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GOING GREEN

 

Going Green

We Can Do Better!

This section of the web site is dedicated to greening our lives, on an individual basis, with our friends and family, our community, and the larger world. Our emphasis on this page is environmental, especially in the reduction of greenhouse gases. But the entire section is about making stronger connections with not only the world, but about designing our futures. To make a difference, the change must occur inside. The journey will be different for each of us, but starts when something captures our imagination, or mind. Whether it be social issues that help create poverty and injustice, our overheating world, recycling, spiritual matters, or something else. I suspect that whatever genuine path we venture onto, it will lead us into stronger connections with ourselves and others. Soon, we'll find ourselves acting versus being acted upon as your own passion is expressed. If you have any suggestions for improving the pages, strike up a conversation with one of those active in Social Concerns people.

Please remind your local politicians that basic infrastructure (safety nets for the poor and good mass transportation) are necessary for a communities vitality. Orlando was recently featured on the evening news for cutting back on essential bus service even though demands for its use are increasing.

We remind each of our members to do your part to reduce your carbon footprint. The best way to both save money and the environment is to conserve both energy and other resources (water, raw natural resources). Unseen is the energy and materials used upstream before we ever get a product or utility. A positive example was how a swingset that was donated to the UUUS's LRE program through Craig's List instead of being thrown out. Tell Social Concerns what you have been doing to cust your energy and water use.

UPDATES ON OUR BUILDING ADDITION….more on LEED Certification for “greening”  buildings

We have been talking about our selection by the US Green Building Council as their annual Legacy Project. This honor has afforded us the luxury of having a panel of specialized consultants working with us on our designs and plans, helping us choose “green” methods and products that will make our new building energy efficient and environmentally friendly.  We are in the process of working toward LEED Certification, the point system used to determine how “green” a building actually is, with rankings from Silver to Platinum.  The Silver Certification calls for 33-38 points, Gold is 39-51 points and Platinum is 52 points or higher.  We have high confidence that we can achieve 28 points with our current plans and design.  Some of the ways we can earn the remaining points are as follows:  (most of them are not costly)

Probable points:  selection of the right coolant for our HVAC system; buy green energy credits; have individual thermostats or operable windows.  Points that may be possible: having a bicycle rack and shower; preferred parking (4 spaces) for energy efficient vehicles; highly reflective roofing; low light spillage from the new building; using a roof water cistern for either irrigation or possible toilet flushing water...this is not a low cost item; optimizing energy performance, making the building more energy efficient (through a/c, lighting, etc.), possible 2 points; using rapidly renewable materials (linoleum flooring); air quality flush out of building before occupancy; use of low emitting materials in composite wood (plywood); daylight views in 75% of spaces; innovation in design, more green power.

We are currently working with the USGBC team on their recommendations for ways to implement our plans/designs in a green manner.  This is exciting work!  We invite you to ask questions, help us determine what feels like a good fit for this congregation.

 

Power Savings over last month has run $862 since January, 2008. 2008 power use was 28,192 kWh verus 36,916 kWh for 2007, or a 24% savings. pared to , or a 23% power reduction for the Jan to October time period. Sept08PowerBill

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


 

The Green Alliance:

The Triple U have begun to work together on our green efforts with FUCO. There have been emails, phonecalls, visits between our members, and now plans on cooperating together (sharing our knowledge & working together on key issues). FUCO's Green Team can be found here: http://orlandouu.org/content/blogcategory/104/82/. We encourage you to become involved at the Triple U, FUCO, or whatever church you are apart in this vital effort to create a better future for us and our children.

Updates:

First Carpool Day, 10/19/08: A small show of hands said that they had carpooled. And a far larger set said they had tried to make arragements. Arlynn Mueller did one better by bicycling to the UUUS. Social Concerns carpooled to the rally against amendment 2. It's a start, which is a good place to go from...

UUUS Community Garden: The basic action plan is as follows... 

