• Economically profitable.
• Healthy places to live and work.

Who is the USGBC?

 Members include building owners and end-users, real estate developers, facility managers, architects, designers, engineers, general contractors, subcontractors, product and building system manufacturers, government agencies and non-profits.

What is LEED?  (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design)

• A nationally accepted benchmark for design, construction and operation of high performance green buildings.
• A voluntary, consensus based rating system.
• Promotes a whole building approach to sustainability by recognizing performance in five key areas of human and environmental health.

 LEED was created to:

• Facilitate positive results for the environment, occupant health and financial return.
• Define green by providing a standard for measurement.
• Prevent greenwashing.
• Promote a whole building, integrated design processes.

 What does USGBC certify?

• Does not certify, endorse or promote products, services or companies.
• Does not track, list or report data related to products and their environmental qualities.
• It is up to project teams to determine which products are most appropriate for credit achievement and program requirements
• Buildings are certified, individuals are accredited.

To get a perspective on the magnitude of upgrades and new sustainable construction that will be required:

• Buildings are the largest contributor to global warming
• Consume 40% of total US energy consumption for building operations
• Consume 8% of total US energy for building construction
• Building operations account for 43% of total annual US greenhouse gas emissions
• 150 billion square feet will be remodeled in next 30 years
• 150 billion square feet will be constructed in next 25-30 years
• ¾ of building stock will be remodeled/rebuilt in next 30 years

 Following is a link to Axiom Consulting and the ‘Green Associate Candidate Handbook’ which is a free publication that can be downloaded.

http://www.axiomsustainable.com/

http://www.gbci.org/main-nav/professional-credentials/resources/candidate-handbooks.aspx

Greenland Energy Dynamics

Date and Time:  July 19, 2011 at 6:00pm

Presenter:  Dan Dean

                  Greenland Energy Dynamics

Dan’s presentation centered on residential energy efficiency.

Possibilities for energy reduction in a home include:

• Insulation (wall and roof)
• higher efficiency (duct work insulation and HVAC system)
• windows
• home audit
• lighting
• plumbing
• paint your roof white
• building envelope
• solar thermal
• PV
• Geothermal
• Wind

 To plan for a ‘Net Zero Energy’ home you need to consider:

• The orientation of the house
• The thermal envelope
• An integrative design approach
• The home’s load schedule
• Greatest energy use in a home:
• Air conditioning is biggest load for a home in DFW
• electric clothes dryer is also large load
• use a high efficiency or gas dryer
• water heater (as much as $800 per year in energy costs)
• refrigerator (less energy use now due to energy saver models)

 Dan presented a strong case for the efficiency of a geothermal system for HVAC.  This type of system can save up to 90% of the A/C load on a home.  The system has an SEER rating as high as 37.  Standard units have SEER’s of 13.  The cost of installing a geothermal system is between $7,000 and $11,000 per cooling ton (700 to 1100 square feet per cooling ton).  Conventional units cost between $2,000 and $3,500 per cooling ton.  The federal government tax credit for this system is 30% of installed cost.

A 5 ton geothermal system would cost around $40,000.  With a tax credit of $12,000 the net cost would be $28,000.  System savings really depends on your current energy utilization.  Dan went on to say that in a well insulated 2400 square foot home the energy costs could be as low as $600 per year with such a system.  The system costs are ½ as much as solar electric.

Following is a link to Greenland Energy Dynamics:

http://www.gedyn.com/

Texas Instruments RFAB - Plano, TX

Presenter:  Paul Westbrook

                  Sustainable Development Manager

                  Texas Instruments Facilities

Paul gave us a very interesting presentation and tour of the RFAB facility.  He is a Mechanical Engineer and his background includes over 28 years with TI which includes facilities management.  He is a senior member of the technical staff tasked with working on resource efficiency and is a central organizing point and catalyst for TI’s facility-wide energy efficiency and sustainability initiatives.

TI has a 95% recycling rate globally.  Due to its sustainability measures, it has reduced the energy required to manufacture a microchip by over 40%.

aerial view of RFAB

The Plano RFAB facility is LEED Gold for the office and FAB and is reputed to be the lowest overhead cost microchip manufacturing facility in the world.  It was completed in 2010 at a construction cost of $210 Million.  It encompasses 1 Million SF of space of which 284,000 SF is clean room and is 38% more energy efficient than code.  Its ‘cool roof’ reduces the roof temperature to 108 deg F when a comparable built-up roof can be as high as 140 deg F or more.  Native grasses were planted around the facility except at the parking lot.  Paul estimates that 1% of project cost was invested in LEED. 

Some of the unique current and projected energy conserving features that I noticed in this facility include:

• The use of proximity sensing detectors in individual light fixtures
• The structural floor system incorporates return air grilles with HEPA filters.
• Utilizing stratification of air temperatures in the makeup intake and exhaust air system.
• The use of waterless urinals.
• Paul has no problem with maintenance on these fixtures.  I found this to be interesting as other facilities folks don’t want to use them due to maintenance considerations.
• Rainwater re-use pond.
• The possibility of using ‘Bloom Box’ fuel cell systems as emergency electrical generators.
• http://www.gizmag.com/bloom-box-fuel-cell-system-clean-power-home/14293/
• Using low fuel use gas burners
• Turning off vacuum pumps when machines are not processing.

Slide courtesy of TI - Paul Westbrook

Link to TI - RFABinformation:

www.ti.com/rfab

Student Services Building - UT Dallas

Date and Time:  July 16, 2011 at 11am

This building is a 4 story 74,000 square-foot, $27 million LEED Platinum building, which is the highest level for LEED accreditation.  It was completed in August 2010.  The building was designed by Busby, Perkins and Will.  The construction firm was Hill & Willkinson.

