green = practical

[caption id="attachment_1649" align="aligncenter" width="700" caption="Fern Hill Terrace Apartments"][/caption] Mike and I met with a non-profit housing developer recently who indicated that one of their funders said that we should really stop talking about green building and sustainability. Their opinion was that what we are really talking about is taking a practical approach to design - focusing on reducing energy consumption, lower operations and maintenance costs.

Wow! What a refreshing change to have enlightened funders (who have historically been concerned about bottom line returns and building more with less) who truly get the triple bottom line with respect to affordable housing. By expecting affordable housing projects to be environmentally sustainable, WA state funders are acknowledging the social equity of providing healthy homes for low income families and seniors, but also the economic benefit to housing operators, and reduced energy consumption for low income tenants.

[caption id="attachment_1654" align="alignleft" width="700" caption="Typical Unit Kitchen"][/caption]

Fern Hill Terrace is a project that recently completed construction for the Multi-Service Center and Shelter Resources, Inc. It is a rehabilitation of an existing low income housing property. There are 24 family units in this project located in Tacoma, WA. Due to funding from the state, the project was required to satisfy the Evergreen Sustainable Development Standards - not only for the renovation but also for the 600sf of new construction. The great thing about the project was not only that we were able re-use the existing buildings (the best move we could have made from a sustainability standpoint), but that the residents of this apartment community were not displaced during construction. The construction occurred in a phases such that 4-6 units were renovated at a time. Sure, the residents had to move out of their units as they were being renovated, but they simply moved into another unit within the complex...which allowed them to maintain the same bus routes, driving routes, and daily schedule. For some seniors and families, this was a big deal - they shared that with me during the open house. And they were able to move back into units that were like new - new cabinets, flooring, doors, windows. The energy efficiency is dramatically improved, the indoor air quality significantly improved, and radiant heating elevated above the window to eliminate the fire hazard of the previous electric baseboards. Not to mention the improved laundry facilities, community room, low impact landscaping, and new kids playground.

Schemata Workshop is proud to serve low and moderate income families and seniors in Washington state by designing safe and decent homes - you can call them green, we call them practical.

Earth day – clean up

For some, Earth Day only reminds them of childhood activities long ago when they cleaned up a nearby neighborhood and were rewarded for the number of cans they gathered. But for others earth day is no different than what they do every day – being prudent consumers and fully aware of their carbon footprint. I have committed to being more aware of my carbon footprint and strive to consider Earth Day as an every day event. This commitment was energized by taking part in the bi-annual Duwamish Alive river cleanup, held every April and September. Last Saturday, April 16^th I participated at Duwamish Waterway Park in South Seattle. The event is sponsored by Soundkeeper Alliance, People for Puget Sound, Environmental Coalition of South Seattle, NOAA, Argosy Cruises, and Alki Kayak Tours to name a few. For a list of all sponsors go to http://www.duwamishalive.org/

The clean up at the South Park site was twofold which included both shore-side park beautification and, most anticipated by me, in-water cleanup via Kayaks.   

During the park beautification shift a few people from the Nature Consortium, my brother, and I tackled the invasive black berry bushes on the banks of the river (see the before photo above) and I have scratches on my arms from the thorns to proof it! I felt a sense of accomplishment and satisfaction with each branch I tore out (see the after photo below). The removal of the invasive weeds allows for the native plants to return taking a small step toward restoring the natural habitat of the area.  

In mid afternoon it was our turn to commandeer the kayaks and I was excited! We immediately spotted trash on the opposite side of the river and paddled over to pick it up, Styrofoam! Styrofoam was the most obvious trash on the water and banks, understandable given the industrial nature of the area. But, unfortunately, aluminum cans, plastic bottles and plastic bags were our most commonly gathered trash. The event was eye opening to say the least. With every plastic bag I found I remembered all the times at the grocery store when I forgot to bring my reusable bag. I vowed to be more mindful of having it with me in the future. In the end, my brother and I filled 3 large bags of trash (the most we could safely fit on our kayak). It felt good to contribute this small amount to the total collected by the entire group at the Duwamish Waterway Parkand the total trash gathered from all 13 sites along the Duwamish by approximately 1,100 volunteers all together! 

If you are interested in striving to consider Earth Day as an every day event the next clean up sponsored by Soundkeeper Alliance is May 14^th where we will be removing trash in Lake Union and Portage Bay. For more information go to http://pugetsoundkeeper.org/programs/partnerships/waterway-cleanups/waterway-cleanups