Modular building has many benefits: it’s cost-efficient, it’s time-efficient, and it can be just as design-savvy as traditional stick and brick construction. But there is yet another advantage to modular building: it’s greener and more sustainable.

LEED-certification is often the first guideline that comes to mind when considering green building best practices. While LEED-certified modular buildings can and have been constructed, just like traditional construction, it only comes at great expense. There are many simple, cost-effective alternatives that modular builders use every day to reduce construction waste and make their buildings more energy efficient.

First off, the fact that modular buildings are constructed in a factory and then shipped to the site produces less waste than traditional on-site construction. There is also less site disturbance with modular buildings, further reducing the impact on the environment.

Modular buildings commonly incorporate high-tech materials and features for superior efficiency. For example, thick high-quality insulation conserves air conditioning and heat. The use of white roofing material instead of black reduces superheating of the roof and summertime HVAC use. Energy-efficient lighting with occupancy sensors, programmable HVAC systems and window glazing are also frequently incorporated into the design of modular buildings, further improving the energy efficiency and reducing operating costs of these designs.

Modular buildings are a sustainable option. The material used on modular units is both durable and recyclable. So buildings last for years, and can be recycled when the time is right. The key to the sustainability of modular buildings is their ability to be reused for in other locations and for other purposes. Ground offices have been repurposed to ski lodges, storage units, or temporary classrooms, to name just a few.

The end result is a superior, cost-effective, quality-controlled product that can help you meet and exceed your project schedule, operating costs and sustainability goals.

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Jeff Dusing is the Creative Communications Manager at ModSpace, a leading provider of temporary and permanent modular building solutions with 80 branch locations across the United States and Canada. ModSpace offers innovative products for a variety of industries, including commercial, education, government, and healthcare. ModSpace offers the best solutions for your space needs such as mobile office trailers, modular office buildings, portable storage containers, modular complexes, and much more.

Event to Focus on Sustainability Solutions

June 27, 2011, Austin, Texas – South by Southwest (SXSW) Conferences and Festivals announced today it will launch the inaugural SXSW Eco Conference to bring together experts in the fields committed to finding solutions for a sustainable world. The event will take place at the Hilton Austin in Austin, Texas, October 4-6, 2011. SXSW Eco will feature three days of diverse, top-level programming for executive decision makers from the public, private and academic sectors, and provide a platform for attendees to collaborate and advance solutions to the most pressing challenges facing the environment, the economy and civil society.

SXSW Eco will provide an open and creative space for experienced, passionate and pragmatic professionals to network with a diverse group of influential organizations and individuals, while contributing to cutting-edge discussion. The conference will feature a mix of sessions, including keynote presentations, panels, and core-conversations. Session ideas submitted via the SXSW Eco website will be considered by SXSW Eco staff as well as the SXSW Eco Advisory Board.

The SXSW Eco Advisory Board features an eclectic group of experts with decades of experience dedicated to sustainability technology, research and education. Advisory Board members will assist the SXSW Eco staff with programming well-rounded sessions intended to encourage thought-provoking discussions among panelists and attendees alike. The Advisory Board currently includes dedicated professionals such as Robert Skinner, Associate Director, United Nations Foundation; Callum Grieve, Global Director of Communications, The Climate Group ; Melinda Taylor, Executive Director of the Center for Global Energy, International Arbitration, and Environmental Law at the University of Texas School of Law; and Karl R. Rábago, Vice President for Distributed Energy Services with Austin Energy. Additional members will be announced via the SXSW Eco website in the coming weeks.

“Just as SXSW Music, Film and Interactive emerged as a vibrant space for the creative and entrepreneurial communities, we hope SXSW Eco will foster a similar, productive environment for policy makers, academics, and professionals to build meaningful relationships and develop tangible solutions,” said Roland Swenson, SXSW Managing Director. “We are eager to apply our successful event experience to provide a new forum that will address these timely, complicated and interdependent issues of sustainability.”

“SXSW has always provided an environment that creates the kind of informal opportunity for the exchange of ideas, and I think extending their expertise to SXSW Eco could be very helpful in moving the agenda forward on these critical issues of sustainability,” said Robert Skinner, Associate Director of the United Nations Foundation. “I’m thrilled to have the opportunity to participate on the Advisory Board, and really looking forward to the discourse that will surely come from the event.”

Individuals with ideas for session topics, or those who are interested in speaking at SXSW Eco may submit proposals directly via the SXSW Eco Session Proposal Form. All ideas will be reviewed by SXSW Eco staff as well as the SXSW Eco Advisory Board. Proposals will be accepted now through July 29. To submit an idea or for more information, visit sxsweco.com/present.

The SXSW Eco Conference will take place at the Hilton Austin from Tuesday, October 4 through Thursday, October 6. SXSW Eco registration will include three days of programming, an opening night reception, registrants’ dinner and a closing party featuring live entertainment. SXSW Eco registration is available now at the discounted rates of $800 through July 29 and $1000 through September 2, after which the final walk-up rate will be $1200. Student and academic discounts of up to 50% will be available to qualified applicants. For more information on the SXSW Eco schedule, registration, and more, visit sxsweco.com/attend.