  1. Our planned site is NW of the sanctuary with easy access to water & away from the new construction. This week we're testing the soil.
  2. DONE. Early morning Saturday, 9 AM (10/4/2008) a ground clearing will take place. 
  3. DONE. On Saturday, 10/18/08, we will prepare the soil & raised bed.
  4. TBD. Plant with vermiculite and peat moss. Chrysanthemums and French marigolds help repel nematodes. Any plant contributions are welcome.
  5. Volunteers are welcome! If you're interested in volunteering or donating things, contact Arlynn Mueller at (407) 673-1179 or awm6364@aol.com.

2008-12-06: Sister Paula Gonzalez- Eco-Spirituality and Co-creating a Sustainable Future: Paula is energetic, passionate. She wore a polo shirt with a photo of Earth with the added text- “crew member.” She covered a lot of material in the 6 hour seminar in which she would often ask, “Do you follow?” to make sure that people understood. The following notes were taken at Sister Paula's excellent presentation. Unfortunately, the nature of taking notes does not do this presentation justice.

2008-10-19 - 21: Campus Community Sustainability  This conference will provide an opportunity for individuals from campuses, government, businesses and communities to come together to share their experiences and challenges related to creating sustainability and a green culture. Presentations will focus on matters relating to Florida's economy, environment, and quality of life. Please join us to explore successful projects and strategies relating to: Education and research for sustainability Economic improvements for sustainable efficiency and effectiveness Protection and restoration for sustainable ecological systems Enhancing sustainability for the well-being of all people Invited speakers include noted author Shay Salomon, as well as many others.

2008-07-01: Christine Webb, President of the USGBC Central Florida Chapter, notified Gary Przyborski that the UUUS was selected for their 2008 Legacy Program.

2008-06-15: Upgraded bathroom faucet aerators (all 6 of them) from 2 gal per minute (gpm) to 1 gpm units. If you're interested in making similar changes in your home, we have more of these units along w/ free trade coffee. We also have R-11 water heater jackets to reduce heat losses from your hot water heater tank.

2008-05-24: A presentation was made to our Beacon concerning Greening. The power point was well received and covered the history of CO2 measurements, including disinformation repeated in the press, and answers to them. Also, an overview of the society’s savings as well as one home for both power and water use (a 50% reduction to less than 25 gallons per day per person). The Beacon were challenged to hook up with other groups (Social Concerns?) and get involved (individually, at home, and in writing their politicians) to seize their future.

2008-05-23: GP applied through the United States Green Building Council (USGBC) Orlando chapter for the UUUS's new classroom building for consideration for their legacy program. If selected, this program would reduce the costs involved for us to achieve LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certification.

2008-05-15: Gary and Dave repaired the lights. The fixes (about $400) included new bulbs (you have to buy a whole box)-ballasts, which have reduced power consumption for the sign in half, resulting in $37 power savings per year. The new bulbs last twice as long with lower mercury and a color temperature preferred by the artist. Note: The UUUS received a quote for $1500 to replace these units with others that would have produced more uneven light, more light pollution, shorter life, wrong color temp, and would have resulted in an additional $106/yr power compared to the new system.

2007-12-11: Replaced all existing incandescents in the fellowship hall, 65W w/ 16W dimmable CFLs, costs 60% more, w/ 5 times the life, & 75% less power draw.

2007-12-09: Completed linear fluorescent retrofit from T12-magnetics to Super T8s (premium bulbs plus high-efficency electronic ballast) in UUUS building. Retrofit includes: 2- 2-bulb troffers, 20- 4-bulb troffers, and because the new lights are more energy efficient as well as brighter, an additional 12 existing 4-bulb troffers were converted to 2-bulb troffers (closets & men/womens bathrooms). If all of the linear fluorescents were on, power consumption would be 5 kW (old) versus 3 kW (new), or a 47% savings. On a a one to one bulb comparison, power consumption has been reduced by 36%, with daylight color, better color rendering, and 2.5 times more life.

2007-12-01: Saturday, December 1, 2007, 9 am- 1 pm: UUUS Recycling Day(Garage Sale) was a success. Many of us were able to get rid of our old stuff, while others got some bargains. We were able to recycle old cell phones and take back some hazardous waste from our members to the landfill. A great bit of appreciation must go out to Kathy Anderson for organizing the event, and many other that helped out including Kim and Cleve Williams, Chris Reid, Martha Kirby, Arlynn Mueller, Kathy Parry, and others.

