Day 1
Group 70 International, Blue Planet & Sustainable Marketplace
Sustainable Marketplace is created by Group 70 International. It is LEED certified- Silver since year 2006. They did renovation after they moved into the building. They have installed solar photovoltaic cell system on roof and reduce electricity efficiently.
Upfront cost can be gained back within 15 years and the whole system can last at least 22 years. They helped people to purchase light bulb through group purchasing to reduce the shipping fees.
Sustainable Marketplace is created by Group 70 International. It is LEED certified- Silver since year 2006. They did renovation after they moved into the building. They have installed solar photovoltaic cell system on roof and reduce electricity efficiently.
Upfront cost can be gained back within 15 years and the whole system can last at least 22 years. They helped people to purchase light bulb through group purchasing to reduce the shipping fees.
We have to know that we will face food crisis or food security in the future if we
The Nature Conservancy
The Nature Conservancy’s main headquarters in Hawai‘i, the historic Wing Wo Tai building in downtown Honolulu, has been certified as the first green existing building in the state, the organization announced today.
After two years of extensive renovation, the 132-year-old structure is now one of only 307 existing buildings worldwide to be so certified by the U.S. Green Building Council’s Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Green Building Rating System. The first initiative taken by them is to replace all the Air Conditioning System in this building. Most of the materials used for designation and furniture are recycled products. The Nature Conservancy has replaced all light bulb with Compact Fluorescent Light Bulb. Besides that, photovoltaic cell system has been installed on this building since year 2009. With these technology, the electricity consumption has been reduced by 25%. The electricity generated during weekend will be sold back to National Grid as no electricity consumption at that period.
The Nature Conservancy’s main headquarters in Hawai‘i, the historic Wing Wo Tai building in downtown Honolulu, has been certified as the first green existing building in the state, the organization announced today.
After two years of extensive renovation, the 132-year-old structure is now one of only 307 existing buildings worldwide to be so certified by the U.S. Green Building Council’s Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Green Building Rating System. The first initiative taken by them is to replace all the Air Conditioning System in this building. Most of the materials used for designation and furniture are recycled products. The Nature Conservancy has replaced all light bulb with Compact Fluorescent Light Bulb. Besides that, photovoltaic cell system has been installed on this building since year 2009. With these technology, the electricity consumption has been reduced by 25%. The electricity generated during weekend will be sold back to National Grid as no electricity consumption at that period.
Day 2
Hawaiian Electric Company Green Car Hawaii
Electric Vehicles: an alternate choice for mobility?
Oahu, an island in the state of Hawaii, has an over population of motor vehicles. It has become a status indicator for Hawaiians. However, with increasing number of cars on the road comes increasing carbon dioxide emitted into the atmosphere; this in turns promotes the green house effect and produces acid rain and the results in contaminated soil. To reduce car population and pollution to the air, alternative choices of vehicles, such as electric vehicles (EV) or plug-in hybrids, or methods of transportation, such as the car-sharing program, should be taken into account.
HECO, Hawaii Electric Company, has laid foundations to support the use of EVs. Statistics from HECO say that electricity peak hour in Oahu is in the evening, after work. If everyone drove an EV, then people would charge their EVs during peak hour as well – the energy required to fully charge an EV is equivalent to the energy required to power a house. This will exponentially increase energy demand during that time period. This means more energy production required and perhaps more power plants will be needed as well. Building another power plant is the last thing Hawaii needs. HECO solved this problem by offering EV users a time of use payment program, where users will pay a lower electricity rate at night to distribute the load away from peak hours. HECO has enforced free street parking, reserved parking spots with free charging stations (until the end of the year) in various buildings in Downtown and Waikiki and charging stations all over the island.
Another approach to this problem is by a company based in the Double Tree hotel called GreenCar Hawaii. This company is an EV car sharing business, which offers hassle-free and fast service and with three simple steps (reserve, grab and go), tourists or residence can rent a car for $15 per hour. Not only does this business encourage the reduction of carbon dioxide emission, but it also reduces the number of cars running on the streets, which in turns, reduces traffic jam. According to GreenCar Hawaii, residence says, “with this service available, the need of a car is very little. A car can be rented within 5 – 10 minutes and it can be parked for free in many places. Also clients do not need to worry about charging up the car, unless a car is driven to the north shore.
Day 3
Hawai'i Seawater Air Conditioning
On May 17, 2012 3pm, our team visited Honolulu Seawater Air Conditioning (HSWAC). There was a warm- welcome by Mr Frederic Berg, Special Projects and Mr Joakim Nilsson, Project Manager. They gave us a presentation on the concept of this direct cooling technology. This is a piloting project and service to customer is expected to begin on 2013. As Hawaii’s most abundant natural resources, seawater can be used to reduce energy consumption by cooling the buildings in the core of downtown by up to 75%. It promotes a sustainable future using clean, local and long term renewable energy resources. It aims to reduce Hawaii’s dependency on imported fossil fuels.
Mr Nilsson explained how the concept of HSWAC service used to replace conventional AC and the process of chiller basics. There is a controversy about whether the warmed seawater affects the aquatic life when it released back to the sea. In response to this issue, Mr Nilsson explained that the water will be released at the level same with ambient temperature. There are 25 diffusers installed at the effluent, thus temperature are not affecting the aquatic life. The pipeline that submerged into seawater is made up of thick plastics and the plate in heat exchanger is titanium. He also explained about the reliability, the concept of N+1. One system breaks down, there is a backup.