California Lieutenant Governor Gavin Newsom to Deliver Keynote Address

Worldwide Experts to Participate via Virtual Meetings by Marriott with AT&T and Cisco TelePresence

SAN FRANCISCO , CA – Organizers and sponsors of the Global Green Cities of the 21st Century: Evolving Models for Sustainable Urban Design today announced that the symposium will take place February 23-25, 2011 at the San Francisco JW Marriott. With the goal of fostering sustainable urban development and design, the landmark symposium will shed light on the development of green cities. Gavin Newsom, lieutenant governor of California, will deliver the opening remarks on Feb. 23.

The symposium will feature a high-level exchange of ideas and information among elected officials, planners, researchers, technologists, business executives and other leaders recognized worldwide.

“We’re extremely excited to have such an esteemed gathering of global experts on sustainable urban growth convene in San Francisco,” said Sean Randolph, President of the Bay Area Council Economic Institute. “Their experience of planning and living in some of the world’s most innovative cities is invaluable, and we hope that the exchange with U.S. and Bay Area leaders will help advance the state of the art.”

Focal points of the symposium include urban design, the relationship between policy and citizen behavior, and the applications of technology. The symposium will showcase technology and policy advances specific to California.

Global collaboration will be achieved through both on-site participation and the use of Cisco TelePresence, a state-of-the-art meeting solution enabling an “in-person” virtual presence. The Virtual Meetings by Marriott studios will also connect participants worldwide, using the AT&T Business Exchange, AT&T’s unique network-based, inter- and intracompany collaboration program.

“Cisco is proud to support Global Green Cities of the 21st Century,” said Wim Elfrink, chief globalisation officer and executive vice president of Cisco Services. “Cisco TelePresence is the perfect solution to connect worldwide contributors to this symposium and to facilitate conversations that will bring positive change to the sustainable-urban-design sector. This will also allow our meeting participants to experience how innovation and technology can advance economic, social and environmental sustainability.”

Jim Herlihy, managing director of Deutsche Bank Private Wealth Management, echoed Elfrink’s sentiments: “We’re honored to contribute to such a truly important event. The discussions promoted by this symposium will no doubt benefit the growth and evolution of green cities worldwide.”

Global Green Cities of the 21st Century is organized by the Bay Area Council Economic Institute in partnership with the Alfred Herrhausen Society, Cisco and Deutsche Bank, with program advice provided by LSE Cities at the London School of Economics.

California’s National Parks, Economy Face Climate-Change Threats

San Francisco and Denver – October 26, 2010 — Human-caused climate disruption could make Yosemite National Park hotter this century than Sacramento has been, according to a new report from the Rocky Mountain Climate Organization (RMCO) and the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC).

The report includes new local climate projections for 10 national parks in California. With what the California Climate Change Center calls “medium-high” future emissions of heat-trapping gases, the average of six climate models is for Yosemite National Park to get 7.5 degrees hotter by 2070-2099 than it was in 1961-1990. That would be enough to make the national park 0.3degrees hotter than Sacramento historically has been.

Average results from other, park-specific projections include that Sequoia and Kings Canyon national parks could get 7.6 degrees hotter, making them 0.6 degrees hotter than the Sonoma County coast has been. Point Reyes National Seashore could get 6.0 degrees hotter, making it as hot as Santa Barbara has been. Death Valley National Park, already the hottest place in North America, could get 8.1 degrees hotter. Average temperatures in Joshua Tree National Park could go up 7.4° and in Mojave National Preserve by 8.0 degrees, making each hotter than Death Valley’s historic average temperature.

These higher temperatures would drive widespread changes in the national parks. Also threatened would be the contribution the parks make to California’s economy. National parks in the state draw over 34 million visitors a year. Their spending contributes $1.24 billion to the state’s economy and supports over 19,000 jobs.

Among a broad range of threats to the ten national parks identified in the report are:

* Joshua trees, which need freezing temperatures to set seeds, are projected to disappear entirely from the national park named after them, and from most of Death Valley National Park and Mojave National Preserve.

* In Redwood National Park and Muir Woods National Monument, higher temperatures already have reduced by 30 percent the coastal fog that redwoods depend on for nearly half their water supply. A continued decrease in the fog could keep the coast redwoods from growing to the astonishing heights that make them the world’s tallest trees.

* In Sequoia, Kings Canyon, and Yosemite, giant sequoias may not be resilient to the water stress and increased wildfire expected with rapid climate change, according to National Park Service and U.S. Geological Survey scientists.

* Yosemite Falls, mostly fed by snowmelt, could dry up more often and earlier in summers, depriving many park visitors of one of the world’s greatest sights.