2007-11-28: Hanging Your Clothes Out to Dry Dave Symonds dries his laundry on a clothesline, eliminating the CO2 emmissions of an electric or gas powered clothes drier. If you click on the above link, you'll see a lot of other people agree with him.

2007-11-28: Oviedo covers the meeting held by the city of Oviedo concerned proposed water use changes for 2008. This is an exciting bit of news since Oviedo is the first city in Seminole county to take the lead on this key area to Florida's future.

2007-11-18: The UUUS Green Sanctuary Overview was a presentation given to the society to show what we are doing and how we can each get involved. The presentation includes an MP3 and a slide show, see the audio link and find the 11/18/07 talk.

2007-11-10: Greenbuild2007 covers this exciting event that took place in Chicago, 11/7-11/9/07.

2007-11-05: Recycling Page added. A.Mueller has worked on our recycling page and it is now available on the left menu.

2007-10-22: Global Warming: Planet's CO2 Production Surges Today, a new study found that atmospheric carbon concentrations are now increasing by 1.93 parts per million each year--the fastest rate of buildup since monitoring activities began in 1959 and considerably higher than the 1.58-ppm average for the 1980s and the 1.49 ppm for the 1990s.

2007-10-21- Home Energy Audit. An overview with an MP3 recording.

2007-10-13- Florida Renewable Energy Expo 2007. Overview and summary

2007-10-07- Think, Act, Plan, Share (TAPS) to Get Green

2007-09-25- Orange County's first Climate Change Summit. Overview and analysis

2007-09-19- Pro-Life: Going Green. First letter to share our vision and our first steps.

 

What Has Been Done?

Completed Action Items:

What Can You Do?

As the UUU works toward being a greener place, it's worthwhile to take a look at what real changes we can make as individuals to put less stress on the planet. Specifically, CO2 polluttion from burning fossil fuels (natural gas, petroleum, and coal) are causing dramatic changes in our climate which can result in the planet tipping to a high temperature killing most life on the planet. Since human beings represent one such animal, it is suicide to continue on our present course, making the planet uninhabitable for our progeny. Here are a few practical things you can do to make a difference. There are more Ideas in this vein, see Dr. Marilyn Stewart's excellent talk given on 08-05-07in the audio section, and her handy What Can I Do sheet which can be posted up as a reminder. Note: If you have any other suggestions, please e-mail the webmaster at the bottom of this page.