This meeting gave us a lot of useful information which we couldn’t learn it in our school. We hope that we can contribute to my community upon our return.
“HSWAC would help reduce Hawaii’s dependence on imported fossil fuels, help meet Hawaii’s renewable energy goals and would be environmentally beneficial.”
On May 17, 2012 3pm, our team visited Honolulu Seawater Air Conditioning (HSWAC). There was a warm- welcome by Mr Frederic Berg, Special Projects and Mr Joakim Nilsson, Project Manager. They gave us a presentation on the concept of this direct cooling technology. This is a piloting project and service to customer is expected to begin on 2013. As Hawaii’s most abundant natural resources, seawater can be used to reduce energy consumption by cooling the buildings in the core of downtown by up to 75%. It promotes a sustainable future using clean, local and long term renewable energy resources. It aims to reduce Hawaii’s dependency on imported fossil fuels.
Mr Nilsson explained how the concept of HSWAC service used to replace conventional AC and the process of chiller basics. There is a controversy about whether the warmed seawater affects the aquatic life when it released back to the sea. In response to this issue, Mr Nilsson explained that the water will be released at the level same with ambient temperature. There are 25 diffusers installed at the effluent, thus temperature are not affecting the aquatic life. The pipeline that submerged into seawater is made up of thick plastics and the plate in heat exchanger is titanium. He also explained about the reliability, the concept of N+1. One system breaks down, there is a backup.
This meeting gave us a lot of useful information which we couldn’t learn it in our school. We hope that we can contribute to my community upon our return.
“HSWAC would help reduce Hawaii’s dependence on imported fossil fuels, help meet Hawaii’s renewable energy goals and would be environmentally beneficial.”
FarmRoof
We visited Farmroof, the world’s first and only certified organic green roof system. As we reached, founder of Farmroof, Mr Alan Joaquin briefed us about his green company. He brought us to the rooftop and explained the concept of rooftop farming. Rooftop farming, also known as roof garden, is the cultivation of produce for food on the roof of a building. In addition to the aesthetic, recreational, ecological, and architectural benefits provided by roof gardens, rooftop farming’s focus on local food production supplies its maintainers and the community with fresh produce and promotes small-scale local agriculture as well as a tangible connection to the food source. They plant some easy-to-grow crops, usually with high nutrition content, and plan to sell the vegetables when they expand their rooftop plantation. One of the advantages of rooftop farming is it uses less fertilizers compared to conventional farming as it does not compete with weeds to obtain sunlight, water, carbon dioxide and others which are essential for plant growth.
Rooftop farming is most common in urban areas, where ground-level agricultural opportunities are scarce. With the abundance of unused rooftop space (Honolulu alone has more than 17 million square feet of rooftops), rooftop farming is the best way to solve the problems. It can kill many birds with one stone. Top 10 benefits of the Farmroof are listed as below:
a) Energy Conservation
b) Stromwater Management
c) Fossil fuel Reduction
d) Global Warming
e) Biodiversity
f) Local food economy
g) Nutrition
h) Community
i) Environmental Stewardship
j) Aesthetics and Beauty
This technology not only can save energy and cooling bills, sewer fees, and potential tax credits, will also garner media attention and support from environmental groups, rev-up local buzz and community support, and provide opportunities for marketing and educational outreach programs. Mr Joaquin encouraged us to bring this technology back to our home country.
“Find the shortest, simplest way between the earth, the hands and the mouth”
—Lanza del Vasto
We visited Farmroof, the world’s first and only certified organic green roof system. As we reached, founder of Farmroof, Mr Alan Joaquin briefed us about his green company. He brought us to the rooftop and explained the concept of rooftop farming. Rooftop farming, also known as roof garden, is the cultivation of produce for food on the roof of a building. In addition to the aesthetic, recreational, ecological, and architectural benefits provided by roof gardens, rooftop farming’s focus on local food production supplies its maintainers and the community with fresh produce and promotes small-scale local agriculture as well as a tangible connection to the food source. They plant some easy-to-grow crops, usually with high nutrition content, and plan to sell the vegetables when they expand their rooftop plantation. One of the advantages of rooftop farming is it uses less fertilizers compared to conventional farming as it does not compete with weeds to obtain sunlight, water, carbon dioxide and others which are essential for plant growth.
Rooftop farming is most common in urban areas, where ground-level agricultural opportunities are scarce. With the abundance of unused rooftop space (Honolulu alone has more than 17 million square feet of rooftops), rooftop farming is the best way to solve the problems. It can kill many birds with one stone. Top 10 benefits of the Farmroof are listed as below:
a) Energy Conservation
b) Stromwater Management
c) Fossil fuel Reduction
d) Global Warming
e) Biodiversity
f) Local food economy
g) Nutrition
h) Community
i) Environmental Stewardship
j) Aesthetics and Beauty
This technology not only can save energy and cooling bills, sewer fees, and potential tax credits, will also garner media attention and support from environmental groups, rev-up local buzz and community support, and provide opportunities for marketing and educational outreach programs. Mr Joaquin encouraged us to bring this technology back to our home country.
“Find the shortest, simplest way between the earth, the hands and the mouth”
—Lanza del Vasto