Electric Bikes - More Vehicles On The Road

I like electric assist bikes but they do remind me how our transportation system is not ready for them. Are they a bike or a motor scooter? They can go 15mph consistently - slower than cars butr faster than what is in the bike lane. Are helmets mandatory in jurisdictions that require helmets for motorcycles and motor scooters? Can they go on sidewalks? How equipped are we for more vehicles on the road? In my experience in DC's Columbia Heights area, increased commuter bike riding has not resulted in a decrease of cars on the road. Net result is more vehicles in the same space.

Electric-assist bikes, or e-bikes, gaining toehold in U.S. market

By Randy Salzman, Published: February 16

Charlottesville zoning officer Craig Fabio pedaled into a driveway on River Street and peered inside a stack of tires. “No rims,” he said, pulling out his cellphone to photograph the evidence. “It’s a violation. Breeds mosquitoes.”

If Fabio had been driving a car, he might have sped past the tire pile without seeing it; and if he had seen it, he couldn’t have investigated until he found a place to park. Instead, he was riding an electric-assist bicycle, using both pedal power and its battery-operated motor to cruise at a practical 10 to 15 mph. His $1,800 Giant Twist Freedom model is one of two e-bikes the city provides to its zoning officers to increase efficiency while diminishing congestion and greenhouse-gas emissions.

Popular elsewhere in the world — about 20 million a year are sold in China, where they are licensed and regulated like cars — e-bikes are slowly gaining ground in the U.S. market. Some buyers like their green credentials; Charlottesville bought its e-bikes after signing the U.S. Conference of Mayors Climate Protection Agreement. (The city considered Segways, but e-bikes were cheaper and allowed officers to get across town almost as quickly as they could by driving.)

Others see them as an ideal commuter vehicle, because they allow the rider to work as hard as he or she wants — typically, that means using the electric motor to help out on the ride to the office and switching to pedal power for a workout on the way home.

The typical e-bike has a mountain-bike-style frame, with a motor located inside an unusually large rear hub and a lithium-ion battery pack, usually mounted on a back rack. The switch between pedals and battery differs depending on the model: Some can be ridden on pure battery power; others, including the Twist Freedom, made by Giant Bicycle, are “pedal assisted,” meaning the electric boost kicks in only if the rider is pedaling.

Depending on how much the rider pedals, a typical five-hour charge will last for about 40 miles — and if the batteries die, the 50-pound e-bike can usually be pedaled (or walked) home.

Young and older

David Goodman had never heard of e-bikes until he dropped into the Green Commuter bike shop in Takoma Park last year to pick up some saddle bags. But the 33-year-old anesthesiologist walked out of the store with an electric-assist Europa that would give him “help up the hill” on his three-mile commute to Holy Cross Hospital.

“I saw it and realized it’s great that there is something to help with the pedaling, something that would make my commute sweatless,” he said. “I let people at the hospital try the Europa out, and there’s always a smile on their face when they’re done riding. For me, it’s all about the fun factor and the easy way to get some exercise.”

Joe Reyes, who owns the bike shop, said he sells two or three e-bikes a month, mostly to commuting professionals such asGoodman.

“One customer calculated that on his $1,400 e-bike, in Metro savings he’ll pay for it in a year, and he doesn’t add in the exercise element,” Reyes said. “You’re providing about 75 percent of the power, so you’re still getting some exercise. . . . You don’t have to get to work all sweaty, and then on the way home you don’t have to use the electric assist, but it’s always there on tap if you need it.”

The bikes are also drawing attention from an older crowd.

“By far, our number one market is baby boomers who are out of shape, just got out of surgery or for some other reason are just getting back on the bike,” says engineer Jason Seybold, a founder of E+ Electric Bikes, a high-end e-bike manufacturer in Dulles. The company has a small showroom where customers can get a look at its line of nine bikes, which start at $2,500 and are notable for having the battery installed inside a hub. The company’s choices include an Emergency Medical Services model: Equipped with a bag big enough to hold a paramedic’s equipment, it’s meant to be used at large outdoor events, where medical staff might need to maneuver quickly through crowds.

Two years ago, Lionel and Claire Metz bought e-bikes for use around their home in Albemarle County, Virginia. Lionel, 87, values the moderate outdoor exercise it provides, something he needs after three years of medical problems that included prostate surgery. Claire, 63, said that she rarely misses a day on her e-bike, often cruising a 20-mile loop.

“There’s a library full of research on the benefits of movement,” Colin Milner, chief executive of the International Council on Active Aging, says. “So a product like this would certainly accommodate someone who has issues with their joints, or is overweight, or has other health issues. It’s a good beginning.”