  1. Get an Energy Audit: The various utilities offer audits (online or to your place of residence) to cut your energy use.
  2. Use Compact Fluorescent Bulbs: Replace standard bulbs with fluorescent types, especially in areas that are on for long periods of time, such as those in the house, front porch or backyard. (Note: if you use these bulbs in an enclosed housing, use a plastic housing and drill a hole in the bottom of it to allow air circulation.) They cost more but last over five years and end up paying for themselves in less than two years. A fluorescent bulb which is "light equivalent" of a 75 watt incandescent bulb consumes only 20W. Fluorescent replacements cost about $5 each. For more information, see http://www.energystar.gov/index.cfm?c=cfls.pr_cfls. Think fluorescents are bad for the environment? Consider the alternative... John Masiello (Progress Energy) said at the Orange County Climate Summit that a standard CFL has 4mg and results in 13 mg being emitted into the air through our power plants whereas an incandescent results in 52 mg being emitted into the atmosphere for an equivalent run time, see this link, http://www.knoxviews.com/node/4493. Updated 10/07
  3. Retrofit or replace your existing old fashioned T12 bulbs with magnetic ballast to newer high efficiency electronic ballast with high performance T8 or T5 bulbs.
  4. Hanging Your Clothes Out to Dry Dave Symonds dries his laundry on a clothesline, eliminating the CO2 emmissions of an electric or gas powered clothes drier. If you click on the link, you'll see a lot of other people agree with him.
  5. Turn Off Your Coffee Maker: Many of us love our coffee in the morning. Yet, a standard coffee maker often take close to 1000 watts of power, and they're often left on for hours, which puts a further strain on the A/C system. (Note: see http://easygreen.blogspot.com/2005/12/quick-green-starving-electricity.html.) The strange thing is that coffee is best served at room temperature, so it's better to turn off the pot after brewing. Don't believe me? Then listen to the experts and get a taste of what is considered the best coffees available here and as a podcast --> http://www.onpointradio.org/shows/2007/04/20070413_b_main.asp 08/07
  6. Cut A/C Costs: Remember to have your system checked once a year during spring for efficiency . Further, replace the air filter regularly, once every month or two. During the summer, increasing the thermostat by 1 degree fahrenheit cuts your energy bill by about 3 %- CR, Updated 10/07.
  7. More Efficiency, Less Driving: Unfortunately, the executive and legislature branches have acted irresponsible concerning this pressing problem. As it is now, the majority of cars sold in America get less mileage than they did ten years ago. So what can be done? 08/07
    1. Drive smart.
      1. Don't take unecessary trips. If it can be done, e-mail or phone to communicate; you'll save time, money, and energy.
      2. When driving, let off the gas when the you know the light ahead is going to change to red. Why rush up, which decreases gas mileage while putting increased wear on your car's brakes? Often, you can save more gas by slowing down enough that your vehicle is still moving when the light turns green again.
    2. Maintain your car.
      1. If possible for your car, use a 5W30 oil to reduce friction.
      2. Maintain good tire pressure; lowered tire pressure increases tire drag.
      3. Keep air filters clean.
    3. Get an efficient car.
      1. A little caveat here. Don't run out and get another car that gets slightly better fuel. Demand that your next car gets say 50 mpg or better. Don't buy obselete inefficeint junk! It's better to use your money on improving your home efficiency, cutting your driving, and other things first. Within the next five years, there will be hybrid cars available with over one hundred miles per gallon. Skeptical? Prius will probably come very close to that figure in two years. Another car, Aptera, will get over 200 mpg and should be available in less But if you have to get another car or truck sooner than later, say 3 years, consider buying a used car (recycling) and wait for the high efficiency models to arrive.
      2. If you have to buy, Replace gas hogs such as SUVs with higher efficiency vehicles.
      3. Always, look at the EPA figures for any vehicle and consider buying one with a smaller engine and a manual transmission to increase mileage. Further, reduce fuel consumption by reducing unecessary trips.
  8. Low Power Computers: Computers are often left on for many hours during the day. There are some simple things that can make a big difference.... 08/07
    1. Use an LCD flat panel versus a CRT type monitor: LCD monitors require on average 60% less power, see http://ergo.human.cornell.edu/Pub/LCD_vs_CRT_AH.pdf for an analysis.
    2. Buy high efficiency Power Supplies: When buying PC power supplies or complete desktop, insist on getting an 80Plus, see http://www.80plus.org/, approved power supply. Standard PC power supplies are rated for about 65% power efficiciency, whereas 80Plus supplies often acheive 85% efficiency. In simple terms, this difference in a 200W PC relates to an amazing savings of 40 Watts.
    3. S3 Standby Mode: Make sure your PC is either off or powered down into low power mode. You must be careful about this since Microsoft chose the much more power hungry mode of S1 versus S3 for its low power default mode in Windows XP. On a PC box in S3 mode, the machines fans should turn off when the PC is in standby. The difference in power consumption is hard to quantify but a standard PC in S1 mode could take 70 to 90 Watts in S1 versus 5 Watts in S3. All of this function requires a PC with the latest updates and a properly configured ACPI. See this link for more practical S3 information, http://www.exoid.com/?page_id=47
    4. Chose power efficient processors: Both Intel and AMD make power efficient models of their existing CPU's, it is important to buy one of these models. Plus, do not get hung up on the latest highest performance processors, since CPU performance is just one part of the computer's performance.
    5. Chose power efficient graphics cards: PC graphics cards often exceed the processing power of the PC's CPU. Many of these cards are fashionded for the high-end gamers. If you don't need that type of performance chose a business graphic card, for more info see this article --> http://www.xbitlabs.com/articles/video/display/gpu-consumption2006.html.


