September 9, 2010 – 7:00 am
The EPA has developed a toolkit to aid local municipalities in assessing and upgrading their sustainable building guidelines, regulations, ordinances and permitting process. Apartment developers with an eye to the future would be wise to promote the Toolkit to local officials.
By Elizabeth Madrigal
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Posted in Business
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Also tagged building codes, building codes to protect the public, delays in green building permits, green apartment developers, green apartments, green building, green building permits, green building premium, green developers, green renters, Resource Guides to Green Building, sustainable design
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August 13, 2010 – 6:30 am
Green lifestyles do not appear out of thin air and it is important not just for educators, but property managers to do their part in raising green renters.
By Elizabeth Madrigal
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Posted in Residents
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Also tagged ADA, Americans with Disabilities, disabled access, EPA, Green Property Managers, green renters, guest bloggers, making recycling easier, parental role modeling, role modeling sustainability, sustainability, sustainable lifestyles, sustainable property management
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August 11, 2010 – 6:33 am
The NMHC and the NAA temporarily held the EPA back from implementing a mandatory owners’ survey, but a new stormwater runoff rule is brewing just the same. Stormwater control benefits everyone, but particularly the property owner.
By Elizabeth Madrigal
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Posted in Business
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Also tagged bioretention, catch basins, cisterns, Clean Water Act, constructed wetlands, detention basins, EPA, EPA Stormwater Survey, Federal Register NMHC, G, green property management, green property manager, green renters, green roofs, ground water, NAA, permeable concrete, permeable modular block, point sources of pollution, porous asphalt, rain barrels, rain gardens, sand filters, Section 308 of the CWA, Stormwater control, swales, tree boxes, water percolation, wetland channels
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The EPA’s WaterSense labeling program has been highly successful, using voluntary compliance and incentives for manufacturers, consumers and homeowners. Recently it added commercial users to its target audience with the first label for a commercial use – flushing urinals.
By Elizabeth Madrigal
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Posted in Water
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Also tagged aerators, apartments, building water conservation, Domestic Water Use Daily, dual flush toilets, EPA, flushing urinals, green property management, Green Property Managers, green renter, Lowflow showerheads, multifamily water conservation, residential water conservation, saving the world through water conservation, State Population Projections and Water Use, sustainable operations and management, Water and National Security, Water and War, Water as a Precious and Scarce Resource, water audits, water conservation, Water Conservation Fixtures, WaterSense Conservation Program, WaterSense Logo, WaterSense Products
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Amid the controversy and anxiety raised by residents’concerns about radiation exposure from granite countertops, fortunately the issue of radon exposure has been highlighted. Who’s at risk and what should be done?
By Elizabeth Madrigal
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Posted in Residents
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Also tagged 203k funds for radon, Charcoal resting for radon, EPA, federal incentives, granite off-gassing, Grants, grants for radon-remediation, Minnesota Radon Levels, NAS, National Academy of Sciences, National Environmental Health Association, National Radon Proficiency Program (NRPP), naturally occurring uranium, NEHA, radiation exposure, radium, radon, radon and building codes, radon control, radon gas, radon mitigation, Radon Testing, Radon testing kits, Radon Ventilation Systems, radon zones in U.S., safety of granite countertops, Standards for Radon Abatement, testing granite for radiation, U.S. Senator Amy Klobuchar
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If you go to this link on the ENERGY STAR website you will find that the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) list the following building types as qualifying for the ENERGY STAR New Homes certification programs:
All residential units in multifamily buildings three stories and under.
Units in four- and five-story [...]
In late April 2010 both houses of Congress were motivated to move the Safe Chemicals Act (SCA) forward in response to constituents who want the 83,000 chemicals to which Americans are exposed tested, studied and banned when appropriate.
By Elizabeth Madrigal
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Posted in Business
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Also tagged 83000 chemicals in US, green cleaning, Green Maintenance, green property management, green residents, healthy homes, integrated pest management, Low-VOC Paint, Safe Chemicals Act, Senate Subcommittee on Environmental Health, Senator Frank R. Lautenberg, Toxic Substances Control Act of 1976
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Certainly the use of electric cars provides an opportunity for a homeowner with a 120Volt outlet in the garage – and those with charging stations set up at work – but what about apartment residents? If predictions are correct, within a few years over 25 million vehicles are going to need plug-ins.
By Elizabeth Madrigal
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Posted in Products
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Also tagged BugE, California, Charging Stations, Chevrolet Volt, Conductive Charging, Department of Transportation, Electric Vehicle Supply Equipment, Electric Vehicles, Electrical Panels, Electrical Upgrades, EV Charging Capacity, EVs, EVSE, Google, Inductive Charging, Mitsubishi iMiev, Nissan Leaf, Oregon, Pacific Gas & Electric Company, PlugIn America, Portland, San Francisco, Sequoia Solar, Tsla EVs
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February 9, 2010 – 7:29 am
Let’s face it. Until we admit we have a problem we won’t make any progress. Our feeble attempts to cut back or even our best-intentioned half-measures to compensate for energy mismanagement will merely serve to camouflage the real problem. Time is not on our side. We are hurting our families, our communities, our environment and ourselves, yet we seem powerless to stop. To me this [...]
By Elizabeth Madrigal
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Posted in Energy
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Also tagged cisterns, Department of Ecology, Department of Energy, Department of Environmental Quality, DEQ, DOE, EPA, HVAC systems, May the Force Be With You, Star Wars, trees, U.S. Green Building Council, USGBC
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February 8, 2010 – 7:28 am
It is estimated that each time residential density doubles, auto ownership falls by 32% to 40% when more destinations can be reached on foot or bicycle. Of course, in a built environment de-constructing a lot is less practical than new construction. However, it is worth considering approaching your city planners with a proposal to ask for a reduction in your property’s required parking.
By Elizabeth Madrigal
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Posted in Energy
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Also tagged affordable housing, apartments, Boulder, City Planning, EPA, Eugene, Housing for people with disabilities, Iowa City, mixed-use, multifamily, Portland, Reducing parking, Reducing Private Vehicle Usage, San Francisco, Seattle, Senior Housing, urban density, Urban Planning
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