Salzman is a Charlottesville writer specializing in alternative transportation and related issues.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/national/electric-assist-bikes-or-e-bikes-gaining-toehold-in-us-market/2011/02/16/AFsr5gqB_story.html

Office Building Possibilities Availabalble Now (Then, 2008)

Saving the Earth Inside the Office
Discovery Turns Its Spotlight Inward

By Alejandro Lazo
Washington Post Staff Writer
Monday, February 25, 2008

Larry Laque, an executive with Silver Spring-based Discovery Communications, felt something amiss last year as his company began gearing up to announce a 24-hour television channel devoted to an all-green lifestyle.

Discovery would be preaching environmental awareness around the clock on its Planet Green network, but Laque thought the company was not doing all it could do to recycle, conserve energy and pollute less.

So when the company's chief executive, David Zaslav, requested ideas to help market the new channel, Laque proposed an initiative to "green" the two-building headquarters.

Walking through those two buildings last week, Laque pointed to several changes the company had made. Green-handled, low-flush toilets had been installed in every restroom. Three 400-gallon tanks in the garage stored rainwater to irrigate the company's lawn. And numerous unnecessary light bulbs had been removed, such as vending machine lights.

"I do believe it is a lot of little things that add up," Laque said last week, standing in one of several sun-bathed conference rooms. "We are a big part of the problem, but we are also a big part of the solution."

Discovery ultimately decided to seek the highest level of certification possible through the District-based U.S. Green Building Council's Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) program -- platinum status. Only 62 buildings in the United States have won the designation. Two are in the Washington area: the Sidwell Friends School, on Wisconsin Avenue in Northwest D.C. and the Green Building Council's headquarters, on Massachusetts Avenue NW, just south of Dupont Circle.

The council's rating system has become the commercial real estate industry's benchmark for the design, construction and operation of environmentally friendly buildings. Businesses have rushed to embrace the system as fears of global climate change have become more prevalent and green credentials more marketable. Buildings are considered to be major energy consumers and big contributors of carbon emissions.

But even those who praise the LEED system say it is far from perfect. Developers get the same credit for taking steps that require relatively little effort as for those that require significant expenditures of time and money.

Nevertheless, the rapid acceptance of the Green Building Council's system has led to a transformation of the commercial real estate industry. New buildings are being erected to meet the new standards while real estate brokers seek accreditation from the council to better market existing office space to prospective clients. Green investment funds have been created by major real estate companies to pay for upgrades to existing buildings.

"I don't think any initiative that we have seen has been so quickly adopted and embraced in this business," said Mitchell N. Schear, president of Vornado/Charles E. Smith, a commercial real estate firm with a large presence in the Washington region.

The District and Montgomery County are among several local governments that have passed ordinances requiring that new construction adhere to the green standards.

The LEED system rates buildings by the number of points achieved in sustainable site development, water savings, energy efficiency, materials selection, indoor environmental quality and innovation.

The certification process is typically conducted via the Internet. To certify a project, a developer or owner must first register the building with the council.

Once the building is ready, the owner works through a checklist and submits documentation to back up the claims. A decision is typically rendered in one to three months. The average cost of certification is about $2,500.

Certain minimum requirements must be met to achieve certification. For example, pollution from construction sites must be controlled, certain minimum energy requirements must be met, recyclables must be properly collected and stored, and smoking must be prohibited.

To achieve LEED certification, a builder or developer must earn at least 26 points out of 69. Achieving higher designations such as silver, gold or platinum requires more points. While a builder or owner is free to choose which points are pursued, reductions in both energy and water usage are often necessary to advance. Discovery, for example, reduced its water usage by 25 percent and electricity consumption by 26 percent as it strove toward platinum certification, according to Laque.

Company representatives declined to disclose how much the green initiative cost because Discovery is in a quiet period before an initial public offering, expected this summer.

For new construction, the push to achieve top certifications can lead a developer to embrace a collaborative design process in which architects, engineers and contractors discuss from the onset what is desired, what is possible and what is economically feasible.

The early discussion is important, analysts and builders said, because one design change can often affect another. A building's orientation, for example, may affect what kind of windows are installed, which may then influence the type of lighting employed or what heating or air conditioning system may be required.

Such collaboration is intended to consider these trade-offs to create a more efficient building, developers and analysts said.

"Really that line between architecture and construction has become blurred," said Marnie Abramson, a principal with the Tower Cos. "You have to have a more comprehensive approach."

But some see flaws in the way points are doled out. Bill Oatey, owner of the Oatey Co., a Cleveland plumbing supplier and manufacturer, had one of his company's distribution centers certified under LEED. What perplexed him was that he earned one point for building the plant on a cleaned-up industrial brownfield site and one point for installing a bike rack on the premises.

But if the system is not perfect, for Discovery's Laque it at least allowed his company to set energy-saving goals, foster a team spirit and engage in ruthless self-evaluation. And as the year drew to a close, Laque's ambitions grew.