Save Drinking Water & $$$:

As many UU's know, Florida's water aquifer is being depleted at a rapid rate. If this continues unabated, the cost of Florida's water will go much higher as the state switches to above ground water sources. 07/04

Conserve Water:

Earth has an abundance of water, unfortunately it is mostly saltwater (97%), frozen water, the polar caps and glaciers make up 2% leaving 1% of Earth's water for daily use by humans and animals. To put this in a smaller prespectis National Geographic's Nov. 1995 issues stated that "If all of Earth's water was condensed into a gallon jar, the amount of drinking water would be just over 1 tablespoon."

Droughts are a part of nature's cycle and everyone must do their part to conserve water any way they can. Currently 36 out of 50 states are in the process of seeking alternative water supplies to avert water shortages.

While we have the same amount of water as thousands of years ago, mankind is using more water for growing food, entertainment and landscaping.

Florida's 53 inches of rainfall is second in the nation, behind Louisiana at 55 inches. Actually we have a very wet season, May - October, followed by an extreamly dry period between November - April. Rain that is soaked into the ground is mostly soaked up by vegetation roots and released back into the air. Of the 53 inches of rainfall, 38 inches evaporates, 8 inches runs into lakes, rivers and oceans, 7 inches replenishes the aquifer annually.

The main source of water for Florida is the Floridan Aquifer. The water in this aquifer is estimated to be 50 to 26,000 years old. An excellent movie on this aquifer is "Water's Journey" currently being shown on WCEU Channel 15 Daytona Beach. If you have cable television you can see this aired at various times of the year, especially in April. One of the threats from over use (over pumping) of the aquifer is saltwater intrustion. (Attached is a file for attachment) USGS 1985 map of Florida's saltwater intrusion.

Florida has 27 of the 78 first magnitude springs in the nation. These springs are the best indication of what is happening with the aquifer than the monitoring wells utilities are required to have by the water management districts. A first magnitude spring will produce 64,600 gallons of water per day. The change of volume and pressure in these springs are indicators of changes in the aquifer.

How much water does the average homeowner use?

See water usage graphs!

Use water sensibly CALL BEFORE YOU DIG 800 432-4770 www.callsunshine.com
WHITE - Proposed excavation
PINK - Temporary survey markings
RED - Electric power lines,cables, conduit & lighting cables
YELLOW - Gas, oil, steam, petroleum or gaseous materials
ORANGE - Communication, alarm, signal lines, cables, conduit
BLUE - Potable water
PURPLE - Reclaimed water, irrigation and slurry lines
GREEN - Sewers and drain lines

Information above supplied by:
Eugenia (Gina) Wright
Courtesy of Orange County Utilities Water Division
9150 Curry Ford Road, 3rd floor
Orlando, FL 32825 Telephone: 407 254-9840 fax: 407 254-9848

Eugenia gave an engaging and important talk at the UUU on water use on August 10, 2003. Thanks Eugenia!

Don't over water your yard. When available, use recycled water, not drinking water. Either way, most homeowners use far too much water on their yards. Over watering weakens the grass as the roots do not penetrate deeper into the soil in search of water. I read this once and cut back on my watering and noticed the grass turning brown. This was due to the grass not having deep enough roots. It takes time for the grass to become accommodated. Of course, don't forget to fertilize (preferably just before a hard rain) and when necessary put something down to eradicate chinch bugs (a constant trouble in Florida). Remember also to plant low water usage plants. Our yard consist of St. Augustine grass and receives no added watering and yet maintains a healthy green look year long.
Better yet, Lose the Yard Many people are eliminating their grass and replacing it with native plants. This has the added benefits of conserving water, attracting songbirds, and eliminating harmful pesticides that eventually make their way into the the water table. 06/05
Take quick showers, not baths. Showers take on average 20 gallons (five minute shower) versus 40 for a bath. One way to reduce your water usage is to turn on the shower and rinse your hair and body. Next, shut off the water and lather up. Finally, turn back on the shower and rinse off. Use a water restriction device on shower heads. See Water Conservation, for more tips.
Fix any water leaks. It's hard to imagine that a small leak of just a few drops a minute can add up to hundreds of gallons over the average month which contains 43,000 minutes. So, pull off the top of your toilets and listen carefully for any leaks. Look under your sinks for water dripping onto floorboards. Besides saving water, you could be eliminating a future costly water damage repair.
Upgrade your appliances. Newer Energy Star dishwashers, front loader washing machines and low gallons per flush toilets can reduce your water usage. A 10-year old dishwasher replaced with an Energy Star rated dishwasher save 50% water usage and 25% energy A 5 gpf toilet replaced by a 1.6 gpf toilet save 18,600 gallons annually.
Score how well you've done. Using your monthly sewer bill, determine the number of gallons used per person in the household by dividing the total consumption by the number of people in your household and again by the number of days in the billing cycle. This figure may shock you and probably should. Average consumption rates are as listed below. Repeat this technique for the next full month aver implementing your water conservation measures to verify positive results.

