Earlier this year I shared the good news that Richardsville Elementary School was working towards becoming the first net-zero energy public school. As you can imagine, that is quite an undertaking and will be quite an accomplishment when it opens. Well…..as good news would have it, construction is nearing completion and Richardsville Elementary is on target to be open by the end of August!

As principal architect on this project, Kenny Stanfield AIA and LEED® AP (Accredited Professional), described it:

“For our team, the goal of achieving a net zero school was simply the next step – to go from a proven, design operating facility (Plano) that requires only 28 kBtus of energy per square foot annually to a facility that needs 18 kBtus to operate.”

The design for this net zero energy school was even awarded the Green Design Concept Winner 2008 Green Education Design Showcase.

Now, if you are unfamiliar with the term “net zero building”, it basically describes a structure that generates as much (or more) energy than it needs to operate. It does that through renewable energy resources such as wind and solar.  This doesn’t mean it isn’t connected to the electric grid, but it does mean the building itself generates more energy than it consumes.

Besides the fact that it completely generates its own energy, Richardsville Elementary is a relatively “typical” school in that it has classrooms, a gymnasium, cafeteria, library, etc. Another difference though is that it was designed and built as a tool to educate students on the value of energy conservation, solar, water conservation, recycling and more.

Let’s take a look at some of the features that take Richardsville Elementary up to the next level in educational building standards.

First there is the design layout of the school property:

As you can see, it includes a full array of solar panels on the main building as well as the covered drop-off/pick-up area in the parking lot. Renewable materials were used during construction whenever possible and ICFs (Insulated Concrete Forms) were used as a green construction measure to provide smart insulation. Additionally the building was laid out in a north-south site orientation in order to increase solar output and naturally conserve energy.

As you can tell from this picture of the front entrance, the building has a clerestory spine running down the middle of the building. This was designed to allow for maximum natural daylight and minimal lighting costs. The windows themselves are made from Nanogel® filled sandwich panel glass to provide a nice aesthetic for the building without lowering energy efficiency.

This photo shows the rear of the school building, with the media center on the second floor and a covered outdoor classroom below it. The stair towers to the left and right are encased by windows and decorated by sunshades at each level to minimize heat/glare.

The south facing facade (classrooms) clearly shows the use of daylighting as well as the incorporation of sunshade devices in the design and practicality of the building.

The new gymnasium floor was made mostly from bamboo with the dark hardwood sections salvaged from the old gymnasium. Acoustical wall panels were added to give the room optimum acoustics. You can also see a bit of the clerestory daylighting in place here as well.

With regard to the kitchen area, Energy Star rated equipment was used and combi-ovens were chosen as a healthier option to traditional fryers and skillets. So not only will the cafeteria be energy-efficient, it will be able to provide healthier food choices to the students as well.

In terms of overall construction costs, the building and site itself ran about $12,160,000 with the solar/Photovoltaic costs adding an additional $2,753,124. Bringing the total construction costs to a little under $15 million. As the building is 77,466 sq ft, that breaks down to approximately $193 per sq ft.

One note though, as this is a net zero building, the project was able to get a federal bloc grant through the Kentucky Dept of Energy for 50% of the solar costs.

If you are interested, you can follow some of the final construction via the Warren County Public Schools’ webcam.

A special thank you to Kenny Stanfield from Sherman-Carter-Barnhart for providing me with photos and additional information on this great accomplishment of the first net-zero energy school – Richardsville Elementary in Warren County, Kentucky. For more information on Sherman-Carter-Barnhart’s other green projects, you can check out their website.

Congratulations to all involved! Building the first net zero energy school is definitely a historical moment and hopefully there will be many more schools following suit. I can’t wait to hear more about Richardsville Elementary once school is in session.

Image by Viola Aragon

It’s that time of the week again. Time to do a simple recap of some of the green or environmentally-oriented articles I found of particular interest during the past week. As usual, this is not even close to everything I discovered or learned about this week, but it is a few of the ones I thought you might be interested in checking out.

In honor of Dr. Seuss and the 50th anniversary of Green Eggs and Ham, I’ll start off with a quote and video clip from Dr. Seuss’ The Lorax (which is due to be released by Universal Studios in 2012):

“Unless someone like you cares a whole awful lot,
Nothing is going to get better. It’s not.”

1 - How to Disinfect Without Using Toxic Chemicals: This is key, especially if you have kids and/or pets in the house. As I’ve mentioned before, I cannot stand the fumes that come from most chemical cleaners. It is safer for you, your family and helps improve the indoor air quality in your home if you disinfect with natural ingredients.

2 - Natural Tech Fixes: Speaking of doing things naturally, here are a few ideas on how you can repair technical equipment the natural way. It covers things such as how rice can resurrect your water damaged cell phone and toothpaste can help get scratches out of DVDs.

3 - 75 Phone Apps + 10 Tips That Will Save You Money: Since I’m on the subject of doing things naturally (which obviously saves you money too), here is a great resource for iPhone apps designed to help you save even more money.

4 – Harness Solar Energy Through Spray-On Film: Not only can this material be sprayed on windows, but it can be sprayed on entire buildings as well to allow them to harness solar energy. It can also reportedly be built right into many external building materials so new structures will be able to tap into solar power as soon as they are built. Between that and solar power now being cheaper than nuclear power, I’d say we’re heading in the right direction.  Image by Rupert Ganzer

5 – Genetically Modified Organisms Found in the Wild: Unfortunately, this one veers away from the natural into the genetically modified. Not only are we being faced with more genetically modified foods, but now genetically modified organisms have been found growing in the wild.