* As Yosemite, Sequoia, and Kings Canyon have gotten hotter and drier, pine and fir trees are dying more quickly. The death rate of trees has nearly doubled over just the past two decades.

* Sea-level rise of 2.0 to 4.7 feet in this century, as projected by the California Climate Change Center, would lead to flooding by storm surges and the permanent inundation of low-lying areas in Point Reyes National Seashore, Golden Gate National Recreation Area, and Redwood National Park. At risk are beaches, wetlands, other wildlife habitat, historic structures, highways and roads, campgrounds, picnic areas, and a visitor center.

* In Yosemite, mammals already are moving up slope to stay ahead of rising temperatures. About half of small mammal species in Yosemite now live at elevations different from where they were found nearly a century ago. Most have moved to higher elevations, by an average of about 500 yards higher. Along the coast, seals and shorebirds could lose habitat to a higher sea, and many may abandon the coastal national parks as suitable areas disappear.

The report’s lead author Stephen Saunders, RMCO president and a former Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Interior over the National Park Service, said, “We need to reduce heat-trapping pollution to keep these national parks the special places that Americans know and love. If we keep changing the climate the way we are, it will hurt tourism and the state’s economy. In California, climate disruption is a jobs-killer.”

Theo Spencer, a senior advocate in NRDC’s Climate Center, said, “The natural and cultural resources of California’s national parks are directly linked to over one billion dollars in economic activity and 19,000 jobs. By acting now to reduce the pollution that causes global warming we will preserve these jobs and create new ones while continuing America’s long-standing position of technological leadership.”

The new locally-focused climate projections for the national parks considered two sets of future emissions – the medium-high scenario and one with lower (but still fairly high) emissions. With lower emissions, Yosemite would get 4.5 degrees hotter rather than 7.5 degrees hotter – still enough for widespread, severe impacts. “To really protect these special places, we need to get serious about sharply cutting heat-trapping pollution, and doing it now,” said Saunders. Heat-trapping gases have long-lasting effects in the atmosphere, and emission reductions made sooner will have greater effect than those made later. “The good news is that the actions that protect the climate also save energy costs and create clean-energy jobs,” he continued.

The new RMCO/NRDC report is available online at http://www.rockymountainclimate.org.

A trend for employing efficient energy – as well as more traditional energy saving strategies – for your home has grown into something increasingly preferred as a result of pricey power bills plus increasing knowledge of the environment. Through using such alternative energy, most people could very well live life while not destroying our basic world.

Renewable energy can certainly not merely be practical yet may be used to provide a stop-gap process in order to power your home in periods of blackout. It could be made use of in the event of disaster.

One of the most trusted method at present is solar power. The latter employs technologically sophisticated equipment that turns the sun’s power to electricity.

The second trendiest alternative power chosen currently is wind energy, though the use of solar energy is just not very far lurking behind. The data which follow will more deeply describe the use of the above solutions and just how they could positively have an impact on the environment.

Sun Power

The usage of solar panel products is simultaneously economical as well as eco-friendly. Listed here are some advantages of making use of this type of energy:

* Doesn’t include the use of generators

* Turns sunlight into electrical energy excluding lag time

* Rapid and uncomplicated set up

Just like all kinds of other systems, sun energy contains its very own piece of drawbacks. For instance, a big location might call for a large amount of sunlight to power up the whole area. A residence will likewise call for a constant flow of sunlight to implement this method effectively.

Solar power makes use of panels that will be set up upon your roof. You’ll be able to produce these types of cells all by yourself or else obtain kits that contain every piece you demand for you to assemble the actual solar panel. You may furthermore get it set up at your house for you to accelerate the process.

Wind Energy

An additional good source of natural energy would be the wind. Aside from being free of charge, the blowing wind can be an abundant supply of energy. Wind turbines should be utilised in order to “tame” wind gusts that are to be transformed to electricity. As with solar energy, this process does not dirty our environment.

Wind turbines formerly were rather high-priced. Yet aided by the progress in technological know-how, they have grown to be more and more low-priced to the populace. Today, these are particularly power efficient plus a great deal better to make use of.

Leading Advantages

Consumer attention to prevent global warming has accelerated through the years. The heating effects in the world have increased at an alarming pace that more and more people are choosing renewable energy in their own dwellings.

So it is vital that we understand the strengths it may provide.

* Presently there is enough zero cost energy for people to consume. Wind and sunlight are both unreservedly provided by nature and will thus serve as wonderful sources for our electrical power.

* It results in zero pollution. Sun rays and air are clean sources of energy.

* The options have grown to be affordable at this time a lot more than ever. With the contemporary progress in scientific disciplines, all of us can take advantage of alternative power for a cost you can easlily afford.

*Many people would no longer have to shell out for costly utility payments.

Eco-friendly residences can be constructed with the use of various kinds of technology. Aided by the technological progress we are witnessing today, it has definitely become less complicated for individuals to achieve a green energy house that compliments other means of reducing energy costs.

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