"We are going for platinum, we are going to do it," Laque recalled telling his staff. "We are going to do this, or we are going to die trying."

The Green Building Council awarded Laque and his team the platinum certification this year.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/story/2008/02/25/ST2008022500790.html

Green Housing Developer In Sacramento

Local green developer wants to change how people look at communities

By Sena Christian

Some good has come to town. Literally. LJ Urban, our friendly neighborhood green developers, recently began accepting contracts for its Good housing project in the Washington neighborhood of West Sacramento. This LEED-certified development located at Fourth and B streets, right across the river from downtown, will eventually contain 35 units when it’s completed by the end of next year. LJ Urban built the development around eco-friendly measures, but more so around people, which is why plans incorporate porches, a community garden and a park with a bike path weaving around the space.

“We don’t want to just build and sell houses. We want to change how people think about communities. We want to make cities better,” said Levi Benkert, co-founder of LJ Urban.

The project began three years ago, back when there was a trailer park on the site and green building had not quite hit the mainstream here in Sacramento. LJ Urban bought the trailers and relocated the handful of residents to apartments, then set to work researching the heck out of every possible option for the green houses, looking for the most reasonably priced sustainable choice.

Designed by Craig Stradley of local architecture firm Mogavero Notestine Associates, with interiors by Sacramento-based BlankBlank, the houses are prime examples of modern eco-urban living. The houses have dual-flush toilets and tankless water heaters to conserve water. Kitchens are equipped with Energy Star appliances and countertops made from recycled paper and resin. Concrete floors are made with fly ash (a byproduct of the coal-burning process). Recycled insulation made of used phone books and denim jeans keeps building shells efficient, and NightBreeze systems create natural ventilation and limit air-conditioning use. Reflecting aluminum roof sheathing frames the buildings, which helps prevent heat from penetrating through roofs and walls during the summer and escaping during winter.

The developers decided to leave three large oak trees, and although they had to remove several walnut and cedar trees, the wood was reclaimed and transformed into shelving and exterior window shades. A vegetable garden will be planted next to the oaks.

“We want community gardens all around,” Benkert said. “We love them.”

To keep the houses comparatively affordable (units range from $339,000 to $450,000), solar panels are optional, and LJ Urban will pay a substantial portion of the cost for those who choose this feature. Even without photovoltaics, LJ Urban estimates the monthly gas and electric bill will average $15.

Good isn’t claiming to be the greenest housing project in existence. It’s not entirely off-the-grid and biodegradable. But then again, that was never the point. Yes, sustainability means green products and design, but the concept also means creating a community where people want, and can afford, to stay over the long haul.

The company’s mantra is “Dream big, live small and do good,” and the folks at LJ Urban mean it. They partnered with a nonprofit in Burkina Faso—a West African nation, and one of the poorest in the world—and funded the organization to train 38 masons through the Good project.

Benkert and his wife, Jessie (LJ Urban co-founder) will relocate from their home in East Sacramento to Good in September, downsizing by 900 square feet, which they don’t see as a sacrifice. Because what they get instead is a bike path for their three kids to ride on and a park right across the street, and hopefully, a collection of friendly neighbors.

When the Benkerts moved here from San Francisco 10 years ago, they started up two coffee shops before establishing Asante Homes in a garage in West Sacramento. For several years, they were land developers, but frustration with all the crazy suburban sprawl in the area prompted them to become builders as well and rename themselves LJ Urban.

“Making [green] lifestyle changes are simply impossible in a suburban home,” Benkert said. Suburbs require new roads, new sewers and significantly more resources than infill, where developers can tap into infrastructure already there. LJ Urban currently has 11 projects in the works, all within a mile-and-a-half of the state Capitol building.

“Sacramento has an opportunity to be a leader in the sustainable-urban model,” Benkert said. “If you want a low-footprint lifestyle, you can really do it here.”

http://www.newsreview.com/sacramento/good-to-go/content?oid=699132

Jumbo Indoor Grow

A very interesting indoor cultivation operation - can work in the city.

Virginia operation is one of the world's largest tulip producers

By Adrian Higgins
Washington Post Staff Writer
Wednesday, February 9, 2011; 2:01 PM

I bought a bunch of 10 tulips for $6.99 the other day and stuck them on my desk. One day, the buds were tight and pale, the next about the size of a plum and similar in color. They weren't the slinky, pastel French tulips that high-end florists coo over, but they lifted my spirits, lasted for days and brought a glimpse of spring.

I picked them up at a grocery story a couple of blocks from the office. Nothing strange about that, but here's the weird thing: I may well have seen the same bunch being grown and gathered a few days earlier in an enormous greenhouse just outside Culpeper, Va. I say "may" because one bunch was hard to see amid something like 1 million tulips in hydroponic cultivation at the glazed quarters of a company called Fresh Tulips USA, in Stevensburg. Here, hiding in plain sight, is one of the largest tulip factories in the world, and, yes, I did feel a bit like Charlie in the Chocolate Factory as a Dutchman named Coen Haakman put on the hat of Willy Wonka. Figuratively.