From UT Dallas web page:

“With features such as a lighting system that adjusts itself to the amount of sunshine entering the space and a hot water system heated by solar panels, it is the first academic structure — and the 11th statewide — to achieve the designation. It also is the first LEED Platinum facility in the UT System.”

The building uses 86% less domestic potable water than a conventional building and saves over 41% in energy costs over ASHRAE 90.1 standards.  It provides 76% of all occupied spaces with natural daylight and 93% of all spaces with views to the outside. External shading is accomplished by a system of terra-cotta louvers.  These respond to solar exposure.  The building also incorporates rainwater harvesting.

UT Dallas links for the building:

http://www.utdallas.edu/news/2009/04/29-001.php

http://www.utdallas.edu/news/2011/2/10-8711_UT-Dallas-Building-Awarded-Highest-Green-Status_article.html

Environmental Education Center - City of Plano

The Environmental Education Center is the City of Plano’s first green building.  It is government funded and was created to educate and involve residents in green building and sustainability.  Some of the sustainable features that I observed in this building include:

• Dakin VRV III A/C system (energy efficient - designed for high outdoor temperature use)
• http://www.daikin.com/global_ac/products/vrv/vrv3/outline.html
• Rainwater harvesting – 10,000 gal? tank
• Solar hot water collector
• Windmill
• Insulating glass
• Photovoltaic solar system on carport roof
• Natural day lighting of meeting area.
• Note:  SE building orientation will allow unacceptable heat gain into meeting room through large glass area.  Suggest adding external louvers that would allow light to filter in while cutting down on heat gain.
• Energy conserving exterior light fixtures (assumed)
• Use of structural steel (can be recycled)
• Wood at structure and under overhangs can be recycled.
• Stained concrete floor in meeting room. (concrete can be broken up and recycled)
• Use of swale to prevent water erosion.
• Gravel drive prevents water runoff.
• Assume the following was used:
• Low VOC paint
• Recycled carpet
• Counters that can be recycled
• Fly ash concrete
• tiles

Here is a link to the Environmental Education Center:

http://www.plano.gov/DEPARTMENTS/ENVIRONMENTAL%20SERVICES/Pages/EEC.aspx

Erecycler at Christ United Methodist Church

Date and Time:  July 16 at 10:00am

Erecylcler is a company that specializes in the recycling of electronics.  Anything that you can plug in can be brought to their collection location for recycling.  They travel around each weekend and go to different locations for pick-up. Of all the electronics that are brought for recycling, zero ends up in the landfill.  All components are dismantled in the US.  Nothing is shipped overseas for dismantling. 

Erecycler collection area

There is a charge for recycling which is $10.00 for TV’s and $5.00 for monitors.  There is a cost to dispose of the mercury and gas in monitors and TV’s.  The CRT tubes are removed and sent to a specialist company for dismantling and recycling.  TV’s or computers that are in working order are either sold or donated.  Hard drives are wiped of data by using de-gausers or programs.

Here is a link to Erecyler:

 

http://www.erecycler.net/

Connemara Meadow Preserve

Date and Time:  July 16 at 8:00am

72 Acres were set aside in perpetuity for the enjoyment of everyone at the request of Francis Montgomery Williams who donated the property.  No structures are allowed on the property.  This property has remained untouched and unspoiled for hundreds of years and is one of the best examples of native vegetation in this area of Texas.

The property lies in a flood plain.  It is interesting to note that the low-lying land (bottomland), which is often flooded, is covered in forest with some oak trees being as old as 200 years. The higher land (upland) is mostly covered in grassland.  The change in elevation makes all the difference.  Historically, fire was the manager in prairie environments but due to the growth of residential communities bordering the preserve, the use of controlled burns is not possible. 

Forest in 'bottomland' areas

Manufactured landscaping along the perimeter can invade the preserve.  There are some invasive species, such as the china berry, that have encroached on the preserve.  These are being removed.  There are some examples of native, drought tolerant plantings, that have been used in developments.  The Fire Station in Plano, located at Parker and Hoyt, as well as a residence on McAlice Court in Plano are two examples.

Prairie grasses in 'upland' areas

Here is a link to the preserve:

http://www.connemaraconservancy.org/main/meadow.php

Composting

 Presenter: Mr. John Darling of UT Arlington 

                  Tuesday, July 12, 2011

Mr. Darling gave us an interesting presentation on Composting.  Compost is the product of aerobic decomposition of organic material.  Organic material is anything that was ever alive.

UT Arlington currently uses only pre-consumer waste in its composting program.  The University received a solid waste disposal grant of $130,000.  With this money they purchased a Bobcat, a front end loader and installed a water line to aid in their composting program.  Currently, the university recycles 100 tons per year through composting that would have gone to the landfill.

Statistics presented by Mr. Darling during his presentation:

• Approximately 122 pounds of food are thrown out each month by a family of 4.
• 1/3 of everything you buy ends up in the garbage.
• In Africa, up to 40% of food ends up as waste.  This is a result of losses during production, storage, transport and distribution.
• The USA loses topsoil 10x faster than we can replenish it.
• New York City discovered that there was up to 47% of compostable trash in their landfills.
• In Disneyworld, their composting operation is up to 40 tons per day.
• TexDot uses 4 Million tons of compost annually.  Much of this material is used to control erosion.  It is also used in roadside planting beds.

Compost pile at Disneyworld

 The following links provide more background into composting and organic gardening:

http://compost.css.cornell.edu/

http://www.cityfarmer.org/vanccomgard83.html

http://www.mastercomposter.com/