6 – Design for an Electric City for the 20th Century – in 1894: Now I don’t know that I’m in agreement with where they wanted to build this particular city. However, I do have to say their plan to make use of natural resources, as well as make the city environmentally-friendly and accessible is very refreshing. 1894, huh?!

7 – Chunk of Original Earth Found: Can you imagine finding a piece of Earth from the earliest years in its formation? We’re talking mantle rock dating back over 4.5 billion years ago.

8 – The Heavens Open: When you talk about the wonders of Earth, Mother Nature itself is one of the most amazing wonders you will find. Take a look at this photo from my friend Matt aka @Statik99. Matt took this beautiful shot while out storm chasing one day.

Image by StatiK99

Here’s another amazing image, this time from the National Wildlife Federation. Take a look, you won’t believe your eyes.

I thought it would be appropriate to wrap up this week’s ‘Weekly Greens’ by sharing this post on Eco Actions: Gifts that Keep on Giving. Take a look at some of the eco actions you can take today, tomorrow and any day really. There is something for everyone. So, what is your next eco action going to be?

Image by Horia Varlan

Remember when mom used to tell you…”Put on your sunblock.” “Don’t ride your bike in the street.” “Don’t eat the sand at the beach”. and more? Well, Summer is officially here, so it would probably be a good idea to get a refresher on some of those mom-approved green rules of Summer.

Now, don’t get me wrong, these aren’t hard-core, iron-clad rules or anything, more like tips or suggestions. But when it comes to greening up and enjoying your summer, mom would probably want you to take note:

1. Use sunblock or cover up. There is no reason to get burned  - whether or not you need Vitamin D, a sunburn will not help you in any way. But be sure to use a safe and effective sunscreen.

2. Drink plenty of water. If you buy a BPA-free water bottle, you can bring water with you wherever you go. When it’s hot out, drink more water to ensure you don’t get dehydrated.

3. Open the windows to cool your home down at night. Even when it gets hot during the day, you can turn off the a/c and cool down your home by opening up some windows at night.

4. Pack snacks for trips. Why spend lots of money on fast food, when you can be prepared and pack healthy snacks ahead of time? You save money and eat better too.

5. Vacation locally. Many people tend to want to “get away” during the summer, but who says you can’t do that relatively close to home? Check out local vacation spots (less than an hour away) first, you may be pleasantly surprised.

Image by 1suisse

6. Get outside. Don’t keep yourself couped up, get out and enjoy nature. Go for a walk, ride a bike, go hiking, go for a swim, go jogging on the beach, etc.

7. Lower your emissions – drive less. If you have to drive try car-pooling or ride-sharing and if you aren’t driving a hybrid or electric vehicle, then be sure to check out a proven fuel additive to lower your emissions even further.

8. If you do drive, drive smart. Check out these “Top 10 Summer Travel Tips“.

9. Water your plants in the early morning or evening. You don’t want to water during the hottest hours of the day, as the water tends to evaporate faster and you end up needing to water more often.

10. Keep your air conditioning off as much as possible. Here are some simple and cool tips for a cooler summer.

11. Eat lots of fruits and vegetables…ideally from local growers. A nice cold watermelon, sliced strawberries, some fresh squeezed orange juice or some cool, crispy grapes may be just what you need on a hot summer day. Bananas are a great boost too, especially if you need more potassium.

Image by The Gifted Photographer

12. Cut out sodas and other sugary drinks. They tend to make you more dehydrated on hot days, not less. Water is a great choice…maybe add a slice of lime, lemon or other fruit for added taste.

13. BBQ some of those Summer meals rather than heating up your home by using the oven/stove to cook. Whether it’s gas or charcoal, who doesn’t like to barbeque now and again?

14. If you can solar charge, do so. Summer is a great time to start solar charging your phone, computer, car, etc. Plus it will probably get you outdoors more.

15. Try camping rather than staying in a hotel. Camping is a classic summertime activity that you don’t want to miss. For those of you who have kids, check out some tips that can make your family camping trip better.

Image by Fiona MacGinty

16. Hang your clothes out to dry. No need to waste energy if you can hang your clothes on a clothesline and let the sun dry them for you.

17. Avoid spraying poisons and other chemicals to get rid of summer bugs/pests. Use organic methods that won’t adversely affect you, your family, your pet or the environment. For example, coffee grounds and/or cayenne pepper work well to deter ants.

18. Leftovers…make good use of leftovers. Especially during the summer, when we tend to have guests over or make more than we actually need, there are often leftovers. Be sure to put leftovers in the fridge/freezer and use them for simple meals throughout the week.

19. When cleaning up try using re-usable rags or towels. ShamWow towels or PeopleTowels work well when trying to clean up and they are better for the environment than paper towels.

20. Don’t buy more “stuff”. Rather than buying more things to have around the house, find creative activities that you can do using existing supplies.

So, there are your 20 green ‘mom-approved’ tips for this Summer. Do you have any other green tips that can help make Summer better? I’d love to hear them! Have a safe and happy Summer!