It probably helps to be Dutch to undertake an enterprise that involves the mass production of the tulip. It's in the blood: Greenhouse growers in the Netherlands raise 1.5 billion cut tulips a year, even if fewer of those blooms today are making it to the American marketplace.

With the rise of high-volume supermarket floral departments, Haakman and his business partners figured that by bringing Dutch methods and techniques to the mid-Atlantic, they could meet consumer demand for cheap and cheerful tulips while cutting out middlemen and the delays of shipping flowers from abroad.

He came to Virginia in 2004 with a plan to grow 5 million tulips a year. Seven years later, he and his Dutch grower, Hans Meester, and a workforce of around 100 churn out 45 million in five adjoining greenhouse bays covering eight acres.

In the dead of winter, it's not a bad place to be, especially with the curious overhead lines of hanging Boston ferns. Big and fluffy, they number 32,000 and function to shade and cool the greenhouse while generating additional income through sales. Early February is high season; the glass houses are empty only in high summer when it's too hot for plants, especially tulips.

The company ships about a million tulips a week to stores such as Whole Foods Market, Wegmans and Giant Food, in markets as far west as Dallas, north to Boston and south to Miami. This week the production more than doubles for an annual peak of tulips in three colors: red, white and pink. These are cupid's hues around St. Valentine's Day, and Haakman is counting on legions of swains choosing tulips over the pricier and more predictable bouquet of red roses. For plant geeks like myself, I should add that these varities are all Triumph tulips, by name Ile de France, Jumbo Pink and White Marvel.

Timing is everything

With tulips, as in affairs of the heart and politics, timing is everything. The task is made somewhat easier for the 43-year-old general manager by the fact that the bulbs themselves are farmed by sister companies back in the Netherlands, as well as in France and Chile.

In Europe, new bulbs are harvested in July, but then the art of climate-controlled storage takes over. First the bulbs are kept warm enough for next year's embryonic tulip to form. But to trick the flowers into greenhouse bloom - gardeners call it forcing - the bulbs must be chilled and remain so for 16 to 18 weeks, including the two-week voyage to the United States.

Haakman shows me the room where the shipped boxes are stored, and suddenly the air is filled with the roar of a fan and the blast of cold air. Massed tulip bulbs can produce enough ethylene gas to mess up their eventual flowering, hence the frequent forced ventilation.

After the dry bulbs have initiated a little root growth, they are taken out of cold storage and "potted up" for growth, except there is no pot and no soil. As the bulbs roll down a conveyor belt, workers rogue out any rotten ones and then place the healthy ones, 100 at a time, on a horizontal board. A peg spears the base of each bulb, allowing the board to sit in a black plastic tray where the bulbs grow. Lined up on the greenhouse floor, the trays are filled with water and a little liquid fertilizer, and the bulbs shoot up in the 65-degree temperatures, lowered to the 50s at night. Robotic watering arms move across the acres of trays several times a day to keep the growing bulbs happy.

The stems are harvested just as the buds begin to show color. After a night in cold storage, they go to a bouquet production room where the tulips are bundled, tied, de-bulbed and wrapped.

This process may seem convoluted: Imagine the logistics of having bulbs in various stages of forcing for 40 weeks of the year. The scheduling is further complicated by the fact the bulbs take 30 days to bloom in December but just 15 days by April.

Bulbs from Chile kick off production in September, followed by ones from France and the Dutch province of Zeeland.

"The Dutch have absolutely figured out the science of timing," said Sally Ferguson of the Netherlands Flower Bulb Information Center.

What does this local mass production mean for humble consumers who just want a touch of spring in their kitchen or apartment window? Haakman says that at least three links have been removed in the production chain, the carbon footprint is lowered all around and the flowers reach the marketplace about five days earlier than before.

With spring still six weeks away, that sounds pretty good to me.

Tulip tips

How to keep tulips and other cut flowers fresh:

-Choose bunches whose buds are showing color but are still tight.

-As soon as possible, get the flowers into fresh water.

-Cut the bottoms of the stems at an angle. It is not necessary to do this under water.

-Keep leaves out of the water.

-Preservative is helpful but not necessary.

-Don't allow the water to drop below the stems.

-Change the water before it gets cloudy, at least by the third day. Take the opportunity to remove faded or damaged blooms.

-Recut stems if they have browned or gone soft.

-Keep the vase in the coolest setting possible and away from heat registers.

-Keep the flowers away from apples, pears and bananas, which speed flower aging.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2011/02/09/AR2011020903831.html