Green Letters to the Society

  1. 2007-09-19- Pro-Life: Going Green. A first letter to indicate scope and our first steps.

Resources:

Environmental Links:
UCF Sustainability Alliance: furthers sustainability efforts by serving as an example of sustainability to not only the greater Orlando community, but to colleges and universities throughout the nation. Did you know that UCF won a national contest to plant 100,000 trees in a national forrest, see UCF Helps Arbor Day Foundation?

Upcoming Events:

Recommended Books:
Global Warming Survival Handbook (UUU library- donated by Marilyn Stewart). The book contains 77 essential skill to stop climate change- or live through it.
Field Notes from a Catastrophe- Man, Nature, and Climate Change, by Elizabeth Kolbert (UUU library- donated by Gary Przyborski). A chilling hands on glimpse New Yorker journalist visits scientists on the ground with real life changes as they are played out.
Revenge of Gaia, by James Lovelock. James Lovelock is a premier climatologist whose latest book warns us of the disaster ahead if we do not keep greenhouse gases in check.

UUU MP3 Talks specifically on the environment and greening your life:
11-18-07: Gary Przyborski "The UUUS Green Sanctuary Program" +Visual: GS Slides(ODP) GS Slides(PPT)
09-09-07: Dr. Leah Hall, "Voluntary Simplicity, Joyful Frugality"
09-02-07: Sister Ann Kendrick, "Worker Justice-The Honor of Work"
08-05-07: Dr. Marilyn Stewart - "Global Warmimg: The Tipping Point"
05-13-07: Rev. Mark Spivey: "Taking Care of Each Other"
04-22-07: Karina Veaudry: "Connecting to the Web of Life:  Native Florida Plants and their significance in our lives"
11-12-06: Catherine Johnson: "Living Simply"
06-11-06: Michael Barr: "Development vs. the Environment in Seminole County"
04-23-06: Paul Gabriel Rowley and the UUUS Social Concerns Committee, UUSC Justice Sunday, Earth Day: "Supporting Workers Rights and a Healthy Environment" 12-11-05: Mary Dipboye,"The Orlando Chapter of Ten Thousand Villages" (N/A)
07-31-05: Timothy Howard, "Swimming with the Dolphins"

10th Annual Florida District Social Justice Conference:

Global Warming and Climate Change, 12-04-04

The three keynote speakers (Doctor Daniel A. Lashof, the Hon. Harvey Ruvin, and the Rev. Katherine Jesch) made presentations and took part in a panel discussion during the morning session. In the afternoon, small group discussions facilitated action plans for individuals, UU congregations and the larger community.

The following files concern the 2004 Tenth Annual Florida District Justice Conference on Global Warming and Climate Change. The MP3 files are audio presentations of the conference (zip file includes all other MP3 files).The PDF files relate to a presentation by Dr. Lashof.

Files Available: (Note: All files are large, greater than 1 Mb.)

Audio:
fldsj2004-gw_audio.zip    (47 Mb, includes all the audio files)

fldsj2004-gw_Intro_Track1.mp3

fldsj2004-gw_Dr_Lashof_Track 2.mp3

fldsj2004-gw_Hon_Ruvin_Part1_Track 3.mp3

fldsj2004-gw_Hon_Ruvin_Part2_Track 4.mp3

fldsj2004-gw_Rev_Jesch_Track 5.mp3

fldsj2004-gw_PanelDiscuss_Track 6.mp3

PDF:  (Dr. Dan Lashof Presentation Files)

fldsj2004-gw_UU FL Talk_screen.pdf

fldsj2004-gw_PIMA 2004_screen.pdf

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